Two-Face is Batman's greatest failure, but he was also the hero Bruce Wayne never could be: the kind who doesn't wear a mask. Perhaps he would still have met a grisly fate even if Batman had not roped him into his own one-man war on crime, but the Dark Knight, always on the lookout for more emotional burdens, blames himself for the downfall and disfigurement of former District Attorney Harvey Dent.
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| By Tim Sale |
So whether you choose to go with the duality-obsessed crime boss or the bipolar psychopath, there's sure to be plenty of moral dilemmas to play with. And, if you can't decide, just flip a coin.
Two-Face: Double Bind
ReplyDelete1/ In an abandoned, decrepit warehouse in Gotham's abandoned, decrepit warehouse district, Two-Face has Batman strung upside down to a giant nickel and is pacing back and forth in front of him. He walks a makeshift stage in an otherwise black environment. Only the Harvey Dent side, wearing a slightly bedraggled suit, can be seen. He mutters to himself before speaking out so that he can be heard.
Harvey: smarter not harder-- smarter not harder-- learn from your mistakes-- learn from--
Harvey: You're a scholar, Bruce. You'll like this.
Dent: Theodore Roosevelt once said, "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and th--"
Batman: "--the worst thing you can do is nothing." I've heard it.
2/ Harvey frantically waves around an Arsenal AF2011, a double-barreled .45 caliber pistol, in his scarred hand, revealing his disfigured side. Two-Face. Though Harvey's side of their single suit is getting a bit worn, it has been maintained to the best of Harvey's limited ability. The Two-Face side, however, is the opposite. Ragged and stained, it is befitting of the grotesue half a man who wears it.
Two-Face: RAAAUUUGGHH!!!
Two-Face: MY LINE!!! THAT WAS MY LINE!!!
3/ Two-Face holds the gun up to Batman's forehead.
Two-Face: LET'S KILL HIM NOW!
4/ Harvey once again takes control, turning his back on Batman. With his good hand, he grabs hold of his scarred arm at the wrist, pistol still clutched in a vice-like grip, and attempts to lower it.
Harvey: No!
Harvey: We've talked about this.
Harvey: If we kill him NOW, they'll come in GUNS A'BLAZING and we'll NEVER get our chance. But if we wait...
5/ The Two-Face side sulks, but the plan is solid and he knows it.
Two-Face: Yeah, yeah. I remember...
Two-Face: We'll get all the little BIRDS and BATLINGS, too.
Nightwing (OP) You know, Harvey, they say talking to yourself is an early warning sign of schizophrenia.
6/ Nightwing (Grayson), Robin (Drake), Batgirl (Brown), Damien, Cassie, and even a holographic projection of Barbara's Oracle icon. They are just visible over the back of Harvey's head in the center of the frame.
Harvey: Oh, good! The cavalry is here!
Harvey: I hope you don't mind...
7/ The warehouse lights go up, illuminating the previously dark space. Behind Two-Face, his stage, and the giant nickel where Batman continues to hang upside down emerges a significant chunk of Batman's D-List rogues. Signalman, Egghead, Orca, Condiment King, Kite Man, Magpie, Crazy Quilt, Ratcatcher, King Tut, KGBeast, etc.
Two-Face: WE INVITED SOME FRIENDS!
Thanks for the contribution! Good script; I like the Two-Face/Harvey dynamic, and how you've reversed the suit thing -- interesting idea. As Grant said though, it is a little busy, sometimes less is more. Still a damn fine job though.
DeleteGlad to see you on the site, Philip!
ReplyDeleteI really like the script. You roll a strong setup of Bruce being captured by Two-Face and play it well in their back and forth. Heck, with the dual-personality you have some great three way interaction - I can already imagine the different styled word balloons for Harvey and Two-Face. And some good lines tucked in throughout the page.
You also do a fine job of building up the page from a simple bat-napping to an attempt to wipe the bats off the face of Gotham.
There's a lot to like here, but that would also be my main critique. The pacing's good, but I feel like there's too much for one page. Maybe I'm thinking too decompressed, but that final panel deserves more than one-seventh of the page (heck, even the sixth panel could be played big). I know that you're working under our one-page limitation, but it's a huge moment and should have the time and space to sink in and resonate with the reader.
Still, having too many big moments isn't exactly the worst problem to have, you know? Welcome aboard and look forward to seeing more!