[From Batman: The Audio Adventures, Season 1 Episode 2 "The Skylight in the Nursery"]
Here is a version of Harvey Dent's backstory (specifically from Batman: the Audio Adventures aka probably my personal favorite iteration of the character). I figured that for anyone newish to Batman fandom, that this might be useful to see! Or well... Hear in this case. Though usually it isn't Penguin who puts him through this, but rather one of Gotham's many, many crime families are usually the ones to disfigure him. Regardless, I hope you enjoy! Personally I just REALLY like Harvey's voice actor here and could listen to him talk all day.
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Also reading through the transcript now and thinking about it... I wonder if the Penguin paid Mr. Pratkins extra to compliment him and say impressive things about him and his casino and lounge to the jury, and more importantly to his crush (Harvey)... Probably, let's be honest.
Video transcript under the cut
Announcer: And now it's Gotham City One's award-winning documentary…
Robin: Aw, yes!
Announcer: Series "Ghosts of Gotham" with your host Jack Ryder. Tonight's episode, "Scarred for Life: The Harvey Dent Story."
Jack Ryder: It's one of Gotham City's most tragic tales. A lion-hearted litigator becomes a fractured fiend. Once a beacon of hope for a brighter Gotham, former district attorney Harvey Dent is now one of the city's most erratic public enemies. As Two-Face, he's believed to run a vast criminal empire within Gotham City. But a canny combination of legal genius and vicious intimidation has thus far allowed him to evade arrest. Harvey Dent was born to a modest household in the Gotham Narrows. His father was a domineering--
Robin: Hey, let's fast-forward to the--
[fast-forward whirring]
Jack Ryder: But all that hope and promise would come to a violent end.
Robin: Yeah, to the that.
Jack Ryder: The date was February 2nd. The place was the old Gotham courthouse. Harvey Dent had shocked the city by finding a witness willing to testify against a prominent Gotham businessman and suspected crime kingpin, none other than Oswald Cobblepot.
[cackling]
Jack Ryder: Some call him the Penguin, though rarely to his face and never more than once. It would have been the biggest conviction of Harvey Dent's storied legal career. Instead, it was the last case he ever tried.
[crowd chatter, gavel thuds]
Harvey Dent: Can you please state your name for the record?
Jackson Pratkins: The name's Jackson Pratkins.
Harvey Dent: Jackson Pratkins, are you also known in the Gotham underworld as the contract killer called Jack Sprat?
Jackson Pratkins: Yeah, that's me. Jack Sprat, by baseball bat, by knife, or gasoline.
[crowd murmurs]
Jackson Pratkins: That was my gimmick. But that's not me no more. I done some bad things, but I want to make it right.
Harvey Dent: That's what we're here to do today, Mr. Pratkins. Now, when did you first accept payment for illegal activities from Oswald Cobblepot?
Jackson Pratkins: I'm sorry, Cobble-who?
Harvey Dent: Oswald Cobblepot. You may know him as the Penguin.
Jackson Pratkins: Oh, the casino man, impresario extraordinaire Oswald Cobblepot. I never met him.
Harvey Dent: You nev--[chuckles] Mr. Pratkins, I remind you you are under oath and in your sworn statement, you detailed numerous criminal transactions initiated by Oswald Cobblepot.
Jackson Pratkins: Oh, you misunderstood. Sure, I said Mr. Cobblepot oughta be in jail 'cause he robs me blind every payday at that socko casino of his. You know Stoveplate Sullivan plays there every Saturday night? Exclusive engagement.
[laughter]
Jackson Pratkins: Beat that, folks.
Harvey Dent: Mr. Pratkins, you are gonna be charged with perjury, and your plea deal will be void unless you tell this court the truth. Isn't it true that you…
Jackson Pratkins: [muttering]
Harvey Dent: Murdered Gotham City Councilman Hubert Wainwright on orders from Oswald Cobblepot?
Jackson Pratkins: [sighs]
Harvey Dent: And isn't it in fact true that Oswald Cobblepot himself was present at the scene of the crime as evidenced by this article of his personal property recovered by the police? This very distinctive custom-made umbrella. One more chance, Mr. Pratkins. Can you testify that this umbrella belongs to the Penguin?
Jackson Pratkins: Well, since you put it that way, hand me that, uh, um-brella, so I can get a better--yeah, thank you, counselor. Oh, yeah, it seems I do remember something about Penguin's special umbrellas. I remember there's a little secret button here on the handle, hard to see, so take a real close look, handsome.
Harvey Dent: What are you--
Jack Ryder: We pause for a moment to warn our viewers that what you are about to see is extremely disturbing. Parental guidance is strongly advised.
Jackson Pratkins: Have an acid spritzer, Dent!
Harvey Dent: Ahh!
Jackson Pratkins: Courtesy of the Penguin!
Woman: Oh, my heavens! The umbrella was booby-trapped.
Man: The district attorney's been--oh, God! Mr. Dent, your face!
Robin: Video pause.
Narrator: The Boy Wonder, wise beyond his years, takes a moment to reflect.
Robin: And just like that, his mind broke clean in two. Makes you wonder if we're all held together on the inside by what we're made of on the outside.
