Doug Moench, the acid scarring, and the lack of Harvey in published Batman prose fiction
Has anyone read this book? It adds a disturbing new ripple in the exact nature of Harvey's scarring, but before I get into that, let's talk about the book itself, as well as the almost complete lack of Two-Face from Batman prose fiction:
I was hesitant to read it at first, because I assumed it was one of those reference or essay tie-in book, like Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul or The Batman Handbook: Ultimate Training Manual. Essentially, stuff to read while on the can.
(Note: If you've read and liked either of those books--or any of their ilk--do let me know which and why. Lord knows I'm in no position to mock, as I'd write an entire book of critical Two-Face essays, given the chance)
But because I understood that Harvey was involved some way in the book, I checked it out and discovered it's actually a book of short stories with a unified theme of forensics. Essentially, it's CSI: Gotham. As one who adores the four Further Adventures of Batman volumes (Batman, Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman), I've been hungry for more good Bat-prose.
Unfortunately, it's by Doug Moench. Look, I know the man's written one of the greatest Batman stories of all time--Prey, which I'll be getting to in a future Hugo Strange post--and his long Batman association is rather beloved. Have there been any Moench stories you guys have loved? Because he's almost always left me cold. The prospect of him writing prose was not attractive in the least.
Which is why I still haven't actually read the book, or even any of the stories in their entirety. I was especially hesitant with the Two-Face one, because every time Monech has written Harvey, the results are... just... just awful. Having read most of the Two-Face story, yeah, it's typical Moench: Two-Face as a deranged revenge killer with an arbitrary #2 M.O. and a tendency to speak in snarling courtroom parlance. A classic one-note Two-Face.
However... Monech did devote three whole pages to Harvey's origin. This is notable, because Two-Face has barely ever even merited a name-dropping in any of the original Batman prose fic I've ever read. Even in the collection that had Two-Face right there front and frickin' off-center in the cover, he wasn't in the actual contents. Stupid lazy Batman Forever cash-in.
Of course, the origin Moench writes omits any psychological depth or motivation. It's just another case where the acid single-handedly drove him insane and evil. Boring and superficial, yes, but that can be somewhat more understandable when taking into account a small... detail... that Moench added to exactly what happened when the acid hit:
... There is no emoticon, no .gif, no convenient YouTube clip that can convey the exact manner in which I just squirmed/shuddered/recoiled at the thought of Harvey's hand fusing to his face. Gahhhhhhhh.
This detail is even more disturbing for the fact that it's in prose. If this were actually depicted in the comic, it wouldn't have the same effect. Heh, maybe that explains why there are never any Two-Face stories in the neglected subgenre of Bat-lit?
I was hesitant to read it at first, because I assumed it was one of those reference or essay tie-in book, like Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul or The Batman Handbook: Ultimate Training Manual. Essentially, stuff to read while on the can.
(Note: If you've read and liked either of those books--or any of their ilk--do let me know which and why. Lord knows I'm in no position to mock, as I'd write an entire book of critical Two-Face essays, given the chance)
But because I understood that Harvey was involved some way in the book, I checked it out and discovered it's actually a book of short stories with a unified theme of forensics. Essentially, it's CSI: Gotham. As one who adores the four Further Adventures of Batman volumes (Batman, Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman), I've been hungry for more good Bat-prose.
Unfortunately, it's by Doug Moench. Look, I know the man's written one of the greatest Batman stories of all time--Prey, which I'll be getting to in a future Hugo Strange post--and his long Batman association is rather beloved. Have there been any Moench stories you guys have loved? Because he's almost always left me cold. The prospect of him writing prose was not attractive in the least.
Which is why I still haven't actually read the book, or even any of the stories in their entirety. I was especially hesitant with the Two-Face one, because every time Monech has written Harvey, the results are... just... just awful. Having read most of the Two-Face story, yeah, it's typical Moench: Two-Face as a deranged revenge killer with an arbitrary #2 M.O. and a tendency to speak in snarling courtroom parlance. A classic one-note Two-Face.
However... Monech did devote three whole pages to Harvey's origin. This is notable, because Two-Face has barely ever even merited a name-dropping in any of the original Batman prose fic I've ever read. Even in the collection that had Two-Face right there front and frickin' off-center in the cover, he wasn't in the actual contents. Stupid lazy Batman Forever cash-in.
Of course, the origin Moench writes omits any psychological depth or motivation. It's just another case where the acid single-handedly drove him insane and evil. Boring and superficial, yes, but that can be somewhat more understandable when taking into account a small... detail... that Moench added to exactly what happened when the acid hit:
... There is no emoticon, no .gif, no convenient YouTube clip that can convey the exact manner in which I just squirmed/shuddered/recoiled at the thought of Harvey's hand fusing to his face. Gahhhhhhhh.
This detail is even more disturbing for the fact that it's in prose. If this were actually depicted in the comic, it wouldn't have the same effect. Heh, maybe that explains why there are never any Two-Face stories in the neglected subgenre of Bat-lit?