Post by wayneson on Jun 1, 2006 22:53:48 GMT -5
Here is a new summary/review of "Two-Face I and II" that I am using in my Grade 10 English class; I am using the story as a supplement to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Batman: The Animated Series took a dark, stylish approach to the world that Bob Kane created in 1939. It set a high bar for animation that is still regarded as the standard today, and forever changed what could be expected in a cartoon format. Storylines often took cues from literature, framing the familiar comic-book battles between good and evil with powerful insights into human nature and emotion. In a throwback to the original, darkly violent comics, the series re-imagined the classic elements of the Batman universe: the gloomy Gotham City, the psychologically damaged, obsessive villains, and the mysterious, shadowy hero that dedicated his life to justice for the innocent. For many fans of the character, Batman: The Animated Series was the most successful interpretation of the Dark Knight that has ever been presented.
In this classic episode (a two-parter, naturally), Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent has a problem – the dark, violent side of his personality that is getting harder and harder to control. Bruce Wayne, his closest friend, plays the role of Utterson to Dent’s Jekll and Hyde in this story, which is a tribute to Robert Louis Stevenson’s sober, dense novella. There is a difference; unlike Jekyll’s deliberate quest to bring Hyde to life, Dent’s evil Two-Face persona is created in a horrible accident that Wayne, as Batman, tries to prevent. As a result, Wayne feels responsible for what has happened to his friend, and is haunted by the memory of his parent’s death – another tragedy that he had failed to stop.
Two-Face becomes obsessed with the notion of duality, represented by two sides of a coin that he flips incessantly. All of his decisions ride on the flip of that coin, one side of which is normal, the other scarred – a “good” side, and a “bad” side. Like Jekyll’s Hyde, Dent’s Two-Face persona grows stronger with time; there is no conflict in his choices, everything is decided by the coin, so the “good” side of Harvey’s personality, damaged by years of trying to control his evil half, is too weak to resist the powerful hatred and fear personified by Two-Face. Only in the wrenching, emotional finale does Batman find a way to temporarily distract Dent’s evil personality from his thirst for revenge.
These episodes, along with "Heart of Ice," "Robin's Reckoning I/ II," "Beware the Gray Ghost," and many others, are among the very best Batman stories ever written.
Batman: The Animated Series took a dark, stylish approach to the world that Bob Kane created in 1939. It set a high bar for animation that is still regarded as the standard today, and forever changed what could be expected in a cartoon format. Storylines often took cues from literature, framing the familiar comic-book battles between good and evil with powerful insights into human nature and emotion. In a throwback to the original, darkly violent comics, the series re-imagined the classic elements of the Batman universe: the gloomy Gotham City, the psychologically damaged, obsessive villains, and the mysterious, shadowy hero that dedicated his life to justice for the innocent. For many fans of the character, Batman: The Animated Series was the most successful interpretation of the Dark Knight that has ever been presented.
In this classic episode (a two-parter, naturally), Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent has a problem – the dark, violent side of his personality that is getting harder and harder to control. Bruce Wayne, his closest friend, plays the role of Utterson to Dent’s Jekll and Hyde in this story, which is a tribute to Robert Louis Stevenson’s sober, dense novella. There is a difference; unlike Jekyll’s deliberate quest to bring Hyde to life, Dent’s evil Two-Face persona is created in a horrible accident that Wayne, as Batman, tries to prevent. As a result, Wayne feels responsible for what has happened to his friend, and is haunted by the memory of his parent’s death – another tragedy that he had failed to stop.
Two-Face becomes obsessed with the notion of duality, represented by two sides of a coin that he flips incessantly. All of his decisions ride on the flip of that coin, one side of which is normal, the other scarred – a “good” side, and a “bad” side. Like Jekyll’s Hyde, Dent’s Two-Face persona grows stronger with time; there is no conflict in his choices, everything is decided by the coin, so the “good” side of Harvey’s personality, damaged by years of trying to control his evil half, is too weak to resist the powerful hatred and fear personified by Two-Face. Only in the wrenching, emotional finale does Batman find a way to temporarily distract Dent’s evil personality from his thirst for revenge.
These episodes, along with "Heart of Ice," "Robin's Reckoning I/ II," "Beware the Gray Ghost," and many others, are among the very best Batman stories ever written.