BIZARRO & PARASITE versus MON-EL & GUARDIAN

Man Of Valor: Part Two (DC)
Where: Superman #695 When: February 2010
Why: James Robinson How: Bernard Chang

The Story So Far...
The creation of a new planet populated with Kryptonians leads the world's governments to outlaw all survivors of the distant planet save for Superman. To curb tensions, the Man of Steel chooses to relocate to New Krypton, leaving Earth in the hands of capable understudies.

Hailing from the planet Daxam: Mon-El is a man aspiring to write a new history for himself as a hero of Metropolis. Possessing similar powers to Superman under Earth's yellow sun, he dedicates himself to following the Man of Steel's heroic example as a man of Valor.

Having escaped the clutches of Gen. Sam Lane and Project 7734; Mon-El is at large in the city, where he'll be forced to battle the monster who helped him escape: Parasite! Too bad he's already been battling Bizarro and is now caught between both!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Bizarro 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Guardian 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Mon-El 5 (Super-Speed)
Stamina: Bizarro 6 (Generator)
Agility: Guardian 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Guardian 4 (Trained)
Energy: Mon-El 5 (Lasers)
Total: Mon-El 28 (Metahuman)

We've got a titanic tag team coming to fight in today's feature, and three big characters debuting on the Secret Wars on Infinite Earths! We've gotta know what we're dealing with. Let's take a look at the players!

Bizarro needs no introduction! Or does that mean, he does need one..? He's the confused, backwards-meaning doppelganger of Superman who hails from a Bizarro World full of twisted inversions! Despite flipping conceits of the world on their head; Bizarro possesses much the same super-strength and invulnerability of Superman! He used that might to pummel Human Bomb to death in a bloody encounter back in Infinite Crisis #1.

Parasite is another classic arch-villain to Superman! This incarnation is Rudy Jones: a shady STAR Labs janitor who was accidentally exposed to a rare type of radiation. The material mutated his body so it metabolizes energy, allowing him to sate his constant hunger by draining the life and powers from his victims. Doing so can temporarily grant him their abilities, and also increase his own super-human strength and durability.

This terrible twosome clearly spells trouble for the fine folks of Metropolis, particularly as Superman is off-world visiting New Krypton! Fortunately, the Man of Steel's slack is picked up by some powerful friends!

The man known as Mon-El (or Valor) is in fact Lar Gand of the planet Daxam. Much like Kryptonians; Daxamite bodies process the radiation of Earth's yellow sun, manifesting incredible abilities in the process! Mon-El possesses roughly equivalent powers to Superman, including: phenomenally enhanced strength, speed, stamina, durability, heat vision, and flight.

Unfortunately, an innate weakness to lead will send a Daxamite into acute anaphylaxis. That means speeding bullets are best left dodged! The widespread use of lead in human life means Mon-El is constantly at risk, but treatments supplied by allies such as Brainiac 5, Saturn Girl, or Superman protect him to varying degrees. To deal with unexpected power loss, he received hand-to-hand combat training from The Guardian!

James Harper was a cop that took up the costumed vigilante game when criminals skirted the law one too many times! A gifted natural athlete with impeccable genetics; Guardian came to keep company with the Justice Society of America and All-Star Squadron! He served during the Second World War and was so impressive: Project Cadmus created a youthful clone to serve as head of security in the modern day. The clone escaped, replacing the original Jim Harper after he was murdered while investigating Cadmus.

Bizarro & Parasite are big time threats individually -- making them a potent pairing for a potentially powerless duo! Even at full tilt: Mon-El would have his work cut out for him fighting both bad guys alone!

Speed, agility, and finesse are the obvious advantages Valor and Guardian can leverage to turn the tables on their super-powered opponents. A game of keep-away minimizes the impact of Parasite's power-stealing. Fast maneuvering is one way they might be able to turn Parasite against a clumsy Bizarro.

