DC 100-Page Super Spectacular #20 is an issue of the series DC 100-Page Super Spectacular (Volume 1) with a cover date of September, 1973.
Synopsis for Batman: "The Crimes of Two-Face"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #66.
At the Gotham City Courthouse, the young and handsome District Attorney Harvey Kent is prosecuting the criminal "Boss" Moroni for murder and the first witness is Batman. After Batman's testimony, Kent pulls a double-headed coin, which belongs to Moroni and was found at the crime scene, proving that Moroni is indeed guilty of the crime. Knowing that he is losing the case, Moroni throws some sulfuric acid at Kent's face. Batman tries to pull Moroni's aim away, but the acid reaches the left side of Kent's face. Kent is taken to a doctor, and he puts some bandages on his face for a week. When the time comes to take the bandages off, the horrible truth is revealed and Kent realizes that the left side of his face has been left hideously scarred. Batman tries to help his friend, but they learn that the only plastic surgeon who could have restored Kent's face travelled to Germany, where he was captured by the Nazis and taken away.
Kent's life starts to decline and he only hopes that his fiancée could understand his situation. Kent walks to Gilda's home and the people on the streets can't stand the sight of his face. Upon arriving at her home, Harvey realizes that she is just as horrified as the rest of the people and his sanity finally gives in. After destroying some of Gilda's art pieces, Harvey returns home and in a fit of rage, he breaks all the mirrors. Then, Harvey takes Moroni's double-headed coin and scratches one side of it, leaving the other side clean. This action gives Kent an idea. Understanding that life just depends on fate alone, Kent flips the double-faced coin. If the clean side comes up, he would wait until the plastic surgeon is freed and return to his normal life, but if the scarred side comes up, he would dedicate his life to crime. The coin lands on the scarred side up and Kent adopts the moniker of master criminal "Two-Face".
Two-Face gets a new hideout, a place divided in half, just like Kent's own personality. Using the coin to decide between good or evil, Two-Face commits baffling crimes across the city and also, he makes good acts for the needed, causing the people's opinion about him to be divided. Two-Face and his newfound gang decide their next move and after the toss of the coin, they prepare to hijack a double-decker bus and steal from the people inside. Their plan is almost successful, but they are spotted by Batman and Robin, who jump to the bus and start fighting the criminals. During the struggle, the driver of the bus is shot and the dynamic duo has to focus on stopping the bus before anyone is hurt. Using the handbrake, Robin stops the bus, but by then, Two-Face and his gang are gone.
After this failure, Two-Face kills one of his thugs after the bad side of the coin landed up. Two-Face then starts planning their next hit on the double feature movie theater. Two-Face's schemes involve the number two everytime, and he believes himself too clever for coming up with the idea, but Batman and Robin deduce where is Two-Face going to attack next.
At the double feature theater, the audience is thrilled watching Superman on the big screen when suddenly, the image turns into that of Two-Face and his gang take control of the room. Two-Face tells the people to surrender their valuables and the people comply. Robin walks to the projector room and takes out the henchmen in charge of the image while Batman jumps to the stage and takes out the rest of the thugs. Two-Face appears and he starts fighting Batman once again until he realizes that the police might already be on their way to capture him. Two-Face runs out of the theater and steals a car for his getaway. However, a police officer tries to stop him, but Two-Face doesn't comply, forcing the officer to shoot the car's tires. Two-Face gets out of the vehicle and runs towards his hideout.
When Two-Face reaches his hideout, he learns that Batman has followed him to the place, but instead of capturing him, Batman tries to convince Two-Face to leave the life of crime behind and work on the side of the law. Two-Face thinks that the offer is tempting, but he leaves that decision to the coin. However, the coin doesn't land on any of the sides, but instead it stands on its edge. Batman suggests to flip it again, but Two-Face can't break his own rules.
Appearing in Batman: "The Crimes of Two-Face"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Two-Face (First appearance) (Origin)
- Joe (Single appearance; dies)
- Boss Maroni (First appearance)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
- Double-Headed Coin (First appearance)
- Batrope
Synopsis for Batman: "The Man Who Led a Double Life!"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #68.
