Two-Face Tuesday! Short story double feature: Harvey and Jimbo, and Two-Face vs a werewolf! ... wha?
Last week's post on Harvey's sides(s) in NIGHTWING: THE GREAT LEAP provoked some absolutely awesome discussion over at scans_daily (as well as on this very LJ), which was so great to see after all the work I put into that'un. I realize that most of these posts are catering to a specific niche, and will usually just get a handful of comments.
But hey, I love the character. And besides, when it comes to being the best damn comics-discussion community in the world... well, what can I say? I believe in Scans_Daily (and, of course, all you fine minions--is that better, lillbet--here on my flist).
That said, this week's entry is gonna be much lazier. No essays or opinion pieces, just a two-fisted double-feature of Harvey-centric short stories, both of which s_d old-timers will remember from the original community. In the first one, Harvey and his old buddy Commissioner "Jimbo" Gordon briefly reunite to track down none other than "Boss" Moroni himself (still alive in this story, natch).
In the second, Harvey fights a werewolf in Arkham. Because sure, why the hell not?
First one's five pages from the ten-page story from BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #8:
Yeah, kind of a light trifle of a story with a neat idea, isn't it? This is one that really should have expanded to a whole issue, where one could really explore the character interaction between these deeply-estranged friends.
A lot of the aforementioned discussion in last week's post revolved around how Nightwing (along with all the other Robins) approaches Two-Face differently than Batman, as they have no real memory nor interaction with the good man Harvey Dent was before Two-Face came along. As such, that's one good reason why they don't have the same kind of sympathy nor empathy for Harvey that Batman does.
That's where Gordon differs from Bruce and Dick alike. In post-Crisis canon from "Eye of the Beholder" onward (the definitive Two-Face story that laid the groundwork for everything from THE LONG HALLOWEEN to THE DARK KNIGHT), Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent were best friends, with a deeper bond than the latter even had with Batman.
Like Bruce, Gordon remembers the Harvey that was, but like Dick, he's too practical to dwell on theoretical prospects of redemption for a murdering sociopath who has wasted so many second and third chances. To Gordon, Harvey's just a twisted perversion of his old friend at best. At worst, he's a walking betrayal of everything they fought against together. Far as Gordon's concerned, there's no hope for Harvey.
Which is why I'd love to see the basic concept of this story revisited and expanded upon. There's such great potential for a ride-along between two former friends whose old bond may not be entirely dead and gone, as evidenced by this story and the time Harvey crashed Jimbo's retirement party.
Huh. Guess this one did get a bit analytical after all, didn't it?
Well, I don't have nearly as much to say about my other offering today, from the 2008 DC UNIVERSE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL. Those collections are always mixed bags, largely used as proving grounds for unknown writers and artists, near as I can tell. Mostly forgettable fluff stories, regrettably.
But while this story--"Scarred and Scared," written by Brad Desnoyer and drawn by Riccardo Burchieli--was not exactly great either, hey, how often can you see Two-Face save the Arkham residents from a werewolf?
(Note: the delightful ghost-detective duo of Ralph and Sue Dibny are playing Crypt-Keeper hosts in this issue, which is what they're doing here).
Yes, Harvey Dent kills a werewolf armed only with his coin. That walks the magical border between ridiculous and badass only seen in superhero comics. God, I love 'em so.
Not to much to add to this story. Kind of makes you wish the themes had been handled with a little more thought and a little more subtlety, but they only had eight pages. And besides, Two-Face vs. a werewolf. That's all that really mattered, isn't it?
Finally, it seems only fitting to end this post with a preview of my upcoming entry on having finally seen Richard O'Brien's SHOCK TREATMENT, which I watched with Henchgirl. I find it hilarious to note that when this song happened, Henchgirl asked, "Do you know who this reminds me of?" And here I thought it was just me, the obsessed fanboy imposing his own fannishness into something that's not really there.
