Entry tags:
- char: batgirl/oracle/barbara gordon,
- char: batman/bruce wayne,
- char: jim gordon,
- char: joker,
- char: killer moth/drury walker,
- char: mad hatter/jervis tetch,
- char: penguin/oswald cobblepot,
- char: question/renee montoya,
- char: riddler/edward nigma,
- char: scarecrow/jonathan crane,
- char: spectre/crispus allen,
- char: two-face/harvey dent,
- creator: ed brubaker,
- title: detective comics
Two-Face Tuesday: The Charlatan, Part 1
In last week's post about Paul Sloane--the second Two-Face--![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
lbd_nytetrayn asked if Paul's made any appearances since his brief return in 1987. The answer is yes(ish), thanks to the generally-great Ed Brubaker.
In early 2003, while "Hush" was well underway in BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS writer Ed Brubaker penned his own six-part murder mystery that tied together all of Batman's rogues in a secret conspiracy to kill the caped crusader. And unlike "Hush," which brought in a brand-new character to fulfill the double-cliches of being "long lost childhood best friend" and "totally obvious red herring," Brubaker dusted off the concept of Paul Sloane for "Dead Reckoning," but with a modern twist. In doing so, he created a far more interesting original villain than Hush himself, one with tons of potential who, of course, hasn't been seen nor mentioned since.
For that and many other reasons, I lament that this story was utterly ignored in favor of "Hush." Not that this story isn't without its flaws--oh my, it has them--but we'll get to those inside.
( If anyone actually still uses dial-up, then beware! 21 pages behind the cut! )
If this story had a more appropriate artist, or a superstar on par with Tim Sale or Jim Lee, I can't help but wonder if it might have gotten far more attention. For all its flaws, I think this is still a superior story than "Hush," even if much of the superiority comes from untapped potential. But I'll let you decide when I post the finale later today.
lbd_nytetrayn asked if Paul's made any appearances since his brief return in 1987. The answer is yes(ish), thanks to the generally-great Ed Brubaker. In early 2003, while "Hush" was well underway in BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS writer Ed Brubaker penned his own six-part murder mystery that tied together all of Batman's rogues in a secret conspiracy to kill the caped crusader. And unlike "Hush," which brought in a brand-new character to fulfill the double-cliches of being "long lost childhood best friend" and "totally obvious red herring," Brubaker dusted off the concept of Paul Sloane for "Dead Reckoning," but with a modern twist. In doing so, he created a far more interesting original villain than Hush himself, one with tons of potential who, of course, hasn't been seen nor mentioned since.
For that and many other reasons, I lament that this story was utterly ignored in favor of "Hush." Not that this story isn't without its flaws--oh my, it has them--but we'll get to those inside.
( If anyone actually still uses dial-up, then beware! 21 pages behind the cut! )
If this story had a more appropriate artist, or a superstar on par with Tim Sale or Jim Lee, I can't help but wonder if it might have gotten far more attention. For all its flaws, I think this is still a superior story than "Hush," even if much of the superiority comes from untapped potential. But I'll let you decide when I post the finale later today.