Batman and Two-Face wait for the double headed coin to land and see what decision Kent would make for his life. The coin lands on its edge and doesn't flip over. Kent picks the coin from the floor and tells Batman that he can't decide, now that chance has been denied. At that moment, a police officer arrives at Kent's secret hideout and shoots at the criminal. Batman is alarmed that Kent might be dead, but the criminal survives the shot thanks to his coin. Using all his energy, Two-Face escapes from Batman and the police officer, and a few moments later, after realizing that the bullet struck on the scarred side of the coin, Two-Face decides to abandon his old identity as Harvey Kent.
A short time later, Two-Face has gathered a new gang and started committing crimes, all involving the number two, and always leaving the big decisions to the flip of his coin. One day Two-Face and his gang kidnap an old man, and demand a ransom for his return. Using the Bat-Signal, Commissioner Gordon summons Batman and Robin to the GCPD Headquarters, and he takes them to the house of an old man named Henry Logan, where they learn that the man that Two-Face kidnapped is Logan's double. The Dynamic Duo come up with a plan, and during the ransom exchange, they pose as the relatives of the kidnapped man, behind good disguises. When the old man is safe, Batman and Robin attack Two-Face and his henchmen, but the criminal mastermind manages to escape after he stuns Batman using his coin.
Shortly after, Two-Face starts reminiscing about his fianceé and how much he misses her. Two-Face also remembers how disgusted she was at his sight and he gets an idea. The next day, Harvey Kent arrives at Gilda's home with his face entirely repaired. However, Kent is reluctant to let Gilda touch his face and later during dinner, the reason becomes obvious. The left side of Kent's face begins to melt when it comes closer to a candle and Gilda is horrified to see that his face is still hideously scarred as before. At that moment, Batman breaks into the place and Two-Face thinks that Gilda had prepared this trap along with Batman. The criminal escapes through the window and a few hours later, he goes to the mask shop where he bought his wax mask and burns the place to the ground. The elder son of the owner of the mask shop makes a vow to get revenge on Two-Face. In the meantime, Batman and Robin think of a way to capture Two-Face.
A few days later, Two-Face recruits "Getaway" George to his gang, but he is suspicious of the new member. Then Two-Face and his gang prepare to attack the GCPD baseball match, and when the Mayor of Gotham prepares to deliver the charity funds, Two-Face and his gang attack. However, Batman and Robin are present at the match and with help from the entire GCPD, they capture almost all of Two-Face's henchmen. Two-Face and Getaway George drive back to their secret hideout and there, Two-Face realizes that the man is wearing makeup. Fearing that the man is, in fact, Batman in disguise, Two-Face starts taking away the makeup and he discovers that he is the elder son of the owner of the mask shop. However, Batman shows up in the place, after being tipped by the young man during the baseball match and without any real effort, Batman takes Two-Face to prison, where he reflects on the fact that his downfall was brought by a double-cross.
Appearing in Batman: "The Man Who Led a Double Life!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Two-Face
- Joe (Single appearance)
- Al (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Gotham City Police Department
- Gilda
- Mayor of Gotham City
- Henry Logan (Single appearance)
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for Dr. Mid-Nite: "Tarantula Unmasks Dr. Mid-Nite"
This story is reprinted from All-American Comics #88.
Logger, an underling to the crime boss called the Tarantula, has methodically worked out the facts that Dr. Charles McNider and Dr. Mid-Nite are the same size, weight, and body-type. Tarantula is skeptical, but to prove his point, Logger has kidnapped McNider, and brought him to the hide-out, in a sack. McNider is conscious now, and tied to a chair. Tarantula proposes to test Logger's theory by pulling a big crime; if Mid-Nite shows up and disrupts it then Logger is wrong, but if he doesn't, then McNider is a goner and Tarantula will be the biggest guy in the rackets!
Tarantula cuts in on all commercial radio broadcasting to announce his intention of freeing the Ramey Gang from the Paul Street Police Station, and stealing their loot from the evidence safe. The cops are forewarned, but Tarantula gets knock-out gas into their ventilation system and his gang soon has the run of the station. While they're opening the evidence safe, Doctor Mid-Nite charges into the room, avoids all their gunfire, and punches most of them out. Cops wake up; Tarantula flees; Mid-Nite disappears.
Tarantula gets back to his hide-out, and McNider is still there, so Logger is wrong, but McNider still knows too much, so it's time to knock him off. Tarantula believes that Mid-Nite is on his trail, so departs to hide out at the Rex Roadhouse. He leaves without noticing that McNider is not really tied up, and that Logger is hypnotized; McNider has been speaking for both of them.
