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about_facesI love old comic covers. The great J.M. DeMatteis recently described the allure of classic covers as being "like cosmic portals, opening up doorways to other dimensions; colorful parallel universes far preferable to the one I inhabited."
Two-Face is a natural feature for covers, as he's a character who is so striking, so iconic, that even people who know nothing about him can instantly get a good idea what he's about. And once Denny O'Neil dusted off the character at the birth of the Bronze Age, he soon made regular appearances on covers.
To the best of my abilities, I've tracked down all the Two-Face cover appearances I could find (most of which I own and were thus able to scan), to post here with commentary and--if applicable--links to posts where I've looked at the stories in depth. So if you're new to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
about_faces, here's a chance for you to catch up on some stuff you may have missed!
For the rest of you, here's a bunch of neato covers to look at! And where better to start than with the start?
This was it: Harvey's grand reintroduction to comics after an absence of over fifteen years!
The story itself has been reprinted several times and is considered a classic (I really must post it here sometime, in both original coloring and the recolored Neal Adams version), but I've never thought it was exactly brilliant. It's a fine adventure and not much more than that, its reputation likely due solely to the facts that 1.) it's the return of Two-Face, and 2.) it's Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, one of the most overrated teams in comics.
... Man, that sounded way more harsh and provocative than I intended! I don't mean they were bad, but those stories were more flawed, dated, and/or cheesy than people want to admit. But in terms of sheer brilliance of writing and art, Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin took O'Neil and Adams' milkshake and drank it up.
Personally, when it comes to Denny O'Neil writing Two-Face, I prefer this one:
I only just read this story. The issue was hard to track down at an affordable price, since the Two-Face story also happens to be the first appearance of Arkham Asylum.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the story, mainly because it was the second (after a wonderful issue of The Brave and the Bold, not included in these covers) to remember that Harvey was a character of pathos, not just a villain to defeat. O'Neil's first story gave only lip service to Harvey's tragic nature, but we actually see it first-hand in this one. I look forward to posting it soon.
As you might surmise, this is just a reprint of the original Harvey Kent trilogy. While I own these stories in other forms, I couldn't resist getting this issue for the cover alone, which captures two of the most iconic moments: the movie theater heist, and Harvey saving Batman's life.
Also, I just love how wrinkled and smudged the issue is. Just look at that cover, and tell me you can't imagine how it must smell. There is nothing, nothing like the smell of old comics.
Henchgirl thinks that old DC and old Marvel smell different. Agree? Disagree?
This might well be the first appearance of Jim Aparo's turtlenecked Two-Face! It's such a dated look, but it's also one of my favorites for purely nostalgic reasons. And for those wondering, yes, this is the Bronze Age origin of Two-Face, the one featuring Detective Dave Davis and the return of Boss Maroni.
Oh Duela Dent: even with your direct connection to Harvey, I've never had any bloody interest in you at all. I'm sure you're a perfectly interesting character. Probably. Maybe. But being the heroic Girl!Joker who's also Two-Face's teenage daughter, even though she was supposedly a baby when the acid hit Harvey? Really?
Yeah, this is a classic example of the Bronze Age still not quite being able to shake the cracky illogic of the Silver Age. Did anyone even try to figure out how this could work chronologically? I doubt it.
I have yet to post this one. I might do it, if I can get a copy of the preceding issue. Even then, we'll have to wait and see if I care.
As indicated by the bottom corner, this isn't my own scan. It's one of the very few Two-Face issues I don't actually own, even though it's a story I happen to adore. Why haven't they ever collected this series? Denny O'Neil always knew how to write a stellar Joker, as entertaining as he is dangerous.
If you haven't read it yourself, I urge you to do so.
I've been trying over and over again to figure out how the hell to post this two-part story from The Brave and the Bold. Trying, and failing.
It's an overstuffed Indiana Jones style adventure, and far as I'm concerned, the only thing that makes it noteworthy is the Joker/Harvey team-up. For a pair that would always be at odds in every story afterward, their first team-up was mostly functional and even rather delightful, mainly because of how they kept giving each other adorable nicknames.
If I end up posting scans from these issues, I may just forgo story entirely and focus on Joker and Two-Face trading nicknames and bickering like an old married couple.
Setting aside the fact that Harvey looks something like a lumpy Dean Martin, I love the JLA's "Two-Face is A-OK!" reactions. Technically, though, Harvey didn't actually join the JLA, unless tagging along on a team-up earns you a special "honorary member" card.
I have to imagine any status was revoked following his inevitable betrayal (after the JLA arguably betrayed him!), but still, I like to think of Pre-Crisis Harvey's credentials including "Justice League Member for a couple hours."
The above and below covers are by Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez, one of the greatest treasures to emerge from the Bronze Age: a great artist who is still at his creative peak more than forty years later! While revered by other artists and old-school fans, Garcia-Lopez seems mostly unknown to the casual comic reader, which is a damn shame. He deserves the Living Legend treatment while he's still alive.
That said, the above cover isn't an ideal testament to his abilities. For that, I give you the other part of the same story, featuring what I'd consider to be in the top ten most iconic Two-Face covers/images of all time:
Really, when it comes to a piece like that, what else is there to say?
