#jim gordon analysis

[it-happened-once-in-a-meme]

How Gotham Characters' Religious Beliefs Change and Oswald Cobblepot's Fear of Hell 🔥

Inspired by @shyjusticewarrior 's post saying that we don't talk enough about Oswald's canonical fear of hell

Spoilers for S02 E12

My headcanon is that after people were resurrected, especially Theo Galavan, who Oswald saw die very clearly, some main characters (I'm thinking Jim too) kinda became agnostic. Sure, a miracle just happened, but what a weird one. Was Theo in hell? Mhm, he came back with a god complex and badass powers instead of traumatized, does it really matter?

Also let's not forget that Oswald was willing to die/okay with it multiple times, either for loved ones or because he hit rock bottom. 😢

In total, a lot of Gotham characters start out with a big fear of hell because if it's used to instill fear in Gothamites, it must be horrifying with how bad Gotham already is. And then the resurrections start.

[shyjusticewarrior]

Gothamites hate coming up with original names

Dick is named after his uncle Richard and his middle name is his father's name

Jason is named after his grandfather

Barbara is named after her mother and her brother James is named after their father

Dinah is named after her mother

Tim's middle name is Jackson and his father's name was Jack

[ichayalovesyou]

Why Do Old-School TV Duos Have SUCH MLM Vibes?!

I think there’s something very specific about the formula and writing style of non-serialized/semi-serialized shows from the 60s to 80s that featured two grown men going on wacky dangerous adventures that makes my gay little literary analysis brain go absolutely off the wall bonkers. I’m trying to figure out why!

I’m writing this on my Trek blog because I don’t think this pattern in people actually shipping these types of relationships the way they do if fandom as we know it wasn’t born via TOS in syndication. That being said! I also think it has to do with the way these shows are designed that makes myself and others OBSESSED with a specific character dynamic that feels (to me) damn near impossible to replicate in modern television. In a way that’s more than just fandom, it’s in the way TV like this was written at the time!

Further explanation under the cut!

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I think what it usually boils down to is this. There’s a charming protagonist whom without the series could not operate, frequently top billed or the title character! (See: Wild Wild West, Starsky & Hutch) BUT he doesn’t have anyone to play off of! So what do they do pretty much every single time? Give Mr. Idealized Vision of Time-Period Masculinity For Genre a second guy to rhyme with!

See but the other guy has to play opposite but parallel to our hypermasculine protagonist. So what frequently ends up happening is that in order to play off our “normal” guy, even though he’s also a white dude, is that he’s still somehow Other.

They’re always perfect for each other, and they always get into scenarios that would be written, shot and interpreted by conventional audiences as romantic IF either one of those characters were a woman! Especially at the time these shows were made in.

If the one is aggressive, the other is gentle. If the protagonist is violent, his counterpart is intellectual. If the one is stoic, the other is emotional. Which (while one size def doesn’t fit all) usually makes the second guy come off as much more queer-coded (and sometimes other minorities like neurodivergent/disabled etc) than the other because of the traits associated with masculinity vs gayness at the time! Our prime examples in these gifs are Spock, Hutch, Artemus, and also *BJ!

*(M*A*S*H is a bit of a unique case since the show flirts with queerness more openly in ways that people more into the series have explained better than me but I think it still fits the formula I’m discussing.)

Here’s the thing though right? We’ve got two best friends, and the show NEVER really feels right if one of them is missing unless the focus of the story is how A & B operate without each other while trying to find the other one. They stick with and rescue each other unfailingly in scenarios that might destroy a regular friendship.

Hell, there’s often stuff that would emotionally/physically destroy a regular person/character in modern media. But because it’s not serialized they always seem to pull through seemingly through the power of friendship alone or dealing with it off-screen! Emotional consequences? Yuck! (Unless it’s M*A*S*H or Starsky & Hutch, like I said, not monolithic)

Here’s the thing that some people might say throws a wrench into the interpretation I’m discussing. What about the absolutely non-stop parade of conventionally attractive women the main protagonist (and less frequently the supporting man) goes through?

I would reply: how many of those female characters actually emotionally impact our protagonists as characters long term?

The answer is of course, because it’s NOT serialized, almost none! Kirk can watch Edith Keeler get killed by a car accident and still be making eyes at Spock the next episode. Hawkeye can have a “life changing” romance with a Vietnamese humanitarian woman, then share a blanket with BJ next episode like she never existed!

The Doylist explanation of course is not just the fact it wasn’t serialized but also just, constant, blatant 20th century sexism. Which SUCKS!!! As well as not wanting a long term love interest to throw off the character dynamic of our duderagonists. It’s the 20th century tv equivalent of bros before hoes.

However the Watsonian explanation always seems to result in no love interest EVER being more important than what the two protagonists have no matter whether you think they’re queer or not. No attractive woman could make our reputed babe-hound protagonist abandon his buddy. There’s no earnest romance our more queer-coded supporting man doesn’t end (or get ended for him) often for the protagonist’s sake.

Now some of these women are incredibly well written and straight up GOOD matches for our guys. So why wouldn’t they get involved in something long term UNLESS!! They were in love with each other the WHOLE time?

