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Batman Post-Crisis #102
Batman: Gordon of Gotham
Gotham City Police Commissioner Jim Gordon stars in this new collection of crime stories from the 1990s that stars the colorful, determined cops of Batman's home town.
Collects GORDON OF GOTHAM #1-4, GCPD #1-4 and GORDON'S LAW #1-4.
Collects GORDON OF GOTHAM #1-4, GCPD #1-4 and GORDON'S LAW #1-4.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2014
9 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
About the author
Dennis O'Neil
1,757 books276 followers
Dennis "Denny" O'Neil
was a comic book writer and editor best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement.
His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.
His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
March 31, 2020
3.5 stars
"You wear your funny clothes and your hair long. You call honest cops 'pigs.' You sneer at everything that's decent - family, religion, country. And yet what do you offer? . . . You don't produce anything that anyone needs . . . If it were up to me, I'd let you die in the streets . . ." -- young Jim Gordon during his beat cop days, to an angry hippie who was just thrashed by a corrupt officer
"So . . . why'd you save me?" -- angry but now-confused hippie
"It's my job." -- Jim Gordon, nailing his exit line
Okay, so the Brubaker-penned / Rucka-illustrated Gotham Central volumes are still secure as the gold standard for ride-alongs with the various badge-wearing men and women of the Gotham City Police Department. However, the collection Batman: Gordon of Gotham - which assembles three separate and distinct mini-series (though Gordon is barely featured in the middle story) published in the late 90's - is one of those books that gets better as it progresses. The opener 'Gordon's Law' is forgettable and the art style is ragged and harsh. The follow-up 'GCPD' fares much better - again, it should be noted that here Gordon is a relatively minor character - as it follows a number of the known-quantity investigators like Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya on some of their eventful cases. (Montoya, in particular, is involved in a tricky undercover operation which tests her endurance and courage.) The closer 'Gordon of Gotham' then harkens back to Jim Gordon's pre-Gotham days as a Chicago street cop, battling various types of corruption, which would give him the experience and nerve he would require to one day lead a police force on his own. Not necessarily essential reading, but not a bad collection to peruse during these endless days of CV-19 stay-at-home orders.
"You wear your funny clothes and your hair long. You call honest cops 'pigs.' You sneer at everything that's decent - family, religion, country. And yet what do you offer? . . . You don't produce anything that anyone needs . . . If it were up to me, I'd let you die in the streets . . ." -- young Jim Gordon during his beat cop days, to an angry hippie who was just thrashed by a corrupt officer
"So . . . why'd you save me?" -- angry but now-confused hippie
"It's my job." -- Jim Gordon, nailing his exit line
Okay, so the Brubaker-penned / Rucka-illustrated Gotham Central volumes are still secure as the gold standard for ride-alongs with the various badge-wearing men and women of the Gotham City Police Department. However, the collection Batman: Gordon of Gotham - which assembles three separate and distinct mini-series (though Gordon is barely featured in the middle story) published in the late 90's - is one of those books that gets better as it progresses. The opener 'Gordon's Law' is forgettable and the art style is ragged and harsh. The follow-up 'GCPD' fares much better - again, it should be noted that here Gordon is a relatively minor character - as it follows a number of the known-quantity investigators like Harvey Bullock and Renee Montoya on some of their eventful cases. (Montoya, in particular, is involved in a tricky undercover operation which tests her endurance and courage.) The closer 'Gordon of Gotham' then harkens back to Jim Gordon's pre-Gotham days as a Chicago street cop, battling various types of corruption, which would give him the experience and nerve he would require to one day lead a police force on his own. Not necessarily essential reading, but not a bad collection to peruse during these endless days of CV-19 stay-at-home orders.
June 15, 2021
Gordon of Gotham was rather different. Instead of focusing on Batman, who only makes several brief cameos, this collection of Godan-centered comics looks at the normal police officers. It is a collection of three such mini-series consisting of Gordon of Gotham, GCPD, and Gordon's Law. The stories for the most part are good enough, though nothing great, and the art is rather underwhelming.
The Gordon of Gotham story line revolves around a corrupt cop and Gordon's refusal to have Batman help, trying to do it all himself for some reason, as if Batman would be surprised by any amount of Police venality.
