about-faces reblogged
Gothams heartthrob!
about-faces reblogged
when the guy has two faces
TOP 22 TWO-FACE STORIES OF ALL TIME
8.) Batman 89 (2021-2022)
Billy Dee Williams’ Harvey finally gets his due with one of the most innovative, complex, and relevant takes on Two-Face ever written. Whole theses could be written on how this Harvey explores concepts like classism, racism, moral philosophy, and even quantum physics. A densely packed story with an ambitious split climax that can’t sufficiently be posted here.
Forgot to mention this a few days ago, but I had the distinct pleasure of being invited back on the Superhero Stuff You Should Know podcast to discuss the greatest Two-Face there (mostly) never was: the iconic Billy Dee Williams! YouTube link at the top if you want to see visual accompaniment as well as my own awkward mug, also available in audio-only form on Apple and Spotify!
We not only discuss Batman ‘89 (both the movie and the comics), but also look over Billy Dee Williams’ career with performances in some of his older, more obscure films which really showed the depth of his range and how he could have been an incredible Two-Face if he’d ever been given the chance.
While you’re at it, be sure to check out this podcast’s recent interviews with screenwriters Daniel Waters (Batman Returns, Heathers) and Sam Hamm (Batman, Batman 89), both of which were incredibly entertaining and fascinating! I could listen to Hamm talk about shit for days.
“… the way it could’ve happened.”
about-faces reblogged
Billy Dee Willams hanging out on the Return of the Jedi set
“There’s something wrong. With my face.”
Preview of Batman 89 #3
I’m sad that this is almost certainly a dream sequence and Harvey is still lying in the burning building as the puddle of gasoline inches closer to his face. As tired as I am of Two-Face origins that do fake-outs of how he ends up scarred, I would have happily accepted this direction for the story. Instead, it’s going to be the last gasp of Harvey’s hopes and dreams.
Calling it now, I think the Batman 89 comic is giving us the most relevant, complex, and innovative take on Harvey Dent we’ve seen since at least 1990. Maybe even since 1942.
I’m seeing a LOT of fanboys who are disappointed in B89 for essentially not catering to their nostalgia. On a tiny level, I’m with them, because this book doesn’t feel like Burton’s movies, or at least the imagine of those films fans of my generation have created in our heads over 20+ years. Instead, Hamm and Quinones are more interested in telling a much richer and even challenging story, and it’s annoying the die-hards I consider my generational peers.
Hamm and Quinones could just just coasted on that nostalgia and the story would have been a popular, forgettable novelty. They could have just done Billy Dee Williams as a by-the-numbers Two-Face origin, and no one would have batted an eye. That they’re NOT doing those things is bold as hell.
I don’t know if they’ll stick the landing, especially where Harvey is concerned. There are SO MANY ways Hamm could fumble the ball at this point. But I am stunned by where they’re taking this Two-Face origin so far. This isn’t the Batman 89 I wanted, but two issues in, it’s the Harvey Dent I needed.