Three comics stories come to mind, and they're all related, each with varying degrees of success and failure in realistically depicting the after-effects of child abuse. At least, within the parameters of superhero fantasy. So realistic to a point, although maybe not as realistic as you'd prefer. And not to be totally predictable, but yes, two of them are Two-Face stories. But this very topic helps touch upon just why he's such a personally relevant character to me.
First up: Eye of the Beholder, by Andrew Helfer and Chris Sprouce, from Batman Annual #14. This is the story from which Jeph Loeb took many aspects for The Long Halloween, and thus which led directly into The Dark Knight, but it's by far the best take on Harvey's origin. The big reason for its superiority is its original idea that Harvey was physically and psychologically abused by his alcoholic father.
Full disclosure: my own father was an abusive alcoholic. I can't speak to all kinds of abuse and its effects (I was never physically abused, for one thing), so my views on this or any other story being accurate representations of the after-effects of abuse are far from universal. That said, abuse at the hands of alcoholic parents is a widespread but specific kind of abuse that--like all abuse, I imagine--cannot be understood by those who didn't live through it. It simply can't be understood. That's why we have support groups right alongside the AA meetings.
As such, speaking personally, I find the handling of abuse in Eye of the Beholder to be a chillingly accurate. It's rooted in psychological manipulation from how the father uses "the game" to dole out beatings under the guise as punishment for Harvey's "wrongs," and what's more, the "game" is never actually fair. What creates the divide between Harvey and his dark side is that his one side loves and trusts his father, while the other always knew the game was rigged and festered with resentment and rage. The irreconcilability of these sides are what lead to Two-Face, and why he has to use the (now scarred and, thus, fair) coin.
That said, this is a very specific take on abuse, not necessarily anything that would help you for what you're looking for. It also dubiously tries to tie a mismatching kind of schizophrenia into the mix, and it just doesn't work. However, it's the very best and most powerfully-accurate take on the "supervillain who was abused as a child" cliche, and it makes me frustrated that nobody references it when writing Harvey. But then again, I shudder to imagine what a lesser writer would do with it. Actually, wait, we already saw someone try: Paul Jenkins in Batman: Jekyll & Hyde. The less said about that, the better.
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First up: Eye of the Beholder, by Andrew Helfer and Chris Sprouce, from Batman Annual #14. This is the story from which Jeph Loeb took many aspects for The Long Halloween, and thus which led directly into The Dark Knight, but it's by far the best take on Harvey's origin. The big reason for its superiority is its original idea that Harvey was physically and psychologically abused by his alcoholic father.
Full disclosure: my own father was an abusive alcoholic. I can't speak to all kinds of abuse and its effects (I was never physically abused, for one thing), so my views on this or any other story being accurate representations of the after-effects of abuse are far from universal. That said, abuse at the hands of alcoholic parents is a widespread but specific kind of abuse that--like all abuse, I imagine--cannot be understood by those who didn't live through it. It simply can't be understood. That's why we have support groups right alongside the AA meetings.
As such, speaking personally, I find the handling of abuse in Eye of the Beholder to be a chillingly accurate. It's rooted in psychological manipulation from how the father uses "the game" to dole out beatings under the guise as punishment for Harvey's "wrongs," and what's more, the "game" is never actually fair. What creates the divide between Harvey and his dark side is that his one side loves and trusts his father, while the other always knew the game was rigged and festered with resentment and rage. The irreconcilability of these sides are what lead to Two-Face, and why he has to use the (now scarred and, thus, fair) coin.
That said, this is a very specific take on abuse, not necessarily anything that would help you for what you're looking for. It also dubiously tries to tie a mismatching kind of schizophrenia into the mix, and it just doesn't work. However, it's the very best and most powerfully-accurate take on the "supervillain who was abused as a child" cliche, and it makes me frustrated that nobody references it when writing Harvey. But then again, I shudder to imagine what a lesser writer would do with it. Actually, wait, we already saw someone try: Paul Jenkins in Batman: Jekyll & Hyde. The less said about that, the better.
Continued...