“The Eye of the Beholder”
Cover Price: $2.00
Bargain Price: $0.50
Cover Date: Annual 1990
Every once in a while, the quarter bins will cough up a true forgotten classic. That’s the case with this story from Andy Helfer and Chris Sprouse, who have crafted the best Two-Face story I’ve ever read. It’s basically an origin story that, for the first time, focuses on his life as District Attorney and his eventual decline to Two-Face, with much of the book spent exploring Harvey’s powerful, preexisting split personality a story that has been echoed in both the animated series and in The Dark Knight. We see Harvey as the crusading, but human DA. We revel in his righteousness and regret his loss in a high profile serial murder trial that is easily the best court drama I’ve ever seen in comics, with a terrific villain whose secret informs both Batman and Harvey’s evolutions. As Harvey slowly gives in to his dark side, we truly feel the tragedy at the heart of his origin, a tragedy compounded by a new dynamic between Face and Batman. The Batman in this story is new at the game and very green. He and Gordon are both frustrated at the lack of convictions Batman’s arrests bring, due to lack of evidence. Dent teaches Batman the importance of building a case over time and being able to prove what he knows to jury and not just himself. Dent even advises him on how to do it, helping Bruce take the important step from simple vigilante to the Batman we know and love.
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