Batman Annual #14 "Eye of the Beholder" Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

With The Dark Knight just around the corner, check out this truly disturbing Two-Face tale!

BATMAN ANNUAL #14

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Batmanannual14.png

Writer: Andrew Helfer
Artists: Chris Sprouse and Steve Mitchell

Rediscover Two-Face's roots and learn how his disfigured personality started much earlier than anyone ever thought. Truly one of the most disturbing tales of the classic villain ever written.

Comments?

[Silly McGooses]

I have this comic! I read it recently to get ready for The Dark Knight. I really enjoy it, and The Long Halloween used a number of its plot points in its own retelling of the Two-Face origin. There's a few really chilling moments, especially the final panel, which I won't give away. ;)

[Ed Liu]

I bought this off the stands way back in the day, and still have it somewhere. Definitely one of the best Two-Face stories ever written, although I remember thinking it was weird that there was another, less great origin in a (http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=47234)Secret Origins Special (http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=47234) not even a year earlier, which contradicted this issue in several spots. I don't think this issue has ever been reprinted, but it's definitely one of the best Batman comics of the 1990's, IMO.

However, the one thing that always bugged me about the issue was Chris Sprouse's artwork. Everybody's nose looks exactly the same, and really kind of sticks out in a not so great way. I noticed that his noses did that a lot at the time, and started calling it "Chris Sprouse Nose." Either I'm able to deal with it better or he's changed his style over time, because I loved his work on Tom Strong.

This was pretty much going to be my pick for the Two-Face stories thread, too.

-- Ed

[Silly McGooses]

I bought this off the stands way back in the day, and still have it somewhere. Definitely one of the best Two-Face stories ever written, although I remember thinking it was weird that there was another, less great origin in a (http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=47234)Secret Origins Special (http://www.comics.org/details.lasso?id=47234) not even a year earlier, which contradicted this issue in several spots. I don't think this issue has ever been reprinted, but it's definitely one of the best Batman comics of the 1990's, IMO.

However, the one thing that always bugged me about the issue was Chris Sprouse's artwork. Everybody's nose looks exactly the same, and really kind of sticks out in a not so great way. I noticed that his noses did that a lot at the time, and started calling it "Chris Sprouse Nose." Either I'm able to deal with it better or he's changed his style over time, because I loved his work on Tom Strong.

This was pretty much going to be my pick for the Two-Face stories thread, too.

-- Ed
I agree about Sprouse's artwork and about the Secret Origins Two-Face story. However, the same issue was home to one of the best Batman stories written, in my opinion; the one about the Riddler. Incidentally, both "Eye of the Beholder" and the Secret Origins Special are available in a trade paper-back of Riddler and Two-Face stories released around the time of Batman Forever, where I first read them both.