The GCPD story arc is the most inferior of the trio. It primarily revolves around Montoya going undercover and Det. Bullock's frequent run-ins with Internal Affairs.
The final story, and likely the best one of the bunch, is the Gordon's Law where it tells the story of a young Gordon as a police officer in Chicago. It is essentially the story behind why Gordon came to Gotham PD.
While nothing to rave about, this was a different style of Batman story. That made it worth my time to at least read. I enjoyed the Gordon Chicago story. None of the art is worth mentioning save to say bad things about.
The Gordon of Gotham story line revolves around a corrupt cop and Gordon's refusal to have Batman help, trying to do it all himself for some reason, as if Batman would be surprised by any amount of Police venality.
The GCPD story arc is the most inferior of the trio. It primarily revolves around Montoya going undercover and Det. Bullock's frequent run-ins with Internal Affairs.
The final story, and likely the best one of the bunch, is the Gordon's Law where it tells the story of a young Gordon as a police officer in Chicago. It is essentially the story behind why Gordon came to Gotham PD.
While nothing to rave about, this was a different style of Batman story. That made it worth my time to at least read. I enjoyed the Gordon Chicago story. None of the art is worth mentioning save to say bad things about.
September 19, 2024
Compiling Batman: Gordon of Gotham, Batman: GCPD, and Batman: Gordon's Law, there's very little Batman as everything revolves around the GCPD instead. In many ways, it mirrors Gotham Central, but it lacks the stylistic flair of its successor. The titular story is the standout as it delves into Gordon's past, giving him a nice arc and expanding on the everpresent, but not necessarily focused on, cop. Great for those who love the grounded and gritty that Gotham has to offer.
February 8, 2016
The first two stories are of "Aish" quality but the third story is more in the Bish range. The artwork is good if a bit dated in certain sections.
All said, a very good overview of Gotham from Gordon's perspective.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
All said, a very good overview of Gotham from Gordon's perspective.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
July 15, 2025
3.5*
A good collection, focusing on Gordon and/or the GCPD.
- Gordon's Law is dark and gritty, with Dixon and Janson at the top of their game.
- GCPD is the weakest but still commendable: a solid but basic police procedural. Sienkiewicz is inking on Aparo.
- Gordon of Gotham is classic in its plot, with a young Gordon still in Chicago just before his transfer to Gotham, but O'Neill knows his stuff and delivers solid work with the very good Giordano/Janson duo for the graphics
If you like this type of urban police intrigue, it's a cool read.
A good collection, focusing on Gordon and/or the GCPD.
- Gordon's Law is dark and gritty, with Dixon and Janson at the top of their game.
- GCPD is the weakest but still commendable: a solid but basic police procedural. Sienkiewicz is inking on Aparo.
- Gordon of Gotham is classic in its plot, with a young Gordon still in Chicago just before his transfer to Gotham, but O'Neill knows his stuff and delivers solid work with the very good Giordano/Janson duo for the graphics
If you like this type of urban police intrigue, it's a cool read.
March 17, 2018
I wondered what a graphic novel about Gotham, but without Batman, would be like. It turns out, it's not particularly interesting. It's all very noir, but all kind of pointless. Even Gordon doesn't appear very much in the middle of these three stories. I liked the third story the best (though I think it should come first in this collection), for the background it gives on Gordon's early career. The art is a little better in that story, too.
Mostly forgettable. Batman is necessary.
Mostly forgettable. Batman is necessary.
June 25, 2015
With a possible, all right probable, move forthcoming, the comic culling has been an ongoing project. Especially after finally getting me ex-wife and mine storage space empty. Some of the comics in the boxes were in a TBR pile, and now I'm finally getting to that pile with the boxes out of storage. The TPB collects three four issue mini-series that I just completed:
Gordon of Gotham-Dennis O'Neil gives us the best character work out of three series. The story is told mostly is flashback as Gordon relates to Batman how a 20 year old case of police and political corruption from his days as young Chicago police officer has followed him to Gotham. The character bits deal with James and Barbara Gordon's marriage, and the reader sees the early signs of the marriage falling apart.
Gordon's Law-Chuck Dixon crafts a good, but not outstanding, police procedural of Gordon working a case involving corrupt Gotham cops.
