Two-Face Tuesday! Dick vs. Harvey, Round 4! Two-Face breaks into the Batcave, wrecks up the place!
When Dick Grayson put (back) on the cape and cowl as Batman, most of the critical and fan attention was seemingly focused on Grant Morrison's BATMAN AND ROBIN, whereas Judd Winick's five-issue-reign on BATMAN was, to some degree, dismissed as being rather same old, same old.
The AV Club said, "It looks good and makes for a satisfying enough read, but its Two-Face-vs.-Penguin machinations make it feel a bit too much like business as usual compared to what Morrison and Quitely are up to."
Having finally read the story as a whole, I'd say it feels less like "business as usual" as much as a more direct continuation of the Batman Family stories of the past fifteen years, as opposed to Morrison's overarching focus on the concepts of Batman over the past sixty years.
Morrison's interests lie in the big mythical ideas, crazy pop art conceptual crack, playing with original creations instead of the established characters, and symbolism galore. He's not interested in the soap opera dynamics and relationships between the Bat-Fam and the classic Rogues. Problem is, that's one of the things I love best about Batman comics. I dare say that would be the same for most of you.
So for me, there was a lot to enjoy in Judd Winick's too-short BATMAN run. Not the least of which being the use of Dick's archnemesis (or whatever he's supposed to be), Two-Face, followed not long after the events of NIGHTWING: THE GREAT LEAP.
Really, the moment I read these pages, I knew that the mystery assailant could only be one person. But what especially impressed me from the start was the indignation in that voice, the bitter disdain over matters of masks and identity.
Right from the start, I liked what Winick was doing. This wasn't going to just be about number-two-themed crimes or revenge from NIGHTWING. There was something more going on here from both ends, rooted in both character and thematic meaning. Very cool.
Flashing back three weeks, Dick's reign as the new Batman has been getting a great deal of attention in the press... namely that he's been letting himself do something Bruce never did: actually be caught on film. Things are shaping up for the former boy wonder as he proceeds to take apart the Penguin's empire, but the videos have caught the attention of one person in particular.
I love the look of this Two-Face. I like the bad side to have hair, but I don't like when it's scraggly and all over the place. I much prefer a bit of an untamed coiff like this (ala the Animated Series). It's like he combs it along with the rest of his hair, but the white hairs won't quite stay in line.
Also, say what you will about Bagley's artwork, but he's one of the few artists to really give character to Harvey's unscarred side. I love the facial expressions he gives Harv throughout the story, as they really add to the portrayal here.
When these pages were first posted on the IJ scans_daily, I think most of us took Harvey's reaction at the end to mean that he specifically recognized this Batman as the same guy who was Robin and Nightwing. One person (I forget who) put it perfectly:
"I know that face."
"I took a bat to that face."
It struck me as a marvelous idea. Harvey may not know who Dick Grayson is, but NIGHTWING: THE GREAT LEAP made it clear that he's intimately familiar with Dick enough to have recognized Nightwing as the same Robin that he nearly beat to death.
And yet, as we learn, that isn't the case. Harvey doesn't put two and two together and see that Batman is Dick. All he sees is that Batman isn't Batman. Which I personally find far less interesting, especially considering where this story is ultimately going.
Compare this Dick!Bat to the Dick!Bat of PRODIGAL. That one seemed more like a watered-down version of regular Batman, but this... this actually still clearly feels like Dick Grayson wearing a Batman costume and playacting. Personally, I find this far more revealing and interesting to watch, and it's just a shame I can't spend more time devoted to Dick's arc alone.
I'm with Harvey on this: I like this Benny guy. There's a nice dynamic going on between these two (or three). Benny seems to be much more level-headed and sensible than your average Gotham thug, and both Harveys actually seem to respect him. The good Harvey does, at least, and I think that's the Harvey who's in control throughout this story.
But I actually have a much wilder theory about who Benny is, and his relationship with Harvey. I'll devote a whole post to this story in the future, but for now, here's one relevant page from BATMAN CHRONICLES #16:
What do you guys think? Is there a chance that this Benny could be Benny Montoya? Far as I know, we haven't seen him since, GOTHAM CENTRAL: HALF A LIFE, where we learned that he was off to become a firefighter.
