Comments | about_faces: Character Profile: BATMAN VILLAINS SECRET FILES & ORIGINS, 1998

about_faces

Character Profile: BATMAN VILLAINS SECRET FILES & ORIGINS, 1998

Aug 10, 2010 12:03

Text by Scott Beatty (editor and co-author of ROBIN: YEAR ONE) and drawn by Scott McDaniel, who was already well-known for drawing the character in TWO-FACE: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT and the DAREDEVIL AND BATMAN crossover.

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scott beatty, scott mcdaniel, who's who and secret files, origins

Comments 12

aliasjack August 10 2010, 16:20:28 UTC

Drawn by Scott McDaniel, I think you mean.

thehefner August 10 2010, 16:29:11 UTC

"Sure, I've only had four hours of sleep, but I'd like to crank out something for about_faces today, I bet I can pull it off, no problem!"

aliasjack August 10 2010, 16:42:01 UTC

That said, I go back and forth on McDaniel to the point of ambivalence. I love his kinetic action on the one hand, but it's just so ugly on the other. I guess it all depends on how important I feel either aspect is at the time. Maybe I should use a coin.

also because his strength is in action, having him do this portrait was kind of a really bad idea

thehefner August 11 2010, 04:20:27 UTC

I don't think there's any other artist who's so vividly depicted the sheer energy and fun of Dick's acrobatics.

As for his inconsistency, I'd wonder if there are any inkers who would be better suited for his pencils, but damn if I can actually imagine any time when McDaniel's work hasn't looked exactly the same, no matter the inker.

I would have loved to have seen a Scott McDaniel issue of SOLO, to see what he could do if he really cut loose. I didn't like Damion Scott's artwork until I saw his issue, which really gave me a better appreciation for what he can do.

rattsu August 10 2010, 19:35:26 UTC

Unrelated to this, but kind of related to two face:

In old norse mythology, Hel, the goddess of the underworld and the dead is traditionally depicted with a face that is half normal flesh, and half deformed and corpse-blue. Just like Two-Face.

I wonder if eventually someone is going to make a connection there, just like they attempted to rope in Spider Man into the whole animal spirit thing...

thehefner August 11 2010, 04:26:11 UTC

Intriguing! That's one of those tidbits that has potential, but I don't know for what just yet. Well, unless we do a BATMAN/THOR crossover (and oh man, I'd love/fear to see what would happen if the Joker and Loki met)...

abqreviews August 10 2010, 19:39:42 UTC

>In old norse mythology, Hel, the goddess of the underworld and the dead is traditionally depicted with a face that is half normal flesh, and half deformed and corpse-blue. Just like Two-Face.

I wonder if eventually someone is going to make a connection there, just like they attempted to rope in Spider Man into the whole animal spirit thing...

That would make a great idea for an Elseworlds comic featuring a viking Batman. Or a Viking Prince/Batman crossover. Too bad Elseworlds is no more.

thehefner August 11 2010, 04:27:10 UTC

Wasn't there some kind of Viking Batman story in one of the LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT issues or something? Either way, Loki!Joker is an idea so perfectly obvious, it's amazing one hasn't done it already!

1mercystreet August 15 2010, 11:48:24 UTC

There's another figure that I think writers should look into with regards to Harvey - the Haitian Vodou spirit Ogoun de Manye (which means Two-Handed Ogoun) The Ogouns are spirits of war and conflict, and are also frequently associated with law enforcement and politics. This Ogoun embodies duality; he's male and female at the same time, left and right, black and white, yin and yang, gay and straight, light and dark. Basically he sums up all the things we humans perceive as being opposites and irreconcilable ( ... )

thehefner August 21 2010, 22:58:40 UTC

I've been meaning to respond to this for days, but haven't due to a lack of coherent brain-power and time.

Man, I should collect as many figures from mythology and theology as I can and do a post on them, and what they could mean for the character and vice versa. That's the sort of really-involved specific subject matter which I'd think only a couple people would care about, but it could be fun and thought-provoking nonetheless. Who else could we include? Apollo and Dionysus?

Ohhhhhh man, I love that idea about Harvey's ring finger. Might I consider using that in the novel? I'll be sure to give you credit in the acknowledgments ( ... )

1mercystreet August 22 2010, 16:53:29 UTC

No problem with the delay! I'm really enjoying reading about your adventures on tour with Henchgirl ( ... )

about_faces August 23 2010, 06:00:12 UTC

You're very welcome to use the wedding ring idea! I'm really looking forwards to reading more of your Dent novel. Any chance of posting some more of it soon? :-)

It's certainly a possibility, once I get back from the current gig in a couple weeks. I only wanna post it once I know I have plenty of free time ahead to devote to the book, as I'm hoping to use people's reactions and criticisms to help kick-start my brain into creative mode, as is what happened when I posted the prologue back in the day. So I very much look forward to your own thoughts when I post whatever I post next! :)