With Two-Face still on the loose, Batman must decide whether to track him down before he can hurt anyone else, or go after The Joker. Spoilers for Detective Comics #1023 follow.
The past several issues of Detective Comics have been some of the best issues that the series has had in the past several years. The story has been fantastic and contained some of the best Two-Face writing in years, which is apt as the previous holder of “Best Two-Face Writing” was also Peter J. Tomasi. But when the end of the last issue made it clear that this was also going to tie into “Joker War,” it was a bit disappointing. It felt like the story wasn’t going to be able to be properly finished. What this issue does though is prove that notion incorrect, while also still serving as a solid tie-in issue.
Somehow, this issue manages to craft a story that serves both as the penultimate part of the Two-Face arc while handily building up a side of “Joker War” that hasn’t been touched on in the main Batman series. Nearly everything about this issue is compelling and is done in exactly the right way so that both stories are able to be balanced, while also tying into each other.
On top of the excellent Two-Face writing though, there are a couple of other villains that have some great moments in this issue as well, namely Mad Hatter and The Joker. It’s clear that Tomasi and Brad Walker were just taking every moment to relish playing with The Joker and it shows on every panel. He’s crazy and maniacal in all the best ways. Plus, he brings Lincoln March back into play after not having shown up, except for a couple of exceptions, since Batman Eternal.
Speaking of Brad Walker though, his art is what really takes the cake in this issue. It’s absolutely fantastic. Whether the focus is on Joker, Batman, or Two-Face, he nails absolutely everything on the page. Every panel is gorgeous and his layouts tell the story of the issue incredibly well. He doesn’t miss a single beat.
Combine that with Andrew Hennessy’s excellent inks and Brad Anderson’s always impeccable coloring, well, that’s just a recipe for a beautiful issue right there. Perfect art teams are hard to come by, but the team of Walker, Hennessy, and Anderson is one of the few perfect teams that are out there.