The Tape: Mon-El & Guardian Ranking: Bizarro (#149)

What Went Down...
With his Daxamite powers failing him: Mon-El draws upon hand-to-hand combat training from Guardian to prepare for the oncoming threat of Bizarro and Parasite! As the Superman-esque villain swoops toward his target -- Mon-El slides along the Metropolis street to turn Bizarro's momentum against him!

The deft maneuver sends Bizarro flipping out-of-control into Parasite! It also buys enough time for Guardian and the Science Police to arrive on the scene. They offer a cover of gunfire while Mon-El collects himself and his super-powers.

Restored - Mon-El leaps through the air to deliver a flying punch to Bizarro!

With Bizarro taken care of; Metropolis Science Police handle Parasite, ensnaring him in energy rings that render his powers painfully uncontrollable. He howls in agony and fear for his fate returning to General Sam Lane. He finds little sympathy from his present captors.

Meanwhile, Mon-El takes to the skies with Bizarro, hitting him with fists of steel and point-blank blasts of heat vision!

As the aerial duo rise above the Metropolis skyscrapers and even the clouds -- Bizarro slips loose and makes a break for Bizarro World! In his twisted speak, he threatens to return with a Bizarro counterpart of Mon-El!

As Bizarro streaks into outer space, Mon-El opts to return to Earth, leaving the villain to return to his distorted mirror world.

The Hammer...
Victory can come in many different forms. In this case: it's a judo flip that sets Parasite up to be detained by the Science Police, while Bizarro runs to outer space to escape from a Mon-El beating!

Three Science Police officers shared the win, using advanced tech to detain Parasite in energy rings. One is identified as Officer Blaylock, while the other is Officer Romundi, aka; Car-Vex -- a Kryptonian sleeper agent embedded in the SP by General Zod!

Mon-El and the Science Police may've got the glory, but that takes nothing away from their ally The Guardian. It was his teachings that gave Mon-El the ability and confidence to stand his ground when his powers were failing. Guardian also bought Mon-El valuable time he needed to recover, leading the charge against Bizarro with hi-tech pistols once he and the SP reached the scene.

I'm not talking Guardian up to influence the result -- but the DC hero is appearing as part of our unofficial sequel to Contest of Champions. You can check out The Contest: Guardian vs Defensor for more on what that match-up entails, and how the result will have panned out.

Today's featured fight will hopefully provide a little extra context for the slightly obscure hero. Guardian has undergone several revamps since his 1942 debut, struggling to maintain metropolitan relevance under the shadow of Superman.

As the other shield-wielding hero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, he runs the risk of being thought of as second-rate. I think there's a certain charm to this type of heroic go-getter, though. World Against Superman was a nice chance to give a character like this more time to breathe. Even if he's obviously playing second-banana to another second-fiddle in this particular story.

I actually originally wrote most of this entry a couple of years ago, when Mon-El was appearing on the CW's Supergirl series. For one reason or another I didn't finish, but was eager to return to the file, both to touch upon Guardian, and make note of the other major characters appearing in the short skirmish.

This is a triple-debut for Secret Wars on Infinite Earths: registering the first recorded battles for Guardian, Mon-El, and Parasite! 2020 continues to be a big year for adding more characters to the already robust Fight Club Rankings!

It's a little bit of a surprise these characters weren't touched upon sooner. Parasite in particular ranks among Superman's best known villains. The ones that aren't Lex Luthor or Brainiac, that is. His teaming up with Bizarro is fun, but hopefully we'll get a more substantial battle on the record.

I'm also interested to look more closely at the star of this story. Mon-El, for all intents and purposes, is another stand-in for Superman, and I'm interested to explore what makes him distinct in a DCU increasingly flush with stand-ins, if indeed anything actually does.

If you'd like to get a taste of Mon-El and Guardian for yourself, you can read this issue collected in Superman: Mon-El - Man of Valor. Use the Amazon link provided and you can get yourself a good deal while Amazon supports the site at no cost to you!

