What Good Is Batman? - An Old Cop's Perspective

[espanolbot]

Lately I've seen people complain that the situation in Gotham City is so terrible that they've started asking "What good is Batman if it never gets any better?". Since has been shown to not be the case, I thought that I'd do a brief series of posts about the positive changes the various versions of Batman have made to their city over the years.

First up, Batman meets his inspiration!

Taking place in Batman 603, this issue takes place at the turning point of the Bruce Wayne: Murderer storyline, wherein Bruce decided to become Batman fulltime in response to his civilian persona getting framed for murdering one of his ex-girlfriends.

The issue begins with Bruce getting a call from Oracle, it seems that a dying former cop by the name of Sloan has been asking for Batman. Who is Sloan? Well...


Yeah, since this was written, it seems that the Christopher Nolan idea that Jim Gordon was the cop who filled this role seems to have been accepted in the Arkham games, the comics and in the upcoming Gotham show... though the discussion of how it makes it seem that the same few people did everyone in Gotham's past is one for another time.

Batman goes to Sloan's room at the hospital, and the old detective begins talking about the early years of Batman's career (coincidentally at the end of his own), and the difference he's made to the city.







Sloan asks Batman to try and solve his last unsolved case: the Murder of the Waynes. He goes on to say that although the city seems to have decided that Bruce is guilty of the murder he's been accused of, he knows from his experience that despite what people have been saying, the deaths of his parents didn't turn Bruce into a potential murderer all those years ago.

Thus, he owes it to him to try and figure out who killed his parents, even though he hadn't been able to solve it himself in the twenty years since (even after retiring he tried to solve it, having made a promise to Bruce at his parents' funeral to find those responsible).

Bruce accepts the case, acknowledging that it was Sloan's persistence and passion for his job that partially went on to inspired him later in life, though Sloan doesn't hear him say this though. This conversation convinces Batman that his Bruce Wayne persona is worth salvaging, and he contacts the rest of the Bat Family to try and figure it out.

From the same story, although from a different issue, here's various people's opinions on the whole murder accusation deal, which also highlights some of the good Bruce does for the community in his non-punchy role.

Comments

[zapbiffpow]

What good is Batman? For fighting goddamn lions, if Batman #31 counts.

Okay okay, now for the substantial part: I always like the street-level interactions Batman has with the Gothamites (Gothamians?) Gotham Central even had his symbol on the GCPD's official case board along with his clearance record, as if he were a co-worker.

I will have to ask, though: why didn't Bruce ask for help during this storyline? Everyone was doubting him all around, right?

[tianyulong]

Because he wanted to retire the Bruce Wayne persona and become Batman 24/7

[nyadnar17]

Batman's family tried to help. Batman responded by punching Nightwing in the face. Basically Batman was not in a good mental state after his girl friend got murdered and dealt with in the worst way possible. Once he got his head together enough to let his family help him they did.

[zapbiffpow]

Goddamn, that's cold - he must've been in a really bad place. Thanks!

[shadowpsykie]

damn. i admit, the teen shelter thing made me choke up for some reason....

[thediiem]

Some people seem to forget that Batman can't do his job without Bruce Wayne, and I liked that this story touched on that a bit. Bruce Wayne is the one that creates charities for free clinics and funds orphanages and shelters. Bruce Wayne is the one that offers straight jobs to small-time crooks and scholarships to homeless kids. Bruce Wayne donates money to the GCPD for equipment and training in the face of a changing breed of criminal. Bruce Wayne keeps Batman from being just a violent reactionary figure, and lets Bruce proactively change Gotham for the better.

[big_daddy_d]

It is really nice to see Bruce doing things for Gotham and the people without donning the cowl. Things like this in a super hero comic, I appreciate.

[zapbiffpow]

THIS.

In a weird sense, everything about Bruce Wayne sorta makes him the best man for the job.

[burkeonthesly]

It's the kind of thing that's always going on in the background, but the writers forget to ever show us, so we forget it's happening. I'd really like to see a writer who focuses on daytime Bruce Wayne, all the good he does without a mask on.

[icon_uk]

Devin Grayson did an excellent "Done in one" issue of Gotham Knights which more or less does exactly that, though I agree it should be address more often.

[burkeonthesly]

One more reason to love Scans_Daily: every time I say "they should really write X," someone comes back with, "they did, here's the link." This place is magic.

[big_daddy_d]

The line about holding that shooter in front of a train...that made me laugh.

[glprime]

Whenever Bruce dispels the mystery of the shadowy figure it always gets a snicker out of me.

Like sneaking up on Superman is just an extra gizmo. It's a shrug to Bruce to explain these things to demi-gods and fallen angels. "Come on people, stop and use your brains for a minute."

Things like that are why I loved Morrison's JLA run.
Plastic Man: Y'know why Steel and I are friends? Because we're both lateral thinkers...