Batman GCPD-again Dixon crafts a solid procedural, but with just about zero character work.
There's nothing wrong with a solid procedural tale. Gordon's Law is stronger because of its focus on Gordon, whereas GCPD's focus is spread among the members of the major crimes unit.
Staying with the same theme and genre, but not collected in this TPB is Metropolis SCU. This is way before DC New 52, when Maggie Sawyer headed the city's Special Crime Unit that dealt with super villain threats and the like. Maggie is as tough as a cop as you'll find in comics, and she was the first outed lesbian cop. The case itself is average at best, an eco-terrorist out to kill humans for killing the planet. The best part of this four issue series is Maggie's relationship with her lover, ex-husband, and daughter. The writer does a good job of letting the reader see the Maggie behind the badge.
A slight deviation from our theme of this review is Guardians of Metropolis which I thought would deal more with Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters and life in Suicide Slum. No so, but it remains a fund read. Karl Kessel, along with Walt Simonson is one of the few writers who gets Kirby's characters and can achieve the right tone when it comes to telling stories about them.
I like to give DC credit for trying to tell stories in their mainstream universe that involve normal people. I very strongly recommend Gotham Central if you like cop stories, and the super hero antics are kept to a minimum.
Gordon of Gotham-Dennis O'Neil gives us the best character work out of three series. The story is told mostly is flashback as Gordon relates to Batman how a 20 year old case of police and political corruption from his days as young Chicago police officer has followed him to Gotham. The character bits deal with James and Barbara Gordon's marriage, and the reader sees the early signs of the marriage falling apart.
Gordon's Law-Chuck Dixon crafts a good, but not outstanding, police procedural of Gordon working a case involving corrupt Gotham cops.
Batman GCPD-again Dixon crafts a solid procedural, but with just about zero character work.
There's nothing wrong with a solid procedural tale. Gordon's Law is stronger because of its focus on Gordon, whereas GCPD's focus is spread among the members of the major crimes unit.
Staying with the same theme and genre, but not collected in this TPB is Metropolis SCU. This is way before DC New 52, when Maggie Sawyer headed the city's Special Crime Unit that dealt with super villain threats and the like. Maggie is as tough as a cop as you'll find in comics, and she was the first outed lesbian cop. The case itself is average at best, an eco-terrorist out to kill humans for killing the planet. The best part of this four issue series is Maggie's relationship with her lover, ex-husband, and daughter. The writer does a good job of letting the reader see the Maggie behind the badge.
A slight deviation from our theme of this review is Guardians of Metropolis which I thought would deal more with Jack Kirby's Fourth World characters and life in Suicide Slum. No so, but it remains a fund read. Karl Kessel, along with Walt Simonson is one of the few writers who gets Kirby's characters and can achieve the right tone when it comes to telling stories about them.
I like to give DC credit for trying to tell stories in their mainstream universe that involve normal people. I very strongly recommend Gotham Central if you like cop stories, and the super hero antics are kept to a minimum.
December 12, 2014
Collection of reprints from the late 90's. Thematically a precursor to the "Gotham Central" run, both in character mix and in the focus on the 'normal' people who inhabit the world of superheroes.
March 6, 2018
This fine, fine anthology reprints three worthy four-issue mini-series from 1996, 1997, 1998, all featuring Commissioner James Gordon and the personnel of Gotham City Police Department. More to the point, the talent crafting the stories is world-class. A veritable Charlton Comics reunion of O'Neil, Giordano, and Aparo (inked effectively by Sincievicz!) Two great Charles Dixon hard-boiled police yarns. Lots, lots of Klaus Janson, pencils, and inks over Giordano.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
August 21, 2024
Had some premise and thought would be interesting. But the character are just not compelling enough. The arcs are kind of bland, especially post Long Halloween and a variety of the other Batman stories.
Dragged and wasnt bothered by the end.
Dragged and wasnt bothered by the end.
June 29, 2015
This is probably one of the most boring comics I have read, I'll have to admit. I actually put it down to do some work, that's how disengaging it was. It's divided into three parts and the only redeeming part was the last story, which featured the kind of narrative one hopes to see similar to Batman: Year One only extremely dumbed down in comparison. I can't say much other than that, since the rest is easily forgettable even before finishing the book. Not recommended at all.