What if protagonist (frequently the babe hound) doesnt know he’s queer, or knows but doesn’t know he’s in love with his bestie, or any number of similar fruity explanations? The supporting man also runs into this explanation but people tend to believe he’s already aware that he’s queer but either also doesn’t know he’s in love or is keeping it to himself because time-period homophobia and/or thinking (probably not unreasonably) that babe hound is straight?

Between the inherent closeness of being narrative foils. The regularly scheduled life or death drama creating sometimes insanely romantic (in the narrative if not a literal sense) drama between the two. The revolving door of weekly women they never seem to get attached to enough to leave one another. The non-serialized nature resulting in sparse personal information/history about the protagonists as a result.

I think between the very NATURE of the way tv shows were written at the time. Plus the way fandom was shaped by a dynamic that has rippled through how media works and is interpreted by fans for decades upon decades. It’s not hard to imagine getting really emotionally invested in the possibility of the protagonists being in love is a fantastic way to enjoy the media!

In conclusion, it’s really fun and easy to go “these bitches gay! Good for them good for them!”

[ambriel-angstwitch]

Batman Hush Part 4

(Batman 614-616)

Bruce really does try to kill this man. But people keep stopping him. First Superman now Catwoman.

I do like Bruce’s monologue and I do think it’s could be true. He’d 100% feel guilty about it and probably get mad at himself for it after the rage fades but I don’t think he’d truly regret it. He wouldn’t want to undo it I don’t think.

I think it’s interesting his commentary on his sons. Dick was remarkably talented but one thing Bruce fails to mention here is that Dick also had something Bruce wanted to help him work through just like Jason. Dick had grief which Bruce understood better than rage. (Though let’s be real Dick has also had rage. I mean he wanted to kill his parents killer.)

Once again somebody else stops Bruce from killing for his son, and everyone else the Joker hurt. It’s interesting that every plea not to end Joker is usually not a moral plea rather a plea for Bruce. They know that the world won’t be worse if Batman kills Joker but they don’t think that Batman will surprise.

Though all these people stopping him makes me wonder why he failed to mention any of this to Jason. Like I feel like when Jason asked “Why didn’t you avenge me?” saying “Superman stoppped me and then Catwoman and then Jim said he’d send the entirety of the police department to hunt me down if I did so” is a pretty good defense

Not Tim and Dick gossiping at their Dad’s friends funeral. That’s such a brother thing to do though. Tim’s like “Are we supposed to know this guy?”

I love Bruce’s comment on his sons how they fill his life. I just love when he expresses love for his children (even if not directly to them)

That’s definitely not traumatizing at all to see your dear friends face overlayed on top of your sons

What about the relationships he’s had with men? (I’m going to be honest I can’t think of any of those that ended well either)

All jokes aside Dick does have a point and while Bruce brushes him aside at first he will come to realize that

I love when the Robins or Bruce question whether Robin was a good thing. Like it’s always just such an interesting thing to consider. Like Bruce’s concern that he ruined his kids lives. But he loves his kids and he’s admiring Dick’s gifts and I just love that.

I love how clear it is that Talía loves him and not just in a self centered way. Like Talia’s not perfect but she cares about what he wants. She wants him to want her but even more so she wants him to be happy even without her.

Some villains in love with a hero might destroy what that person loves so that all they have left is them but no Talia chooses to heal the person that he loves even though that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll choose her.

And she has a final conversation with him to make sure he knows the risks of what he’s doing and will do it anyway.

I love Alfred looking out for Bruce, and I love him expressing the feelings the Bruce will not. He knows Bruce, he cares for Bruce, He raised Bruce and I love seeing that portrayed

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[larsisfrommars]

When I say I was not PREPARED. I mean, I had seen gif sets of this clip before but I was NOT prepared for the AUDIO. Oh my god poor Artie!

The Night of The Death Masks really was Artemus's terrible no good very bad day. He gets betrayed, drugged, kidnapped, shot in the leg and then is led to believe he killed his boyfriend best friend!

The dropping the gun and then to his knees in despair, the terrible little "oh no's" and the way his voice breaks when he says "Jim". The closest we get to this level of sad before then I think is in Druid's Blood where Artemus is very visibly trying not to break down while Jim is seemingly gravely injured and comatose.

But what REALLY gets me in this scene is the sobbing, which is wild considering by that point Artie knows Jim isn't dead! A testament to how good of an actor Artie/Ross is!

I mean it's really difficult to get crying/sobbing to sound right when you aren't actually crying let alone look real and he does both. He's actually shaking and everything, you can feel it, I feel like some actors even today forget we cry with our whole bodies, and he does.

That's really impressive. Especially considering the fact that art hadn't exactly been perfected for TV or film yet. Male characters in particular considering how such intense displays of sadness were rare (unless somebody actually died) and even then it was kinda hit or miss at times. I'm just so impressed.

Acting (good acting anyway) tends to lead you to pull from real life experiences to put emotion into your performance. I can only imagine Artie just sort of, unpaused the emotional reaction he was having when he really thought Jim was dead in order to convince Stark and Co that he still believed it.

It would've been really easy for them to have played this scene for laughs. To let Artie play up the crying as a comedic bit, but neither Ross nor the director took that angle I really love that.