You can find more superhero smackdown by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights organized by publisher, series, and issue number. Or discover new and exciting outcomes by following links throughout each post!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has documented well over 600 comic book battles and counting! If you like reading about superhero smackdown, you can help make it all possible by subscribing to Patreon. Patrons receive illuminating schedule updates, special request options, and extra voting polls.

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Winners: Mon-El & The Science Police
#335 (new) Mon-El
#336 (new) Car-Vex
#337 (new) Science Police Officer Blaylock
#338 (new) Guardian (Jim Harper)
#341 (-149) Bizarro
#917 (new) Parasite (Rudy Jones)

QUICK FIX: ATOM & ATOM vs KILLER MOTH
The Beginning (DC)
Where: Justice League: Cry for Justice #1
When: September 2009 Why: James Robinson
How: Mauro Cascioli

THE TAPE...
Strength: Ray Palmer 2 (Average)
Intelligence: Ray Palmer 6 (Genius)
Speed: Ryan Choi 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Ryan Choi 3 (Willpower)
Agility: Ray Palmer 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting: Ray Palmer 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Killer Moth 3 (Explosives)

Math: Atom & Atom
Ranking: Atom [Ray Palmer] (#107)

THE FIX...
They're supposed to be the premiere team in modern superhero comics, but for the past few years, the Justice League of America haven't been the headlining collective you would customarily expect. The recent breakdown of the brand began with the internal conflict narrated by Identity Crisis, and although Brad Meltzer returned to the JLA in 2006 to lend his high selling status to a relaunch the series, it was here that the latest reign of mediocrity arguably set-in.

Under Dwayne McDuffie, the series became the subject of notorious internet discussion regarding the writer's disillusionment with his situation under stern editorial direction. The JLA, once fondly regarded as DC's highest selling title, fell secondary to the priorities of other major storylines occurring in the DC Universe, and failed to gain traction as the spotlight fell on secondary characters like; Black Canary, Vixen, Geo-Force, Red Arrow, Black Lightning, and Dr. Light.

Though the potential for defying the expectations of the JLA "big seven" was certainly present in the developing line-up; it's difficult to deny a deconstruction of more popular elements of the brand had impacted negatively on both the quality of reading, and the bouyancy of sales. Something clearly had to be done.

It seems the James Robinson revamp of the Justice League hasn't been without it's own hiccups. Rumors ran abound that the writer was on the verge of leaving DC as his relaunch was shunted out of the regular JLA title, but, as is evidenced by this release, any conflict that might have existed has been resolved. Even if there's some doubt as to the lasting effect of the changes initiated by the mini.

Addressing the issue of character line-up; Robinson is quick to inject marketable classics like Green Lantern and Green Arrow into prominent roles, putting them alongside a returned classic, Atom, and new additions like Captain Marvel.

In rebuilding Robinson appears to be taking a broad view of the League, looking at them more as a touchstone for the DCU, rather than the publisher's all-star series. Heroes and villains seem to be lined up for cameos, while references to events like Final Crisis are providing a fundamental motivation, behind the return of Prometheus as the story's chief villain. A preview of the goals of the series was offered by the Faces of Evil: Prometheus one-shot, which relegated later versions of the Grant Morrison villain to impostor status, reinstating the stature of threat posed by the "Anti-Batman" by eradicating secondary roles and defeat.

As a checklist of goals for reinventing the Justice League for the A-list spotlight, you couldn't fault James Robinson's choices in the slightest. One need only open the first page of the mini-series, however, to begin feeling reservations about the likelihood of success for what is to be a most bizarre series...

James Robinson is a well regarded writer for his work on series like The Golden Age and his prestigious nineties Starman run, which both rekindled interest in the heroes of the forties and helped spark the JSA revival still running today. He's been working in the industry for the best part of twenty years, but frankly, you'd never know it reading the first issue of Justice League: Cry for Justice.