November 29, 2020
"You're a bastard, Gordon. But you're an honest one."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No relation between the stiffs. They were all male and got bears delivered to them."
I just want someone to read this line without any context.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No relation between the stiffs. They were all male and got bears delivered to them."
I just want someone to read this line without any context.
February 5, 2015
Surprisingly good (though the final line of the volume is terrible). I wish the tv show GOTHAM had taken a page out of this.
February 14, 2021
Batman: Gordon of Gotham is a collection of three limited series that centers on James Gordon and the G.C.P.D. Batman: Gordon of Gotham collect all twelve issues from all three limited series (Batman: Gordon of Gotham #1–4, Batman: G.C.P.D. #1–4 and Batman: Gordon's Law #1–4).
"Gordon's Law" (★★★★☆) is a four-issue limited series (Batman: Gordon's Law #1–4), in which a bank robbery is carried off to perfection and with little concern for the lives of others. It's a case that haunts Gordon, who was present at the time, and it's not anything he can share with other officers, and for reasons revealed he doesn't want Batman involved.
"Batman: G.C.P.D." (★★★☆☆) is a four-issue limited series (Batman: G.C.P.D. #1–4), it centers more on the GCPD than Gordon and centers mainly on Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya, and lesser known detectives in Kasinsky and Kitch who're investigating robberies where the goods are offered back to the insurers.
"Gordon of Gotham" (★★★★☆) is a four-issue limited series (Batman: Gordon of Gotham #1–4), looks back to his early days on the force in Chicago. Gordon is partnered with a brutal cop to whom the upstanding Gordon is a complete pain. Gordon's naivety, though, it seems, will ensure he's ensnared in the amoral atmosphere.
Chuck Dixon (Batman: Gordon's Law #1–4 and Batman: G.C.P.D. #1–4) and Dennis O'Neil (Batman: Gordon of Gotham #1–4) penned the trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well. All three tales contrast Gordon's honesty with the corruption rife in the police department he oversees, with the title story, the final one here, depicting just how close he came to accepting the status quo in his younger days.
Klaus Janson (Batman: Gordon's Law #1–4), Jim Aparo (Batman: G.C.P.D. #1–4) and Dick Giordano (Batman: Gordon of Gotham #1–4) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling style is rather unique, but the flow wasn't too badly interrupted as they each penciled one story each.
All in all, Batman: Gordon of Gotham is a wonderful collection of three limited series that focuses mainly on James Gordon and the G.C.P.D.
"Gordon's Law" (★★★★☆) is a four-issue limited series (Batman: Gordon's Law #1–4), in which a bank robbery is carried off to perfection and with little concern for the lives of others. It's a case that haunts Gordon, who was present at the time, and it's not anything he can share with other officers, and for reasons revealed he doesn't want Batman involved.
"Batman: G.C.P.D." (★★★☆☆) is a four-issue limited series (Batman: G.C.P.D. #1–4), it centers more on the GCPD than Gordon and centers mainly on Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya, and lesser known detectives in Kasinsky and Kitch who're investigating robberies where the goods are offered back to the insurers.
"Gordon of Gotham" (★★★★☆) is a four-issue limited series (Batman: Gordon of Gotham #1–4), looks back to his early days on the force in Chicago. Gordon is partnered with a brutal cop to whom the upstanding Gordon is a complete pain. Gordon's naivety, though, it seems, will ensure he's ensnared in the amoral atmosphere.
Chuck Dixon (Batman: Gordon's Law #1–4 and Batman: G.C.P.D. #1–4) and Dennis O'Neil (Batman: Gordon of Gotham #1–4) penned the trade paperback. For the most part, it is written rather well. All three tales contrast Gordon's honesty with the corruption rife in the police department he oversees, with the title story, the final one here, depicting just how close he came to accepting the status quo in his younger days.
Klaus Janson (Batman: Gordon's Law #1–4), Jim Aparo (Batman: G.C.P.D. #1–4) and Dick Giordano (Batman: Gordon of Gotham #1–4) penciled the trade paperback. For the most part, their penciling style is rather unique, but the flow wasn't too badly interrupted as they each penciled one story each.
