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Description

     “Tough on crime” didn’t begin to describe Harvey Dent, district attorney. His strict Catholic upbringing left no doubt in his mind of the difference between right and wrong, and no mercy in his heart for those who chose the latter. After years of police corruption, the public hailed him as Gotham’s White Knight, a true beacon of justice.
     Privately, Dent was plagued by doubts. He never felt deep down that he was the saint people praised him as. He knew that he was a sinner, just like everyone else. But he hoped, he prayed, that dedicating his life to punishing evil would make up for the darkness in his own heart. So he pushed down his secret shames and locked away all of his darker impulses, as strict with himself as he was with the criminals he prosecuted.
     This internal tension reached its peak when crime boss Sal Moroni arranged to have acid thrown in Harvey’s face. When Harvey saw what had become of his once handsome looks, something inside of him snapped. It seemed as though God was punishing him for his hubris, for daring to believe that he could ever be truly righteous. As though his outside confirmed what he had always feared: that he was half a monster on the inside. But if Harvey couldn’t be righteous on his own, if hiding from his sinful nature was its own kind of sin, he reasoned it was time to stop trying to determine the righteous path himself. Picking up a coin, he decided it was time to let God decide what he would do next…

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     What if Inspector Javert was Two-Face? This interpretation was inspired in no small part by my own history of Catholic guilt and intrusive thoughts. It crystallized when I read Stjepan Seijic's Harleen and remembered that prosecuting attorneys can all too often have a pretty black-and-white worldview.
     Bruce Timm's half-white and half-black suit has always been the gold standard for me (not that I'm blinded by nostalgia or anything) so I wanted to stay close to that. I also like when one half is solid and one patterned, though, and pinstripes are extra gangster-y, so I added those. The red accents against the black emphasize that Harvey believes his evil half is basically demonic. I also gave him gloves instead of one scarred hand--I'm not opposed to that, but this just seemed neater. ALSO the tie appears to be striped horizontally on the knot, because that's what would actually happen with a tie like that.
     I looked up actual acid burns (I do not recommend) because I really wanted his face to be believable. No blue or green skin, it's yellow and pink, and pulled tight. Black hair bleached yellowy-orange. And a ragged edge, not an even split down the middle. It's a little exaggerated, to be sure, but then you don't go to Two-Face for subtlety.

Description

     “Tough on crime” didn’t begin to describe Harvey Dent, district attorney. His strict Catholic upbringing left no doubt in his mind of the difference between right and wrong, and no mercy in his heart for those who chose the latter. After years of police corruption, the public hailed him as Gotham’s White Knight, a true beacon of justice.
     Privately, Dent was plagued by doubts. He never felt deep down that he was the saint people praised him as. He knew that he was a sinner, just like everyone else. But he hoped, he prayed, that dedicating his life to punishing evil would make up for the darkness in his own heart. So he pushed down his secret shames and locked away all of his darker impulses, as strict with himself as he was with the criminals he prosecuted.
     This internal tension reached its peak when crime boss Sal Moroni arranged to have acid thrown in Harvey’s face. When Harvey saw what had become of his once handsome looks, something inside of him snapped. It seemed as though God was punishing him for his hubris, for daring to believe that he could ever be truly righteous. As though his outside confirmed what he had always feared: that he was half a monster on the inside. But if Harvey couldn’t be righteous on his own, if hiding from his sinful nature was its own kind of sin, he reasoned it was time to stop trying to determine the righteous path himself. Picking up a coin, he decided it was time to let God decide what he would do next…

---

     What if Inspector Javert was Two-Face? This interpretation was inspired in no small part by my own history of Catholic guilt and intrusive thoughts. It crystallized when I read Stjepan Seijic's Harleen and remembered that prosecuting attorneys can all too often have a pretty black-and-white worldview.
     Bruce Timm's half-white and half-black suit has always been the gold standard for me (not that I'm blinded by nostalgia or anything) so I wanted to stay close to that. I also like when one half is solid and one patterned, though, and pinstripes are extra gangster-y, so I added those. The red accents against the black emphasize that Harvey believes his evil half is basically demonic. I also gave him gloves instead of one scarred hand--I'm not opposed to that, but this just seemed neater. ALSO the tie appears to be striped horizontally on the knot, because that's what would actually happen with a tie like that.
     I looked up actual acid burns (I do not recommend) because I really wanted his face to be believable. No blue or green skin, it's yellow and pink, and pulled tight. Black hair bleached yellowy-orange. And a ragged edge, not an even split down the middle. It's a little exaggerated, to be sure, but then you don't go to Two-Face for subtlety.