I don't generally enjoy being too harsh here on the Infinite Wars, but it's hard to ignore the maddening awkwardness of a script supposed to return the JLA to a position of prominence. The agonising dialogue begins right away with a series of poorly worded overstatements that make up the opening scene.
You've got to give Robinson some credit for getting right to the point of the high concept behind Cry for Justice, but by issue's end, the intent to present a pro-active JLA is parodied by the book itself as the point is laboured upon repeatedly in a montage of character introductions. The necessity of superheroes declaring their desire for justice would be redundant at the best of times, let alone when four or more characters quite literally blurt the words out in bolded text.

There was a lot of fuss made about Frank Miller's verbose 2005 treatment of Batman in All-Star Batman and Robin. While that was clearly an interpretation that pushed the boundaries of Batman's stern grittiness, it never struck me as being overly insulting to one's intelligence, no matter how outrageous. The dialogue in Cry for Justice, however, reads like the unfiltered internal monologues of an idiot, inspiring some of the same infamous questions levelled by All-Star Batman to a baffled Boy Wonder. I don't know Robinson's style well enough to know if this is gross incompetence, or just a disrespect toward the readers IQ.

It's undeniably cool to see a character like the Ryan Choi Atom intergrated naturally into a fight scene with his predecessor. In a single page action sequence, we're treated to an exciting dash of miniaturized fisticuffs levelled at rogue gunmen and the garishly garbed super-villain, Killer Moth.
The duo disarm and defeat their opponents with relative ease, using only the misproportioned force channelled through dense shrunken fists to deal justice.

I don't especially care for the moustache-stroking dungeon master take on Prometheus that appears to be behind his convenient attack on loved ones of heroes, but for inspiring a classic Atom interrogation, it earns it's keep. Even if it inspires yet more of the same bland dialogue that describes the intent of scenes with all the charm and style of a brick to the face. It's a bit like an amateur production of a play, acknowledging the requirement of scenes like 'Killer Moth's denial of knowledge,' without injecting any life into it through performance.

Again, to Robinson's full credit, he avoids the pitfalls of so many modern first issues. Atom gets the name of his man and in doing so ensures that we know exactly where the objective of the series lies. We're also introduced to a good many of the key players, with a thorough introduction of Congo Bill being a feat worthy of particular note, even if the uniting of the team is an issue or two away.

There's a lot of conceptual talent and enthusiasm behind the pages of Cry for Justice, but if I can be so harsh, I really do wonder how a comic like this ever got published. There's nothing about the book to specifically suggest it's intended for adults, but I certainly never expected a children's story when I picked up the first issue. It speaks to the reader in a manner far more insulting than anything Smilin' Stan or the writers of the fifties and sixties ever gave us. Even if I were a child, I can't imagine not being frustrated with the simplitic overstatements and flat delivery of dialogue completely lacking flair. I don't think superheroes should ever be characterized as simpletons, even for the sake of young readers.

Mauro Cascioli's painted artwork isn't as interrupting as it could've been.
Unlike some others to apply the approach to monthly comics, Cascioli keeps a fluidity to his movement, and a sense of drama that would be admirable under different circumstances. Unfortunately, the seriousness of his artwork only makes the writing that much more difficult to swallow, contrasting astute figures with silly speeches. It feels like there might be an intention to set the story up as one of the must read collections through the art direction, ala; Alex Ross' Justice, but based on the first twenty-two pages, this is something DC should probably keep far from the hands of mainstream readers!

Where James Robinson defies the lowest expectations of superhero comics, and truly shines, is in his post-comic back matter. It's tough to justify the $3.99 price tag on this issue, but the text discussion in the back actually makes me wish Robinson were spending his time and energy blogging, so I could read that regularly. I don't know that it's inspiring enough to warrant paying a dollar, but it's nice to see DC making use of their history, providing panels and covers from Golden Age books that exciting and illuminating.

The return of two-page origin stories is a welcome inclusion, also.
The inclusion of Congo Bill (aka; Congorilla) seems unduly obtuse in the context of the JLA and the length at which his introduction is laboured upon, but it's a great subject for these quick origin shorts. This is the stuff that's made DC such a special brand of comics, and I hope if/when the material finds it's way to the DC website for free consumption, new readers get something out of it.

