Zombipanda
My Boom-Boom's mostly gay
Re: Batman Series Discussion *Spoilers*
So, I'm really liking the idea of Dent as the Black Glove more and more. It's a long shot, but with Morrison saying that nobody's figured out who the bad guy is and that it's someone everyone knows, I see more and more of it.
First, a few assumptions about the group. I think we can assume the organization itself is made up of Gotham's ruling elite, who probably manipulate the underworld to sustain their own wealth. That would bring the class war into play, the idea that the thugs and mobsters cut their way to a meager living while the rich reap all the benefits. I'm going to assume that the murder of the Waynes was driven by something more than happenstance, and given the background of Bruce's parents, can only assume that he was a threat to them, due to his status as a philanthropist and reformer. Maybe Thomas Wayne had actually learned of their presence and was looking to uncover them, which would add gravitas to his value as "the first Batman". Either way, he was blackmailed or manipulated into the chain of events that led to his death. Perhaps his wife's family was involved in his betrayal. And with the Waynes gone, the Black Glove prospers again. At least until the Batman shows up and challenges them in an entirely new manner. Early on, they figured out his identity (perhaps as early as the isolation experiments) and since then, they've been baiting him, waiting until the right moment to strike. The questions I can't fathom answers to are, why wait so long and why the obsession with creating replacement Batmen? Anyway, I think Dent is a good candidate not for the original Black Glove figurehead (I don't really see any eligible candidates for "well known" characters that actually predate the murder of the Waynes).
But both characters operate under the modus operandi of duality and game playing. Two-Face's MO is right out in the open, while the Black Glove is operating with a repeating motif of duality: red on black or black on white, good vs. evil, usually manifested into some sort of a game where there are only two, mutually exclusive sides. Two-Face's game play manifests on the simpler level of a coin flip. He's also one of the few Batman rogues who fits clearly as a gangster. He frequently (particularly early on) reverts to the mob boss mentality that the unscarred Dent was intimately aware of. He presents a (relatively) stable style of crime in the mold of the corporate organized crime structure that fits the Black Glove's mode of operations. As the skeleton of organized crime is cannibalized by the influx of rabidly psychotic criminals, Two-Face is a pliable surrogate for a new crime boss. Further, he's been characterized as less evil and more a twisted version of Dent's original ideals, lending itself to the organization's apparent obsession with a replacement Bat. And the events surrounding his disfigurement make the likelihood that he places the blame on Wayne's shoulders incredibly likely. He was one of the golden boys, an exclusive member in Batman's triumvirate. In short, his disfigurement seems to be the breaking point for the city spinning out of control, for Batman's short-term crusade turning into a lifelong war, and for the psychopaths to greedily spill into the streets (similar to what we're seeing now, with all the mainstay villains locked away). He'sone of only a handful of people who knew Batman's identity in the very first few years of his career. And the exploration of dual identity of Bruce Wayne and Batman is a shoe-in for Harvey's struggle. They're both basically split personalities at this point. Finally, the story that led into Morrison's run on the book featured the character, turning Dent (who had been established as Gotham's new protector in Morrison's 52) back into Two-Face, while at the same time implying that, even when Harvey Dent seemed to be in charge, Two-Face was still there, whispering in his ear. Maybe Two-Face has been playing Harvey for the fool for years and years now.
So, I'm really liking the idea of Dent as the Black Glove more and more. It's a long shot, but with Morrison saying that nobody's figured out who the bad guy is and that it's someone everyone knows, I see more and more of it.
First, a few assumptions about the group. I think we can assume the organization itself is made up of Gotham's ruling elite, who probably manipulate the underworld to sustain their own wealth. That would bring the class war into play, the idea that the thugs and mobsters cut their way to a meager living while the rich reap all the benefits. I'm going to assume that the murder of the Waynes was driven by something more than happenstance, and given the background of Bruce's parents, can only assume that he was a threat to them, due to his status as a philanthropist and reformer. Maybe Thomas Wayne had actually learned of their presence and was looking to uncover them, which would add gravitas to his value as "the first Batman". Either way, he was blackmailed or manipulated into the chain of events that led to his death. Perhaps his wife's family was involved in his betrayal. And with the Waynes gone, the Black Glove prospers again. At least until the Batman shows up and challenges them in an entirely new manner. Early on, they figured out his identity (perhaps as early as the isolation experiments) and since then, they've been baiting him, waiting until the right moment to strike. The questions I can't fathom answers to are, why wait so long and why the obsession with creating replacement Batmen? Anyway, I think Dent is a good candidate not for the original Black Glove figurehead (I don't really see any eligible candidates for "well known" characters that actually predate the murder of the Waynes).
But both characters operate under the modus operandi of duality and game playing. Two-Face's MO is right out in the open, while the Black Glove is operating with a repeating motif of duality: red on black or black on white, good vs. evil, usually manifested into some sort of a game where there are only two, mutually exclusive sides. Two-Face's game play manifests on the simpler level of a coin flip. He's also one of the few Batman rogues who fits clearly as a gangster. He frequently (particularly early on) reverts to the mob boss mentality that the unscarred Dent was intimately aware of. He presents a (relatively) stable style of crime in the mold of the corporate organized crime structure that fits the Black Glove's mode of operations. As the skeleton of organized crime is cannibalized by the influx of rabidly psychotic criminals, Two-Face is a pliable surrogate for a new crime boss. Further, he's been characterized as less evil and more a twisted version of Dent's original ideals, lending itself to the organization's apparent obsession with a replacement Bat. And the events surrounding his disfigurement make the likelihood that he places the blame on Wayne's shoulders incredibly likely. He was one of the golden boys, an exclusive member in Batman's triumvirate. In short, his disfigurement seems to be the breaking point for the city spinning out of control, for Batman's short-term crusade turning into a lifelong war, and for the psychopaths to greedily spill into the streets (similar to what we're seeing now, with all the mainstay villains locked away). He'sone of only a handful of people who knew Batman's identity in the very first few years of his career. And the exploration of dual identity of Bruce Wayne and Batman is a shoe-in for Harvey's struggle. They're both basically split personalities at this point. Finally, the story that led into Morrison's run on the book featured the character, turning Dent (who had been established as Gotham's new protector in Morrison's 52) back into Two-Face, while at the same time implying that, even when Harvey Dent seemed to be in charge, Two-Face was still there, whispering in his ear. Maybe Two-Face has been playing Harvey for the fool for years and years now.
I love Grant Morrison's take on Frank Miller's Batman.