Tarantula holes up at the abandoned Rex Roadhouse, but Dr. Mid-Nite has gotten there ahead of him, again they fight at close quarters. Tarantula shoots twice and misses, then Mid-Nite lays him out with a haymaker.
Half an hour later, at Tarantula's HQ, Logger wakes up from a nap; Dr. McNider is still there and looks tied up, but the cops are at the door, having been tipped off by Dr. Mid-Nite. As he departs in handcuffs, Logger now believes that McNider and Mid-Nite are two separate guys.
Appearing in Dr. Mid-Nite: "Tarantula Unmasks Dr. Mid-Nite"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Tarantula (Single appearance)
- Logger
- at least two more hoods
- Ramey Gang (Mentioned only)
Locations:
- New York City
- McNider's Apartment
- Tarantula Gang's Hide-out
- Paul Street Station
- Rex Roadhouse
Items:
- Mid-Nite's Infra-red Goggles
Synopsis for Black Canary: "An Orchid for the Deceased"
This story is reprinted from Flash Comics #95.
Larry Lance, rent deadbeat, moves his private detective office into Dinah Drake's flower shop, and on the same day, Dinah receives an order for a rare black orchid. The caller claims to be Black Canary. Dinah wires a local florist to deliver the orchid to the home of Andrew Masters, and goes there in person, as the Black Canary. When she gets there, Masters, a millionaire, is very recently deceased, and his security staff blames the Black Canary! Canary tangles with the guards and gets conked on the head, which doesn't dislodge her wig plus nobody notices that it is one. Then Larry Lance shows up and there's a fight, and Canary escapes.
Continuing her investigation, by eavesdropping on the District Attorney, Black Canary learns that Masters had recently changed his will, to make Black Canary his heir, because supposedly his life had earlier been saved by the heroine. But Canary knows that this didn't happen, so she visits the location where the supposed rescue took place. At Gargoyle Head Lake, a tourist attraction, which actually features a huge rock carving of a gargoyle on a cliffside above a lake, she finds her impersonator, who is really Masters' scheming niece. She has set Black Canary up, so that she could anonymously inherit her uncle's fortune. Larry Lance has also arrived, and there is a tussle, atop the big stone head, then all three tumble into the lake. Soon the real Black Canary has subdued the fake, and the frame-up is exposed.
Appearing in Black Canary: "An Orchid for the Deceased"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Miss Masters
Other Characters:
- Andrew J. Masters (Dies)
- his staff
- District Attorney
Locations:
- Gotham City
- Gargoyle Head Lake
Synopsis for Starman: "The Case of the Camera Curse"
This story is reprinted from Adventure Comics #66.
Using forbidden voodoo formulas combined with the properties of photo-electric cells, thin young photographer Cuthbert Cain steals the souls of men, giving him power over their wills. When he snaps a shot he says "THYL'TH NY'A'A!" He can summon an ensorceled servant by speaking to his photo, or he can kill one by willing them to die as he snaps their shot. Using a photo of Woodley Allen, Cain keeps the FBI from involving itself in his crimes.
Starman is asked to help, and he arrives to prevent Cain from robbing the U.S. Mint. Cain takes Starman's picture, apparently putting the hero under his control. Starman merely feigns submission, as the Gravity Rod cancelled the effect of the camera, by acting on the silver nitrate in the film. Starman is taken back to Cain's hideout, where he then forces the man to fix up an antidote to free his captives. Flinging a bowlful of special photographic acid at Starman is no use, the rays of the Gravity Rod cause the acid to explode harmlessly in mid-air. Magnetic rays from the Gravity Rod lift the villain into the air. The rod repels bullets, and pulls a gun from a man's hand.
Cuthbert Cain, aka The Camera Eye resists, trying to use the camera on Starman when he drops his rod, but Starman slaps the camera in a neat mid-air 180-degree spin, and snaps Cain's own picture. Cain turns into a living negative sketched in white against the blackness, then vanishes completely. This jibes with Starman's own reading (from the five minutes he spent in Cain's occult library), that the user of these powers who allows his own picture to be taken disappears. Cuthbert Cain's disappearance restores all of his victims to normal.
Appearing in Starman: "The Case of the Camera Curse"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Cuthbert Cain (Single appearance; dies)
Other Characters:
- Captain Ryan (First appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
Items:
Synopsis for Blackhawk: "The Return of Fear"
This story is reprinted from Blackhawk #13.
