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Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey   Writer- Sam Hamm Artist- Joe Quinones Colourist- Leonardo Ito Letterer- Clayton Cowles Editor- Andrew Marino Senior Editor- Katie Kubert Published by DC Comics 12/04/2022 SynopsisHarvey Dent presses on with terrorising Gotham City as his new alter ego, Two Face. Jim and Barbara Gordon's relationship continues to strain under the weight of their familial history. Bruce Wayne and Drake Winston's bond starts to take shape as Batman and Robin. They are all bound on an inevitable collision course however, and it is not long before there are casualties. Dave The cover for this issue is superb, straight from 92's ‘Returns.’ The apt, ‘Hell Here,’ sets-up this issue's story. Joe Quinones has really captured the sultry look that Pfeiffer exuded with Catwoman, and the colouring by Leonardo Ito, with the neon lights in the background, is great too. It’s a very eye-catching cover. Like you said previously, these images stand alone when you look at them. Kev Yeh, I absolutely love this one. I’m a big fan of the “Hell Here” from ‘Returns’ as well, and Quinones’s Catwoman looks like Pfeiffer has leapt straight off the silver screen. The expression on the cat’s face in the right of the foreground is really funny too. It looks so shocked. Dave I was actually thinking, while reading the first page where Two-Face is doing his interrogation, how much of a Christopher Nolan feel there is to this story. It's becoming very grounded and moving away from the more timeless, gothic mood, depicted in Burton’s films. Whereas Burton’s films were big on visual aesthetics, Nolan’s focused as much on the dialogue and interactions between the characters, and maybe that is why I’m getting such a Nolan feel here. Kev That's a really good point actually, yeh. I hadn't noticed it at all until you pointed it out, and then the penny finally dropped. Which is a fitting turn of phrase for this story. Dave And a good pun also. Even though Two-Face doesn't drop the coin. Kev Ha, ha! Another good point. Yeh, it ALMOST works. Not quite though. Dave The dialogue is excellently written, with amazing observations of society (and it could be a dig at today’s society). "There's a subculture of sociopathic punks who like to dress up and raise hell" "Nihilists. Anarchists. Performance artists. Good for distractions and not much else.” Kev Definitely. Yeh, it’s amusing that the “performance artists” have found kindred spirits in the “nihilists” and the “anarchists.” I’ve always thought that there was something off about performance artists. I reckon you’ve to already be a bit mad to do that as a creative outlet, never mind make it a career choice. Ha, ha! Harvey has gone full Two Face here. He’s beating up, whilst trying to recruit hoods as his, goons, and his wardrobe has taken on its final form. That suit is a thing of beauty. I like that Hamm is tying it back to the armoured car robbery from the beginning of this story. That’s satisfyingly neat. Dave Two-Face is using these people of the underworld for his own means, and he understands how their hierarchy works. Or should I say Sam Hamm has a great understanding of this. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, I also like that Harvey has recruited Lawrence from The Joker’s goon squad from ‘Batman.’ Lawrence who also shows-up in the John Jackson Miller novel ‘Batman: Resurrection.’ Which is set in the same timeline as this series, apparently, albeit before the events of this story. And also pretty damn good.  Lawrence; henchman to the stars. Dave Hamm is really pulling out all his skills in terms of writing and, of course, the artwork is equally on form. Kev I agree. This is definitely a creative team firing on all cylinders here. Their chemistry is fantastic. Dave I never noticed that Lawrence from ‘89 was in this. That’s a good spot, and a nice throwback to the movie. Kev He doesn't seem to have his boombox here though. Maybe it was broken in one of the Gotham City riots. Dave Maybe he has got a CD player now, it’s been a few years since '89. Kev Good point. Maybe he's going up in the world. Dave The Dent suit is superb. Really in keeping with the tone of the story, which makes him stand out. It's not too over the top, but enough to work. Kev Yeh, I love it. Dave "...who's your tailor?" is a great panel, with the cherry red background, and a manic, laughing, Two-Face with his face shadowed out. Kev Yeh, you're right about that last panel, it’s cracking. It's so graphic. The guy being arrested by the police officer for boosting the six pack looks like one of The Mutants from ‘The Dark Knight Returns,’ which is a nice touch. Another nice “Easter egg,” if you will. Dave I like his glasses though, they’re kind-of like Geordi Laforge's from 'Star Trek: The Next Generation.' And it looks like he's smiling at us, the reader, also. Kev Right enough. Creepy bastard. I like that Barbara acknowledges that half of Harvey’s face “.....is