Writer: Greg RuckaPlot: A fresh widower upsets a wedding ceremony, forcing an empty Jim Gordon to trust in a rookie vigilante.
So you wanna get married? After reading Turning Points #1, you just might rethink that option. Jim screws up his marriage by paying more attention to screaming killers than he does to his wife. Dr. Corbett's wife and son die in a car crash. Stricken with sorrow, the doctor threatens to kill an almost newlywed couple at the altar.
But why? Because he's angry at what life handed him? Sure, but at the same time, he came to a realization - let's call it a turning point, shall we? - that oh yes, everything might be happy now at church, but look at what happened to me! I don't want to let it happen to you two lovebirds, either, so why don't I just kill you now! Oh, and Gordon, at least your wife and son are still alive!
These are the things that're going through Jim Gordon's head, as he tries to find some kind of words to use to talk Dr. Corbett out of the ordeal. At the same time, Jim can't rationalize what's happening in his own life. Barbara and James Jr. left him. His fellow officers hate him. I live in a crappy apartment, with noisy neighbours. Barbara left me. Forget about that, I've got a hostage situation to deal with!
Rucka and Lieber immerse you in Jim Gordon's world. Not the tragic one he's living now, but the tragic one he was living then. They peel from Year One the raw emotion and real-life situations that Captain Gordon has to deal with.
The writer of this first of five Turning Points tales chose a poem from Lord Byron to complement the tension. Byron's work has largely been based on one of two themes, either loneliness or adventure. What was the poet's given name, you ask? George Gordon.
Our artist this week produces facial expressions in the main characters which mirror the futility of life. Jim seemed to push Branden, the QRT leader, just a bit too hard, though. While Batman dangles upside-down from the roof of the church, in a delightful moment, Lieber ensures that Batman's cape does not alert Dr. Corbett to his arrival, nor that it prevents the reader from seeing the back of Batman's cowl. He also effectively paces Batman's exit from Gordon's apartment. I almost thought Bruce wasn't going to admit that he sympathizes with Jim.
Three characters came to turning points in their lives. Batman manages to earn the trust of a lawful police captain. Jim Gordon not only faces serious familial trouble, he realizes he's not alone. And Dr. Corbett painfully understands that taking life is a lot easier than living it.
Though the timing of Barbara's departure calls up questions of continuity, what would make this tale all the more tasty in that respect is if Dr. Corbett is in any way related to a certain woman named Madolyn.
