Batman Blog

Who Is… James W. Gordon?

There is very little detail available about Jim Gordon’s early life. The only two cities that come up repeatedly in his history are Gotham and Chicago, so it’s entirely possible he was born in one of those two places, but it has never been stated for certain, nor is anything known about his childhood or family. At some point, he joined the Army, and worked his way into the Green Berets, where he learned a lot about weapons, tactics, and hand to hand fighting. Eventually, he left the military and joined the Gotham City Police Department.

Gordon and his famed signal

As a rookie officer in Gotham, he was disgusted by the rampant corruption in the city in general and police in particular, but he couldn’t do anything about it. Matters came to a head for the young Gordon when he was involved in an ugly line of duty shooting. A corrupt cop and his wife were stealing from a warehouse when Gordon ran across them. They started shooting, and Gordon fired back. Gordon killed them both in the fight, but their son, acting as a lookout, survived. He would later return to Gotham as the supervillain Wrath, a kind of twisted mirror of the Batman. To cover up for the corrupt cops, Captain Gillian Loeb arranged for Gordon to be transferred to Chicago.

Jim Gordon served with distinction in the Chicago PD. While living here, he met and married Barbara Kean-Gordon (also sometimes identified as Barbara Eileen Gordon). The two had a son, James Gordon, Jr. Also at some point in this period of time, Jim had an affair with his sister-in-law, which would eventually result in the birth of a young girl who would also be named Barbara. Possibly in part because of this affair, Jim moved his family back to Gotham City while his son was still a toddler (Pre-Crisis, Gordon had a son named Tony who was eventually killed, but there has been no mention of him since, and it is commonly believed he was retconned out).

The most recent live action version of Gordon

Gordon was now a detective, and his time in Gotham was far from boring. Gordon met a detective sergeant named Sarah Essen, and began an affair with her. Gordon also encountered a man who had just embarked upon his own campaign to clean up Gotham — a vigilante who was called the Batman. Initially somewhat mistrustful of the masked man, Gordon would eventually become one of Batman’s most trusted allies. Gordon broke off his affair with Essen, and later, his wife left him, taking their son back to Chicago. Little to nothing is known of them after that point. Driven and largely alone now, Gordon fought his way up through the ranks of the GCPD, overcoming resistance from corrupt police and politicians, as well as dealing with entrenched gangsters like the Falcones, as well as the emerging super-criminal element. While still early in his career, Jim’s brother and sister-in-law died, and Jim adopted Barbara, who would later become the first Batgirl, then Oracle. Barbara was crippled, assaulted, and kidnapped by the Joker in an attempt to drive Jim Gordon insane, but he resisted, proving stronger than the madman had believed.

Years later, after Gordon had become Commissioner and married his former lover Sarah Essen, Gotham was wracked by a series of natural disasters and abandoned by the federal government, becoming a No Man’s Land. Gordon and a few dedicated cops stayed on, fighting for what was right. Towards the end of this time, the Joker struck at Gordon once more, murdering Gordon’s wife Sarah. Batman stepped aside and allowed Gordon the chance to take his revenge- Gordon shot the criminal in the leg, refusing even then to commit murder. Gotham was eventually rebuilt, Batman’s war on crime has continued, and James W. Gordon has remained one of his staunchest allies. Gordon has lost and regained his position as Commissioner, but always managed to regain his rightful place.

More “Who Is…” articles HERE

Red Robin #19 Review

Red Robin #19

The second issue in this arc, The Rabbit Hole, has us  in this Matrix/Inception kind of world where nothing is as it seems and the twists, turns, and inconceivable ideas are mind-blowing to say the least. We’re in Tim’s subconscious and the most awesome thing is that it speaks in riddles. I.E. The Riddler is asking questions to coax meaning from his mind’s visions.

In the Unternet, which we find out is a place that has been corrupted by Darkseid and villains everywhere have made it a horrible place, Tim and three others are stuck, facing villains with unimaginable power.  But what is amazing about Nicieza’s story here is the underlying theory about this world: an alternative to the internet, a place where humans “know everything but can do nothing”. Here, what we want to do is altogether possible. No strings attached, villains – and heroes – run wild. I thought this was a good bit of social commentary about the new generation of internet users. I teach eighteen year-olds and I feel like this is very true. They are so connected to the world through the net but have little to no impetus to get out and do. In the Unternet, everyone is more liberated and free. Not that it leads to anything good here, of course.