Why no, I didn't listen to this song (along with the rest of the SHOCK TREATMENT) soundtrack obsessively over my thirteen-hour drive back from Tuscaloosa. And I certainly didn't celebrate my memorization of "Duet Duel" by singing it as both Harvey and Two-Face. Heavens, no. *cough*
But hey, I love the character. And besides, when it comes to being the best damn comics-discussion community in the world... well, what can I say? I believe in Scans_Daily (and, of course, all you fine minions--is that better, lillbet--here on my flist).
That said, this week's entry is gonna be much lazier. No essays or opinion pieces, just a two-fisted double-feature of Harvey-centric short stories, both of which s_d old-timers will remember from the original community. In the first one, Harvey and his old buddy Commissioner "Jimbo" Gordon briefly reunite to track down none other than "Boss" Moroni himself (still alive in this story, natch).
In the second, Harvey fights a werewolf in Arkham. Because sure, why the hell not?
First one's five pages from the ten-page story from BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #8:
Yeah, kind of a light trifle of a story with a neat idea, isn't it? This is one that really should have expanded to a whole issue, where one could really explore the character interaction between these deeply-estranged friends.
A lot of the aforementioned discussion in last week's post revolved around how Nightwing (along with all the other Robins) approaches Two-Face differently than Batman, as they have no real memory nor interaction with the good man Harvey Dent was before Two-Face came along. As such, that's one good reason why they don't have the same kind of sympathy nor empathy for Harvey that Batman does.
That's where Gordon differs from Bruce and Dick alike. In post-Crisis canon from "Eye of the Beholder" onward (the definitive Two-Face story that laid the groundwork for everything from THE LONG HALLOWEEN to THE DARK KNIGHT), Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent were best friends, with a deeper bond than the latter even had with Batman.
Like Bruce, Gordon remembers the Harvey that was, but like Dick, he's too practical to dwell on theoretical prospects of redemption for a murdering sociopath who has wasted so many second and third chances. To Gordon, Harvey's just a twisted perversion of his old friend at best. At worst, he's a walking betrayal of everything they fought against together. Far as Gordon's concerned, there's no hope for Harvey.
Which is why I'd love to see the basic concept of this story revisited and expanded upon. There's such great potential for a ride-along between two former friends whose old bond may not be entirely dead and gone, as evidenced by this story and the time Harvey crashed Jimbo's retirement party.
Huh. Guess this one did get a bit analytical after all, didn't it?
Well, I don't have nearly as much to say about my other offering today, from the 2008 DC UNIVERSE HALLOWEEN SPECIAL. Those collections are always mixed bags, largely used as proving grounds for unknown writers and artists, near as I can tell. Mostly forgettable fluff stories, regrettably.
But while this story--"Scarred and Scared," written by Brad Desnoyer and drawn by Riccardo Burchieli--was not exactly great either, hey, how often can you see Two-Face save the Arkham residents from a werewolf?
(Note: the delightful ghost-detective duo of Ralph and Sue Dibny are playing Crypt-Keeper hosts in this issue, which is what they're doing here).
Yes, Harvey Dent kills a werewolf armed only with his coin. That walks the magical border between ridiculous and badass only seen in superhero comics. God, I love 'em so.
Not to much to add to this story. Kind of makes you wish the themes had been handled with a little more thought and a little more subtlety, but they only had eight pages. And besides, Two-Face vs. a werewolf. That's all that really mattered, isn't it?
Finally, it seems only fitting to end this post with a preview of my upcoming entry on having finally seen Richard O'Brien's SHOCK TREATMENT, which I watched with Henchgirl. I find it hilarious to note that when this song happened, Henchgirl asked, "Do you know who this reminds me of?" And here I thought it was just me, the obsessed fanboy imposing his own fannishness into something that's not really there.
Click to viewWhy no, I didn't listen to this song (along with the rest of the SHOCK TREATMENT) soundtrack obsessively over my thirteen-hour drive back from Tuscaloosa. And I certainly didn't celebrate my memorization of "Duet Duel" by singing it as both Harvey and Two-Face. Heavens, no. *cough*