Story: Made of Wood, Part Two (22 pages)
(previous part in Detective Comics #784, next part in Detective Comics #786)
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:
Alfred Pennyworth, Barbara Gordon / Oracle (off-screen), Clovers gang member, Jackie O'Rourdan (leader of the Clovers gang, murdered), Assistant District Attorney Calvin Jaffe, Francis Sullivan (grandson of Seamus Sullivan), James Sime (off-screen, murder victim), Carolyn Sime (off-screen, James' wife), Commissioner Michael Akins (off-screen), Doiby Dickles (in flashback), Solomon Grundy (in flashback), Isaac Bowin / Fiddler (in flashback), Sportsmaster I (in flashback), Mayor Thorndike (off-screen, in flashback)
Synopsis:
Batman is tearing apart an Irish bar, asking for the location of Jackie O'Rourdan. In the background we see a news anchor on tv saying that James Sime, the murder victim, was involved with the Irish gang "Four Corners Clovers." While Batman questions one customer, the bartender takes out a shotgun and another customer (with a green top hat), who was hidden in the bathroom, also comes out with a weapon. Both shoot at Batman, who disarms them in a fight, and then throws the guy with the top hat through the window. Outside Green Lantern picks him up in a net made from energy with his ring. A flashback to the morning: Bruce and Alan are playing golf, Alfred is there as a caddy. Bruce asks Alan about the original killings. Five men were killed from July '48 to December, all had the words "Made of Wood" carved into their chests. Alan doesn't know any specific motive, beyond that the message seemed to be aimed at him, as wood is his only weakness. Back in 1948 Green Lantern felt bad about not sharing all his knowledge with the police, but nevertheless kept silent to protect himself, and Gotham, so that none of his adversaries would learn his weakness. He investigated the murders on his own, but didn't solve them. Bruce asks Alan to let him handle this crime. Back in the present Green Lantern says he listened but didn't make any promises to keep out of the investigation. Batman questions the man they captured, who is a member of O'Rourdan's gang, but nobody in their gang has seen O'Rourdan for the last three days. Batman lets the him go, and tells him he doesn't want to see him in Gotham again. He promises to leave town. Green Lantern expects him to join a gang in the next town, but Batman doesn't think so. Batman and Green Lantern work together for the rest of the night. They take care of many crimes, but don't find any trace of O'Rourdan. Meanwhile Jim Gordon uses his connection to the Assistant DA Calvin Jaffe to get information on the original "Made of Wood" case. He suspects the killing might have stopped so abruptly because the killer was committed to Arkham for something else in December 1948. He gets the records for Arkham commitments and deaths for that month. Oracle informs Batman that O'Rourdan's body has been found, he was dumped on the sidewalk. Batman and Green Lantern watch the police and talk about the frustrations of being a crimefighter in Gotham. Though they couldn't help O'Rourdan, they continue to work the rest of the night. Gordon's research the night before yielded three possible names, one died in prison, two were committed to Arkham. In the morning James Gordon decides to question them, respectively their surviving relatives. The first is an old man, a former cellmate of a homicidal maniac, who doesn't know anything, the second is Francis Sullivan, the grandson of Seamus Sullivan, a paranoid delusional who was committed in December 1948 and died two months ago at the Williams Medical Clinic. Francis Sullivan doesn't answer the bell so Gordon buzzes the super, and tells him he needs Francis to sign some documents because his grandfather left him money. He doesn't realize that Francis is the super, and Francis knocks out Gordon with a heavy blow to the head with a wrench, and drags the unconscious Gordon away.
Continuity References:
- Grundy and the Fiddler are seen together fighting Green Lantern [p. 7]. Later there's a flashback to Green Lantern's fight with the Sportsmaster [p. 18]. Both the Fiddler and Sportsmaster were members of the second Injustice Society, which was formed in 1948. Its formation is mentioned in ??