We run into Promise, from the previous issue, and find that she has been battling the alter-villains for years. With unlimited powers, the villains got out of hand. But as we see with Tim – being freed to do as he wishes and wielding a gun – a door has been opened for all the heroes who want to fight back. Burt sing onto the scene were Cheshire, Captain Boomerang (a personal arch-enemy of Tim’s) and Deathstroke, who I always squee about. I love Wilson!

This story was complex and skillfully written; not to say slightly difficult to follow at first, which I appreciate. It wasn’t all laid out for you but as details came together, it formed into a well-told and powerful story. I feel like I got my money’s worth out of this issue with all the dialogue and the amazing artwork. Splashy colors and so many characters on each page, I felt like this was the best three bucks I spent this week.

Batgirl #17 Review

Batgirl #17

The first thing I noticed as my LCBS guy handed a semi-large stack of books to me was the uniform covers that DC went with this month. I’ve been off the grid in terms of comic news so I wasn’t expecting this. The white background with each character in the foreground of their respective logo is absolutely stunning. Simplistic yet powerful. The Batgirl cover especially gives her a classic look.

Something DC doesn’t do a lot of are the one-shot issues like this one and it was a surprising treat. In #17, we’re given a day in the life as Damian and Batgirl team up on a new Batman, Inc. mission. These two are really suited for each other and this kind of story. Damian, perched a-top a building scoping out the school crossing guard, encounters Stephanie, apparently assigned to the same mission. This allows for witty and playful banter between the two. Damian barely knows how to speak to another human being but Stephanie can easily play into his demeanor and cockiness; they work well together.

The plot in and of itself was relatively simple but it allowed for more character development. Out of all current Batman characters, I have yearned to see more of Damian and situations wherein he can come into his own. I often wonder how a ten year old boy would handle being a trained killer and now, a “superhero”. He’s probably one of the more conflicted characters between he and Tim, there is a lot of potential to flesh out their respective issues.

The overall feeling of this issue is lighthearted and I swear I was moments away from shedding a happy tear in the end. Only Stephanie could see that Damian truly doesn’t know how to be a kid; he’s never been able to play and have fun in the normal ways. The final scene was so heartwarming and genuine that I was thoroughly impressed and surprised by this issue.  I mean, I always love Batgirl but this story was particularly pleasing.

The only displeasing aspect was the fact that Dustin Nguyen only did the cover and not the issue. I noticed the difference right away but to Pere Perez’s credit, his styling were on par with Miller’s amazing story and it was decent overall.

UPDATE: All Star Batman & Robin Still A No-Show

All Star Batman & Robin returning in Feb; reeeeeeally?

In early April of last year the return of Jim Lee and Frank Miller’s much delayed All Star Batman and Robin was announced. We wrote about it and linked to DC’s very own blog “The Source” [link] who gave us the details. We learned that All Star Batman and Robin would be returning under a new name, Dark Knight: The Boy Wonder and that Jim Lee and Frank Miller would be returning to the story in February 2011. Here is quote from Jim Lee:

“I feel terrible about how late the book fell behind,” added Lee. “100 percent of the blame falls upon my shoulders, so one of the reasons we chose the February, 2011, start date was to ensure that DARK KNIGHT: BOY WONDER would ship regularly and on-time.”

And from DC’s blog The Source:

“Beginning in February, 2011, you will see the remaining six issues ship on time, every month, culminating in the conclusion of the storyline started years ago.”