The emotional depth of Jim and Artemus's relationship is really well displayed in how this scene was done. Even if part of it was a ploy and they jump back into the action-adventure shenanigans right after. It's really well balanced, and in a time where it feels like a lot of TV writing has lost touch with when to be tender/intense and when to be funny this scene just really stuck out to me.

I really do love this show.

[popthebop]

Actual opinions on GCPD and the rest of the cast in the GCPD (can’t say this in the dc discord I fear)

they are not good people all of them have at least committed 7 acts of police brutality, there’s a reason why Batman is a vigilante in Gotham.

A lot of the copagnda in Batman is that these acts of brutality and violence and manipulation and coercion, are deemed “good for the many” while in fact they keep fucking beating kids half to death or selling evidence for a profit or misplacing evidence or planting evidence or any of the many other things. (Uhhh in Gotham central that happens more times then I can count) (in the main comics I actually cannot count, fuck Harvey bullock biggest Harvey hater)

They run and have always run on the “guilty til proven innocent” narrative and it wants to you sit down and just accept it along with everything else.

(Some of the rouges are just literally guys who are poor, I will not even lie. killer croc is poor and disparaged due to his skin condition and the years of abuses and exploitations. or Mr freeze especially who worked on a teacher’s salary and couldn’t afford his wife’s medical bills and maybe if he had the money before she her cancer got worse perhaps he never would have been so desperate to save Nora perhaps the gothcorp incident that made him Mr freeze would have never happened. I find it very funny and frustrating that almost all the rouges became rouges due to wealth disparity and the abuses of the Gotham foster and healthcare system. The cops and the racism and the everything. But it’s never explored beyond “Mr freeze is evil” or whatever sorry I am a Mr freeze apologist)

The GCPD aren’t good people, in essence they can never Be “GOOD” that’s who they are they are the foil to Batman, the “law” he never follows or disregards.

(I have alot of fucking opinions with copaganda Batman, I have so many opinions on starlings treatment of Jason, I have so many opinions so so fucking many there have been times where I was seething. Fucking hell why do that do this to Batman. PLEASE 🙏 LET THE FUCKER BE ACAB PLEASE FOR ONCE IN HIS DAMNED LIFE. LET MY MAN;S HAVE TO GO UNDERCOVER AND JUST EXPERIENCE TRULY HOW BAD THE STUPID SYSTEMS ARE LET HIM BE KIND AGAIN I FUCKING MISS THAT BATMAN.)

When he (Batman) despite his many flaws lets due process happen and trust in the legal system. As seen by paying for all his rouges’s legal expenses.

(I still think it’s actually so incredibly heartwarming that he pays for the best lawyers he can get for his rouges they should explore that more)

In the above picture is an example of this fucking BULLSHIT, ughhhh way are the cops lives in Gotham valued more than any civilian “criminal” or not!!! FUCKING SHUT UP DRIVER.

the whole line of “if he was just a street punk, he’d be on death row right now” JUST INFURIATES ME THE MOTHERFUCKER IS THINKING OF THOSE KIDS FROM BEFORE. HATE YOU DRIVER HATE YOU. I HOPE THE JOKER BLASTS YOUR HEAD OFF UGHHGKSJVKHSJKVHJSKHVJSKVJHSKHVJ

The GCPD love to waive or coerce the human rights of its citizens, and seen in not only Gotham city year one but many many other stories. the corruption within the ranks of the GCPD is rife. They are not the good guys, no matter what the writers have tried to establish. 

Despite their efforts despite what we think of them, they are the ones contributing most of the bad in Gotham. Off screen and in between the pages are the stories of a history of long racial and ethnic disparities. Old Gotham and the narrows and park row/crime alley are where all the “criminals” live. When in essence it’s just the poor and homeless the poor and disabled.

In no man’s land, in cataclysm, in contagion, in all these things again and again the disparity of the lower classes and the disabled are felt heavily. In one no man;s land comic it’s supposed to be seen as this “oh the evil is in the streets only the police can clean it up” when it’s just desperate, desperate people who have been abandoned not only by the world but by the very people who wore sworn to protect them. Renee’s comment strikes hard because that IS what these cops truly think, they are judge jury and executioner.

This whole scene just makes me fucking angry, like FUCK YOU MONTOYA THAT IS LITERALLY YOUR COUSIN AND YOUR FIRST THOUGHT IS NOT

“oh SHIT I SHOULD GO WITH AND MAKE SURE HE’S OKAY”

IT’S “he’s a fucking criminal now” LIKE FUCK YOU OKAY WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL ARE YOU ON ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT LITERALLY ANAXED GOTHAM AND YOUR THOUGHTS ARE NOT THAT EVERYONE HAS LOST EVERYTHING AND ARE QUITE LITERALLY ALL REFUGEES NOW AND HAVE LOST EVERYTHING THEIR FAMILIES THEIR HIMES THEY HAVE NOTHING BUT THEIR LIVES AND THE CLOTHES ON THEIR BACK LIKE THE FUCK MAN.

and like in essence is Harvey dent even wrong for thinking that they were corrupt pieces of shit? Is his morality tied closer to fate even that bad compared to them?

