This week’s issue of Detective Comics introduces a “Commissioner Gordon” feature by Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla, which will appear in two issues as a backup story, and then start alternating with Snyder and Jock’s Batman stories in Detective‘s. It’s about time: for all his prominence in the 71-year history of Batman, Gordon’s rarely had the spotlight to himself.
James Gordon actually made his first appearance at the same time as Batman, in 1939’s Detective Comics #27. The first Batman story, by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, involves the gray-haired police commissioner “entertaining his young socialite friend Bruce Wayne” until they’re interrupted by a phone call that “Lambert, the chemical king” has been murdered. He appeared again the next month, and became a regular part of the Batman supporting cast by 1940.
More on TIME.com:
54 Years of Batgirls and Batwomen
Q&A: Marv Wolfman on DC Universe Online, Love for Video Games
DC Comics Launches New Digital Storefront
Gordon’s First Starring Role
November 1966: An aging public servant wasn’t quite the sexiest character for a feature of his own in the Golden and Silver Ages of comics, though. The closest Gordon got to a starring role in his first few decades was a backup story in Batman #186, “Commissioner Gordon’s Death-Threat!” As usual, Batman and Robin stole the spotlight from him. In 1977, the cover of Batman Family #11 declared “The debut of a NEW TEAM–Commissioner Gordon and Alfred!” That was also the last we saw of that particular team. Finally, in April 1981’s Batman #334, Gordon got to be the sole featured character… in a one-page backup story.
More on TIME.com:
Batman on Broadway? Dark Knight Heads to the Stage
Frank Miller Reinvents the Commissioner
February 1987: Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s classic “Batman: Year One” storyline in Batman #404-407 put the spotlight squarely on the young Jim Gordon for the first time. Nearly all subsequent appearances of Gordon draw heavily on the way he was portrayed here.
More on TIME.com:
DC Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras On Batman’s New Status Quo (Spoilers)
A Star at Last
December 1996: Fifty-seven years into his career, Gordon finally got his own miniseries: the four-issue Batman: Gordon’s Law, by Chuck Dixon and Klaus Janson. It was followed in 1998 by another four-issue mini, Batman: Gordon of Gotham, by Dennis O’Neil, Dick Giordano and Gotham, and in early 2001 by a five-issue mini, Batman: Turning Points, which featured three writers and a lot of artists.
More on TIME.com:
The Dark Knight Also Rises For Christopher Nolan
In and Out of the Job
March 2001: The “Officer Down” arc in the Batman titles began with Gordon retiring from the police force. (Not the first time he’d quit, either: his wife had replaced him as Gotham’s Police Commissioner in 1995-1996.) He returned to his old job as of 2006’s “One Year Later” event.
More on TIME.com:
Peter J. Tomasi Talks Batman and Robin
Robbed of the Credit
April 2004: Scott Morse wrote and drew the one-shot special “Room Full of Strangers,” in which Gordon stars and Batman puts in only a brief cameo. And who got his name on the cover? Hint: not the guy with the moustache, but the guy with the ears. Gordon just can’t get any respect.
More on TIME.com:
Tony Daniel on Writing and Drawing Batman
Crossover Boss
May 2009: As part of the “Battle for the Cowl” crossover, Gordon got his own one-shot, by Royal McGraw and Tom Mandrake. As so often happens, it involved him tangling with Mr. Freeze. Gordon also starred in a 2010 one-shot as part of the “Bruce Wayne: The Road Home” crossover.
More on TIME.com:
The Comic Book Club: “Strange Tales II” and “Knight & Squire”