“Face vs. Face”
Writer: Christian Ward
Artists: Fabio Veras
Color Artist: Ivan Plascencia
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Review by Kendra Smart
Two-Face #1 is here and man it takes me back. Back to the beginning, the start, the “baptism of fire and pain” that gave birth to the entity, the man, myth and legend named Two-Face. Harvey Dent was a civil servant, a man who believed in justice and honor. In the black and white of right and wrong with a disdain for any shade of grey. The way this character has been molded and crafted, is brilliant in the unending layers of humanity and relatability. The lesser path and all that Frost. But Two-Face #1 is an interesting pathway into and through the minds that are Two-Face.
Boldemar Rivas gives us a great cover that carries a lot of visual punch. Minimal is color and background, we get just Two-Face and his coin, a familiar sight. However, the way this is set up style wise reminds me of the old Daredevil covers by John Romita Jr. or the Daredevil: Yellow cover by Jeff Loeb and Tim Sale. I love a character feature, and given that this is the first issue, it needed a great cover. I would say there was great success here for Rivas.
Take Me To Church
It is made clear early on in Two-Face #1 that we will be dealing with split narration. The Two-Face that came into being that day in the courtroom, thanks to Salvatore Marone, is the one speaking to us. Working in a new version of the courtroom , albeit a different type of client and trial, Harvey Dent is in his element in The White Church. A courtroom created by necessity and common problems by the kings of the underworld to keep small problems from losing big business. Handling problems in house so to speak.
Victor Zsasz is the fight defendant accused of murder but Harvey knows how to work the room. And the facts, which he utilizes even as Zsasz tries in his own way to help. But someone is in the workings of a bigger game, and The White Church as well as Harvey can see the moving and shifting pieces. While those answers are still in the shadows for now, Harvey has Two-Face to deal with and he is tired of being shunted to the side…
Let’s Ask Her To Join Us.
Christian Ward has done an excellent job of not only laying out a recap for new fans joining Two-Face #1 and just now meeting the man who is Two-Face, but giving us new insights. We get The White Church as a new environment and we also get introduced to Lake Cantwell, a young lady who sees the power and integrity, the fear people get around Harvey. Something she wants for herself. The flow of this story is so wonderful, it feels like a blink in the story.
The art team of Fabio Veras and Ivan Plascencia give some really astounding scenes from the mind palace to the visage of Judge Reaper. The attention to details is crisp and so well executed. Also Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou really gives stellar letter work. From all the different narration and tone effects given to the words, it just works so well with the character it is representing narration wise. The letter work doesn’t overtake, it enhances and gives a true voice to Harvey. This is something I very much look forward to enjoying.
Conclusion
Two-Face #1 is the beginning of what promises to be a thrill ride, and a journey of knowledge. It will be very interesting to see this iteration of Two-Face play out. Exploring the world that these folks have created for readers will be a blast. Especially given the potential for chaos with all the diverse and terrifying villains.
Images Provided Courtesy of DC Entertainment.