(this is what makes him so incredibly interesting to me that despite everything he still is a DA at heart, despite everything he wants due process and justice. He also is a murderer who decides the fate of peoples lives on the flip of a coin. It’s super fun to see this duality with Renee and him seeing as they have a lot of beef i’m not getting into rn please I need more ACAB twoface and Renee finally realizing she’s the worst copaganda has to offer please please)

Like we see, so much incorrect procedure. Even if it’s for drama the fact that we see the utter disarray of the evidence holding the stolen evidence and all of this. Is it truly a good system one that can be ���fixed” by these “good cops”?

there isn’t any, to begin with.

the GCPD is such incredibly interesting copaganda because it tries to sell you the only way through the soaring crime rate in Gotham-

(which the city has 30-27 million people at most times it’s like 5+ people a block)

is through the brutality and violence that the GCPD preaches, Harvey bullock, Jim Gordon, Renee and more they aren’t except from the law, but they keep just doing these things. Because there’s no one left to stop them. Except for Batman lol or huntress or twoface or any of the other vigilantes that live there.

I have pictures somewhere of the GCPD coworicing and beating the shit out of just all the random rouges lol, but I’ll have to find them.

but TRUST ME THERES A FUCKING LOT OF IT

Anyway that’s my thoughts

gotham central is fun but also it makes me wanna scream, I am reading purely for the rouges and such and lesbian Renee lol.

I hate the fact I love some of the characters, and the writing is amazing. Like DRIVER WHEN. I GET YOU DRIVER AND HARVEY BULLCK OHHHH I HOPE HE STAYS OUT OF EVERYTHING HATE SEETHING HATE OHHH FUCK HARVEY BULLOCK.

[typhoonquixol]

Absolute Batman - Too much to lose.

With Absolute Superman on the horizon, I want to take a closer look at Absolute Batman issue one. Vague spoilers ahead

The absolute universe has been sold on the premise that in Darkside’s new world nothing went right. Heroism will be harder, the world will be darker, and hope will need to shine brighter than ever. I’d argue this isn’t what Scott Snyder has given us, to a degree. It’s true that Batman will get beater back, it’s true Gotham is more visceral violent than ever before, but there is hope everywhere. There just isn’t enough.

Take Waylon Jones for instance. Compared to every iteration of Waylon that has come before this is by far the happiest version. Whether he’s been a mindless killer, an outcast circus freak, or just a man mistreated by the world, Waylon is traditionally miserable. Not in this universe though. Here Waylon is human, here Waylon runs his own gym, here Waylon has friends. Here Waylon has everything to lose.

When his prime counterpart has so very little it’s redoubtable that this Waylon will claw and bite and writhe to keep what he has. Many of the characters are the same. In the brief glimpse we got of the GCPD it’s clear what has changed. Mayor Gordon, the dedicated and infallible chief of police, has been elevated to a responsibility he must cling to as the world tries to tear it away. Commissioner Bullock, the headstrong and hotblooded cynic, has been leashed by loyalty to Gordon and the restraints his new position brings. Finally, there’s Barbara, following closely in her father’s footsteps, desperate to protect him from the new wave of crime. These characters all have new roles, new lives, ones that they’d do anything to keep.

Therein lies the heart of Absolute Batman. Every character has just enough to resist change. Everyone has just enough to keep them from seeking something better, and risk losing it all. Except Bruce.

Bruce has lost a lot of things compared to his prime counterpart. This time he doesn’t have his cave. This time he doesn’t have his connections. This time he doesn’t have Alfred’s heart. This Bruce is starting with so, so much more. This time he has the city. This time he has friends. This time he has his mother.

If you know how Bruce prime started out, you’ll understand how little he put at stake to be Batman. We can’t know how much Bruce will lose but at a guess, everything. His city will fear him. His friends will grow distant. His mother… we’ll have to wait and see.

Bruce is taking the leap, and he’s not the only one. Waylon is chasing his dreams, opening an exotic-pet store, “Waylon’s Scales of Gotham”. Waylon is stretching his money, risking his cosy life for the one he wants, his friends at his side.

Absolute Batman will play with the idea of hope. How hope can chain us down when we set our sights too low. How to reach something better we must risk what we have. It will show us the price of dreaming big in a city determined to eat itself alive.

I wonder, how much will Waylon have to lose before Bruce needs to put him away?

[angstandhappiness]

Interesting

[it-happened-once-in-a-meme]

@ the Gotham (2014) fandom: Who do you think, if at all, did Jim Gordon vote for in season 3?

Did he vote for Aubrey James because he thought having a known criminal as mayor wouldn't work?

Or did he vote for Oswald, who he knew and at least trusted to some degree and wanted to kiss?

Edit: On second thought: is Gotham even a democracy?😂

Because if so, Oswald would have had to bribe a lot of people!

[shyjusticewarrior]

This came to me in a vision while I was at work

[ambriel-angstwitch]

Batman Hush Thoughts Part 7

(Batman 619)

Ahhh! I love Harvey Dent. Poor Bruce just keeps getting betrayed by his friends.

I sure hope so! Bruce/Batman deserve more friends and Harvey was friends with both sides of him

I love Harvey’s absolute lack of remorse. Like he admitted to shooting Tommy the first time after just shot him again and this time he wasn’t clay.

Poor Jim Gordon looks so done with this shit though

I love how Harvey’s only goal was to save his friend. I need them to have a Happy ending (even though I know they won’t). Bat’s is still searching for a way for it not to be Tommy but there was no hope for that.

