About_Faces!

One of the greatest Batman stories ever made, "Night of the Stalker" had an incredibly contentious history, according to penciler (and uncredited story writer) Sal Amendola. Among the reasons he clashed with his peers and superiors was the ending, because as he was told, "Super-heroes don't cry."

While the late, great Dawyn Cooke's remake, "Deja Vu," is likely far more well-known to current audiences, I personally prefer the original, in part because of how Cooke dialed back Bruce's breakdown at the end to the point of ambiguity.

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.

Original art of Dick Giordano’s cover for Batman #566. It’s recently been used on merchandise like T-shirts and posters, but Giordano’s signature is always erased.

Two-Face’s entry in the 1993 edition of Who’s Who in the DC Universe, including the supplemental pages for his entry in the 3rd edition of the DC Heroes Role-Playing Game.

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.

"Batgirl: Flawed Gems," Part 2 of 3. Written by Barbara Randall, art by Rick Leonardi and Dick Giordano, published in Secret Origins #20 (1987).

"Batgirl: Flawed Gems," Part 1 of 3. Written by Barbara Randall, art by Rick Leonardi and Dick Giordano, published in Secret Origins #20 (1987).

In the wake of Frank Miller's new Batman continuity introduced in Year One, which established that Jim Gordon never had a daughter, writer/editor Barbara Randall wrote this new original for Batgirl to reconcile her history with the new continuity. I'd love to see this reprinted on better quality paper, whereupon I'd also hope that they'd fix the screwed-up narration at the start of page 3. It's a great story so long as you ignore the fact that it was published in anticipation of what was going to happen to Babs in The Killing Joke just a few months later.

Thirteen-year-old Barbara Gordon "helps" Jim with his detective work.

From "Batgirl: Flawed Gems," written by Barbara Randall, art by Rick Leonardi and Dick Giordano, published in Secret Origins #20 (1987)

Part 3 of “To Kill a Legend,” written by Alan Brennert, art by Dick Giordano. Part 1 can be read here, and Part 2 can be read here.

Originally published in Detective Comics #500 (1981), reprinted in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told and Batman in the Eighties.

Part 2 of “To Kill a Legend,” written by Alan Brennert, art by Dick Giordano. Part 1 can be read here and the conclusion can be read here.

Originally published in Detective Comics #500 (1981), reprinted in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told and Batman in the Eighties.

Part 1 of "To Kill a Legend," written by Alan Brennert, art by Dick Giordano.

Originally published in Detective Comics #500 (1981), reprinted in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told and Batman in the Eighties.

"PLOK!"

From "Night of the Stalker," published in Detective Comics #439 (1974)

Written by Steve Englehart, plot and pencils by Vin & Sal Amendola, inks by Dick Giordano

The Joker's jokes may be deadly, but never underestimate Two-Face's commitment to puns.

From Joker #1 (1975), written by Denny O'Neil, art by Irv Novick and Dick Giordando.

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).

"Look at this face. This is the face of Gotham's bright future."

Marshall Rogers' covers for Shadow of the Batman, a 1985 reprint of classic storyline by Steve Englehart w/ Len Wein.

Scans from comc.com and pencilink.com.