The Blackhawk squadron flies to Kimrouk, at the invitation of Prince Ghor, to receive some honors, but mainly because of a secret message from Fear, the femme fatale that they met during the Nithar affair in Zorania. She now leads a small group of Kimroukian freedom fighters, under the oppression of Prince Ghor's evil new wife, the European adventuress Starra. The squad bunks at the palace while Blackhawk sneaks out and meets Fear in the Black Dove tavern, in a dangerous part of town, subduing two knife-wielding muggers along the way, and is ready to take on the tavernful of thugs when they all turn out to be Fear's hench-patriots. According to Fear, the dim Prince Ghor is completely manipulated by his evil European-expatriate trophy wife Starra, who has been empowered to command the police, levy taxes, and generally rule by whim.
Starra's grenade-and-rifle-wielding thug squad raids the inn, but gets wiped out in a close-quarters gunfight, in which Fear shoots at least two enemies dead. Blackhawk captures the leader alive, and finds written evidence of Starra's corruption; he and Fear then sneak back into the palace, where a probably-avoidable gunfight breaks out, between Starra's hand-picked palace guards and Fear; she shoots one of them dead too. Starra's gangsters get the worst of it, and Starra gets captured, but Starra boasts that she'll easily be able to lie her way out of her predicament. Fear believes her, and shoots her dead. Prince Ghor arrives and is confronted with the evidence; he soon believes Fear's version of events. Fear has clearly got it bad for Blackhawk and he's starting to like her a lot better too.
Appearing in Blackhawk: "The Return of Fear"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Starra (Dies)
Other Characters:
- Prince Ghor
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Blackhawk Grumman XF5F Skyrockets
Synopsis for The Spectre: "The World Within the Paintings"
This story is reprinted from More Fun Comics #66.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Cliffland is menaced by giant grotesque monsters. The Spectre tries to stop them while invisible, but is surprised to find that they can see him, and that they can momentarily weaken him by shooting green rays from their eyes. Then a massive drum starts tolling, elsewhere in the city, and the horrendous creatures disappear inside a museum. The Spectre pursues them, but they get away.
Later the Spectre interrupts two hoods holding up the Winston home, in search of the Ja-Set Ruby. The Spectre manifests separately from Jim, and deals harshly with the home-invaders, but breaks off the fight by freezing time in the room, and leaving to attend to a bigger emergency. Somewhere downtown, the Spectre rescues a mass of cops from a squad of otherworldly monsters, by materializing a protective invisible screen between the two sides. The monsters again shine their green rays on him, but now the Spectre just shrugs it off, then manually flings one monster into the depths of interstellar space, and punches another one into a million pieces, then pursues a third monster back to the museum.
Inside the museum's main gallery, one painting, centuries old, shows some clouds, which have shifted slightly since the Spectre's earlier visit. The Spectre gets an unusual idea, and dives directly into the picture. Once inside the painting, The Spectre finds a number of the monsters, assembling under the balcony of a metallic palace, and harangued by an insane and evil hunchbacked man. His beef is that he has never existed, so he plans to take over the material world! The Spectre confronts him, and black doom encircles the Grim Guardian in its stifling folds. "How can you hope to oppose black magic beyond all understanding, because it never existed?!" But the Spectre is surrounded by a protective glow of pure light. The monsters rush up and attack him, but they melt into a torrent of oily fluid, as he stands firm. The unnamed hunchback flees toward the portal to reality, dropping some glowing globes to confuse the pursuing Spectre, but the Spectre shrinks himself, and dives thru the balls.
This fight is visible in the painting in the museum, by a completely freaked-out guard. The hunchback turns out to be one of the monsters, just before the Spectre leaps out of the painting, turns on his heel, and incinerates it with a gesture, destroying this dangerous gateway into the real world.
Finally, Spec returns to save Clarice from the hoods, sends a flying bullet back into its gun, then huffs and puffs and blows the thugs directly to the police station.
Appearing in The Spectre: "The World Within the Paintings"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Clarice Winston
- Mr. Winston, Clarice's dad
- Police Chief of Cliffland
Antagonists:
- Monsters from the picture
Other Characters:
- museum guard
Locations:
Items:
- a painting that acts as a portal between realities (Destroyed)
- Ja-Set Ruby
Synopsis for Wildcat: "The Count That Never Ended"
This story is reprinted from Sensation Comics #71.