Have I mentioned I love the female rep in this? Like I know this comic purposefully does fan service like it says on the back cover that Catwoman has never looked so seductive

But still they don’t write them terribly. The women get to have meaningful conversations.

Here’s an older person of the cape society giving advice to a younger one who feels terrible after being messed with which Catwoman can relate to.

Idk I just like it

You know Clark does kind of have a point.

I love how Bruce goes to Clark for help thinking through all of this. I didn’t take a picture of it but Bruce says he goes to Clark because he can be more emotionally detached in a way. And that’s just so fantastic because so many people incorrectly assume that Batman is this purely cold logical hero. But even though he might not show it on his face or with his words, his actions demonstrate how much his actions are fueled by feeling, his love for people, his fear that he’ll lose them.

Superman is by no means not an emotional superhero but he wasn’t friends with Tommy which means he can be more impartial than Bruce.

I love how they’d do anything for eachother. Like all Superman doesn’t want to hurt him but he’ll still do what Bruce asks.

He wants to stay behind and help. Bruce thanks him even if he hesitates. I love their relationship

I love how threatening Bruce is when it comes to his secret.

Riddler 100% deserved that punch for how antagonistic he was being about Jason.

“He fell.” Is iconic stuff.

Agh! Bruce ruining his relationships once again. Selina had a point. What you have going is good, let it be good even if the beginnings aren’t that happy

< Prev.

[it-happened-once-in-a-meme]

Why hide this take? 🤌

Somehow they're both homme fatales 😂.

Just so you know, you inspired this 🤭

You still got that much of a hold on me. Maybe you always will.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

[larsisfrommars]

The Night of The Murderous Spring Is So JUICY!

I think I need to talk about how insanely gay this episode of Wild Wild West is or I might EXPLODE. I know a lot of us who already watch the show knew this episode was ridiculous in the gay subtext department but I feel compelled to go in-depth about putting it into words.

Let’s not even dig into the fact that before drugging Jim Dr. Loveless proudly proclaims that he will make James West “kill the thing he loves” and was referring to Artemus when he said that! That’s already wild enough as it is.

For me like, through a shipping/gay subtext lense, I could already tell Artie was into Jim. There is a mountain of evidence to interpret their relationship that way at least on Gordon’s end. For West it was a little more sparse until and especially THIS episode. Which confirmed for me as relatively new to this show and fandom “ohhhh!! He really DOES reciprocate whatever ambiguously gay mess is happening here!”

The version of Artemus that Jim subconsciously conjures up for himself is so interesting. And of course, it appears to him when he’s in desperate need of comfort, of a rock to cling to, but can find none. So his hallucinating brain projects what he NEEDS most, not some lovely young lady (familiar or otherwise) to tell him everything is alright, but Artemus to take care of him. He WANTS to be taken care of and comforted by Artemus and no one else. I’m not crying YOU are crying!

His version of Artemus is pretty close to the real deal but there’s something… softer about this projected version. He’s not completely different, I wouldn’t even say out-of-character. But he is gentler, more patient and forgiving, and very much there to play guardian angel for Jim. All of his positive traits are exaggerated in Jim’s eyes, like hes always seeing the guy through rose colored glasses.

I say this because part of why I got a bit suspicious of this version of Artie was him being way too calm and forgiving when Jim starts being aggressive towards him due to the drug. Yeah Artie loves Jim but like, he’s got his own sense of self-preservation, intelligence, and a bit of a temper. I was expecting a joke or some sternness or something, hell maybe taking Jim’s gun from him. But of course he doesn’t and he can’t, because he’s not real and he’s there to comfort. Jim can’t be thrown off the course that’ll lead him to killing Artie by his hallucination’s own intervention. He’s himself but oh so slightly off.

Another thing was something that “Artie” said that didn’t actually make a lot of sense compared to the rest of established canon when Jim first starts getting temperamental. “Hey it’s me remember? Artemus Gordon? Mrs. Gordon’s son.” Now I know there’s probably some throwaway Doylist explanation for this, but the Watsonian in me prevails.

Artie never brings up either of his parents before this or ever again to my knowledge. Jim only mentions family once in a previous Dr. Loveless episode. It’s the kind of thing you’d say to someone where you’d known each other your whole lives, implying Jim would somehow know his mother. Now unless I’m mistaken they met each other in the military as adults. Which means Jim’s subconscious emotions have made him feel as though Artie’s known him his whole life. Which is some soulmate sounding mess if I ever heard it.

Then there is the crescendo of this madness where Jim shoots the illusionary Artemus in cold blood. Which is easily some of the most heartbreaking acting in the series. I have watched it a normal amount of times (lying)!! Dying “Artie” looks confused and betrayed but he STILL reaches out to Jim like he like wants Jim to know that it’s okay?! OUCH. Then of course there’s the little “why?” before he dies that pushes Jim over the edge.

Jim completely flies off the handle after Artemus’s apparent death. Careening through the street, threatening the hotel staff, trying to get himself arrested for murdering Artie. I don’t know whether it was a side effect of how much hallucinogen he ingested or what. He straight up faints like some tragic Victorian protagonist after returning to his room, overwhelmed by the evil that he has seemingly done.

