About_Faces!

The origin of Paul Sloane, the second Two-Face, originally published in Batman #68 (1951). This is the revised version from Batman Annual #3 (1962), which changed the nature of his scarring to a random accident rather than the original version, where he was scarred by acid planted on the film set by a jealous prop man.

Written by Bill Finger, art by Lew Sayre Schwartz and Charles Paris.

The origin of the second Two-Face from Batman #68 (1951) and the revised version from Batman Annual #3 (1962), which changed the cause of his scarring from a malicious act to a random accident. Which do you think makes for a better origin for Two-Face II? Judge for yourself when I post the full 1962 version later today!

As for why they changed the origin eleven years later, the prevailing theory is that the Comics Code--which had come into effect by the Silver Age--wouldn't have allowed acid scarring, but apparently getting your face blown up was A-OK. I also strongly suspect that the sex angle didn't help, what with the implication that Joe's girlfriend may have been having an affair with Sloane.

The second half of "The Return of Two-Face!" from Batman #50 (1948), writer and artist unknown. Read the first half here!

Besides featuring the first of several impostor Two-Faces, this story also features the first suggestion that Harvey Dent may be suffering from a "split personality," an idea which writers would incorporate into the character about forty years later!

This story also features the return of Gilda's ruined bust of Harvey, which was life-sized in its original appearance but had since become a proper oversized novelty prop in keeping with classic Batman comics of the late Golden Age.

"Half-Man, Half-Monster," from the Batman syndicated newspaper comic strips. Written by Bill Finger, adapted from his own Harvey Kent trilogy. Art by Jack Burnley and Win Mortimer, who copy several of the original panels by "Bob Kane" (Jerry Robinson and George Roussos) while giving the art a fresh spin all their own. 

This is the first of several Two-Face stories not to feature Harvey Kent/Dent, and while this one didn't take place in comics canon, it's notable for how it abandons much of the original trilogy's tragic depth in favor of gimmicks and two-based puns. This is but the first of several stories which redefine Two-Face as character, regardless of whether or not Harvey Kent/Dent is in the role.

November is going to be a big month for Two-Face! First, he will make his first appearance on Fox's Gotham on the 17th, and then--just two days later--he will make his grand introduction into the 66-verse with Batman '66: The Lost Episode! To commemorate this occasion, I think I'll post the original Golden Age Two-Face stories here for anyone who hasn't read them in full, especially given that TLE will draw heavily on those comics.

Even if you're not a fan of Golden Age comics, these stories are filled with fun and fascinating moments, with cool early insights into Two-Face which have been neglected over the decades by subsequent writers.Harlan Ellison was clearly a big fan of these comics, since his original 1966 script outline not only faithfully adapted scenes from these comics, but it also displayed a more profound understanding of who Harvey Kent/Dent is and why Two-Face is such a tragic, formidable foe for Batman.

As usual, I'll be breaking the stories up into two or three separate posts, with links to the other parts edited in as soon as the rest are up. I will try to post the whole Golden Age saga unless something comes up.

If you DON'T want my big comic posts on your dash, the Tumblr Savior tags to use are "hefnerpiece theatre" and "long post."

World's greatest detective, everybody.

From Detective Comics #187 (1952), written by Don Cameron, art by Dick Sprang and Charles Paris.