It's neat seeing post-Final Crisis ideas we discussed on the site earlier in the year actually play out [JL: America, Resistance], but it pains me to say this is one of the worst comics I've read in a very long time. Fingers crossed the situation improves now that the introductions are out of the way, otherwise this might be destined to be the biggest lemon of 2009 -- a stark contrast to the outstanding releases that have typified DC's output!

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 3
Winners: Atom & Atom

Justice League: Cry for Justice is currently available monthly from DC comics. You can pre-order the trade collection now through Amazon, or check out a range of other Justice League stories by visiting the Infinite Wars Online Store. Included are collected editions of almost every issue featured in the Secret Archives, and by using purchase links provided on the site, you help sponsor future entries in the Infinite Wars!

ANNIHILUS/DEFILE versus
THE FANTASTIC FOUR
World War 3 Part 1: Life in Wartime (Marvel)
Where: Fantastic Four #13 When: November 1997
Why: James Robinson How: Mike Wieringo

The story so far...
Two very distinct worlds collide as battles with cosmic forces undo all that is, and redefine it as all that could be. Marvel's mightiest heroes, having been trapped in a parallel universe of Franklin Richards' creation, soon find themselves thrust into yet another existence, this time along side the heroes and villains of Wildstorm.

This new world leaves behind the threats of Galactus and Damocles, creating it's own new history of turmoil.

Asia and Europe have fallen to alien invaders, as the Daemonites and Skrulls form an unlikely alliance with a traitor to all humanity -- Dr. Doom. Together, their technologies and inherent abilities allow them to infiltrate the rebellious remaining walks of life, creating a grim new world of distrust, chaos and war.

Previous Form:
Mr. Fantastic (#10): Victorious over Iconoclast, Frightful Four & Sinister Twelve.
Invisible Woman (#17): Victorious over Iconoclast, Frightful Four & Sinister Twelve.
Annihilus, Defile, Burnout & Maul: Each making their first appearances in the Infinite Wars.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Maul 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Annihilus 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Defile 6 (Generator)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Maul 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Annihilus 6 (Mass Destruction)


So, once again we dive into the unfamiliar waters of Wildstorm comics. It's all become a bit Marvel lately, and while I'm much better exposed than that might lead you to believe, Wildstorm's properties remain something of an unknown quantity for me.
Yes, berate as you please.

This particular Fantastic quarter consists of an even split between traditional and Wildstorm. Mr. Fantastic and Invisible Woman remain in tact, while Burnout and Maul step in as entirely plausible replacements for the Human Torch and Thing.
Actually, if you didn't take the time to read the issue, you'd be forgiven for assuming they'd slapped a late goatee on the Torch, just to go along with the contemporary beat of the Heroes Reborn philosophy.

For the most part Burnout and Maul fulfill much the same duties as their counterparts. Maul has the distinction of sliding his intelligence in relation to his strength, making him a little bit more like a controlled Hulk than the Thing, but otherwise, he's supplying the muscle for this team.

One of the great things about Annihilation was the way it amped up Annihilus from a regular annoyance, to an A-list cosmic threat. We can't really consider that the definition of Annihilus, but it's nice to acknowledge that potential.

Here, Annihilus and Defile present an atypical villain threat.
Escaping the Negative Zone to wreak a brief wave of destruction is nothing new for Annihilus, nor is thwarting it new to the Fantastic Four. Not that the threat should ever be discounted, but it's not until Annihilation Wave that you could ever consider picking anyone but the FF, here.

The Math: Fantastic Four (Total) Annihilus/Defile (Average)
The Pick: The Fantastic Four

What went down...
Returning from an expadition to the Negative Zone, Mr. Fantastic and his fellows are excited to have gained further knowledge, despite failure to recover their missing ally -- Benjamin J. Grimm aka The Thing.

Richards instructs his teammates to begin the process of closing the doorway to the Zone, while he prepares to contact SHIELD about their findings.
Before Richards can even get a dial tone, their Negative Zone pursuers burst through the gateway between dimensions, bringing lethal intent with them.

