In the novelization of The Dark Knight, Dennis O’Neil gave Harvey Dent an original backstory that incorporated the comics’ canon of abuse (which O’Neil himself oversaw) with original details that tie into his deep contempt for corrupt cops.
In honor of Neal Adams, here are samples of three different versions of the O’Neil/Adams/Giordano classic “Half an Evil” from Batman #234 (1971), the story which reintroduced Two-Face to the DCU after a seventeen-year absence.
The first is the original issue as it looked upon release, colorist name unknown. The second was recolored by Gene D’Angelo on high-quality Baxter stock paper for The Greatest Batman Stories of All Time (1988). The third was recolored and digitally enhanced/altered by penciler Neal Adams himself in 2003 for a series of dedicated collections of his work. It’s the only version currently available digitally and in collections.
#which do you prefer?#I strongly prefer the second one#It retains the fidelity of the art in a way that makes it look timeless#I really dislike Adams’ retooling and added effects#but I’m curious to know what you think looks better#neal adams#batman#harvey dent#twoface#two face#Bronze Age of comics#dennis o'neil#denny o'neil#dick giordano
While Denny O’Neil’s “Half An Evil” with Neal Adams gets all the attention as one of the great Two-Face stories, I have always personally preferred “Threat of the Two-Headed Coin.” It’s less striking visually, but the depiction of Harvey is so, so much better at making him both threatening and tragic. It’s a shame this one never gets reprinted anywhere.
Rest of the story behind the cut!
In 1972, Denny O’Neil brought back Two-Face after an inexplicable seventeen-year absence from comics, bypassing the Silver Age entirely. Here is the classic Half an Evil presented in what I consider its best version, as reprinted in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told. I think it’s far superior to the horrendous digital recoloring job by Neal Adams, which is the only edition that ever gets reprinted anymore.
Rest of the story behind the cut!
My Top 22 Two-Face Stories of All Time Countdown!
#15.) “Threat of the Two-Headed Coin!,” from Batman #258 (1974) written by Dennis O’Neil, art by Irv Novick and Dick Giordano.
After being broken out of Arkham by a renegade US General, Two-Face plots to destroy all of Washington DC with a nuclear weapon unless the government grants him ownership of a private island where he might finally no longer feel like an outcast.
While writer Dennis O'Neil's Half an Evil is the more famous and historic Two-Face story (the one which returned Harvey to comics after a seventeen-year-absence and drawn by the great Neal Adams), it's honestly a pretty lousy Two-Face story. O'Neill's second Two-Face story of the Bronze Age, Threat of the Two-Headed Coin!, is a superior take on the tormented villain and his relationship with Batman. Sadly, it's never been reprinted, nor has it ever made it to any "best Two-Face story" lists.
Perhaps it would be better regarded if it had been drawn by a more beloved artist of the era like Adams or Jim Aparo rather than Bronze Age stalwart Irv Novick, whose work is solid but not particularly remarkable. Regardless, it's a strong little tale that's both fun and just the right amount of sad, understanding that any victory over Two-Face should always be a bittersweet victory.
Hal, you smug asshole.
For comparison's sake, here's what happened when Katma teamed up with John Stewart about fifty issues later.
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lego-joker
Oh, Maxie.
This scene is even funnier in the Knightfall novelization, written by Maxie’s original creator Denny O’Neil.
*pulls out his dusty old copy of the Knightfall novelization off the shelf*
Maxie was running easily, as befitted the god he knew himself to be, although he was still wearing a straitjacket.
"It is my will that I be thus bound," he told his loyal subjects, the grass and trees. "It pleasures me to deny myself my omnipotence as it pleasured me to bring wrathful lightning bolts upon the place where it pleasured me to be incarcerated. They thought to imprison a god? Ha! Do the fools not realize my might--"
One of his loyal subjects, a maple tree, reared up before him and he ran into it. He broke his nose and fell unconscious.
Also, according to this, Maxie's real name is "Max Zlotski," which I haven't seen anyone else write before nor since. Well, I'm pretty sure that O'Neil created Maxie Zeus, so I guess that counts as canon.
This is why Emerald Twilight happened.
Source: shankie.dreamwidth.org
xenopheles replied to your photo: In the novelization for The Dark Knight, legendary...
That makes zero sense.
If you think that's nonsensical and ridiculous, then wait'll you see the essay he wrote for Supervillains and Philosophy, wherein he envisioned Harvey Dent as a strict Calvinist who got into law for the sole purpose of punishing criminals as a holy crusade against sinners and it just goes on from there.
Don't get me wrong, O'Neil is still one of the greatest, most important people to ever work on Batman, but even still... yeesh.
In the novelization for The Dark Knight, legendary Batman author and editor Dennis O'Neil comes up with a backstory and motivation for Christopher Nolan's take on Jonathan Crane. According to O'Neil, Crane wanted to eliminate fear entirely in order to turn the planet into a blissful fear-free utopia, and then to become king of the happy people.
First appearance of Talia and first mention of Ra's al Ghul.
From Detective Comics #411, "Into the Den of the Death-Dealers," by Denny O'Neil with art by Bob Brown and Dick Giordano (May 1971).