This Whole Court Is Out Of Order — Reviewing ‘Two-Face’ #6

Once upon a time, there were two Harvey Dents. One was focused on making things better, the other on chaos. For years, they duked it out within the recesses of a shared mind, chipping away at each other and the world itself.

Vanquishing the bad while sealing it away allowed the white knight to ride to Gotham City’s defense. While wrapped within a false cloak of bad, he swore to bring order and good to the land.

Much like Icarus, though, our stalwart pseudo-hero flew much too close to the sun.

Snowy wings crumble as dark shadows crawl their way from within. Herein lies the conclusion of this tumultuous tale, as good falls before the rising of bad. Christian Ward, Fabio Veras, Ivan Plascencia, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou bear witness to the closing arguments of Two-Face #6.

This is the peak of Two-Face stories.

This is not a debate or a spot for an argument. Many great Two-Face stories have existed in the character’s decades of existence. There is not a single bit of doubt this one stands among the best, perhaps at the top of the list. I haven’t read all stories that feature the character, but I can’t imagine one truly dissecting and exploring the character like this one.

While the desire to see this series continue is quite high, I appreciate the brevity. Ward had a story idea and was able to tell it from start to finish. Naturally, there was room for it to continue where it left off had this gotten another six issues or ongoing extension. As it stands, though, we were given a compelling and illuminating Two-Face story that firmly concludes.

Will others pick up on where this left off? Who knows? The nature of what other writers pick up or don’t rest with the individual. At this moment, I’ll just enjoy what we were given.

Much of what makes this work is the blending of the grounded and the fantastical. Harvey’s mindscape is a huge portion of where the story must be told, because of the Two-Face split. Veras takes complete advantage of the offered situation.

Every panel is filled with energy that hits with a visceral impact, providing emotional and physical depth at every turn. How the panels are laid out and what they showcase points to the artist’s keen eye and mind. Taking what is written and bringing it to life in ways that seem almost impossible.

Having a writer who is also an artist helps with books like this a ton. Ward knows very well what is possible or not visually in the medium, depending on time. He leans into that here to allow Veras the room to deliver and expand.

Smooth dynamic pages with similar energy are the name of the game. It blends with the colors that Plascencia brings to play. Most of them are of a darker and heavier quality to match the harder story tone, keeping things mostly in a middle-toned down arena allows the spaces to feel more real but also more confining at times.

Plenty of brighter vibrant colors are still found at the right time, giving support to the more fantastic and wild elements which will always be present in these hero and villain filled universes.

Matching them both beat for beat, as usual, is Otsmane-Elhaou’s lettering. He keeps the emotional depth, personality, and quirk filled voices of our varied cast with ease, bringing in various colors, fonts, and bubble modifications to help the cause. Doing all this helps the voices flow and stand out better than other options. It also gives the series a special visual flair that is just part of the comic book package.

Two-Face #6 is now available from DC Comics.