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Although it may seem like it at times, Batman isn’t the only law and order in Gotham City; the Gotham City Police Department (henceforth: GCPD) has been an important piece of the Batman mythos almost since the very beginning. However, the glory days of the GCPD came during the period of time between “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and “Flashpoint.”
It was during that time that DC started to get serious about examining what went on in the precincts and offices while Batman was patrolling the streets. DC is actually collecting some of the earliest attempts to tell a longer story about the men and women of the GCPD later this year, presumably in anticipation of Gotham, the new Jim Gordon-centric pre-Batman television series debuting this fall from Fox.
But the crown jewel of comics about the GCPD is “Gotham Central,” the Greg Rucka-penned series that dealt with the city in the shadow of Batman, but never really peeking into his world. It is widely admired, and consistently discussed as one of the finest series of the decade, if not the entire post-”Crisis” period.
And while I could wax poetic about those stories, they really wouldn’t help you understand the GCPD as presently constructed. Instead, we will take a look at the major players of the GCPD in “Batman Eternal,” and discuss a few that may still pop up.
Commissioner Jim Gordon is one of the four most iconic and important supporting characters in all of Batman comics (along with Robin, the Joker, and Alfred – for a great discussion of this topic, check this out). Gordon’s history is very well known, and he has been part of some of the most important Batman stories of all time – but the definitive Jim Gordon story is “Batman: Year One.”
That story shows him as one of the most well-rounded characters in all of comics. He is a man trying to make his marriage work, but still cheats on his wife; he is a truly great cop, dedicated to law and order, but isn’t opposed to helping a vigilante when he sees the value in what he does.
Gordon in the New 52, though de-aged like everyone else, essentially is the same character he’s been for most of Batman’s stories. He has a trusting relationship with Batman, even though he questions his actions, and is one of the few GCPD members Batman will actually meet with.
A huge chunk of “Eternal” is dedicated to Gordon not being present in the police department, and what that organization looks like without his guidance. With Gordon in prison, under suspicious circumstances, his presence is felt in his absence around the precinct.
Harvey Bullock is a character that has changed quite a bit, and continues to be used as sort of a tabula rasa in Batman comics. In some instances, he and Batman are antagonists; at other times, they work together well. Sometimes, Bullock is a dirty cop; other times, he’s on the up and up. The one constant in his story, however, is his loyalty to Gordon. The Gordon/Bullock friendship is one of the more consistent in all of comics.
Bullock, most frequently, is a good man who has questionable ways of getting things done. He’s been known to take bribes, and he has had some ties to the organized crime families of Gotham. But he is also a very able police officer, and frequently is involved in solving some of the more serious crimes that come into the precinct.
One factor of his story, often, is his alcoholism. Many of the major GCPD members have a flaw that helps humanize them – like Gordon’s affair, for instance – and his struggle with the drink is part of Bullock’s character that is prominently featured.
Continued belowIn the New 52, not much has changed for Bullock – he is currently playing a big role, not just in “Eternal,” but also in “Detective Comics,” as he is investigating Bruce Wayne for the death of Elena Aguila.
Maggie Sawyer is one of the rare DC characters to have almost equal history in both the Superman and Batman worlds. Originally a Metropolis police officer, working for their “Special Crimes Unit” that deals with Superhero issues. She was one of the first lesbian characters in DC, and her relationship with her longtime partner, Toby, was a major component of her character.
She was transferred to Gotham’s Major Crimes Division and became a major part of “Gotham Central.” Since then, she has been identified as one of the few non-corrupt cops in Gotham, and has been a relatively consistent part of GCPD’s comic presence.
Since the Batwoman-centric issues of “Detective Comics” after Final Crisis, Sawyer has been a love interest for Kate Kane, aka Batwoman. She has been a major supporting character in that series since launched as part of the New 52.
Jason Bard is the only member of the GCPD to make his New 52 debut in “Eternal” thus far. Bard, in this incarnation, is a Detroit cop brought to Gotham by Gordon, and who is portrayed as a Gordon-loyalist and believer, even though they had just met.
Pre-”Eternal,” Bard was a GCPD cop who, for a long time, dated Barbara Gordon. At various times throughout his 40+ year history, he was a private investigator, a wounded veteran getting an education via the GI Bill, a man blinded fighting crime, the longing ex-boyfriend, unable to move on, and acted as Batman’s informer at the GCPD.
He is such a new character in the New 52, so it is unsure as to what role he will play in “Eternal,” but he clearly has a major role in the GCPD going forward.
Jim Corrigan, in the New 52, is a synthesis of both of his prior versions – a GCPD officer and the human host of the Spectre. His appearance in “Eternal,” thus far, has been a pleasant and humorous one – which is a bit differently than how he was portrayed in “Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger.”
Jim Corrigan originally appeared in 1940, when, as a police officer, he was murdered. However, instead of entering heaven, his soul was bonded to the spirit of God’s vengeance, the Spectre. However, when he was introduced as part of “Gotham Central,” the Jim Corrigan there, although bearing a physical resemblance to the Corrigan of old, was nothing like him. This Corrigan was a corrupt cop and a murderer. He was an important part of the story of “Gotham Central,” and never for reasons dealing with anything noble or just. He was a bad guy.
The current Corrigan seems like the Spectre of old, but included in the GCPD, like his 00s counterpart.
Coincidentally enough, there is another Jim Corrigan in the DCU; yet another cop, this one was a Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen and Black Lightning supporting character. He was African American, so he is clearly not supposed to be the same Corrigan.
Jack Forbes is a character first introduced in “Batman: The Dark Knight” #1, in its pre-New 52 installment. He represents a very stereotypical cop in the media: the guy who wants to be treated like a king. He has been shown, since very early on, that he does not like Gordon, partly because Gordon isn’t a dirty cop.
In “Knight Terrors,” the first arc of the New 52’s “The Dark Knight,” Forbes essentially writes the book for how he acts in “Eternal” – overlooking Batman’s work and trying to bring down Gordon. In issue #3 of “Eternal,” Forbes is named acting commissioner after Gordon’s arrest, and he, by order of Mayor Hady, shifts the GCPD’s focus away from gang crime, and right onto the Batman.
Continued belowUnlike much of the GCPD, which have been written as nuanced, multi-faceted characters, Bard is just sort of a dick from top to bottom. In “Eternal” this week, he basically lets a known murderer walk free, just because he wants to prove a point. He’s basically a mustache twirling jerk at this point.
Renee Montoya is a character I was sure would be in the New 52 by now but, as of press time, she has not appeared. Montoya was, perhaps, the breakout character of “Gotham Central,” who then later took on the mantle of The Question after Vic Sage passed away during “52.”
She was also, before Sawyer, the major love interest of Kate Kane and was, like Harley Quinn, originally introduced as part of Batman: The Animated Series, before being shifted over to the comics.
The “Eternal” creators, at C2E2, said that they considered bringing Montoya into “Eternal,” but felt that it wouldn’t do the character justice to make her “just a police officer.” Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if she became part of the series down the road.