Yet in DC’s “sneak peek” of Batman in February there is no mention of Dark Knight: The Boy Wonder [In DC’s list of comics being released in February there is no Dark Knight: The Boy Wonder (and it’s not listed in any other months either) [DC’s blog, The Source, only has one article tagged under “All Star Batman and Robin” (the original from last April) [A search on their blog for “Dark Knight: Boy Wonder” only results in the above article [*Sigh*

Batman: The Dark Knight #1 Review

Batman: The Dark Knight #1

I’m surprised that DC gets Bruce Wayne back into the fray without a defined transition period, because one would think that Bruce Wayne has the good sense to break himself back into the action slowly.  It’s like he’s trying to make up for lost time.   But as Alfred points out to him, Dick Grayson has been taking care of Gotham City quite nicely, just as other writers besides Grant Morrison are taking care of the writing of Batman quite nicely as well.  Admittedly, it is refreshing to see a Batman title without Grant Morrison’s involvement.  Yes, we all love the GM, but other writers have things they can bring to the table.

The gritty, McFarlane-esque art immediately grabbed my attention, and when I started reading, I hoped the aura of mystery the art immediately bestowed on the book would carry itself into the story and plot as well.  The story begins by greeting the reader with a scene from Bruce Wayne’s childhood, albeit inserted retroactively into Bruce Wayne’s life story.  We are introduced to Dawn Golden, a childhood playmate of Bruce Wayne.  After watching a display of pseudo-prepubescent sexuality between them, we are forwarded to the dark and rainy side streets and alleys of Gotham City of the present day.  We discover that he’s trailing Killer Croc, who is on the Venom drug.  Batman waylays him, but he has some trouble due to Croc’s drugged state.  In time, Batman subdues him, but not before he realizes that he should’ve been better prepared.  Hence, my commend above.

Analyzing the situation in the Batcave, he discovers that Dawn Golden’s disappearance is connected to a seedy club, which he promptly investigates.  Once there, he discovers a pendant that she used to wear as a kid.  I flipped back a few pages and noticed that she was indeed wearing it in the opening scenes.  Batman is caught in the act, and in comes The Penguin.  It’s obvious that he’s probably not the king culprit behind the disappearance of Dawn Golden, but he definitely knows something, and as soon as I read about the seedy club connection, I knew The Penguin wasn’t too far around the corner.

This is a classic comic book:  gritty art, familiar faces, catchy plot.  I like everything about it, and I hope this is the next great Batman series, and not the cartoonish, almost tongue-in-cheek Batman, Inc.

Red Robin #18 Review

Red Robin #18

One of the things I love about this title – besides Tim because that’s obviously the main draw – is the consistency in continuity and character.

In this issue, the start of a new story titled, “The Rabbit Hole: Broken Promises”, Tim has followed a lead on a suspected crime boss to Russia where, first thing, he encounters Red Star, former Teen Titan and supposed friend. (But have YOU ever seen that guy before? Me neither) Though right off, internal dialogue lets us know that their dynamic has changed and Tim doesn’t necessarily trust his motives any longer. I liked their conversation; Leonid supports the crime boss because even though he may have some dirty dealings, he improves their country.

As Tim and Tam (does this combination of names bother anyone else?) try to get in good with crime boss Mikalek in order for Machin to backdoor his way into their servers, the meeting room is attacked by a good-looking female shooting rubber bullets who proclaims herself a “Promise”. Something that bugs me a bit about this title, even though I still love it, is that Tim is constantly barraged by women who seem to be nothing more than speed bumps. I think if the writers settled on one who was is an arch-nemesis or one who was his love interest, it wouldn’t seem so – I don’t know – distracting.

Which is why the next scene was there because Red Robin goes to spy on said female and of course, she’s indecent. I guess I can forgive this since Tim’s a young man and he can’t always be thinking about crime-solving, right? When it comes to a head and he tussles with her, Red Star shows up again and Tim must figure out where his allegiance lies, taking a chance on a new friend or foe.

The end of this issue left a huge gigantic monstrous door open and, as the little tagline promises, “next issue we find out what happened.”

Art continues to rock; the coloring is especially great with vibrance and clarity. I thought that Tim and Tam in regular clothes seems a bit slipshod, flat. But every other scenes was masterfully drawn and colored.

New stories are always a little hard to get into at first but I like where this is headed and continue to love Red Robin.