The biggest problem with this theory would be that Benny would be willing to work with the guy who outed Renee, framed her for murder, made her an outcast in her own family, and pretty well ruined her life. But then, that all depends on how Benny felt about Renee's homosexuality, and whether or not he sided his his parents over his now-estranged sister.
In any case, it's all mere fan conjecture on my part, as I'm well nigh certain that Judd Winick didn't intend for this Benny to be Benny Montoya. Back to the stuff that actually did happen.
By the way, I've also gotta say, I like the suit that Harvey wears here. If you're gonna have Two-Face wear split suits, it's best to have him in neutral colors, so that the wildest, most shocking part should be the scarred side of the face itself.
Oh Harvey, dick move. Still, it was nice of him not to deface the Lincoln side.
Dick's immediately hit by darts packed with hallucinogenic drugs, leaving him off-balance for Harvey's attack, which is where we opened this post. Yay, now we're all caught up!
And while Harvey had spent years hiring teleporters (like Warp) trying to get in, Batman always managed to put up firewalls to prevent him getting in. That's the most important reason why Dick isn't really Batman, as far as Harvey's concerned, because the real Batman would never have been so careless.
But really, what's Harvey's entire motivation here? Finally breaking into the Batcave seems like almost a side benefit, a secondary interest to him from the way he treats this impostor Batman. He's actually angry at Dick for having the temerity to impersonate Batman! His entire motivation, it seems to me, is to take down this impostor and to find out what happened to the real Batman.
Look at that first panel. He actually looks worried! Whatever is really driving him to break into the Batcave, it's not primarily to defeat his old enemy. It's to destroy the thing that Harvey Dent hates perhaps more than anything else: the hypocrite. The pretender. The impostor.
Because he can respect Batman as a foe, and maybe even Nightwing to an extent, no matter how much he hates them. But whenever Two-Face deals with someone he perceives as being a hypocrite, it's always personal.
So leave it to Dick to turn the tables and make it personal in his own way:
Now, this is meant to be the climax/resolution of Winick's arc, wherein Dick (once again, for those who remember PRODIGAL) goes full on Batman, thereby convincing Two-Face that he's the real deal. That is clearly what Winick's intentions were.
And yet, that doesn't wash with me. Batman would never speak to Harvey that way. Batman's all about holding out hope that Harvey will change, whereas it's textbook Dick Grayson to condemn Harvey as someone who never will.
Therefore, I strongly prefer to read Harvey's "It... it IS you..." not as him recognizing Dick as Batman, but as Robin/Nightwing: as the smiling, impudent whelp who infuriates Harvey to no end. "It... it IS you... the brat..." I'd like to see that interpretation used when Harvey and Dick inevitibly meet up again.
Harvey's part in this story ends on what feels like a shoehorned-in epilogue with him suddenly in prison orange, on the way to Blackgate Prison since Arkham was blown up (wow, full circle from PRODIGAL, eh?). The prison transport is blown up, and he's released... but not into the care of his own men.
"... but the Black Mask will manage." Yawn.
And of course, this moment is promptly forgotten as Two-Face is clearly still in Gotham for the events of the MANHUNTER feature in STREETS OF GOTHAM.
Notice anything strange about Harvey's decision here? He made it on his own, without the coin. If we want to see this as something other than an oversight on the writer and/or editor's part, there are a couple ways one could read this. One is that both sides agreed to leave, and thus there was no need to flip the coin.
But personally, it's struck me how much more this Harvey Dent... has it together, for lack of a better term. There's very little of the sneering, bitter, hateful Two-Face from PRODIGAL, ROBIN: YEAR ONE, and NIGHTWING. He's still crazy, yes, but not raving, nor sadistically cruel, nor a madman bent on spreading murder and mayhem.
As I said before, I actually think that Harvey's good side was in control throughout this story. I find the result fascinating to see in the character here, compared to the other versions, particularly the all-evil-all-the-time version that appeared in MANHUNTER right after this.
Between the warring Harveys in NIGHTWING, are we starting to see Two-Face start to split apart completely? Or are the people at DC just becoming careless about consistency? Either way, it'll be interesting to see which Harvey (or both?) will show up when he replaces the MANHUNTER co-feature in SoG in a couple months.