When he comes back around he is not at all acting like the Jim we know and love. It’s almost like he wants Loveless to kill him with the way he goads the guy. He’s despondent and jaded and being reckless with his own life. He only snaps back to normal when he discovers Artie is in fact alive and well. Which is such a beautifully loaded reunion. He responds to Jim’s unusual tenderness with a sassy joke (which is of course how we know this one is real). It feels very akin to the Kirk and Spock reunion at the end of Amok Time.

I also think it’s worth noting that I think the first time I ever heard James West utter the words “Artie! Help me!” when he’s trying to prevent the ducks carrying the murder-LSD from being released (this episode is NUTS). Which you know in light of the events of this episode is a big step in Jim being a bit more vulnerable as a character. So there is THAT too.

Hey, and maybe it’s just me, but whether it was deliberate or not, something changed about the whole tone of the show after this particular episode. It felt like the showrunners were slowly having it dawn on them the show is at its strongest when it plays off of the bond shared by these two characters. This episode along a few other gems from season one seem to have clinched it. I noticed in season two so far they’re using Artie and Jim’s relationship as a support beam where it was more of a flexible suggestion before. Which has ✨implications✨ whether you interpret the relationship as gay or not. The events of this episode cracked Jim West’s very hard shell, and made these two characters closer than before.

[fancyfade]

honestly one thing i don't like about zero year is that it seems like they take beats from other stories, but can't let them be un-dramatic, or even just... not the most cinematic, explosive thing ever. Like everything from Batman-in-past has to be amped up to match Batman-in-present. And as a result there's no room for character growth, because everyone has to start at essentially what is their 'final form'.

like I don't really care for most joker backstories, but the zero year joker falls into a vat of chemicals thing is reminiscent of the TKJ origin (intentionally) which itself was calling back/building off to 'tec 168. In both of those, the situation that spawns the chemicals thing is pretty 'small scale'. TKJ has proto-joker helping two people past security in a lab he used to work at, 'tec 168 has proto-joker committing robbery just for money's sake.

while it's obviously up to the reader whether these stories are good, none of them feel epic in scale. It's not trying to be epic. TKJ is analysis of the joker, batman, and gordon, and the question as to whether one bad day can fracture anyone (with the answer 'no')

compare the relatively simple setup for TKJ joker tripping to the complete battlefield and chaos in zero year. Red Hood already has the city in terror, he has like half the police or he's already done his thesis (link) and is already connected to Bruce via the death of Bruce's parents which inspired him. He essentially already is 'joker', jsut with a different name, so there's no real purpose of the origin. And then in terms of the 'needs to be epic' scale - we have a huge dramatic showdown in the ACE chemical factory with bullets flying, philip (bruce's uncle) shoots at joker, gets shot and dies, bruce tranqs jim, grapple with the joker over the chemicals... etc.

similarly, a lot of the reason batman: year one sticks in people's heads is because we see Bruce genuinely failing at things that later are effortless for him. We see Bruce figuring out how to be Batman.

Zero year has some of that - in that he doesn't have his costume yet. But he's pretty much already still batman. he's already got his disguise, he's pretty much perfect at fighting (in a backup story we see him fighting people in a death-match for 28 hours straight as new combatants are added as bruce defeats yet refuses to kill his opponents). Like... I don't think Scott Snyder could do "bruce gets beat up trying to stop thieves on a fire escape while making sure no one ties". it's so... non-epic in scale. And everything Snyder does has to be big and dramatic and involve city-wide threats in his batman run. but it results in a 'year zero' bruce who does not really feel like he's any different from a fully realized batman in any way possible, because he already has to start as the bestest of the best.

which IDK. maybe was fun to read about when it was coming out. but as a work of literature it's just... boring. All style no substance.

[gothamexhibit]

Story Journal | Batman: Year One

"Without warning, it comes ... crashing through the window of your study ... and mine ... I have seen it before ... somewhere ... it frightened me ... as a boy ... frightened me ... yes. Father. I shall become a bat."

Batman: Year One (Four Issues)

Written by: Frank Miller

Illustrated by: David Mazzucchelli

Colorist: Richmond Lewis

Letterer: Todd Klien

Editor: Denny O’Neil

Overview

In a story that clearly belongs to Jim Gordon, this early days of Gotham’s new face builds a strong foundation of what’s to come. The ever encroaching new age of Gotham. It shows motivation and growth of how these characters become who we may know them to be, but also who they used to be. 

Gordon’s mentality that eats him away, but still keeps him moving forward. A disillusioned man who, by all accounts, has completely given up on everything, but he still pushes forward. His personality is nonchalant and gives the impression that he doesn’t care. And yet, he throws himself into the fire if it means he can make a difference. Of course he’s not perfect. Far from it. But Gotham can take what it can get. 

Bruce not only constantly messes up, but it nearly costs him his life and his identity each time. He’s not the world's greatest detective, or the legendary Dark Knight. He’s simply a man with money and training, but no experience. He’s reckless and risky and, as he states again and again, lucky. A lucky amateur that believes in an ideology that leads him to become one of the world’s greatest superheroes despite being an ordinary human. 

================================================================

Art Analysis

The art fits the story perfectly. It leans into the mud that is Gotham City, while allowing scenes to breathe. 