Batman Beyond #6 Review

Batman Beyond #6

The Batman Beyond limited series wraps up this month with “Deep Down.” The villainous clone of Dick Grayson has set up at the site of the epicenter of the earthquake the made Gotham into a No Man’s Land so long ago, has stolen control of Bruce’s Bat-Bots, and is ready to destroy the city because he didn’t get to be Batman. Yeah, odd motivation- I couldn’t be the city’s hero so I’ll destroy it instead. Bruce tries to persuade a very injured Terry not to go after him, and they are joined by the real Dick Grayson, who takes some gear, but refuses Bruce’s offer a costume.

As they fly off in the Batmobile, Dick says he doesn’t want to know Terry’s real name, and they pick up a passenger- the new Catwoman decides to help them as well. Amanda Waller wiggles out of trouble as ever, confronted by a search warrant from what is apparently Bullock Beyond, a name well known to Gotham fans. The battle rages below ground, as evil Grayson and his hacked Bat-Bots try to stop the real Grayson, Batman, and Catwoman from stopping the explosion that will trigger the massive earthquake. The fight seesaws back and forth a few times, and Bruce finally manages to take out all the bots but the one that flew down a pit to retrieve the detonator for the missiles. The bot flies up as Terry fights the clone, and the rising bot apparently kills the clone on impact.

Catwoman says she won’t neccesarily be on Batman’s side next time and slinks off, as does Dick a moment later. Terry goes back to the cave, and he and Bruce make up, dispelling much of their recent tension. In the epilogue, Amanda has hired a new assistant to make up for the conscience stricken Dr. Reid. Raiding yet another corner of the DCU, her new scientist is a blond man named Thwane- as in Reverse Flash. Thwane and Waller walk down a corridor that is filled with tubes of what seem to be more clones, whether of Dick or Bruce, I’m not certain.

What I liked and what I didn’t:

It was nice to see Grayson working with Terry. The new incarnation of the Bat and the Cat has some promise. I will give Beechen points for tying in to the Cataclysm storyline here, it was a nice bit of history. It was also good to see Bruce and Terry back on civil terms at the end, and the Amanda/Thwane bit was nice. Terry also did much better than he did for much of the series.

I don’t like this version of grim and gritty Grayson- that’s never been who he is. I think it’s a shame he and Bruce still can’t reconnect at the end here. And I’m just really not excited about the bad guy being a hero’s evil twin. I also would have liked to see more of Max, supposedly Terry’s best friend, than just a cameo. And did we need Bullock Beyond, even if Bullock is a long time supporting Bat character?

This series sold well enough that an ongoing is forthcoming. I will not be getting or reviewing it. Much as I’d like to say otherwise, I won’t be getting it. I do like this world, but Mr. Beechen’s handling of it is not to my taste. But I encourage Beechen fans and Batman Beyond fans to give it a shot, and thank Mr. Beechen for a very friendly and civil exchange we had on the DC Boards recently about Zatanna.

Gotham City Sirens # 17 Review

Gotham City Sirens #17 Review

Batman Incorporated #1 Review

Batman Incorporated #1

Disclaimers: I do not generally read, or review, the Bat-books from DC at this point. I’m not wild about a lot of their directions, and I’m not a huge fan of Grant Morrison’s most recent work. However, I like to keep an open mind and am curious about the new title “Batman, Incorporated.” So, when our site editor said he needed a hand on this one, I said I’d do issue one.

The story starts with the torture of a man called Mr. Unknown, apparently the Japanese answer to Batman. Lord Death Man has already burned off his hands, and tosses acid in his face. Mr. Unknown’s sidekick, who if I am reading this correctly is called Body Double, walks in on this, beats up several goons, and flees. Lord Death Man then yells at his underlings “Kill all Japanese crime fighters!”

Elsewhere, Batman and Catwoman raid one of Dr. Sivana’s hideouts to secure a big diamond looking thing because Bruce doesn’t want it in anyone else’s hands, apparently including the government agents who get knocked out by the security systems. Sivana does seem to have become the default mad scientist of the DCU. They fight various robo-guardians and eventually secure their prize. Later, there is some flirting and chatting between Bruce and Selina in a hotel suite in Tokyo (and boy does Selina have odd choice in lounging wear), before they go to help Batman “train a Japanese Batman.” There’s also a bit on tv about one of the Japanese heroes from Super Young Team which the ever self-referential Mr. Morrison couldn’t resist, I guess. Mr. Unknown’s HQ is apparently below a comics and manga store, and while Bruce breaks some of the security, Selina leafs through one of the hentai/tentacle books and wonders at the appeal.