All in all, Batman: Gordon of Gotham is a wonderful collection of three limited series that focuses mainly on James Gordon and the G.C.P.D.
January 21, 2024
DC released Batman: Gordon of Gotham in 2014. This book collects three mini-series that were released in the '90s, each composed of four issues. These mini-series are Batman: Gordon’s Law, Batman: GCPD, and Batman: Gordon of Gotham. Don’t let the title fool you; Batman plays a minimal role in this book. What I appreciate about these three stories is their grounded nature; there are no supervillains involved, just your good old police drama.
Batman: Gordon’s Law, written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Klaus Janson, primarily focuses on Commissioner Gordon. He discovers that members of the GCPD were involved in a robbery. This story is about Gordon's attempt to rid the department of the rotten apples. However, he refuses Batman’s help and decides to keep it within the family due to the personnel involved. While I'm not a fan of Klaus Janson, I must admit that his art complements the tone of the story.
While Gordon’s Law focuses more on Commissioner Gordon, Batman: GCPD, as the name implies, centers more on the police department. If you enjoyed Gotham Central, you'll likely appreciate this story. A lot of things happen in this story. Rene Montoya has had enough of Harvey Bullock’s violent ways, so she requests a transfer out of the Major Crimes Unit. Bullock’s storyline with his new partner is quite interesting, but Montoya also plays a significant role in this story. Like Gordon’s Law, this story is written by Chuck Dixon. However, the artist for this story is Jim Aparo, one of my favorite Batman artists.
The last story, Batman: Gordon of Gotham, was written by Dennis O’Neil and illustrated by Dick Giordano. In Batman: Year One, it was revealed that Jim Gordon used to be a cop from Chicago before moving to Gotham City. O’Neil, in this story, explores Gordon’s time in Chicago and why he had to leave. This feels like a Gordon Year One story. What I appreciate about this narrative is that it shows that Gordon is not by any means perfect, especially to his wife.
Gotham Central is one of my favorite DC titles, and I was sad when I finished reading it. I was trying to find stories similar to Gotham Central, which is why I’m glad I found this book. While it’s not as good as Gotham Central, it definitely satisfied my itch for GCPD drama.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
Batman: Gordon’s Law, written by Chuck Dixon and illustrated by Klaus Janson, primarily focuses on Commissioner Gordon. He discovers that members of the GCPD were involved in a robbery. This story is about Gordon's attempt to rid the department of the rotten apples. However, he refuses Batman’s help and decides to keep it within the family due to the personnel involved. While I'm not a fan of Klaus Janson, I must admit that his art complements the tone of the story.
While Gordon’s Law focuses more on Commissioner Gordon, Batman: GCPD, as the name implies, centers more on the police department. If you enjoyed Gotham Central, you'll likely appreciate this story. A lot of things happen in this story. Rene Montoya has had enough of Harvey Bullock’s violent ways, so she requests a transfer out of the Major Crimes Unit. Bullock’s storyline with his new partner is quite interesting, but Montoya also plays a significant role in this story. Like Gordon’s Law, this story is written by Chuck Dixon. However, the artist for this story is Jim Aparo, one of my favorite Batman artists.
The last story, Batman: Gordon of Gotham, was written by Dennis O’Neil and illustrated by Dick Giordano. In Batman: Year One, it was revealed that Jim Gordon used to be a cop from Chicago before moving to Gotham City. O’Neil, in this story, explores Gordon’s time in Chicago and why he had to leave. This feels like a Gordon Year One story. What I appreciate about this narrative is that it shows that Gordon is not by any means perfect, especially to his wife.
Gotham Central is one of my favorite DC titles, and I was sad when I finished reading it. I was trying to find stories similar to Gotham Central, which is why I’m glad I found this book. While it’s not as good as Gotham Central, it definitely satisfied my itch for GCPD drama.
My Batman Collected Editions Instagram page
December 15, 2022
Meh. This is, very much Law & Order: Gotham. I enjoyed some parts of it. It was interesting to see the character growth of a number of the GCPD characters, and Gordon got some good screen time. I liked that Batman was merely a presence in the background. But, all that said, the stories were not particularly compelling and the mysteries were not particularly interesting to me. It's an enjoyable read-through if you like Gordon, but it's ultimately forgettable and can be safely ignored.