Pledged to prevent the leaking of knowledge, the two otherworldly invaders go straight to work. Before Burnout or Maul can activate their powers, the two are sent hurtling through the air by their attackers.

Richards orders the Invisible Woman to continue the closing process, while he attempts to wrangle Annihilus and Defile back into the Negative Zone. Fortunately for Mr. Fantastic, Burnout and Maul recover from their spill, ready to step up to the challenge. Annihilus declares his "small" foes barely worth the sport, but Annihilus is soon forced to eat his words as Maul expands to deliver a giant knuckle sandwich!

Disgusted by the notion of a one-punch defeat, Annihilus prepares to vault off of his buttocks back into battle, but before he can do so a jet of flame pushes him back through the portal!

Meanwhile, as Invisible Woman attempts to hide from sight while initiating the shutdown sequence of the N-Zone portal, Defile comes to menace her. Using his Daemonite senses, he looms over the occupied Sue Storm with evil intent, but soon finds himself tangled in the rubbery limb of her lover, Mr. Fantastic!

The FF leader thoroughly wraps up his foe, able to overcome Defile's impressive strength through sheer leverage. Using his bendy spine, Richards maneuvers the monster back to the portal, and sends him through at the cost of his own safety.

With Defile through just in the nick of time, Richards finds himself on the wrong side of the dimensional gate as it begins to close. He stretches a hand back desperately, finding Maul, who has strength enough to whip the elastic man back into the right dimension at the very last second.
A flash of spectacular white light serves the backdrop as the doorway closes!

The team regroups, victorious against the Negative Zone menace.

The hammer...
The winners through strength of teamwork, the Fantastic Four!

As you might imagine, I chose this entry as something of a bridge between the Heroes Reborn comics we've been discussing lately, and the pencils of Mike Wieringo. There's probably a good chance you've already learned of his shocking death just a few days ago.

I didn't know Wieringo personally, but like many regarded him as one of the many fantastic pencillers working in superhero comics over the past decade.

For me, I probably connected with his energetic pencils mostly through his Spider-man work, but could not escape his influence on books like the Flash, and of course, Fantastic Four. Rightly or wrongly, he's the artist I most identify with giving Thing teeth, which is just a weird little tidbit.

Like many, I'll certainly miss the vibrance of his artwork. He was, with no conceit, part of the contingent of mainstream superhero artists who managed to compromise the so-called photo realistic with a more cartoony, and animated approach to pencilling, which was something I greatly appreciated.
I won't say much more, suffice to say, it's a tragic loss for his friends and family, and the comic book community as a whole.

On a lighter note; you may recall the last entry [Fantastic Four #6] where I described the Heroes Reborn: Fantastic Four run as a great collection for fans of the movie, or new readers in general, to get initiated with the characters.
I've obviously been championing the ninties somewhat lately, and as much as I feel Heroes Reborn is worth defending, this is probably where the wheels undeniably fall off.

There might have been a nice enough story here, but the thirteenth issues of the four Heroes Reborn titles live up to the number's dread. I could be wrong, but the way I remember events panning out, each book was only announced for a year's worth, twelve issues each. Presumably, if that was the case, these issues represent a final chance to milk a little extra out of sales all round, and for Wildstorm to slip it's characters into the larger audience, who might not otherwise be reading these characters.

We haven't really touched on the fact that the Heroes Reborn story was built out of the shock commissioning Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee at Wildstorm Comics to return to Marvel, (years after their Image coup), to tackle the sinking core properties of the Marvel Universe.

The deal presented mutually beneficial advantages, among those, the chance for Marvel to come into contact with the Wildstorm digital colourists who were doing a lot of impressive work through the mid-nineties.