As a final note, most of the comics I use for Two-Face Tuesdays are long out of print, some never having been reprinted at all. This, however, is very recent, so I feel I should at least offer a link for you to purchase it yourself to read the whole thing (which features several choice Dick and Alfred scenes that I couldn't include here). It'll be released in the hardcover collection BATMAN: LONG SHADOWS.
The AV Club said, "It looks good and makes for a satisfying enough read, but its Two-Face-vs.-Penguin machinations make it feel a bit too much like business as usual compared to what Morrison and Quitely are up to."
Having finally read the story as a whole, I'd say it feels less like "business as usual" as much as a more direct continuation of the Batman Family stories of the past fifteen years, as opposed to Morrison's overarching focus on the concepts of Batman over the past sixty years.
Morrison's interests lie in the big mythical ideas, crazy pop art conceptual crack, playing with original creations instead of the established characters, and symbolism galore. He's not interested in the soap opera dynamics and relationships between the Bat-Fam and the classic Rogues. Problem is, that's one of the things I love best about Batman comics. I dare say that would be the same for most of you.
So for me, there was a lot to enjoy in Judd Winick's too-short BATMAN run. Not the least of which being the use of Dick's archnemesis (or whatever he's supposed to be), Two-Face, followed not long after the events of NIGHTWING: THE GREAT LEAP.
Really, the moment I read these pages, I knew that the mystery assailant could only be one person. But what especially impressed me from the start was the indignation in that voice, the bitter disdain over matters of masks and identity.
Right from the start, I liked what Winick was doing. This wasn't going to just be about number-two-themed crimes or revenge from NIGHTWING. There was something more going on here from both ends, rooted in both character and thematic meaning. Very cool.
Flashing back three weeks, Dick's reign as the new Batman has been getting a great deal of attention in the press... namely that he's been letting himself do something Bruce never did: actually be caught on film. Things are shaping up for the former boy wonder as he proceeds to take apart the Penguin's empire, but the videos have caught the attention of one person in particular.
I love the look of this Two-Face. I like the bad side to have hair, but I don't like when it's scraggly and all over the place. I much prefer a bit of an untamed coiff like this (ala the Animated Series). It's like he combs it along with the rest of his hair, but the white hairs won't quite stay in line.
Also, say what you will about Bagley's artwork, but he's one of the few artists to really give character to Harvey's unscarred side. I love the facial expressions he gives Harv throughout the story, as they really add to the portrayal here.
When these pages were first posted on the IJ scans_daily, I think most of us took Harvey's reaction at the end to mean that he specifically recognized this Batman as the same guy who was Robin and Nightwing. One person (I forget who) put it perfectly:
"I know that face."
"I took a bat to that face."
It struck me as a marvelous idea. Harvey may not know who Dick Grayson is, but NIGHTWING: THE GREAT LEAP made it clear that he's intimately familiar with Dick enough to have recognized Nightwing as the same Robin that he nearly beat to death.
And yet, as we learn, that isn't the case. Harvey doesn't put two and two together and see that Batman is Dick. All he sees is that Batman isn't Batman. Which I personally find far less interesting, especially considering where this story is ultimately going.
Compare this Dick!Bat to the Dick!Bat of PRODIGAL. That one seemed more like a watered-down version of regular Batman, but this... this actually still clearly feels like Dick Grayson wearing a Batman costume and playacting. Personally, I find this far more revealing and interesting to watch, and it's just a shame I can't spend more time devoted to Dick's arc alone.
I'm with Harvey on this: I like this Benny guy. There's a nice dynamic going on between these two (or three). Benny seems to be much more level-headed and sensible than your average Gotham thug, and both Harveys actually seem to respect him. The good Harvey does, at least, and I think that's the Harvey who's in control throughout this story.
But I actually have a much wilder theory about who Benny is, and his relationship with Harvey. I'll devote a whole post to this story in the future, but for now, here's one relevant page from BATMAN CHRONICLES #16:
What do you guys think? Is there a chance that this Benny could be Benny Montoya? Far as I know, we haven't seen him since, GOTHAM CENTRAL: HALF A LIFE, where we learned that he was off to become a firefighter.
The biggest problem with this theory would be that Benny would be willing to work with the guy who outed Renee, framed her for murder, made her an outcast in her own family, and pretty well ruined her life. But then, that all depends on how Benny felt about Renee's homosexuality, and whether or not he sided his his parents over his now-estranged sister.
