DC 30 Days Meme
Day Five: Favourite Civilian/Non-Masked Character
Instead of answering with one name, I'm going to present several civilian characters THAT I WILL KILL YOU IF YOU SPEAK BADLY OF THEM.
Jim Gordon
If I had to pick just one, I'd probably pick him. Gotham's one honest cop - one isn't even from Gotham originally - that nothing prepared to deal with either Batman or the costumed psychos. Since then-- today, he is from Gotham. He's the one public figure to have never faltered in defending the law, justice, and Gotham. See the end of The Killing Joke.
But I can't stop at Jim, because if I do that means I'd forget
Alfred Pennyworth
What can I say about Alfred that hasn't already been said a thousand times? He's the sanity center of the Batfamily. He's everyone's Team Mom. He's been with Bruce since before the beginning. He raised Bruce. And he runs on snark.
Lois Lane
I have just a tiny tiny crush on her. Tiny. Negligible. Minuscule.
omgshesawesome.
And! Bonus character that doesn't even have a name but that I love dearly and have told myself stories about how she grows up to be!
the unnamed red-haired little girl who snarls at Clark in No Man's Land
This is, as far as I know, her only appearance.
This girl? This girl is Robin. She's the scrappy Gotham kid who takes the mission she's been given extremely seriously, and she's not going to take any crap from anyone, including men twice her size and heavily armed, and her only defence is the power of a name.
Day Six: Favourite Title
Batman: Gotham Knights. There are plenty of other titles or runs that I love - my adoration for Gotham Central is pure and shining - and only the first 49 issues of Gotham Knights are good, after that Liebermann comes onto the title and, well, I don't want to talk about it, but these 49 issues are the stuff that make canon worthwhile.
Mostly, the basis of Gotham Knights was to showcase stories about
any member of the Batfamily, or about
the Batfamily as a whole, and
Gotham. Sure, some characters received more attention than others - Devin Grayson was the creator of that title, so as you can imagine there was a lot of
Dick, and yes,
Batman's always there - but everyone got their day in the spotlight. Even Jason, who was dead at the time. The first part of Devin Grayson's run was a psychological analysis of Batman's character, through the files Batman held. Scott Beatty wrote
an arc that filled the gaps of the time surrounding The Killing Joke and A Death In The Family with regards both to Jason and to Barbara (how come Bruce kept Jason as Robin in spite of Garzonas' death? What was Babs doing at the time?) and that touched upon the fact that 'reclusive billionaire adopts young boys, one boy dies in tragic circumstances' might raise some questions. He devoted an arc to making Huntress a queen of Checkmate.
It's not perfect. I don't agree with every characterization choice. There's a couple of issues I could've done without. But everyone is there. Everyone plays a role. Everyone has a distinctive voice, even if not always the one I'd have chosen. It shows the Batfamily as a family.
With all that, the Black and White stories are just a bonus, and at least
one of these stories is part of my personal immovable canon.
the rest of the days:
Day One: Favourite CharacterDay Two: Favourite VillainDay Three: Favourite Team Day Four: Favourite FamilyDay Five: Favourite Civilian/Non-Masked Character
Day Six: Favourite Title
Day Seven: Favourite Writer
Day Eight: Favourite Artist
Day Nine: First Title You Were Hooked On
Day Ten: A Title You Wish You Could Bring Back
Day Eleven: Favourite Romance
Day Twelve: Favourite Friendship
Day Thirteen: Favourite Enmity/Rivalry
Day Fourteen: Favourite Legacy Character
Day Fifteen: Team-Up You'd Like To See
Day Sixteen: Favourite Live-Action Adaptation
Day Seventeen: Favourite Animated Adaptation
Day Eighteen: Favourite TV Episode
Day Nineteen: Favourite Game
Day Twenty: Favourite Fanwork
Day Twenty-One: Favourite Power
Day Twenty-Two: Favourite Costume
Day Twenty-Three: Favourite Weapon
Day Twenty-Four: Favourite Vehicle/Method Of Transportation
Day Twenty-Five: Favourite Crossover Event
Day Twenty-Six: Favourite Mini or OGN
Day Twenty-Seven: Favourite Elseworld
Day Twenty-Eight: Most Memorable Death
Day Twenty-Nine: Most Welcomed Retcon
Day Thirty: If I Could Undo Anything...