Today in Comics History: Jim Gordon begins to regret not majoring in fashion and costume
Panel segments from "The Private Life of Commissioner Gordon" in World's Finest #53 (August-September 1951), script by David Vern, pencils by Dick Sprang, inks by Charles Paris
That's a good question, Dave. I doubt it, but I can't think of when it did occur — I know that his first name wasn't used in his debut in Detective #27. There's speculation, to say the least, that Batman's Commissioner Gordon was named after the earlier pulp/radio character Commissioner James "Wildcat" Gordon, alias The Whisperer, but I don't know if the extended similarity was intended from the start or if a later writer took the earlier serendipity and codified the homage, as David Vern did perhaps cheekily here in giving Gordon the middle initial of W. You got any thoughts, Bully?
Hmmm, no, I don't. I'd been reading Batman and 'Tec in more-or-less chronological order looking for Alfred panels, but I didn't notice the initial revelation of his first name. I may need to re-read these!
Is this the earliest use of Jim as Gordon's first name?
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question, Dave. I doubt it, but I can't think of when it did occur — I know that his first name wasn't used in his debut in Detective #27. There's speculation, to say the least, that Batman's Commissioner Gordon was named after the earlier pulp/radio character Commissioner James "Wildcat" Gordon, alias The Whisperer, but I don't know if the extended similarity was intended from the start or if a later writer took the earlier serendipity and codified the homage, as David Vern did perhaps cheekily here in giving Gordon the middle initial of W.
ReplyDeleteYou got any thoughts, Bully?
Hmmm, no, I don't. I'd been reading Batman and 'Tec in more-or-less chronological order looking for Alfred panels, but I didn't notice the initial revelation of his first name. I may need to re-read these!
ReplyDelete