They arrive below and see they are too late for Mr. Unknown, but still in time to defeat several of his thugs. Great quote from Selina here “At least they’re trying to look interesting. It’s always nice to see henchmen making the effort.” They learn the thugs are awaiting the sidekick’s return, and go off to find him. Said sidekick arrives at his apartment, having been called there by his girlfriend. He goes upstairs, passing what seems to be the landlord and/or handyman who complains about a leak upstairs, and gets to his door, pulling a gun (I guess he captured it from one of the thugs earlier, although I didn’t see it). The girl is tied up, warning Jiro that the carpet is mined. Lord Death Man himself is here, taunting, threatening to break her neck. Jiro shoots him, knocking him out the window in fine “I bet we don’t find the body later” form. The girl is dismayed, saying only he could stop it. She suddenly plunges through a trap door with a splash. The Bat and the Cat arrive as this happens, and Selina sighs, not liking the water, which she actually made a joke about earlier. Batman and Juro defeat the thugs as Catwoman jumps after the girl, ending up in a large water tank with an octopus (remember the tentacle bit earlier? Foreshadowing…).

What I liked and what I didn’t:

Batman and Catwoman make a great team. They compliment each other well, and have great chemistry. The art here is very nice. I’m unfamiliar with Yanick Paquette, but they do great work.

I don’t really like a lot of the things here that I’ve seen before. The big American hero arrives to find his foreign counterpart just in time to help him with something he can’t handle on his own has always stuck me as a bit contrived. Also, this whole heroes all over the world thing reminds me of those Planet DC annuals a while back that created a lot of new characters who were never seen again. I’m not sold on the whole Batman, Inc. idea, it seems a bit odd to me, and this really did nothing to sell it to me. Also, Selina keeps being drawn with these goggles on her cowl, but she always has them pushed up on her forehead. What do they do, exactly?

Streets Of Gotham #17 Review

Streets Of Gotham #17

I may as well just come right out and say it: they’ve been dragging this Hush storyline out for far too long and I find that I… I’ve stopped caring. Admittedly, this issue had some good aspects to it but still, not amazing.

We open up with Harley Quinn in a zombie-like state, controlled by bugs – ew – and as she busts in on Selina, in an attempt to take her out – Batman heroically shows up. We think, as does Selina, that it’s Dick but no, it’s Bruce come to have his little reunion with her. I have always found their dynamic intriguing. On the one hand, she’s a criminal in her own right and Batman actually respects that. It’s almost as if he can pursue her as Catwoman in his Batman persona in the good vs evil way but when she is unmasked, it’s a whole different story.

Since she has a vendetta against Hush for the whole cutting her heart out thing a while back, it was a shocker when Bruce admitted that they’d sort of, well, lost Tommy. As it turns out – and if you recall from last issue – Pierce and his men kidnapped him, assuming he was Bruce, of course. The whole story comes out about his parents and the back story that was hinted at in prior Streets issues.

This issue was slow-moving with little action, a bridge leading us to Much Bigger Things, as we see Tommy revealing himself and getting Pierce on-board in his fight against the Wayne Family legacy, which they both despise. But I’m kind of wavering on this comic. I’m hoping that as things flesh out here and Bruce gets back with Selina in some way, this will start to pick up.

Red Robin #17 Review

Red Robin #17

As I said in my Batgirl review, there’s a lot of Bat titles out now that are so serious and dark and seem so…dire. Red Robin is one of the few I read that’s pretty happy and smooths out the edges of the on-going story with Batman.

In this epilogue to the Hit List story arc that has become the Red Robin staple, we open up with former Batgirl Cassandra Cain foiling a robbery in Hong Kong. (Don’t think I didn’t notice how the thief was pulling off the girl’s pearls a la Martha Wayne.) It’s interesting to see her back on the pages but as we learn, she’s still not really back. Tim has caught up with her and has made an offer. She only half accepts, claiming that she can have a family but it may not be a home. It’ll be interesting to see where this path leads us with her and the Batfamily in general.