After an already garbled crossover amongst the four titles, which featured time travel antics facilitating multiple battles with Galactus and his heralds, World War 3 was not really the ideal way to go out. Establishing a new reality (akin to the Amalgam characters) through flashbacks and vignettes is interesting, if not very effective. Though informative, it isn't terribly exciting, and asks a lot of a reader who may not really be all that interested in investing in what will be a short term spark of four-colour mayhem.

Through the mess of this character shuffle we get a glimpse of another surprisingly topical happening -- paranoia in this dystopian future over the potential infiltration of Skrulls. Something we expect to be dealing with in the coming year with Marvel already alluding to just such a problem in the pages of New Avengers, (written by Brian "Sugartits*" Bendis).

Makes you think!

The Fight: 3.5 The Issue: 4
[Not the best written issue in the history of the FF, but a fine representation of Wieringo's kinetic pencils, and stretching influence across Marvel's properties.]

* Not an actual nickname for Bendis.

TALLY MAN versus KGBEAST
Face the Face: Part 1 of 8 (DC comics)
Where: Detective Comics #817 When: May, 2006
Why: James Robinson How: Leonard Kirk & Andy Clarke

The story so far...
It's been one year since Blüdhaven was destroyed by Chemo, and Batman battled a living Jason Todd.

In an effort to rebuild a better Batman, Bruce Wayne and wards, Tim Drake and Dick Grayson, go on a year long journey following the original path of the Batman, retracing the steps of his origin.

In his absence, Batman leaves Harvey Dent, whom he has trained sufficiently to ensure crime does not capitalize on the Batman's absence from Gotham.
Having undergone facial reconstruction surgery, Harvey Dent appears to be purged of the Two-Face persona, but appearances can be deceiving...

Recommended reading:
Batman #615-#619: Harvey Dent is 'cured' during his arc in the maxi-series - Hush.
Batman #649: Blüdhaven is destroyed during confrontation with Jason Todd.
The Dark Knight Returns #1: Alternate outcome to Harvey Dent's cure.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: KGBeast 3 (Trained Athlete)
Intelligence: KGBeast 4 (Tactician)
Speed: KGBeast 3 (Trained Athlete)
Stamina: KGBeast 3 (Strong Willed)
Agility: KGBeast 3 (Acrobat)
Fighting Ability: KGBeast 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy Powers: KGBeast 4 (Arsenal)

Alright, straight away we have to acknowledge an unusual situation.
I would immediately submit a distinct lack of familiarity with the character, KGBeast. While vaguely aware of the character, I cannot ensure these ratings are at all accurate. Anyone with cases for different ratings should definitely scroll to the comments section, and clue me in.

The second curiosity in this situation is Tally Man, who, for all intents and purposes is a brand new character, not to be confused with the grinning character featured in Shadow of the Bat in the early nineties.
Thus, it's quite difficult to draw any definitive conclusion of this character's abilities. He's clearly quite proficient at sneaking around and sniping characters, but beyond that, I cannot be quite sure.

Actually, to be entirely honest, this was one of those spur of the moment inclusions. While not thrilled with the 'new' approach to Batman, this opening scene to the Face the Face storyline was just too interesting to pass up.
Plus, it also fulfilled the opener/DC quota for this month.

Ultimately, from the stats we can draw the conclusion that KGBeast would comprehensively beat this character into bloody submission. While not at all the A-leaguer he once was, KGBeast is still competent enough to battle what appears to be a normal, average, everyday human being.

What went down...
One year since the Batman left Gotham, KGBeast sits perched atop one of the many buildings of the city, with his target in sight. Just a crosshair from his objective.

Suddenly, without warning, gun fire rings out into the night, cutting through the barrel of the assassin's weapon.
Under heavy fire, the Russian leaps from his post and flees for the window - crashing to a rooftop below, pursued by a very fast, silhouetted assailant.

The KGBeast fires off a round from the wrist mounted cybernetics that replace his left hand, and unsuccesfully attempts to reload in mid-air.

Tackled by his attacker, the two struggle, with bullets flying from the KGBeast's cybernetic weaponry.
The mystery man gets in a good right hook, and ducks further fire to grapple with the weaponized arm. He pulls it tight behind the KGBeast's back, pulling until he hears a crack.

