Story: Made of Wood, Part One (22 pages)
(next part in Detective Comics #785)
Writer(s): Ed Brubaker
Pencils: Patrick Zircher
Inks: Aaron Sowd
Characters:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, James Gordon, Alan Wellington Scott / Green Lantern I
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Edward Nigma / The Riddler, Mickey, Heathcliff, James Sime, Sgt. Davies (he's just called "Sarge" here, but the character looks like Sgt. Davies from Gotham Central, also written by Brubaker), Detective Crowe, Ted (off-screen, maybe Ted Grant / Wildcat I), Mayor Thorndike (in flashback), Doiby Dickles (in flashback), Solomon Grundy (in flashback, off-screen)
Synopsis:
It's 6:12 a.m. and Batman is about to head home after a full night's work (among other things a break in at a jeweler, the Riddler, and a murder) when Oracle calls him to inform him of a 911 call he's going to want to check out. An hour earlier Jim Gordon started his morning routine with Tai Chi, followed by his regular walk that takes him to the park with Green Lantern's statue. There he finds two men rolling a drunk. Gordon drives them away, but it turns out that the man is dead. The two men get away with the man's wallet and shoes, since Gordon can't chase them because of his limp. The corpse has the words "Made of Wood" carved into its chest. Sgt. Davies and Detective Crowe handle the case, neither they nor Jim Gordon have an idea what the words mean. Batman watches the scene from a nearby rooftop, and intercepts Gordon as he is about to walk back. Batman asks him to get into the Batmobile and they talk about the case. Gordon thinks he has seen the words before. Batman has an idea about their meaning, that they are connected to the original Green Lantern, but he doesn't share the details. Batman intends to get the dead man's personal effects back from the two homeless men. Meanwhile Alan Scott hears about the murder on the news in New York. Ted calls him, telling him what the words say. Alan thinks back to the day the statue was unveiled, and Green Lantern was honored by Gotham's mayor Thorndike. Still in the flashback, a while later, he remembers the aftermath of a fight with Grundy, which left him weak and hurt, while Grundy escaped. Doiby picked him up, and brought him to the statue to remind him of the hope Gotham's citizen have in him, and at the foot of the statue they find mayor Thorndike's body. Back in the Batcave Batman has researched the case, it turns out Thorndike was the first in a series of murders from 1948; all victims, five in total, had the words "Made of Wood" carved into their chests. The murders remained unsolved. Wood is the one weakness of Alan Scott's power, but while Batman knows this, it isn't common knowledge. Batman, in disguise, gets back the stolen wallet and shoes from the homeless man, Heathcliff. Heathcliff tries to attack Batman with a knife but stands no chance. The I.D. gives the name "James Sime" for the victim. Batman also finds a sewing machine needle imbedded into the sole of one of Sime's shoes. That leads Batman to an abandoned Sewing Factory, that has been empty since the depression. With the help of Oracle, who accessed its blueprints, he finds a maintenance tunnel with a small closet. It has a new lock. The walls of that room are covered with newspaper articles on the first murder series, and the words "Made of Wood" written again and again over everything. There is a lightbulb casting a red glow on the scene, a chair with scratch marks on its armrests and jars with the bones of fingers and hands floating in them. Batman is looking at a drain in the floor when Oracle contacts him, and tells him he should get topside to see this. From a rooftop Batman watches Green Lantern float down in a green glow casted by his ring, but is unsurprised. Batman was expecting Green Lantern.
Continuity References:
- The wedding between James Gordon and Sarah Essen (shown in the photo) happened in Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #2, she was killed by the Joker during NML, in Detective Comics #741. [p. 4]
- Jim Gordon needs a cane because he was shot by Jordan Reynolds during Officer Down, in Detective Comics #587. [p. 4]
- Jim Gordon retired as Commissioner during Officer Down, in Batman: Gotham Knights #13. [p. 4]
- Jim Gordon left for Europe in ??, he's back since ??. [p. 5]
- The sergeant says that it is turning into a habit for Jim Gordon to stumble onto crimes, that could refer to the incident with Mr. Freeze when James Gordon was given an honorary degree in criminology from Gotham State University in Gotham Central #2. [p. 8]
- Green Lantern's fight with Grundy in 1948 happened in ?? [p. 13]. GL first fought Solomon Grundy in 1944 told in Green Lantern: Brightest Day, Blackest Night, and in Infinity Inc. #39.
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Batman enjoys the moment of total calm he experiences during freefall before the grapple cable goes taut, but will never tell anyone how much he enjoys that moment. [p. 2]
- On some mornings at sunrise he feels like his work and sacrifice is worthwhile, it almost feels to him "like Gotham is lifting itself out of the mire" and that helps him to carry on his mission each night. [p. 3]
- Batman knows not only the identity of the original Green Lantern, he also knows that wood is the one weakness of Alan Scott's power. [p. 15]
James Gordon Character Details:
- He still gets up early, even though he isn't a cop anymore. [p. 4]
- He does Tai Chi again each morning, after years without. It helps him more with his back than all the physical therapists. He still needs his cane though. [p. 4]
- He is beginning to think that he's going to need the cane the rest of his life, but all things considered (the panels shows a picture of his wedding to Sarah, with Barbara in a wheelchair) he can live with it. [p. 4]
- He likes to see the city early in the morning, wrapped in fog, before the people and the noise take over. He told his former wife Sarah, who didn't understand why he had to take this walk so early every day, that it was a habit left over from his time in the service. [p. 4]
- It is still hard for him not to think of himself as a cop anymore. [p. 5]
- He came back from Europe because he doesn't want to forget or run away. [p. 5]
- He still thinks of Gotham as his city. [p. 5]
- He thinks that crime was simpler in the 1940s, and that protecting Gotham must have been easier in Green Lantern's day. [p. 6]
- He has no problem to fight off a thug with a knife, using his cane as a weapon. [p. 7]
- He says of himself "I was always a trouble magnet" [p. 8]
Gotham City Details:
- There is a "Sprang's Deli" next to a tailor shop. [p. 3]
- There is a statue of the first Green Lantern in Grant (?) Park. It was erected in July 1948, when Green Lantern worked in Gotham. [p. 6]
- The park with the statue is right across the street from the court house. [p. 6]
- In 1948 Gotham's mayor Thorndike was murdered, his body was found at the foot of the Green Lantern statue, one week after its unveiling. The Gotham Gazette reported the murder on July 17th, 1948.
- The Geiger Shirtwaist Factory in Gotham has been abandoned since the depression. It the building is still abandoned and some old, derelict equipment still remains. It is half a mile from a flower shop near Grant Park. [p. 19]
Trivia:
- The Batmobile has an ejector seat. [p. 10]