James “Jim” Gordon as Batman Reading Order

Overview

In the wake of the Batman: Endgame (Reading Order) event, the world was without a Batman. This created a situation where a new Batman was necessary and where this new Batman could take on a different role in Gotham's society. At this point in time, former police commissioner James Gordon was offered the job.

The main storyline detailing Gordon's time as Batman is told through the Batman series. This comic shows the new Batman's most challenging battle and also shows how this battle relates back to the previous Batman (Reading Order). Meanwhile, the Detective Comics series shows a few, isolated Batman adventures and other comics feature brief appearances from Gordon.

Notes

1. These issues mostly focus on Detective Bullock. However, they also feature a subplot featuring Gordon.
2. Gordon only appears for a few moments in this issue. However, these moments feature a conversation between him and his daughter (Reading Order) that helps humanize them both.
3. These issues mostly center around team-ups between the new Batman and another hero. They are not essential to understanding this period of time but may be fun for some readers to see.
4. Gordon is present in most of the Robin War (Reading Order) event but does not play a large role in it.

Before Reading

Batman: Endgame (Reading Order) is essentially a direct prelude to this period of time. It explains how the status quo in Gotham shifted in order to make this time period possible. The aftermath of Endgame is also referenced numerous times throughout the Batman series.

However, while Endgame shows how the role of Batman changed in preparation for this period of time, there are not any specific comics that show how James Gordon changed in preparation for this period of time. Before taking on the role of Batman, Gordon's appearances were rather sporadic and do not build up to this at all. Because of this, a general knowledge of who Gordon is will be enough prerequisite for going into this time period.

After Reading

At the conclusion of the "Bloom" storyline, this unique time in Batman's history comes to a close. The altered status quo is shown through later issues of the Batman series, specifically starting in Batman #51, collected in Batman: Epilogue (Review), and through the Rebirth Batman series, starting with Batman: I am Gotham (Review).