Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale reunite for another run at the Batman in Dark Victory. This is a sequel to Long Halloween and packs a lot of the old noir feeling of the early Batman comics into the story and pacing. The time frame is just after Harvey Dent has been scarred forever and turned psychotic, emerging as the villainous Two-Face. Batman and Jim Gordon are struggling to accept their friend’s loss, as well as figure out whether Dent can be saved from his madness.
I really liked the overall thread of Two-Face’s possible salvation in this one. Dent has long been one of those characters it was possible to root for or at least understand to a degree. However, on the flip side – and, yes, that was a joke dependent on his infamous two-headed coin – Two-Face has always been one of the most deadly villains Batman has ever encountered.
Tim Sale’s art is fabulous. The darkness on the pages seems contagious and feels like it might leak off and infect everything that touches it. He does a lot with angles and points of view that are clever and cinematic, and the pacing of the story benefits by the way the action is often broken down. Although there are a tremendous amount of characters in this graphic novel, Sale does a good job at individual rendering. He also does a good job depicting all of Batman’s rogue’s gallery on scene in the story.
The see-saw ripple of personal lives is one of the best aspects of Dark Victory. Jim Gordon’s estranged wife returns to him at a time when he’s desolate and alone, especially while trapped in the corrupt Gotham City Police Department.
At the same time, Bruce Wayne is trying to figure out how to have a relationship with Selina Kyle (Catwoman) and dealing with the fact that he’s in love with her.
.jpg?t=20120209092158)
Article comments