- Harvey Dent was Assistant District Attorney in Gotham [p. 12], and a friend of both Batman and James Gordon when they worked together to rid Gotham of crime, seen for example during Year One, in Batman #405, or in Batman: The Long Halloween, later he became the mentally unstable Two-Face, after a criminal threw acid at him during a trial, disfiguring half of his face, an event that has been told for example in Batman Annual #14 as well as in Batman: The Long Halloween.
- Batman says he never fought with Green Lantern I in Gotham before [p. 14], however this somewhat contradicts the backup story Guardian in Batman: Gotham Knights #10, which tells the first meeting between the original Green Lantern and Batman, takes place in Gotham, and leads to them working together briefly.
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
- Bruce says he feels that handling a crime like these murders is beneath Green Lantern. [p. 9]
- Bruce understands Alan's feeling of mistakes that come back to haunt you. [p. 9]
- Batman puts a lot of faith in his ability to intimidate criminals, as he expects it to work to scare the gang member away from crime for more than short term. [p. 11]
- According to Batman this is the first time Batman works with Green Lantern I in Gotham. [p. 14] (see above for references contradicting that claim)
- Batman thinks Green Lantern enjoys crime fighting more than he does, because Alan doesn't have his motive. He admires Green Lantern as a hero. [p. 15]
- Batman does his job hiding in the shadow because he is "just a man" [p. 17]
- Hearing about all the places he couldn't be while fighting other crime always rips away the moment of satisfaction that comes with fighting crime too soon. Still Batman feels that there are good people in Gotham who are worth fighting for. [p. 18]
James Gordon Character Details:
- He feels like he can't just sit on his hands all day. [p.19]
- He still has access to classified documents through Assistant DA Calvin Jaffe, who doesn't hesitate to help him out. Possibly because they both were close to Harvey Dent once. [p. 12]
Alan Wellington Scott Character Details:
- Alan considered Mayor Thorndike to be a friend. [p. 6]
- Alan feels bad that he kept his secret from the Police Chief, even though the fact that wood is his weakness, and that the killings were addressed to him, were an important part of a murder investigation. But he had to protect himself and his family, as well as his city. [p. 6/7]
- Alan doesn't consider himself to be a detective. [p. 9]
- He feels like his mistakes come back to haunt him. [p. 9]
- It seems Green Lantern doesn't know Oracle, despite knowing Bruce's identity. [p. 15]
- Green Lantern feels they should should help the police openly, not in the shadows. [p. 16]
- Gotham makes Green Lantern feel like "hopelessness just tries to beat down anything good." [p 17]
- Back in the 40's and 50's Green Lantern felt like he accomplished something after fighting the bad guys night after night. [p. 18]
Gotham City Details:
- The "Four Corners Clovers" aka "Clover Boys" are a local Irish gang, implicated in protection and smuggling operations in Gotham. James Sime had links to them. The Clovers gang member is shown to wear a distinctive green top hat, it might be a sign for gang membership. [p. 1]
- Arkham Asylum existed in 1948. [p. 13]
- The courthouse basement contains old records. The courthouse is across the street from the building with the DA's office. [p. 13]
- There's a "C Line" in Gotham. The station Gordon gets off is above ground. [p. 19]
- There's a Williams Medical Clinic. [p. 20]
Trivia:
- Assistant DA Calvin Jaffe was Harvey Dent's protégé once. [p. 12]
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]
Story: Officer Down, Part Six: Monster in a Box (22 pages)
(previous part in Nightwing #53, next part in Batman: Gotham Knights #13)
Writer(s): Nuncio Defilippis
Pencils: Mike Collins
Inks: Jesse Delperdang, Steve Bird
Characters:
Bruce Wayne / Batman, Officer Rich (really Jordan Reynolds), Renee Montoya, Crispus Allen
Minor Characters / Guest Appearances:
James Gordon, Barbara Gordon / Oracle, Vincent Del Arrazzio, Lt. Harvey Bullock, D. A. Willis, Chief Michael Akins
Synopsis:
Important Continuity Events:
Continuity References:
Dick Grayson Character Details:
Bruce Wayne Character Details:
Romances:
Trivia:
[Note: This entry is based on the TPB edition of the issue.]
[Note: This entry is still incomplete, more information will be added eventually.]