December 26, 2021
Batman from the point of view of the GCPD is my favourite way to experience Gotham, and these stories are quite good, but some confusing panelling/plotting and art that doesn't quite reach the sublime heights of other entries renders this collection just slightly worse-off than the heights of Gotham Central.
July 3, 2019
This book had been sitting on my bookshelf for probably close to 4-5 years. Finally gave it a read this week. The first two arcs were just OK. However, the actual arc/series titled Gordon of Gotham was really good and with great art.
August 4, 2018
Excellent stories about Jim Gordon.
May 26, 2019
Fantastic examination of Gordon, displaying why he is one of the most compelling characters in the Bat-verse.
October 2, 2019
Very interesting reading Batman comics with very little or no Batman in the stories. Gordon is a fascinating character though and very much worth the read
October 31, 2019
No real surprises, the tales are fairly straightforward. I do enjoy spending time with Gordon and the GCPD though.
September 22, 2022
This should have been excellent. It was decent. I like the idea of a Gordon focused crime comic but it didn't blow me away. Too bad the Gotham TV show didn't go this route though
March 19, 2025
Gritty crime procedurals that are visceral and exciting. Artwork by Klaus Janson, Jim Aparo and Dick Giordano are fantastic.
Read
May 3, 2025Fuck Dixon, but Aparo and Janson are absolutely at the top of their games, genre-defining artists of their generations
January 3, 2015
Of the three miniseries collected herein, the eponymous storyline is the worst. The first is a Gordon-centric story (unsurprising considering the collection) about corruption in the ranks of Modern Gotham's Finest, which seems mostly out of place, considering all the efforts of Gordon and Crew over the years. Still, it is Gotham, and one must expect those sorts of things, even on Jim Gordon's watch. It's a fairly decent story, though more or less predictable, giving us a nice amount of Gordon and Good Cop time, reassuring us that these people are occasionally competent without Batman. Unfortunately, this story does fall prey to one of the more frustrating tendencies suffered by many Writers of Gordon: he always pushes people away without ever explaining anything. He is desperately lonely, is clearly capable of deep love and affection, is intelligent and moral enough to stand up for Justice and such, yet so many Batman writers cannot competently write for him, wanting him to be basically a "decent" version of Arkham inmates (as evidenced in the eponymous storyline of this collection). Instead of Gordon telling Batman "I would appreciate you not investigating this one as its rather personal and embarrassing," the Creative Time has Gordon just run away and shout and threaten - supposedly at one of his few trusted friends. Poor characterization, that, but at least Gordon shows off his mettle and detective skills, and we are treated to a few mildly impressive twists here and there.
Collection 2 is an even more-refreshing change of pace giving us mostly a "Barney Miller in Gotham" feel, with most of the attention on the Major Crimes detectives and some of their investigations. It does have a rather infuriating twist of Montoya and Bullock breaking up for a time, though the resolution of their tensions with each other and their versions of Justice and their roles as police officers is handled fairly well (if not mostly typically). Gordon only appears in a few panels, giving him a much-needed break, and it even has some credible humorous panels and a supporting story of The Case of the Missing Squad Room Supplies. This was definitely the best story of the collection, though I'm biased to Montoya and Bullock stories of their heyday from the '90s.
The "Gordon of Gotham" storyline is almost all flashback of another version of Young Jim Gordon, one apparently corrupt and tainted and slightly anti-Barbara. Bleh. I'm not saying Jim Gordon has to be Lt. Almost Perfect, but I'm pretty tired of all the "Jim Gordon has Flaws!" stories. We know he isn't perfect, but he can be a lot more interesting than most writers seem to want him to be. Trying to make him as tainted as the crooks he arrests is not the way to make him a rounded, interesting character. Having him fly off the handle at Barbara and push her away and then always complain about how lonely he is all the time is not the way to make him a full, rich character. Overall, it's a disappointing tale poorly constructed. The resolution of Gordon finally "exorcising demons" is basically a magic wand to wipe away all his guilt in no credible way, a seeming give-up by the writing and editing team. Unimpressive.