Only able to ponder who his murderer is, KGBeast is tossed backward from the roof, as the shadowed man declares himself - Gotham's protector.

The hammer...
The winner, and new kid on the block: Tallyman!

If you've been visiting the website for a while now, you know a few things. You know we're running devestatingly behind, and you know that there generally isn't a lot of regard giving to spoilers. With any luck regular readers have gotten used to scrolling no further than the title, and issue cover, so as to know where to brisk past, and were not to.

Incidentally, both issues converge with this entry. Being massively behind [writing this mid-August], it means we can identify the silhouetted character correctly, which was not possible when I first selected the issue.
Of course, this also means we've dropped a pretty big spoiler if you're a few months behind on your reading (I know I am!). Sorry about that.

As for the issue itself.
Well, it wasn't a bad read, but Batman 1 Year Later disappointed this reader.
At the risk of fulfilling the obsessive, stubborn fanboy stereotype - the problem immediately is the decision to make change.

While quite disatisfied with some of the more recent crossovers to interfere with the Bat-books (chiefly War Games and War Crimes), I actually thought Batman was just about at his definitive best. The book I most looked forward to reading from about the seven-fifties, through the eight hundreds was Detective Comics.
It had an appealing blend of influences ranging from the successful animated series, to certain Milleresque traits, and other broader strokes. It was just a really fantastic package, and with stories like Hush and Broken City running alongside, it was a fun time to be reading Batman.

The interpretation in Face the Face visually seems to draw on the influence of Brian Bolland's work on The Killing Joke. Dark colours peppered with burnt highlights, and flat blacks make up a fairly distinctive interpretation of the Batman universe.

For me, it's just not something I can appreciate. Particularly when the grey, tempered look of the Detective Comics issues already mentioned, was so in key with the kind of Batman I want to see. This, to me, was a distinct step backward, rather than an homage to that which worked.

Thematically, I'd say similar steps backward were taken.
Interviews and reports seemed to suggest 1 Year Later would be about softening, and lightening Batman up, which personally, wasn't something I was interested in either, pointing again to those favoured issues of Detective.

A fairly cartoony, and dull appearance in the follow-up issue by Poison Ivy immediately highlighted an approach almost reminiscent of the sixties television series, if a little wiser and contemporary.

Among the atmospheric problems, I'm also disappointed to see another character rising from the dead. Poison Ivy, who died during the Hush hangover in Gotham Knights, returns alive, and perhaps more powerful than ever - another disapointment.
Not only have her powers bloomed to Swamp Thing proportions, removing her somewhat from the typical Batman street-level nemesis, but she has also returned to her hollow, afterschool special crusade against pollutants and other environmental threats.

All of that said -- what an opening scene!
The only thing disappointing about the opening of this new storyline is that the KGBeast had to be among the Tallyman's victims!

While not exactly an A-list villain these days, this was a character with all the potential in the world. Straight off the bat the redesigned costume was a treat, and was even complimented by the flat blacks of the art direction!

Assassins are the characters I feel that are the most regularly mistreated characters in comics. Many a-time I've come up with treatment for various characters in both the Marvel and DC universes, and the common trait is to have on-going agendas and interaction amongst the assassin community. They are, after all, supposed to be regularly working.

In a time when Batman, under Judd Winick, had been operating in an agenda-filled Gotham, and in a time when villains were united, it's a shame to lose a worthy addition. Likewise, it is a shame to lose this versimilitude that was injected into the Batman title, in favour of more traditional superheroics.

I'm yet to see Grant Morrison's efforts, but maybe we can put Face the Face down to filler, rather than new editorial mandate. Either way, Judd Winick, surprisingly-so, will be sorely missed on the title. As will Dough Mahnke, and the tremendous colouring and inking team.

The Fight: 2.5 The Issue: 3

NEXT: Hulk smash puny villains in disguise! The Thunderbolts tackle the green goliath, as Hulk month continues!