After years of internal conflict, both halves of Harvey Dent have reached an uneasy peace. Now Harvey will use his skills as an attorney to resolve the conflicts of Gotham’s weirdest and most dangerous criminals, starting with Victor Zsasz. When Zsasz is accused of murdering a fellow member of Gotham’s underworld contingent, who better to prove a criminal’s innocence than someone who’s been on both sides of the law? Two-Face #1 is an interesting debut that shakes up Two-Face/Harvey Dent’s role in the current DC Universe.
I was excited to check out Two-Face #1 as I was a fan of the recent Penguin mini-series and how it reintroduced him into the DC Universe. The two series have some things in common as they both plan the characters into their current roles, focuses a bit on what makes them tick, and shakes things up for each.
Written by Christian Ward, Two-Face #1 has Dent acting as an attorney in a criminal underground court. How does the criminal element deal with issues? This is how and the first case has Zsasz accused of killing a member of a gang.
The trial, and watchin Dent make his case, are interesting in that it adds a fun layer into how the criminal element works in Gotham. With so many rivalries, it’d make sense in some ways for something like this to exist to clear disputes. But, what Ward reveals at the end is the most interesting and it really shakes up the current status of Two-Face and Harvey Dent. The character has been going through a transformation of the years with various attempts to find the character’s footing in the current universe, but this has a lot of promise.
It’s hard to say exactly why I enjoyed the twist, but it feels like Ward is bringing the character back to Dent’s roots of finding justice (whatever he determines that is) and it’s something we’ve seen ingrained in Two-Face as well. It’s an interesting direction for the character(s) that could define him for some time and opens up an interesting direction(s).
The art by Fabio Veras is great. With color by Ivan Plascencia and lettering by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, I really like the depiction of the court and Veras and the team give Dent/Two-Face some gravitas as he makes his case. But what really stands out is Otsmaen-Elahou’s lettering. Small details like Zsaz’s scars talking to him or the very different font between Harvey and Two-Face really add a lot to the storytelling. It’s a great team overall that feels like they really click with this debut.
While Two-Face #1 isn’t what I expected, the issue is a really good one. What Ward has cooked up, and the motivation behind it, is interesting and gets to some of the more fun aspects of Two-Face as a character. This is a good one that immediately has risen in my interest as I want to see what comes next and it’s a hidden gem in this week’s releases.
Story: Christian Ward Art: Fabio Veras
Color: Ivan Plascencia Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
