Batman: Face the Face, part of DC Comics's soft-relaunch of their titles following the Infinite Crisis crossover, feels thankfully more like a continuation than a starting over. Batman here, returning to Gotham City after a year-long absence, is still making up for his past sins, and it adds a sense of continuity to the character, instead of forcing readers to accept an unnecessary reboot. The slate for Batman hasn't been wiped clean, and the most interesting thing may be watching Batman work toward redemption.

While the easy route might have been to let this trade start a "kinder, gentler" era for Batman, writer James Robinson instead portrays Batman's new outlook as a work in progress. Even though Batman appears perhaps over-nice to Robin and to Commissioner Jim Gordon, he still snubs a rookie police officer in the first chapter. I took this as an indication that the new Batman was a softie, but no pushover; however, later Batman apologizes and explains himself to the officer. In another scene, Batman agrees to give formerly crooked cop Harvey Bullock a second chance. Both of these apologies show a Batman with faults, still liable to make emotional mistakes, but now willing to atone for them.

Of course, this new "make-nice" Batman may take some getting used to. Robinson offers a reminder in nearly every chapter as to what a strong team Batman and Robin have become after their year away, as if concerned when this story came out in monthly comics that the casual reader might have missed the beginning. We end up with a virtual Batman and Robin praise-fest. Though a bit overwhelming, it is nice to see the two characters getting along after a contentious relationship of late. They share a nice moment in the end that won't be surprising to readers who followed the Robin title before Infinite Crisis, but is an appropriate turning point in the characters' lives nonetheless.

Batman: Face the Face does a great job reintroducing Batman's villains. No less than nine villains appear here, but each plays an integral role in the plot. Robinson deftly gives each an interesting backstory, and seamlessly blends both classic and new Batman villains; the one-note villain Orca, for instance, has never been more fascinating. If there is one false spot, it's in Robinson's choice of the story's mastermind, a character more obscure than obscure. I'm not too keen on another villain running Gotham's gangs from the shadows, a plot used many times before, though it also remains to be seen whether the Batman writers following Robinson will even use the character again.

Batman: Face the Face reads like a solid Batman comic book, one that could be easily shared with a casul fan. The level of quality here portends well for Batman in DC Comic's new "One Year Later era," offering a fresh take on the Dark Knight while classic elements remain intact.