It conveys motion in a way that makes the reader feel like they get glimpses of the action. It doesn’t linger on a fight that doesn’t need to be detailed. It tells the story of what’s happening around it and how. 

It paints Gotham with both a crowded, claustrophobic atmosphere and a spacious, lonely city. There is a distinct understanding that Gotham will suffocate you without a moment to spare, but the city can leave you in a sea of emptiness as well. 

Color is purposeful. As detailed as scenes can be in one scene, a simple one-color background conveys shock, terror, or focus. With shadows not just showing mystery and confusion, but boldness. 

A direct reference to the Nighthawks by Edward Hopper with the diner that Gorden and Essen frequent (not only is the diner referenced here, but it also can be seen to be referenced in the recent film The Batman). 

The art shows clear direction. And it is through this art that not only elevates the narrative, but the characters and setting as well. Gotham feels alive. 

================================================================

Narrative Analysis

Right away we get the juxtaposition between Gordon (not yet commissioner) and Bruce as they both enter Gotham city. Each preferring to enter the city the other way. Not only does it show how different their perspectives are, it sets up the interesting dynamic between their future relationship, before they even meet for the first time. 

It may be important to note that Bruce is 25 when he returns to Gotham. Additionally, this story is a Year One story that leads up to his Batman persona. As such, he would begin being the Caped Crusader at 26. 

With a 12 year hiatus from Gotham, that would make him 13 when he left. It’s interesting to see how Gotham doesn’t see a poor young boy being gone for so long seemingly by himself, but instead views Bruce Wayne as more of a Gotham attraction instead of a real person. This dissonance towards “figures of the public” may also lean towards how Gothamites don’t seem bothered enough to care when young Robins start to appear. 

Not only is there a small line prior about Harvey Dent, we see Selina Kyle for the first time. We don’t just enter Gotham through the return of Gordon and Bruce, we enter into the inception of the Gotham we come to know later. An unsaveable city overrun with crime enters an attempt to save it by The Batman. 

Although not yet the Caped Crusader, Bruce still makes his first mistake. A risky play that could’ve left him discovered if he didn’t barely get away. Batman’s reputation paints the picture of an intense, methodical vigilante that looks into the eyes of gods without flinching. But the first mistake Bruce Wayne puts him on the edge of unconsciousness and at a risk of bleeding to death. A mistake that shows a legend like Batman can be clumsy and reckless. 

Without panic, without emotion. Jim Gordon issues payback on Flass who had recently assaulted Gordon. He understands the city and its rules and wastes no time to send his own message. This one moment gives plenty of insight into the kind of man Gordon can be. And will be. A man that sees corruption and takes matters into his own hands. The same very man that will not only support the vigilante Batman, but work side-by-side with him. 

He understands that the city has a sickness, and Batman is the only antibody Gotham can produce.

We are constantly reminded that the biggest problem is corruption. The city may be rotting, but an infected bandaid will only make things worse. With eccentric villains to sprout later on, the root of Gotham’s inability to change for so long before Batman was the authority “sworn to protect.” The biggest gang in Gotham are the cops. As Bruce tries to save the city by targeting criminals, Gordon saves the city from within one of the biggest poisons in Gotham.  

We see Gordon’s conflicting mindset. Something in the city must be calling to him. A savior complex or simply the inability to leave his new home and his job. He hates what he does and yet he pours his heart and soul into doing it the right way. He regrets bringing his son into Gotham even when he’s capable of leaving the city behind. 

He’s self aware, but just can’t stop. 

The city needs to be fixed and his subconscious is itching to fix it. Unbeknownst to him, it mirrors Bruce’s ideology. 

More mistakes. Bruce is an amateur and even admits it. While attempting to stop teenagers from stealing, he almost kills one and barely makes it out. Clearly in over his own head, but he believes in what he’s doing. And believes Batman can make a difference. 

Batman hid behind Harvey Dent’s desk while he and Gordon were talking.

I don’t have anything to say here. I just thought this was funny. 

Although they still haven’t met since their first fight in the street, Bruce and Selina are seemingly connected. Just a simple yet effective comment on the siamese gives so much information on not just their connected understandings, but how, at the core, they are meant for each other. They are from completely different worlds, but can still meet each other halfway and see themselves in each other. 

Even with gunfire lights up the building Bruce is trapped in, he still protects the cat. Even when it pains him, when it's unwise, when it makes no sense to do so, he still protects The Cat. 

Even when he should run away, he runs forward. The man who is known for being concentrated on “the mission” and doing the best thing in the moment. Waste precious time to inflict retaliation on the SWAT member who targeted the cat. 

The very act connects Bruce to Selina. Figuratively and literally.

The idea is mentioned by Gordon twice now. Even as early as Year One, he suspects Bruce of being Batman. Although Bruce has a clear alibi, Gordon doesn't seem convinced, but he doesn't push it either. Almost as if he doesn’t care. To Gordon, it doesn’t matter if Bruce is Batman or not. 

It’s what he’s doing that matters. 

One of the most crucial things to understand about Jim Gordon. He’s not just. He’s no superhero. He’s human. Very human. 

If Jimmy Olsen views the world with optimistic wide-eyed wonder, Jim Gordon sees it with nihilistic mundanity. 

