Batman: Turning Points

Last updated
Batman: Turning Points
Batman Turning Points TPB cover.jpg
Cover of Batman: Turning Points trade paperback, art by Tim Sale.
Publication information
Publisher DC Comics
ScheduleMonthly
Format Limited series
Genre
Publication dateJanuary 2001
No. of issues5
Main character(s) Batman
James Gordon
Creative team
Written by Greg Rucka
Ed Brubaker
Chuck Dixon
Artist(s) Steve Lieber
Joe Giella
Dick Giordano
Brent Anderson
Paul Pope
Claude St. Aubin

Batman: Turning Points is a five-issue Batman limited series, exploring the turning points of the relationship between Batman and Commissioner James Gordon, and serving as a prologue to "Officer Down", a storyline leading to Gordon's initial retirement from the police force. The story is written by Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, and Chuck Dixon, with art by Steve Lieber, Joe Giella, Dick Giordano, Brent Anderson, Paul Pope, and Claude St. Aubin. It was published in 2001 and collected into a trade paperback in 2007.

Contents

Plot

Uneasy Allies

After the events of Batman: Year One , Captain James Gordon misses a session with a marriage counselor again. When he finally returns home, he finds divorce papers filed by his wife, Barbara Kean Gordon. In addition to filing for divorce, she takes their newborn son back to Chicago.

Elsewhere, Dr. Hale Corbett from Gotham State University is holding hostages in Gotham's Saint Frances Cathedral. He has been driven mad by the deaths of his wife and son, who were killed in an automobile accident earlier that morning. Gordon tries to negotiate with the professor, by relating to him as he also just lost his own family. Batman overhears them from the shadows. Batman and Gordon, working together, manage to subdue the grieving man and save the hostages.

Gordon returns to his empty apartment, and finds Batman reading the divorce papers. Batman visits to see how Gordon is holding up after his divorce. Gordon is upset by Batman's sympathy, because he thinks that the Dark Knight could not possibly understand what it is like to lose a family. Batman leaves, but not before replying that he knows what it is like more than the detective thinks.

...And Then There Are...Three?

After the events of Batman: Dark Victory and before Robin: Year One , Captain Gordon meets Robin for the first time after apprehending Mr. Freeze.

Casualties of War

Set after the events of Batman: The Killing Joke and Batman: A Death in the Family , Batman and Gordon struggle to find peace after what happened to their loved ones, Barbara Gordon and Jason Todd, to the point where Batman briefly contemplates cutting off contact with Gordon to focus on the mission until Barbara helps him see that doing that would only cause further harm to his friend.

The Ultimate Betrayal

Set during the events of the Knightfall saga, as the Commissioner is beginning to realize that the man beneath the cape and cowl is not the original Batman, and this suspicion is confirmed after a conversation with Bane. This leads Gordon to begin losing his trust in the Dark Knight.

Comrades in Arms

Set after the events of No Man's Land , at Gotham's Archie Goodwin International Airport, Dr. Hale Corbett returns on vacation to Gotham City with his new family (his wife, Dr. Leslie Becker Corbett and his daughter, Dina) after years moving to California. Batman and Gordon suspect the professor's return is to seek revenge on both of them after what had happened at Saint Frances Cathedral ten years previously. It turned out he only come to show his gratitude to the two of them, giving him the chance to start a new life after the deaths of his first wife and son, and also to fulfill the promise he made to his daughter of meeting a superhero. After Dr. Corbett and his family leave, both men are proud that they made at least one difference to the people that they swore to serve and protect.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Grayson</span> Fictional DC Comics superhero

DickGrayson is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman, Teen Titans and Justice League. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940 as the original and most popular incarnation of Robin, Batman's crime-fighting partner. In Tales of the Teen Titans #44, the character, after becoming a young adult, retires his role as Robin and assumes the superhero persona of Nightwing. Grayson has donned the cape and cowl to replace Bruce Wayne as Batman. His most notable spell as Batman follows Bruce Wayne's supposed death in Final Crisis, and sees Grayson adopt Damian Wayne as his Robin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Gordon (character)</span> Fictional character in the DC Universe

James W. "Jim" Gordon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics #27, Batman's first appearance, making him the first Batman supporting character ever to be introduced, eventually succeeding him as Batman from 2015 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gillian B. Loeb</span> Fictional character throughout the DC Universe

Gillian B. Loeb is a fictional character in the DC Universe who serves as an enemy to Batman's ally James "Jim" Gordon in DC Comics publications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman: No Man's Land</span> American comic book crossover storyline

"Batman: No Man's Land" is an American comic book crossover storyline that ran for almost all of 1999 through the Batman comic book titles published by DC Comics. The story architecture for "No Man's Land" and the outline of all the Batman continuity titles for 1999 were written by cartoonist Jordan B. Gorfinkel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrie Kelley</span> Comics character

Caroline Keene "Carrie" Kelley is a superheroine from Frank Miller's graphic novels The Dark Knight Returns (1986) and its sequels The Dark Knight Strikes Again (2001–2002) and The Dark Knight III: The Master Race (2015–2017). She becomes the new Robin in The Dark Knight Returns when she saves Batman's life. Later in The Dark Knight Strikes Again, she adopts the identity Catgirl, and in The Dark Knight III: The Master Race, she adopts the identity Batwoman. She was the first full-time female Robin in the history of the Batman franchise, though Julie Madison had passed off as Robin for a brief time in a Bob Kane story published in Detective Comics #49 in March 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman: Cataclysm</span> DC Comics crossover story arc