probably a mass of…secondary infections” by this point. That’s another lovely touch by Hamm. I also like that she threatens her dad with the ghost of her dead mother if he dares light up his pipe in her apartment, and that Jim now keeps his pipe purely as a “security blanket.” This is all excellent stuff by Hamm. This is a better, multi-dimensional, version of Gordon than in the films. He has a bit of depth to him as a character, as opposed to being the rather one note, bumbling Commissioner from the movies. Dave Oh yeah, we are getting a far more layered character from Gordon or, in fact, any of the characters than were presented in the Burton movies, and the beauty of writing these issues is it gives Sam Hamm a chance to explore these characters more in depth. We see a more cracked and vulnerable side to Jim Gordon, rather than the almost Santa Claus-esque figure that Pat Hingle brought to life so well when he played the part. Plus, Gordon was married in 'Batman' when Knox is at the roulette table at Bruce Wayne's mansion. That's a great panel of Barbara tearing up as Jim speaks to her and she has her back to him, desperately trying to not show her feelings. Great writing, and visual storytelling also. Kev Ah, good point. Barbara Snr. has obviously passed in the meantime. Good catch, Sir. Yep, I'm enjoying the complexities of their father/daughter relationship. Dave This issue is weighted with dialogue, yet it's fundamental to what's going on in the story. Also, I’d just like to bring attention to the panel as Jim is in Barbara's home and he is looking out the window. It is another standout panel, both colour wise and in terms the details in it.  "Maybe then you might know what it's like." Kev It's also a very similar window to the one that was in Carl Grissom's office in 'Batman.' Again, another fantastic attention to detail. The use of the architecture of Anton Furst's Gotham is making this feel like a part of that world that we’ve already established. Dave They are still keeping those little details in, which shows how much they care for the material. Kev I agree. This definitely feels like a labour of love for all involved. And I love that Barbara has a heavy bag in her apartment. Dave Come to think of it, the creepy dude who was being taken off in cuffs reminds me of the same creepy dude in ‘Escape from New York’ who gives Lee Van Cleef a 30 second ultimatum to leave the island. Kev Ha, ha! Right enough. There are a lot of members in this gang in Gotham, that's for sure. Dave The next page, of the high speed pursuit, just ramps up the pacing, and I love the panel layout too. Kev It's brilliant, isn't it? It really sells you on the the 165mph speed of the Batmobile. The composition of that page, with the Dutch angle panels is fantastic. Absolute nightmare to take panel grabs from to put on here though. Just does not work. Dave And Robin's getting his first Batmobile driving lesson, Batman style. Kev Yeh, Quinones and Ito’s renditions of the Anton Furst Batmobile have been stellar in this, but none more so than the one here at the top of page 5. Dave Plus, the colours are superb. They’re bright, and so visceral. This issue is excelling again. Kev No "L" plates though. Flouting the law. Bloody vigilantes! Dave It's a striking looking Batmobile. Still the best I have seen out of all the films. And, to be fair, the Nolan trilogy are my favourite Batman films, but none have matched Burton's Batmobile. Kev It's still my favourite too. I don't mind the Tumbler, but it's not as aesthetically pleasing as the ‘89 Batmobile. Dave Batman is getting up to speed with ‘90’s digital technology and generating holograms. Nice touch. Even the dialogue between Batman and Robin is consistent. They really are working together as a unit, and it's not the conventional father figure/son cliche relationship, it's them just working together as a crime fighting partnership.  Marlon  Wayans. Kev This feels like much more of an equal partnership, doesn't it? Dave And it's still maintaining a grounded quality to this world of Batman. The likeness for Keaton’s Batman on page 6 is great as well. A lot of attention has been put in to give us this resemblance. Kev Absolutely. And Quinones and Ito’s Two Face is fantastic as well. I mean, look at that rendition on the bottom panel of page 7. Outstanding stuff. Dave Yeah, suddenly the story has shifted to ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’ That is a brilliant panel of Two Face looking up.  "Look up." Sorry, sorry, sorry. Wrong DC franchise. Kev Man, now all I have is the theme from that film stuck in my head. Cracking tune. I also like that Gotham is plagued with conspiracy theories regarding Dent. That feels like exactly the sort of thing that would happen these days, in our Trumpian, post-truth, post-COVID world. Dave The conspiracy theories are a good touch. In a world gone mad, the conspiracy theorists would be out in full force, plaguing police hotlines just for someone to listen to them. Kev Yep. I mean, I love a good conspiracy theory (the key word there being “good”), but I still get my vaccines and think the Earth is round though. Dave Two-Face is really coming into his own as a villain here, and showing how much of a force to be reckoned with he is. Kev Smart too. Dave "I'll be in the evidence room." That’s a nice little way to lead into the next scene. Kev Yeh. And now we have some Ice Cube lyrics. This time from the NWA classic 'Fuck Tha Police.' This has been a goldmine for an aging hip-hop head like myself. Dave And that’s another ‘89 movie touch on the bottom of the page, with the Batmobile heading back to Wayne Manor. It’s very reminiscent of when Batman drove Vicki back after rescuing her in the movie. I love the colours and details in that panel. It is another stand alone panel. Also, I do like how there is a bit of bickering between Bruce and Winston, the battle of who is top dog still underlying between them. Kev Yep, you’ve got to drive through that woodland on the outskirts of Gotham before you get out to Wayne Manor, and you're right, the composition of the panels of Batman and Drake in the Batmobile are exactly like the composition of the shots of Batman and Vicki Vale in the Batmobile from the '89 movie. Dave And that’s another classic Keaton pout in that panel. Kev Definitely. You’ve got to love that Keaton Batpout. Dave Haha! Nice one! "Batpout." Nananananana, Batpout!!!! Kev Ha, ha! Dave We’ve maybe found a caption for that panel. Kev Ha, ha! I think so, yeh.  Nanananananananana.....Batpout! Dave No sign of the cat in the Batcave. Alfred must be getting a bit of peace. That's also good likeness to Michael Gough in the panel with Alfred. Oh, and Harvey Dent is getting his goons to dress like him now. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh. It speaks to his vanity and narcissism, that he'd have his employees wear a uniform that makes them look just like him. Dave True. It must be part of the employment terms when you start working for a villain that the dress code is mandatory. Kev Ha, ha! The company dress policy. Drake/Robin being referred to as an “intern” is amusing. Dave Yeah, that's a nice little touch there, the sarcastic wit of Bruce. Very dry. That's a pretty good panel of Batman and Gordon taking the quick route down. We even get a reveal of Jim's age here. Kev Exactly. Who says that Batman is humourless? Oh, and we’re getting depressingly close to the age of the “old fart” Jim Gordon. Dave Unfortunately we are on route to it. Drake is still going in feet first. He is certainly an act first, think later character. Maybe that's the intentional dynamic, Bruce is now more experienced and is making fewer mistakes, and Drake is still headstrong, and needs to learn to control his impulses, so the contrast in how they operate is there to be explored. Kev Yeh, but it’s almost comedically slapstick how Batman’s gadgets end-up being both his and Jim Gordon’s undoing in this scene. This Batman is almost as incompetent as the one early on in ‘Year One.’ “I was aiming at Dent, but I hit Gordon.” Ha, ha! Dave True, Batman is still cocking up at times. It’s the same in ‘Batman Returns,’ where he loses his Batarang to a poodle. Those two panels on the bottom of that page of Two-Face and Batman squaring off are excellent, dynamic telling the story. We see them close up and directly in front of us the reader. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, right enough. Perhaps not Bruce’s finest moment. And, of course, a plot point here as well. The pacing in this issue has been breakneck. Almost a bit too breakneck for me, as I’ve found it a bit jarring a couple of times when it’s transitioned between scenes. For example, there’s a lot crammed into page 14. There are four different scene transitions in that one page alone. Dave It has been very fast at times, but I'm enjoying it revving up and firing on all cylinders. Although, somehow I thought that this might happen, just with the story slowing down previously. It has been very dialogue focused also and, coming back to the point I made about the Nolan version, the constant dialogue is keeping the story very grounded with little touches/easter eggs thrown in from the ‘89 and ‘92 movies but, you're right, it is going a little too fast at times. Also, when Batman comes out with an injured Bullock, the velocity with which Drake tears through those cops on the bike is in keeping with the speedy pacing of this story. I love the colours on that panel.  The moment before the tribute to the iconic "Akira slide." Kev Yeh, that is a cracking panel, you're right. Dave There's a lot going on page 14, with modern storytelling applied here, as there is more of a sense of urgency, than simply allowing the story to unfold. Kev Yeh, the pace of that cutting is definitely a post-1980's, maybe even post-1990's technique. Harvey has become like a modern day Robin Hood for Burnside. Kind-of the way Drake was back in chapter one. Dave It's funny how Harvey gets rattled by Gordon knocking over a bottle of wine. The bottom panel of that page is very interesting, through the fragments of Harvey's face. Kev Yeh, that panel, at the bottom of page 15, is exquisite.  