Collection 2 is an even more-refreshing change of pace giving us mostly a "Barney Miller in Gotham" feel, with most of the attention on the Major Crimes detectives and some of their investigations. It does have a rather infuriating twist of Montoya and Bullock breaking up for a time, though the resolution of their tensions with each other and their versions of Justice and their roles as police officers is handled fairly well (if not mostly typically). Gordon only appears in a few panels, giving him a much-needed break, and it even has some credible humorous panels and a supporting story of The Case of the Missing Squad Room Supplies. This was definitely the best story of the collection, though I'm biased to Montoya and Bullock stories of their heyday from the '90s.
The "Gordon of Gotham" storyline is almost all flashback of another version of Young Jim Gordon, one apparently corrupt and tainted and slightly anti-Barbara. Bleh. I'm not saying Jim Gordon has to be Lt. Almost Perfect, but I'm pretty tired of all the "Jim Gordon has Flaws!" stories. We know he isn't perfect, but he can be a lot more interesting than most writers seem to want him to be. Trying to make him as tainted as the crooks he arrests is not the way to make him a rounded, interesting character. Having him fly off the handle at Barbara and push her away and then always complain about how lonely he is all the time is not the way to make him a full, rich character. Overall, it's a disappointing tale poorly constructed. The resolution of Gordon finally "exorcising demons" is basically a magic wand to wipe away all his guilt in no credible way, a seeming give-up by the writing and editing team. Unimpressive.
May 8, 2016
Comic Noire. Focussing on the eponymous character this is a collected series of tales about his younger days as well as mysteries set in the current times.
The stories were a mixed bag I thought ranging from the excellent to the just fine. While it was a fine read and I found the stories interesting there were moments where the pace and art flagged I thought. It was never less than workmanlike and it may be that my views on the art was a reflection of my tastes.
Still, nice to read about non super-powered and non-ninja characters. Nice to see a plot and a mystery within the comic as well and nice to see the resurgence of noire.
A good read, but not a great read. It can be both a strength and weakness of episodic tales. You are never too far from a different take on in all but just because you like the first does not mean you will not like the second.
The stories were a mixed bag I thought ranging from the excellent to the just fine. While it was a fine read and I found the stories interesting there were moments where the pace and art flagged I thought. It was never less than workmanlike and it may be that my views on the art was a reflection of my tastes.
Still, nice to read about non super-powered and non-ninja characters. Nice to see a plot and a mystery within the comic as well and nice to see the resurgence of noire.
A good read, but not a great read. It can be both a strength and weakness of episodic tales. You are never too far from a different take on in all but just because you like the first does not mean you will not like the second.
October 3, 2015
Commissioner Gordon is one of those characters in the Gotham/Batman universe that we want to know more about. This bound volume features stories garnered from 3 x 4-comic series. The first story throws you into the fray...and it takes a while to fully absorb the case you've be enmeshed with. By the last series we are digging into Gordon's past, his psyche, his relationship with his wife and other officers. There's a lot here to chew on. The artwork is pretty amazing. Including inking by Bill Sienkiewicz who has done amazing work in the past from the original New Mutants covers to the Stray Toasters series. For Batman fans this is a must read. For others, this provides an interesting snapshot setting the tone for other misadventures in Gotham with the Dark Night.
September 10, 2016
Nice throwback to the 90s as James Gordon stars in three stories collected in one novel. Denny O'Neil and Chuck Dixon definitely have a great handle on the character and the lack of Batman in the stories (for the most part) actually helps the narrative. The plot of all three stories were pretty cookie cutter but that doesn't mean they were bad. I wished we could have gotten more glances into his family history as well. The art was good, except Klaus Janson's sketchy art made differentiating characters difficult at times. Overall, this is a good book that spotlights one of Gotham's greatest.
November 19, 2016
irregular, pero bien. la primera historia, gordon's law, peca de un arte acaso demasiado milleresco --no en vano es ilustrada por klaus janson, quien entintó los tres tomos de the dark knight returns--, pero es un buen noir de un hombre contra la corporación; el segundo, gotham city police department, es un procedural de manual con una irremediable tendencia derechista, y el tercero, gordon of gotham --que es una precuela a batman: año uno-- es otra historia bien escrita con gordon enfrentando a un peculiar asesino a sueldo y a (cómo no) el corrupto departamento policía de chicago. bien, pues. como un episodio de nypd blue con cameos de batman.
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