Cataclysm is an 18-chapter DC Comics crossover story arc that ran through the various Batman family comics from March to May 1998. The plot of the storyline centers on Gotham City being hit by a massive earthquake, the epicenter of which is less than a mile from Wayne Manor. In the wake of the destruction, Batman and his allies join the frantic rescue efforts around the devastated city, which soon spirals into chaos. This story arc would act as a catalyst for the Batman comics and its spin-off titles, signaling the beginning of nearly two years of storylines that would spring forth in the earthquake's aftermath, culminating in the year-long Batman: No Man's Land saga. Cataclysm itself takes place a short time after the events of Batman: Contagion and Batman: Legacy, two previous crises which also nearly resulted in Gotham City's destruction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman: War Games</span>

"War Games" is a 2004-2005 major storyline comic book story arc published by DC Comics that ran in its Batman family of titles, Detective Comics, Legends of the Dark Knight, Nightwing, Batman: Gotham Knights, Robin, Batgirl, Catwoman, Batman, and Gotham Central. The storyline, which was published from October 2004 until January 2005, was preceded by a prologue that appeared in Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure.

<i>Batman: Contagion</i> Batman storyline

Contagion is the name of a story arc that ran through the various Batman comic book series. It concerns the outbreak of a lethal disease in Gotham City, and Batman's attempts to combat it. The events of this story led into Batman: Legacy and Batman: Cataclysm, which itself leads into Batman: No Man's Land. It ran from March through April 1996.

<i>The Untold Legend of the Batman</i>

The Untold Legend of the Batman is a three-issue Batman comic book miniseries published by DC Comics in 1980. It was written by Len Wein. The first issue was penciled by John Byrne and inked by Jim Aparo. The second and third issues were drawn entirely by Aparo. José Luis García-López drew the covers for the entire series. The primary plot elements of the story are retellings of the origins of several Batman characters. It is the second miniseries published by DC Comics as well as the first starring Batman.

<i>Batman: Year One</i> (film) 2011 film directed by Lauren Montgomery, Sam Liu

Batman: Year One is a 2011 American animated superhero film based on the four-issue story arc of the same name printed in 1987. It was directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu. The film premiered at Comic-Con on July 22 and was officially released on October 18, 2011.

Originally created in 1967, the fictional comic book character Barbara Gordon has been adapted into various other forms of media. The character has appeared in both live action and animated television series and films, as well as in video games in her alter-egos as both Batgirl and Oracle!.

<i>Batman and Robin</i> (comic book) American comic book ongoing series

Batman and Robin is an American comic book ongoing series, created by Grant Morrison and featuring Batman and Robin. The debut of the series followed the events of "Batman R.I.P.", Final Crisis, and "Battle for the Cowl" in which the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, apparently died at the hands of DC Comics villain Darkseid and features the winner of the "Battle for the Cowl" as the new Batman. The conclusion of Battle for the Cowl shows Dick Grayson ascending to the role of Batman, while Damian Wayne becomes the new Robin.

<i>Batman Beyond</i> (comics) Title of six DC Comics Series

Batman Beyond is a comic book series featuring the fictional character Terry McGinnis as Batman and based on the animated television series of the same name. It has appeared in various DC Comics publications, including a six-issue miniseries from 1999, a 24-issue series running from 1999 to 2001, the "Hush" arc by DC Comics in 2010, and an eight-issue miniseries in 2011. A short-running series titled Batman Beyond Unlimited was later released, followed by Batman Beyond 2.0 in 2013.

<i>Holy Musical B@man!</i>

Holy Musical B@man! is a musical with music and lyrics by Nick Gage and Scott Lamps, and a book by Matt Lang and Nick Lang.

The Mutants is the name of a fictional street gang appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. While the Mutants were first seen in The Dark Knight Returns, there were other incarnations of the Mutants that appeared in later Batman comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Wayne (1989 film series character)</span> 1989 Batman film series character

Bruce Wayne, better known by his vigilante superhero alias Batman, is a fictional character who is featured as the main protagonist in Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series (1989–1997), and later as a supporting character in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) film The Flash (2023). Based on the DC Comics character of the same name, he was portrayed by Michael Keaton in Tim Burton's Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), before being recast with Val Kilmer and George Clooney in Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997) respectively.

<i>Batman: Death in the Family</i> American animated short film

Batman: Death in the Family is a 2020 American animated interactive short film based on alternate outcomes of the storyline of the same name. It is a spiritual sequel to Batman: Under the Red Hood and was released on Blu-ray on October 13, 2020.

<i>Batman 89</i> (comic book) DC Comics limited comic series

Batman '89 is a superhero comic book limited series published by DC Comics that serves as an alternative continuation of Tim Burton's first two Batman films, Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), which starred Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman, while ignoring the events of Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). The series is written by the first two films' screenwriter, Sam Hamm, and illustrated by Joe Quinones. It was launched in August 2021 and ran for six issues.