Batman: Earth One -- James Gordon gets a partner

[superboyprime]

That's Barbara Gordon waving, by the way.

Comments

[robinzegblu]

That is the least Bullock-like Bullock I have ever seen. Not corrupt, not chubby, not a Gothamite.

[darkknightjrk]

After reading it, I can tell you that isn't the only big cosmetic difference with these characters, and something happens that might drive Bullock to be more like what he was in the beginning.

[big_daddy_d]

After reading it, I can co-sign to this.

[thatnickguy]

Eh, I don't think Bullock was ever "corrupt." Not like, say, Jim Corrigan from Gotham Central.

Bullock was just a little more...old school. He belonged in the 30s and 40s, where police could get away with quite a bit more, including violence.

He was always a "good" cop in the sense that he still wanted to see the bad guys behind bars ahead of his own needs. He just wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty doing it.

[halloweenjack]

I always thought that Bullock played a sort of pan-Dennis Franz-type character, although he's never really looked like Franz.

[sailorlibra]

I read this whole thing thinking that Harvey was Harvey Dent instead of Harvey Bullock. I didn't realize my mistake until i read the comments. It isn't really a terrible mistake, since this character sure looks a lot more like the former than the latter and doesn't really act like either.

I'm not really sure I buy this take on Gordon, but I'd have to read this to really decide.

[beoweasel]

I was thinking *the exact same thing and confusing him with Dent too.*

[darkknightjrk]

You do actually see a Harvey Dent cameo in a flashback to Bruce's childhood--and the boy was a real prick. :O

[halloweenjack]

Ditto.

[darkblade]

Does Blu-Ray really need to be emphasized? Do we really need extra reminders that this is supposed to be "modern"?

[blueprintstyles]

the second I saw him I yelled "Holy Crap He's In Shape".

[thatnickguy]

That is not Harvey Bullock.

THAT IS NOT HARVEY BULLOCK!!

[superfangirl1]

Lol,I know right. It's weird to call him Harvey Bullock.

[shadowpsykie]

Is Barbara batgirl?

[darkknightjrk]

Not in this story, since Batman literally JUST started out at that point. By the time we get the end, we see her sketching out her own costume...

[shadowpsykie]

Excuse me....

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

The book is worth it for that alone!

[darkknightjrk]

It's actually a great story all together, with a lot of cool teases of where each of the characters are going after this, but that little ending in particular was pretty cool. :D

[promethea4]

And that means I'll be picking up this book. :)

[midnightvoyager]

...he's who?

Gordon is what?

[majingojira]

I'm starting to think overweight people no longer exist in the DCU. Between this and Amanda Waller . . .

[arbre_rieur]

And here's where I take the opportunity to shill DIAL H. It's a DCU title and the main character is an overweight hero. And it's really well-written, with a plot heading in interesting directions. Check it out, people!

[majingojira]

Indeed! 3 issues in and it's already nearing my psuedo-pull list next to Demon Knights.

[razsolo]

I know, right?? Cheezit, DC...!

[an_idol_mind]

So Harvey and Waller share the same personal trainer?

Is Earth One supposed to be a quasi-Bizarro universe? Because I don't really recognize either of the characters here.

And am I the only one who thinks that Harvey resembles Kevin Bacon here>

[darkknightjrk]

Wait until you see Penguin and why Alfred needs a cane!

[lieut_kettch]

So is this supposed to be Harvey early in his career, before he succumbs to the siren song of donuts?

[crinos]

That's what I took from it.

I imagine in ten years he'll be the hard ass tubby slob who bends the rules but is still a good egg deep down we all know and love.

[darkknightjrk]

Yeah--it seems like the whole idea of their arcs is that Gordon starts out at the bottom but rises up when he has to team up with Batman, but in that same adventure, Bullock, who is bright and optimistic, sees something that scars him for life and he starts his decent to the bottom.

[mrstatham]

Oh no... Bullock totally has that 'Gary Frank Face' thing going on in the 'Bluray' panel..

[kraesil]

Harvey Bullock... he's unrecognizable.

[ensiform]

Unless I totally misread this, Gordon is driving by a woman getting beaten because it's "not his business"??!

What the hell? Screw thin, affable Bullock; why is Gordon such an ass?

[lultam]

You'd really need more context to see how this bit makes sense. I actually really enjoyed the whole comic and reading How Bullock reacts to Gotham over the course of the book was one of my favourite parts of it.

[espanolbot]

Because he's under the impression that if he starts doing his job like he used to, then Barbara might be killed in an "unfortunate accident" like his wife was.

[halloweenjack]

That's the part that sort of makes this interesting. My initial reaction is "but Jim Gordon is supposed to be unbreakable; see The Killing Joke, Batman: Year One", but if he's literally unbreakable, then he becomes really boring.

[espanolbot]

It is weird looking at comics that focus on the corruption in the GCPD after seeing the movie Serpico, in that movie (based on the life of a real life cop in the NYPD in the 70s) corruption was so endemic that not only were the ones not on the take potentially going to get murdered by their workmates, but their superiors either ignore or actively suppress investigations as they'd be part of the same system before they rose through the ranks OR they know how badly the police's reputation would be damaged if a public investigation was authorised.

[ap0cryphal]

This Harvey kind of grew on me. Ditto Gordon and Alfred.

That said, for a Batman origin story I was pretty disappointed by Johns' Bruce, who remained a petulant brat throughout. Slightly spoilery notes - the two worst bits were Alfred's epiphany ("He's ready!" - no, he's not. he's not in the slightest ready, you twit.) and the climax (Alfred's Big Damn Heroes moment))

[big_daddy_d]

So I read Batman Earth One and honestly, I enjoyed it. It clearly takes inspiration from the Nolan and Burton Batman films. This, I feel, may be one of the darkest Batman stories ever. Also if Earth One really is "Ultimate" DC, then it definitely comes off that way in both Superman: Earth One, and this book. It was different. Batman didn't come off as perfect for his first time out and you clearly get the sense that he's still learning and is just a young man full of rage. Also Alfred is awesome.

[kirke_novak]

Yeah and that's why i didn't like it all that much. It was a great story just one that i failed to enjoy. Hated the way they retconned Alfread, I feel they'velost a connection Alfred and Bruce had - was there a point in not making Alfred a butler from the beginning? - but I actually liked this Bullock. I get his motivation.

[eyz]

I see Bullock got the same surgeon as "The Wall" :/