In a championship bout, Ted Grant gets knocked down, and a ten-count begins. Before it can conclude, another Ted Grant jumps into the ring, and knocks the first "Ted Grant" out of the ring, and busts off his disguise-mask, with one punch. He then fights the bout and wins it. After the fight, Grant's manager Stretch Skinner gets kidnapped by the Huntress, with a written set of demands left behind. Ted changes to Wildcat, and rides to the designated meeting place on his Cat-o-Cycle. At the waterfront, Wildcat rides his bike off the end of a pier, switches a lever, and converts the bike to an aquaplane. He gets himself aboard an anchored sailing ship, the "Seven Seas", where the Huntress has got Stretch Skinner tied to a mast. Some thugs jump Wildcat from behind. Wildcat easily thrashes them, but has trouble defeating the very-acrobatic Huntress. He sets Stretch free, but Huntress tags him with a nonfatal shot from a whaling harpoon gun, which knocks him into the water. Huntress opens a hatch in the hull of her ship, and adds some sharks to the harbor.
At a sports arena, Huntress has bet heavily against Ted Grant, in that evening's bout, expecting the real Grant to not show up, and her fake Grant to lose. But at the last minute the real Ted Grant does show up, and gets into the fight, which he wins. Plus on his way into the building he beats up some more of Huntress' gang. Huntress, in disguise, escapes undetected.
Appearing in Wildcat: "The Count That Never Ended"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- The Huntress
- her gang
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Wildcat's Catocycle
- Huntresses "Seven Seas" sailing ship
Synopsis for Batman: "The End of Two-Face"
This story is reprinted from Detective Comics #80.
Two-Face escapes from prison and starts another crime spree, again with crimes based on the number two, and using his double-headed coin. Two-Face and his gang terrorize Gotham City but sometimes they do some good deeds.
Batman and Robin investigate the case, and Bruce goes undercover to learn of Two-Face's activities. When he finally learns about Two-Face's plan, Batman and Robin attempt to stop him, but Two-Face manages to escape. However, during the entire confrontation, a cloaked figure has been closely watching.
The Dynamic Duo follow Two-Face to his secret hideout and while Robin takes care of the henchmen, Batman tries to convince Kent to give up his life of crime and return to the good side of the law. Two-Face won't listen, and he shoots at Batman. But just at that moment, the cloaked person enters the room to stop Kent from shooting... but it is too late, and Gilda Kent is seriously injured. With her dying breath, Gilda tells them that she tried to stop Harvey out of love, and Two-Face finally realizes that he is not loveless. Batman and Kent take Gilda to a hospital and the doctor informs them that she is going to live, but that she keeps asking for Harvey. After talking with Gilda, Harvey Kent decides to change his life and stop being Two-Face.
However, as Two-Face is carried out of the hospital by a police officer, his henchmen intervene and take Two-Face away from the place. When Kent informs them that he is going straight, they tie him up and force him to tell them one of his master plans. Batman and Robin manage to find Kent's location and with his help, they stop the thugs from successfully robbing a train station. During the fight, Two-Face saves Batman's life, and soon the police arrive and arrest all the criminals.
In the aftermath, Harvey Kent's face is restored by plastic surgery and the sentence for his crimes is reduced, thanks to his recent change. While he stays in prison for just one year, he proposes to Gilda and together they make plans for their future.
At Batman's secret hall of trophies, the caped crusader adds another item to his collection: Two-Face's coin.
Appearing in Batman: "The End of Two-Face"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Two-Face
- Shiv (Single appearance)
- Trigger (Single appearance)
- Joe (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
See Also
- Cover gallery for the DC 100-Page Super Spectacular series
- Images from DC 100-Page Super Spectacular Vol 1 20
Recommended Reading
- Batman Recommended Reading
- Batman (Volume 1)
- Batman (Volume 2)
- Batman (Volume 3)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 1)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 2)
- Batman and Robin (Volume 3)
- Batman Confidential (Volume 1)
- Batman: Gotham Knights (Volume 1)
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (Volume 1)
- Batman: Shadow of the Bat (Volume 1)
- Batman: Streets of Gotham (Volume 1)
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 1)
- Batman Incorporated (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 1)
- Batman/Superman (Volume 2)
- Batman/Superman: World's Finest (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Dark Knight (Volume 2)
- The Brave and the Bold (Volume 1)
- Detective Comics (Volume 1)
- Detective Comics (Volume 2)
- Superman/Batman (Volume 1)
- World's Finest (Volume 1)