In each of the last few Red Robin issues, Tim has made the rounds, securing intel, friends, and casting the Bat net as far as it can go. He has lunch with his old high school buddy, Ives, realizing that he’ll probably never have a real “normal” life or time for friends, something that echoes within the pages of Batgirl as well. After that, he gets Lonnie on board, who’s still in the hospital after his run-in a few issues ago with Armstrong. But the real meat of this issue is his on-going hunt for Lynx, who may or may not be an undercover cop and may or may not be playing with his heart. Blame my inner sap for feeling a little giddy when he kissed her. Thinking with his heart and not his brain is something Bruce always frowned upon so it was kind of nice when he appears soon after the make-out session and didn’t chastise. Rather, he pointed out how Tim’s probably managed to pick up his very own life-long Catwoman. I’m liking this parallel.

A lot of important scenes in the Bat realm take place on rooftops. Tim’s kiss with Lynx and then, the subsequent real reunion with Bruce. I don’t deny the small tear that appeared in the corner of my eye when these two embrace. Talk about validation; or us, for Tim. I love how Bruce is concerned that Tim’s getting on with Damian OK as well. All this shows what Tim states later, “He’s come back, energized – humanized – and ready to put the cowl back on without getting lost in its shadow.” And I agree with his next statement. It feels good. It feels right.

Art was great as always, characters are vibrant and true and it is great to have Bruce back. Red Robin continues to rock my world.

Bruce Wayne – The Road Home: Oracle Review

Bruce Wayne – The Road Home: Oracle

One of DC’s major events right now is the Return of Bruce Wayne, back from being “killed” by Darkseid during Final Crisis. Bruce is back (how, I don’t know, I’m not really hugely interested in Grant Morrison’s Batman work), and is now running around as the Insider. The Insider suit is a head to toe black number with red eyes and gadgets that let him emulate many of his former team mates- bursts of super speed, invisibility, heat vision, green energy referred to by the suit’s computers as WP, you get the idea.

There have been several “The Road Home” specials dealing with Bruce’s return, the unifying thread being long time Bat cast member Vicki Vale has figured out most of the Bat-clan’s identities and is running around trying to confirm it. Now, she, in turn, is being chased by killers from Ra’s Al Ghul.

In this week’s Oracle special, Barbara is trying to keep Vicki alive, pulling in all manner of help including, Hawk, Dove, Batgirl, Manhunter, Man-Bat, Ragman, and she even manages to hack into Bruce’s new suit, startling him by using its coms to talk to him and later revealing she knows who he is. There is a lot of fighting, which the heroes eventually win, of course. Vicki is left running around by herself and appears to be captured by one of Ra’s thugs as she tries to call Alfred for help.

What I liked and what I didn’t:

There were a lot of good scenes in this. Two of the best were flashbacks- one in which Bruce visits Babs in the hospital shortly after the Killing Joke. She is, understandably, feeling sorry for herself, and Bruce tears into her, motivating her. Part of his speech runs like this: “You can overcome this or you can wither and die. The choice is yours. I hope you make the right one.” Yes, he’s lacking in bedside manner, but it worked, and seemed very in character to me. The other flashback is a somewhat later Babs showing Bruce the Clocktower. She ends the tour and says “What? You’re not impressed?” And he replies “No. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Think about who that’s coming from, and it’s high praise indeed. Babs calling in many of her agents and/or the short-lived “Network” that was formed in the wake of Bruce’s “death” was a nice touch. This was written by Marc Andreyko, who did such a great job with the former Manhunter title, and I have always thought characterization was his best skill, which he did great here with. I liked Babs being given enough credit to figure out who Bruce is. They also reveal why Ra’s is trying to kill Vale- out of respect for his foe, the Batman, which is also believable with his character.

On the other hand, we once again have what appears to be a normal, if talented, martial artist actually hurting Hawk, who is described as having “skin like concrete.” How does this keep happening? While I liked the art over-all, Hawk never quite looked right to me, and his flipping over someone to deliver a carefully placed set of strikes is just NOT how he fights. Since this title replaces BOP this month as I understand it, it might have been nice to at least hear mention of Canary, Huntress, or Lady Blackhawk, but I guess they are caught up in the main book over in Asia.