Batman No. 313 Cover by José Luis García-López

This is an amazing symbolic cover. On the surface, it’s merely a clever division of Two-Face’s hideout, but if you extend the idea to the tragedies these antagonists have endured, it’s even more interesting.

Harvey Dent, crusading Gotham City DA, was permanently scarred when a criminal he was prosecuting flung acid on his face in court. The incident shattered Dent’s sanity, polarising his mind to psychotic levels. Taking a two-headed coin, he scarred one side and began making decisions for good or evil depending on a coin flip and which face landed up.

When young Bruce Wayne’s parents were killed in front of him, the event brought his own life into focus. But like Dent, his life and personality split in two. With one foot in the world of a wealthy playboy-industrialist, and the other in the dark places fighting crime, Wayne maintains sympathy for Dent even if he must judge him by Two-Face’s actions.

Visually, this is carried through by Batman’s hand reaching through the darkness for the scarred half of Dent. There is no other choice. Each lays trapped between the dark and the light.

New colour by me.

As published.

Scan from Heritage Auctions.

After extensive production surgery.

The original art has the evil home furnishings and the bad half of the suit on the side of the room opposite to Two-Face’s scarred face. The editorial decision to put all the evil on the same side as the scarred face meant significant work with photostats, an X-acto knife and rubber cement (or a hot waxer).

For me, working digitally, I was able to make my cuts and alterations on separate layers, and I avoided much of the extra inking DC’s production department did back in their day.

New colour version.

Re-created trade dress added.

Re-created word balloons added.