Batman #651

"Face the Face" part 2 of 8
Story by James Robinson, art by Leonard Kirk and Andy Clarke

Part two of the story begun in Detective Comics is still solid, still professional, and a little dull. Batman and Robin foil Poison Ivy's ELF-style antics, then, on the final page, discover that Harvey Dent has killed another minor '80s Bat-villain. Robinson gets points for the way our heroes foil Ivy -- using strategy and teamwork rather than brute force -- and for some nicely choreographed action sequences. But the whole thing feels like a bit of a vamp, a way to keep Batman and Robin occupied while Dent knocks off the requisite number of rogues so the real story can begin. Nothing wrong with this, particularly, but I doubt I'll be around for parts three through eight.