In any case, it's all mere fan conjecture on my part, as I'm well nigh certain that Judd Winick didn't intend for this Benny to be Benny Montoya. Back to the stuff that actually did happen.
By the way, I've also gotta say, I like the suit that Harvey wears here. If you're gonna have Two-Face wear split suits, it's best to have him in neutral colors, so that the wildest, most shocking part should be the scarred side of the face itself.
Oh Harvey, dick move. Still, it was nice of him not to deface the Lincoln side.
Dick's immediately hit by darts packed with hallucinogenic drugs, leaving him off-balance for Harvey's attack, which is where we opened this post. Yay, now we're all caught up!
And while Harvey had spent years hiring teleporters (like Warp) trying to get in, Batman always managed to put up firewalls to prevent him getting in. That's the most important reason why Dick isn't really Batman, as far as Harvey's concerned, because the real Batman would never have been so careless.
But really, what's Harvey's entire motivation here? Finally breaking into the Batcave seems like almost a side benefit, a secondary interest to him from the way he treats this impostor Batman. He's actually angry at Dick for having the temerity to impersonate Batman! His entire motivation, it seems to me, is to take down this impostor and to find out what happened to the real Batman.
Look at that first panel. He actually looks worried! Whatever is really driving him to break into the Batcave, it's not primarily to defeat his old enemy. It's to destroy the thing that Harvey Dent hates perhaps more than anything else: the hypocrite. The pretender. The impostor.
Because he can respect Batman as a foe, and maybe even Nightwing to an extent, no matter how much he hates them. But whenever Two-Face deals with someone he perceives as being a hypocrite, it's always personal.
So leave it to Dick to turn the tables and make it personal in his own way:
Now, this is meant to be the climax/resolution of Winick's arc, wherein Dick (once again, for those who remember PRODIGAL) goes full on Batman, thereby convincing Two-Face that he's the real deal. That is clearly what Winick's intentions were.
And yet, that doesn't wash with me. Batman would never speak to Harvey that way. Batman's all about holding out hope that Harvey will change, whereas it's textbook Dick Grayson to condemn Harvey as someone who never will.
Therefore, I strongly prefer to read Harvey's "It... it IS you..." not as him recognizing Dick as Batman, but as Robin/Nightwing: as the smiling, impudent whelp who infuriates Harvey to no end. "It... it IS you... the brat..." I'd like to see that interpretation used when Harvey and Dick inevitibly meet up again.
Harvey's part in this story ends on what feels like a shoehorned-in epilogue with him suddenly in prison orange, on the way to Blackgate Prison since Arkham was blown up (wow, full circle from PRODIGAL, eh?). The prison transport is blown up, and he's released... but not into the care of his own men.
"... but the Black Mask will manage." Yawn.
And of course, this moment is promptly forgotten as Two-Face is clearly still in Gotham for the events of the MANHUNTER feature in STREETS OF GOTHAM.
Notice anything strange about Harvey's decision here? He made it on his own, without the coin. If we want to see this as something other than an oversight on the writer and/or editor's part, there are a couple ways one could read this. One is that both sides agreed to leave, and thus there was no need to flip the coin.
But personally, it's struck me how much more this Harvey Dent... has it together, for lack of a better term. There's very little of the sneering, bitter, hateful Two-Face from PRODIGAL, ROBIN: YEAR ONE, and NIGHTWING. He's still crazy, yes, but not raving, nor sadistically cruel, nor a madman bent on spreading murder and mayhem.
As I said before, I actually think that Harvey's good side was in control throughout this story. I find the result fascinating to see in the character here, compared to the other versions, particularly the all-evil-all-the-time version that appeared in MANHUNTER right after this.
Between the warring Harveys in NIGHTWING, are we starting to see Two-Face start to split apart completely? Or are the people at DC just becoming careless about consistency? Either way, it'll be interesting to see which Harvey (or both?) will show up when he replaces the MANHUNTER co-feature in SoG in a couple months.
As a final note, most of the comics I use for Two-Face Tuesdays are long out of print, some never having been reprinted at all. This, however, is very recent, so I feel I should at least offer a link for you to purchase it yourself to read the whole thing (which features several choice Dick and Alfred scenes that I couldn't include here). It'll be released in the hardcover collection BATMAN: LONG SHADOWS.