Next up: Part Two of the Bronze Age, with covers by Gene Colan, Tom Mandrake, Dick Giordano, and another by Jim Aparo! Because you can never have too much Aparo!
Two-Face is a natural feature for covers, as he's a character who is so striking, so iconic, that even people who know nothing about him can instantly get a good idea what he's about. And once Denny O'Neil dusted off the character at the birth of the Bronze Age, he soon made regular appearances on covers.
To the best of my abilities, I've tracked down all the Two-Face cover appearances I could find (most of which I own and were thus able to scan), to post here with commentary and--if applicable--links to posts where I've looked at the stories in depth. So if you're new to
about_faces, here's a chance for you to catch up on some stuff you may have missed!For the rest of you, here's a bunch of neato covers to look at! And where better to start than with the start?
This was it: Harvey's grand reintroduction to comics after an absence of over fifteen years!
The story itself has been reprinted several times and is considered a classic (I really must post it here sometime, in both original coloring and the recolored Neal Adams version), but I've never thought it was exactly brilliant. It's a fine adventure and not much more than that, its reputation likely due solely to the facts that 1.) it's the return of Two-Face, and 2.) it's Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams, one of the most overrated teams in comics.
... Man, that sounded way more harsh and provocative than I intended! I don't mean they were bad, but those stories were more flawed, dated, and/or cheesy than people want to admit. But in terms of sheer brilliance of writing and art, Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin took O'Neil and Adams' milkshake and drank it up.
Personally, when it comes to Denny O'Neil writing Two-Face, I prefer this one:
I only just read this story. The issue was hard to track down at an affordable price, since the Two-Face story also happens to be the first appearance of Arkham Asylum.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the story, mainly because it was the second (after a wonderful issue of The Brave and the Bold, not included in these covers) to remember that Harvey was a character of pathos, not just a villain to defeat. O'Neil's first story gave only lip service to Harvey's tragic nature, but we actually see it first-hand in this one. I look forward to posting it soon.
As you might surmise, this is just a reprint of the original Harvey Kent trilogy. While I own these stories in other forms, I couldn't resist getting this issue for the cover alone, which captures two of the most iconic moments: the movie theater heist, and Harvey saving Batman's life.
Also, I just love how wrinkled and smudged the issue is. Just look at that cover, and tell me you can't imagine how it must smell. There is nothing, nothing like the smell of old comics.
Henchgirl thinks that old DC and old Marvel smell different. Agree? Disagree?
This might well be the first appearance of Jim Aparo's turtlenecked Two-Face! It's such a dated look, but it's also one of my favorites for purely nostalgic reasons. And for those wondering, yes, this is the Bronze Age origin of Two-Face, the one featuring Detective Dave Davis and the return of Boss Maroni.
Oh Duela Dent: even with your direct connection to Harvey, I've never had any bloody interest in you at all. I'm sure you're a perfectly interesting character. Probably. Maybe. But being the heroic Girl!Joker who's also Two-Face's teenage daughter, even though she was supposedly a baby when the acid hit Harvey? Really?
Yeah, this is a classic example of the Bronze Age still not quite being able to shake the cracky illogic of the Silver Age. Did anyone even try to figure out how this could work chronologically? I doubt it.
I have yet to post this one. I might do it, if I can get a copy of the preceding issue. Even then, we'll have to wait and see if I care.
As indicated by the bottom corner, this isn't my own scan. It's one of the very few Two-Face issues I don't actually own, even though it's a story I happen to adore. Why haven't they ever collected this series? Denny O'Neil always knew how to write a stellar Joker, as entertaining as he is dangerous.
If you haven't read it yourself, I urge you to do so.
I've been trying over and over again to figure out how the hell to post this two-part story from The Brave and the Bold. Trying, and failing.
It's an overstuffed Indiana Jones style adventure, and far as I'm concerned, the only thing that makes it noteworthy is the Joker/Harvey team-up. For a pair that would always be at odds in every story afterward, their first team-up was mostly functional and even rather delightful, mainly because of how they kept giving each other adorable nicknames.
If I end up posting scans from these issues, I may just forgo story entirely and focus on Joker and Two-Face trading nicknames and bickering like an old married couple.
Setting aside the fact that Harvey looks something like a lumpy Dean Martin, I love the JLA's "Two-Face is A-OK!" reactions. Technically, though, Harvey didn't actually join the JLA, unless tagging along on a team-up earns you a special "honorary member" card.
I have to imagine any status was revoked following his inevitable betrayal (after the JLA arguably betrayed him!), but still, I like to think of Pre-Crisis Harvey's credentials including "Justice League Member for a couple hours."
The above and below covers are by Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez, one of the greatest treasures to emerge from the Bronze Age: a great artist who is still at his creative peak more than forty years later! While revered by other artists and old-school fans, Garcia-Lopez seems mostly unknown to the casual comic reader, which is a damn shame. He deserves the Living Legend treatment while he's still alive.
That said, the above cover isn't an ideal testament to his abilities. For that, I give you the other part of the same story, featuring what I'd consider to be in the top ten most iconic Two-Face covers/images of all time:
Really, when it comes to a piece like that, what else is there to say?
Next up: Part Two of the Bronze Age, with covers by Gene Colan, Tom Mandrake, Dick Giordano, and another by Jim Aparo! Because you can never have too much Aparo!
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