'Change Of The Century.' Dave There have been so many interactions in this issue comprising of lengthy conversations. Kev There is a fair amount of dialogue for a story that has such a swift pace, that's for sure. And so we find out that the Cat is keeping tabs on the Bat. I like how Selina is dressed for her old office job, with the business attire suit on, but is also wearing her Catwoman mask. And I absolutely love that she has her “Executive Assistant” sign at her desk. She is not a secretary anymore. It’s an important distinction to her, and another lovely little touch by the creative team here. Yeh, you can definitely tell there was a lot of love and affection that went into crafting this series. Dave The Selina in the mask touch is great. It shows how she has really embodied the Catwoman persona now, and mixed it into her daily life, so to speak. They are going for the more grounded approach here, and once again, I have to comment on the richness of colours in the panels on that page, they are superb. Then it shifts to Batman and Drake on a stakeout. Some good acting by Barbara, as she plays the part to try and get the arrest on Two-Face. Kev Definitely. Smart play by Barbara to pull the sting on Harvey, and using the intimacy of her relationship with him to get close enough to him, and get him to drop his guard enough, so she can arrest him. She’s her father’s daughter, alright. Dave And the next page, with the coin flip, and how we get the narrative of Batman and Drake with all the reflections in the coin is a brilliant touch. Top marks for the creativity in the storytelling.  "Which one will the fountain bless?" Kev Yeh, that use of the slim, vertical panel, which kicks off page 18, is just fantastically well composed and executed. Yep, this is some stunning comicing, for sure. Maybe a slightly unnecessary, overly sexualised image of Catwoman on panel 4 of page 19 though. Dave The story is unfolding at breakneck speed, with Catwoman suddenly gate crashing events. I'm pretty sure Drake will be taken aback a bit. Kev True. Young man like that. All those raging hormones. Selina Kyle's BBL. 'Nuff said. Dave Drake is getting the horn. "Betrayed. She betrayed us- -" Again, the split psyche of Harvey, as we saw in earlier issues, and how he has this inner conflict of personalities is on full display now. And another excellent bit of writing on the last page, "Tragedy doesn't change you, Harvey. It reveals you." That's very deep and incredibly insightful. Kev Agreed. That's some perceptive stuff there by Gordon. Food for thought at least, if not words to live by. And it's now "us." Those personalities seem to be having a constant dialogue within that one, shared, mind, of Harvey Dent/Two Face. Dave The humanity is not lost inside Harvey, just getting more and more stifled and kept down by the crazy persona. Kev Yeh, Harvey may not be completely gone, but Two Face more and more is definitely becoming the dominant personality. Dave And the issue ends with a nice Batman pose. Good use of the shadows, once again. Even height wise, this Batman is not physically overpowering looking. Kev No, they've definitely adhered to Michael Keaton's stature for Batman's portrayal in this. Dave This issue feels to be like a giant set piece from a film, with all those other story arcs going on in between, but because it ran at breakneck speed, it still felt like part of a whole. And I know I have referenced Nolan's Batman a lot, but this issue gave me more of a Nolan feel to it. Perhaps that was influencing Hamm and Quinones, with the dialogue interactions and lengthy conversations pulling along the plot. I can't fault this issue for the writing, artwork and colouring, it has been well and truly on form, and it has continually stood out. Kev Yeh, again, I feel this issue wraps-up a little too quickly (but then again, I always seem to say that, so perhaps that's more on me than the comic itself), and the last page feels a bit crammed and rushed as a result, but there’s still some cracking character work between Dent and Gordon, especially Dent shooting Gordon, and it being revealed that this was exactly what Gordon wanted all along. Also, Harvey being on his own, as his relationship with himselves, and his coin, all begin to unravel, sets-up the series finale very nicely. Particularly as they throw in The Bat himself into the last panel of the issue. It’s show(down)time. Dave It certainly sets-up the finale very well. I will be very interested to see how the last issue plays out. Kev Definitely. Despite, as you said earlier, a bit of a dip in the pace in the previous issue, this series has flown by. The overall pace really has been breakneck. I can't believe we're at the finale already. (D) & (K) Next: 'The Battle For Gotham!' 
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