BATMAN NO MAN'S LAND: Gordondickery

[starwolf_oakley]

Everyone likes the scene from LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #125 where Batman tries to unmask himself to regain Gordon's trust and friendship. I thought I'd post two pages showing a little of how their relationship soured during No Man's Land. From BATMAN: NO MAN'S LAND special, by "Back to the Future" screenwriter Bob Gale.



Bob Gale is a better fit for Batman than you might think. According to Internet legend, originally in the "Back to the Future" script, 1985 Hill Valley was a bleak place waiting for the end of the world. Marty McFly even wanted to see a nuclear blast "in person" when World War III inevitably happened.

No Man's Land has been going on for three months, and neither Batman nor Bruce Wayne have been seen in that time. Gordon and most/some of the GCPD stayed behind to maintain a semblance of law and order. One Gotham cop has a surprise on the roof.




It's not the first time Jim has done that. He did it after a confrontation with Azrael "AzBats" during KnightsQuest.




"If he's not, I don't envy whoever has to break the news to my husband," Sarah says.

Bruce Wayne went before congress and tried to prevent the federal government from abandoning Gotham City. Nicholas Scratch (and maybe Lex Luthor) prevented Bruce from doing so.

So, if Jim *does* know Bruce is Batman, and knew that Bruce went before congress and was unable to get into Gotham, is his anger that justified?

Comments

[shadowpsykie]

Did Gordon know that bruce went before congress when this took place?

[anothermoviegeek.blogspot.com]

It's never been officially said that Gordon does know. Even after NML. But many clues over the years (even all the way back in Miller's Year One) have shown that he does.

[icon_uk]

Oh it goes WAAAAY before that, to stories in the 70's at least.

[anothermoviegeek.blogspot.com]

Oh most definitely. I'm just going with post crisis thinking.

[shadowpsykie]

actually my question was did Gordon know Bruce was in washington at the time.

because if he DID know that Bruce was batman and he DIDNT know that Bruce was in washington (in this particular scene) that might be why he was pissy

[anothermoviegeek.blogspot.com]

Doh. Completely mis-read your question!

I think he did? At least..I don't recall it being specific that he knew but Sarah knowing about Scratch here makes me recall knowledge about that.

[jarodrussell]

I see wantonly ignoring the benefits of technology run in the Gordon family.

[runespoor]

Oh, but Bruce didn't return, neither as Bruce Wayne nor at Batman. This is really Batman's lowest point: calling himself the protector of Gotham, passing judgement on who is fit to wear a costume in Gotham, saying that Gotham is 'his city', and abandoning it in its darkest hour. I'm a fervent Bruce advocate, but he does not shine here. Either Gotham is his city, and he serves her all the time, either he doesn't.

Jim's anger is perfectly justified imo.

[jlbarnett]

he went back.

[runespoor]

After three months at least had passed, leaving others to do all the groundwork. It took Talia finding him in Europe and lecturing him for leaving Gotham that he shook himself out of his funk.

[starwolf_oakley]

I posted that way back when on the old board. I wasn't sure if Talia talking to Bruce would get him out of his funk or not. I also remembered that issue since it involved Greg Land drawing characters without PornFace.

[punishermax]

~Gordon walks down from the rooftop. All around the city cries out in it's multiple chords and tones of death, despair and destruction. Rocks, ash and death each waft through the air around him as he listens to the near constant, maddening lullaby of police sirens. They haven't stopped ringing since the quake began. When they stopped he thinks he may actually go mad in the sheer silence~

~he walks through the crumbled remains of his city. Memories play in his head of simpler times. Times when all that needed doing was the capture of a crazed clown or of a man with a puppet gangster doll. They play like films in his mind, bringing a smile to his lips. Somewhere, a radio begins to play~

How do I get through one night without you
If I had to live without you
What kind of life would that be
Oh I, I need you in my arms
Need you to hold
You're my world, my heart, my soul

"God dammit.."

~His voice is gruff, sharp with emotion as the memories of all the victories and the sometimes defeats play in his head. Each of them ends the same way."

If you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything good in my life
And tell me now

~a handshake. respect given. sometimes without noticing it but many times the feeling is clear and crisp. respect for the others prowess. Bad jokes and the near constant.the empty air that seemed to be the closest thing to a goodbye he would ever get as he turned around. Even that became a tradition. not anymore~

Without you, there'd be no sun in my sky
There would be no love in my life
There'd be no world left for me
And I, oh Baby, I don't know what I would do
I'd be lost if I lost you
I
f you ever leave
Baby you would take away everything real in my life
And tell me now

"God DAMMIT"

~he smashes his hand against the wall. It shouldn't have been like this. This wasn't how it ended. This mutual respect, this partnership THIS FRIENDSHIP it shouldn't have ended like this. why did he leave like a coward and leave him, why did it happen like this the constant sirens and burning air all converge and everything seems so much larger but so much smaller around him. everything is upside down.~

How do I live without you
I want to know
How do I breathe without you
If you ever go
How do I ever, ever survive
How do I
How do I
Oh, how do I live

This is truly No Man's Land

[thebigapricot]

You might want to scale those scans down a bit. His anger is absolutely justified. Bruce may have asked for funds but he hightailed it out of town after that and left Huntress, Oracle and Jim Gordon to take care of things. Which makes his treatment of Helena when he returned even worse.

[starwolf_oakley]

You might want to scale those scans down a bit.
Done.

Which makes his treatment of Helena when he returned even worse.

Batman is always a dick to Huntress. It's their thing. Now that she knows he's Bruce Wayne, that might change once "The Return of Bruce Wayne" is over. Maybe.