I almost overlooked the recent Two-Face comic release. I wouldn't say I particularly care for the character all that much, it's one that I've seen around from the films here and there throughout the years but I've never really cared that much to look into them any deeper. But lately I have noticed I have been wanting to branch out a bit more with the usual DC and Marvel stuff. Perhaps I'm a little bit bored of the main line-up of characters like Batman and Superman, of which I have been recently reading through in their Absolute editions. On top of these I have also been reading a few other comics of other characters like Psylocke, just trying to get a feel for something different and seek out more interesting art styles. It was random curiosity with not much else to read at the moment which led to my diving into the first volume of Two-Face, but I'm really glad I did with it being quite a surprise. I mentioned a moment ago that want for more interesting art styles, and I found it almost immediately within this first volume. I think there's certainly a trend in which comics I like and find more engaging based on the art alone, it's something that is definitely important to me, but so is the story of the character(s) and how that is portrayed. The two being quite important and going hand-in-hand with each other to really deliver something memorable; and I find that's often what results in my interest failing to stick around with most comics I dive into.
I never really found the character that interesting before, but perhaps that was with growing up and finding the more colourful and 'superhero' types a bit more interesting. Plus, Two-Face's portrayals in anything outside of comics has always been a bit thin. It appears the Harvey Dent character is actually one of great depth, not just because of his psychological trauma causing him to be two people at once. That realisation of half a face burnt to a crisp, one side the regular Harvey Dent, the other a deformed mess that can no longer hide emotion, can no longer look away. Instead, it sees all and approaches it with a more direct nature. There's a lot to Harvey Dent's appearance that could be considered beyond the trauma, and it's quite interesting to see a character that has those two sides to his personality, but never really knowing whether it is something that's purely internal or if there is something more malicious within him that is trying to break free. The first volume here speaks of a Harvey Dent that aims to keep that other side hidden, trying to suppress it. Working cases as a lawyer and trying to hold the innocent from prison while trying to seek justice. Though in the case of a lawyer, where is justice in the act of being paid to defend evil? I guess that's where some of that two-faced element comes in.
The first volume tracks Harvey's work as he handles a case for a criminal that has clearly taken a lot of lives and is happy to admit it. He's hardly the sort of client a respectful lawyer would want to take on, primarily because he is the sort of person that will keep harming people and would be best kept behind bars, but there's where the justice system attempts to function fairly: is he guilty for this particular murder? The criminal has his body covered in lines that speak of each killing he's made. He brags about them and states that killing makes him feel whole; though Harvey insists that in this instance he wasn't the killer. Often enough leaving a mark underneath the ear that indicates it was his work. Harvey claims it was a setup from the Falcone family, which is another criminal organisation known for its various works throughout the city. A pretty easy claim to make in court when they're also present. I didn't care much for this part of the comic, the story of a simple court case isn't all that engaging. But it does show Harvey's insistent nature on dishing out justice even if it's flawed, showing a good character within as someone that respects and lives by the law; it's his other side that doesn't care much for it. And it's lingering throughout the case, constantly begging to be set free and take over. Not caring for the consequences. Riddled with hate.
It's implied that Harvey wants nothing to do with it all. He wants his normal life but can't quite control himself. It's an interesting idea to setup the character within a first volume, and it still manages to show how Dent can be a bit of a loose cannon, but also play numerous sides. I liked that the speech bubbles would move between sides of Harvey's face to imply which one is currently talking and taking control of the situation, it's something you wouldn't quite notice if you aren't as familiar with the character like me; it did take a quick re-read through for me to notice that little detail, and I'm sure it's nothing new to the character, but upon discovering that it did open it up a bit more for me. It gives the panels a little more depth as we realise we should be considering which side of Two-Face is currently controlling the room. How he reacts to different areas of a conversation. Either calm and collected, or a bit more threatening out of nowhere. This did make me curious about the second volume, and I do think I'll be keeping up with it from here on.
Especially with that art style, very vibrant in its colour choices, but with a bit of that chromatic aberration look. It really did have that comic book look to it, with panels that burst out, as well as panels that just seemed normal. It was a lot of fun in that sense. It is currently two volumes into the story at the moment though, so fortunately there isn't much for me to catch up on. I still remain a little sceptical over whether this can hold my attention or not, I do need to see a bit more before making that decision. I do know that the art style and concept so far have been pretty good though!