Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Guillem March
Villains Month has been something that I have been extremely interested in, and now that it's hear I am very happy. Being a huge Batman fan I am personally looking forward to the Batman villains making there appearances, and although I've already been disappointed with the Joker's issue, I'm sure most of them will be good.
Plot
Two-Face has to make the decision of whether to save Gotham City, or "make it bleed," but when Scarecrow invites Two-Face to join the Secret Society of Super Villains it makes things awkward.
Review
This was a brilliant issue, and one of the better issues from this weeks Villains Month issues. Peter J. Tomasi did a superb job with this issue, and I loved how he got Two-Face spot on, and especially loved the conflicting monologue from Two-Face, showing how spit he is between every decision he makes. I also loved how this was a relatively dark story, whilst also managing to be fun as well, keeping the readers interest at a high point, whilst also keeping the excitement at a high level. I also loved how well this tied into Forever Evil without being a direct tie-in, as although I like the idea of some of the stories being set in the past, or completely new origins, it's nice to see some of them set in the present.
The art on this issue was also amazing, and although it wasn't necessarily the best artwork that I've seen from Guillem March, it was still outstanding. I especially loved the way he laid out his artwork, and especially near the start, as the panels showing Two-Face making his initial decision of whether to save Gotham or not was so impactful, and I especially loved the coin flip. I also loved the way that March drew Two-Face in general, as he looks just as he should, having the sinister disfigured side, which was amazing, and the slick normal side which was fantastic, especially next to each other. I was however not a fan of March's Scarecrow, but besides that I loved his artwork.
The theme of this issue was about how Two-Face makes his decisions, and although I already mentioned how well Tomasi handled this I felt that I'd also go into how this helped the story itself. The whole coin toss decision making of Two-Face is his distinguishing feature, and it has always been established that he wouldn't cope well without the coin to make his decisions for him. Well I loved how this was reflected in the story, as it is what shaped the tone, and the atmosphere of it, making is something unique, but also something exciting, and interesting.
This issue would also feature another Batman villain in the form of Scarecrow, who's become the Secret Society of Super Villains go to guy for recruitment, with Two-Face being one of the people he's trying to recruit. The interaction between the two characters in this issue was simply amazing, as I loved how it showed the similarities they both have, whilst also making it very clear that these are two very different types of characters. I also loved how Scarecrow was able to have a interesting role in this issue without taking the spotlight away from Two-Face, as although Tomasi didn't shy away from giving Scarecrow good dialogue, it was still clear that this was Two-Face's show.
A good part of this story would see Two-Face give out his own brand of justice to the people of Gotham, returning to the Court House one more time. I just loved this, as it showed just how out of sync with the real world Two-Face really is, and how far he's willing to go to deliver what he considers to be justice, giving them just two options life in prison, or death, all of which is dependant on what the coin decides. I also enjoyed the small flashbacks that would happen during this sequence, showing how much he has changed since becoming Two-Face, which was a really interesting addition, especially due to this not being an origin story.
Final Verdict
This was a terrific story, and it got the Two-Face character spot on. It has also been one of the better Villains Month issues from this week, being very exciting, and dramatic, whilst managing to balance in both dark, and fun elements. It also had a very interesting story that ties in nicely with Forever Evil without it being necessary to read both to enjoy one or the other. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue, as although it wasn't quite perfect it was extremely enjoyable.
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