He cheats on his wife with Detective Essen while his son is almost born. The opportunity was in front of him and he took it. 

Gordon is one of the best people to help save Gotham. 

But the bar is set incredibly low.  

We even see this tear him apart. He understands his actions like he always has been. He hates the city, hates that he’s cheating on Barbara, and is conflicted on talking Batman down. 

He’s lost. He knows he can’t keep cheating. But he just can’t stop. 

Lost to a point where he contemplates suicide. He’s not a hero. Not anything special. 

He’s human. Very Human. 

In Year One’s final issue, we not only see Selina suit up for the first time, but we see Alfred finally. One of his first remarks points a nod towards Superman. 

As Gordon’s son is almost taken as a hostage. Bruce dives off the bridge to save him. With Gordon following suit. 

This very moment seeds many things. Although his son is incredibly young, this could inadvertently lead to change in his psyche. His son doesn’t exactly turn out to be the best young man and this incident could be a building block in that. 

Jim may also be lying about his eyesight. Even with blurry vision, he could very well put in the effort to make out Bruce’s face in front of them. But maybe that’s the point. Maybe he doesn’t want to confirm his suspicions. Maybe he doesn’t need to. So maybe he doesn’t try. 

It wouldn’t change his opinion on the vigilante regardless. 

As Year One ends, we get a glimpse of the Gotham we clearly know. With Gordon working with Batman instead of against, with criminals getting more eccentric. 

A city of grim corruption and rampant crime seemingly will only get worse before it gets better, if at all. 

[it-happened-once-in-a-meme]

Repressed Queerness and Queerphobia in Gotham: an Essay (even though you very probably asked this as a joke)

Warning: In this post I speculate about the reasons for queerphobia in Gotham, and mention sex offenders' perspectives

I did try to fit in some comic relief to help with the unease that can accompany this topic :)

Why is Gotham so full of repressed queers, you ask? Because of crime.

There must be an awful lot of sex offenses in Gotham, and like in our world, people who commit them are often more afraid of other people because of it.

They don't have to have done something extreme, it could be an unwanted comment or a nasty look, they will know that it's possible coming from people of the same sex, only that if they can't be attracted to them, there's no way that they can make it work in their head, tell themselves that it's not too bad because the other person has a "bad boy/girl" allure, which is something that a lot of Gothamites have grown accustomed to because of the very high probability that someone's date has committed at least one crime.

So there's hate from hetero/aromantic/asexual people who bother people in this way. They want to protect themselves against crimes from others at all cost, so they make same-sex/gender attraction so taboo that these people won't even think about overstepping in intimate ways even if they were okay with murder.

A lot of men don't want women to be with others because they want them for themselves, even if it's only for the control over them. Meanwhile, some don't even consider the idea of being with other women because men still hold more power in Gotham. In order to attract men, they try to make it very clear that they aren't attracted to women, a process in which some will be homophobic.

A lot of parents in Gotham take this opportunity of uprising homophobia to add their dislike of the idea of queer relationships. Gotham probably has bad retirement arrangements, so having children would give people some security, and if these children don't have it in their power, ideally also grandchildren.

Add to that other reasons why Gotham citizens would love to be grandparents: they wouldn't be so alone while also not having to take on the difficult job of keeping a child safe in a dangerous city.

People of male sex are strongly advised against appearing less male because they could be seen as an easier victim while those of female sex are told that they'd only make themselves appear stronger than they actually were, which could also be dangerous as they'd be seen as more of a threat, and with that possibly a challenge. Non-binary people could easily be forgotten with the now tabooness of the topic.

Adding to the queerphobia: in the dystopian world of Gotham, people cling to religion and susperstition where they can, which can often be interpreted to mean anything they already think, if it isn't already queerphobic.

Now that there's established discrimination, safe spaces are created. But because these spaces aren't created from nothing, help from powerful people is needed. And who is powerful in a city of crime? Criminals. They already have the security and the special feeling of secrecy between people who commit crimes, the assurance that secrets won't leave the underworld.

So the spaces penguins queer people can thrive in are controlled by criminals. It becomes normal in the crime world to make people feel at home, to pull them further into the world of crime by whatever means necessary. And what method is better and less expensive than respect and common sense?

"Yes, it makes sense that you're attracted to someone of the same sex, they're attractive."

Someone doesn't identify with the gender corresponding to their sex? "Last week I literally saw a woman with a claw instead of a hand while being trans is just a mix of different human aspects."

Greetings like "Gentlemen! Ladies! Others!", all shouted with equal volume, become common, and money flows from sketchy gangs into medical research and religious places, the latter for bribing people to marry people in queer relationships.

When this pattern becomes public, it reinforces the queerphobia. Most villains seem to be queer, is it because it makes them evil? Surely people who show who they really are must either have a lot of money or have gained power through illegal means, right? No, of course not. But that is what Gotham currently believes. What needs to be changed.

(Spoilers for Gotham season 2 episode 3 under the cut:)

"And this is one of the reasons as to why you should elect me as mayor. This city can be so much more, its citizens can be so much more content, happier, safe." *Cheering crowd* "Make Gotham safe again! For everyone!"

Why is Gotham so full of repressed queers