<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: A Little More Depth/Length and It Would've Been 5 Stars
Review: A very dramatic, sometimes a bit melodramatic, exploration of one of the Batman's enemies: Two-Face. The theme of the human soul being blessed by a benign and gentle side as well as being tortured by an evil, darker face has long been explored in some famous characters (Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, Gollum, the Incredible Hulk). In this book, the insanity of Two-Face is explored: what drives him to evil deeds? Why did he turn out the way he did? With what we know today about the strengths and weaknesses of the human psyche, it is worth studying the deeper reasons why Harvey Dent would turn into the evil Two-Face after having acid destroy half his face. It is worth noting that, perhaps, another person put in the same predicament as Harvey might have found a way to transcend this tragedy and continue with a productive and positive life. This book tries to discover just what drove Harvey/Two-Face to become what he is, and it does it quite well too. This is quite a good book, but a longer one might have explored the Two-Face character even better, especially one that would present more scenes showing the interaction of young Harvey with his father, both the loving and the brutal. One also wonders how much deeper the book could've been if Dent's mother was also presented -- the way she loved her family, her life, as well as her death -- and just how much it affected Harvey and his father. Also, does Harvey have any siblings? Having grown up in the same environment as Harvey, would they also become insane if they were to suffer a similar tragedy as Harvey's? Or would they be the type to "transcend" their tragedies? The book actually tries to answer this question in the scene where Batman confronts Harvey/Two-Face on stage and in front of a TV camera, where he says , "Men are what they are. Do what they do.....live with their pain and make choices....given the same circumstances, another man wouldn't have become what you've become.....we each choose what we do with our pain. Your father made his choices--and you made yours." The character of Two-Face, as well as those other characters mentioned above, teach us that it is our own personal life choices that determine who and what we are, and it is one of evil's greatest tricks on humanity -- to deny that we are responsible for our own choices, that everyone else except ourselves is at fault -- that prevents our hurts and wounds from healing and making us better people. The book goes further as to show that what choices we make, good or evil, can affect the next generation, as Harvey's father's choices affected him. As has been said before, the evil (and good) that men do often live after them. Overall, a very well written insight into one of Batman's most famous enemies. I just wish it could've been longer, and that we could've seen more of the young Harvey Dent.
<< 1 >>
| 
