Personally, I am glad to see Commissioner Gordon receive his own one-shot in the Battle for the Cowl story arc. Some may argue that the character of Commissioner Gordon was revamped in Frank Miller’s classic mini-series BATMAN: YEAR ONE. While Miller’s mini-series did play a huge role in revamping the character, the seeds of change had been planted quite earlier. You could credibly say that it started with Steve Englehart’s work although Doug Moench and Gerry Conway all presented a serious treatment of the character.

What I personally enjoy most about the presentations of Commissioner Gordon is that he lives a pretty insane life and shows no cracks from it. You would think he would have become all despondent and jaded – but – no, the good old commissioner retains his sanity. He also retains a level headedness we seldom see with comic characters. After all, the luminaries in most comic books are a sorely dysfunctional lot.

To a great extent, Commissioner Gordon is the patriarchal figure in Gotham. Yes, Batman is considered the savior of the town. But, let the truth be told, you have to be some kind of nut to run around dressed up like a bat. Gordon, however, retains his humanity and sanity and provides a solid moral structure and fiber to the city itself.

Although based on this issue, the Commissioner has definitely picked the habit of smoking again. (Ok, he may have been smoking for a while but I have not noticed it in any issues) And speaking of the actual issue……

The general plot of this issue has Commissioner Gordon trying to escape from a trap Mr. Freeze has set. Unfortunately, there is no Batman around this time to save him. Can the Commissioner escape? You got to pick the book up to find out.