| Slot: |
Batman 404 |
| Item: |
Batman 404 Universal |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0150201001
|
Owner Comments
"Year One (Part I of IV): Who I Am - How I Come to Be"
Chicago police lieutenant James Gordon relocates to Gotham City and begins working under Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb. Already he finds himself detesting the grime of the city, but his thoughts are on his pregnant wife Barbara. Inwardly, he hopes her tests come back "negative".
Meanwhile, Gotham City's most eligible bachelor Bruce Wayne returns to the United States after nearly twelve years abroad ever since the age of thirteen. He plays up the role of billionaire playboy, but secretly he is anxious to begin a new career as a crime fighter. He wants to avenge the tragic deaths of his parents, Thomas and Martha Wayne.
Across town, James Gordon meets some of his fellow officers, including the brutish Lt. Arnold Flass. It doesn't take Gordon long to realize that Flass represents only a tiny fraction of a trail of corruption that extends all of the way to the Commissioner's office. Gordon learns that Flass is reckless and is not above accepting the occasional bribe. However, Gordon’s own moral code is strong and he refuses to buckle beneath the weight of corruption.
Flass grows concerned and tells Commissioner Loeb that Gordon may not be a "team player". Coyly, Loeb gives Flass permission to teach Gordon a lesson. That night, Flass and three other officers don ski masks and corner Jim in the parking garage. They mercilessly beat him with baseball bats, but Gordon recognizes the sound of Flass' laughter and vows to strike back.
Later, Jim takes his car and follows the crooked cops back to a place called Chute's. He waits for them outside until they are ready to leave. As Flass drunkenly stumbles out of the building, Gordon attacks him. He beats Flass up, strips him naked and leaves him bound with his own handcuffs on the side of the road. Jim is confident that the incident will go unreported.
Some nights later, Bruce Wayne disguises himself as a vagrant and begins patrolling the seedy streets of Gotham's East End. He gets into an altercation with an albino pimp named Stan over an adolescent prostitute named Holly. Bruce and Stan's fight attracts the attention of another one of Stan's working girls – Selina Kyle. Selina tries to defend Stan, but Bruce lays her out with one blow across the jaw.
Suddenly, police officers arrive and take the disguised Wayne into custody. Bruce breaks free of his handcuffs and forces the police cruiser off the road. Wounded and bleeding, he manages to make his way back to his Porsche and return home to Wayne Manor.
He sinks into a wing chair in his study and begins stammering his father's name. Bruce feels that he has failed his parents. He reflects upon the night that a common mugger savagely gunned them down in the street, leaving him an orphan. Suddenly, a bat crashes through the open window. Bruce takes it as a sign and promises to avenge his parents' deaths by taking on the form of a bat.
1st Apearance of modern Catwoman
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| Slot: |
Batman 405 |
| Item: |
Batman 405 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0012430018
|
Owner Comments
"Year One (Part II of IV): War is Declared"
An escaped mental patient named Albert Blume has taken a hostage and is threatening to kill her. Commissioner Loeb sends SWAT commander Brenden to the scene of the apartment to take care of the situation. Lt. Gordon hears about the maneuver and intercepts Brenden before he can do anything rash. Jim enters the building alone and manages to single-handedly defeat Blume without causing him undue harm. He knows that if Brenden’s team went in, the results would have been disastrous.
A few nights later, Bruce Wayne makes his first official debut as Batman. He attacks a group of teenage punks stealing electronics and intercepts them on an apartment fire escape. The fight proves difficult and one teen nearly loses his life. However, he succeeds in apprehending all three and promises to improve his technique before venturing out for a second time.
Over the course of several weeks, rumors of a "Bat-Man" begin circulating all throughout Gotham City. Even Detective Flass experiences a chance encounter with the mysterious vigilante.
Lt. Gordon holds a meeting with the other cops and addresses the Batman situation. Flass gives his jaded eyewitness account of the Batman, but neglects to include details involving his own illicit affairs at the time of the encounter.
Four nights later, the Batman breaks into the Mayor's mansion. The mayor is hosting a party with several key city patrons including Commissioner Loeb and criminal entrepreneur Carmine Falcone. Batman throws a smoke grenade through the window and warns them that from this point forward none of them are safe. Following the event, Loeb appoints Gordon the lead investigator in a special task force designed to bring down the Batman.
Gordon begins investigating a chain of suspects – a chain that takes him all of the way to the District Attorney's office. He interviews assistant D.A. Harvey Dent and even begins to suspect him of being the Batman. However, Dent has a solid alibi for his whereabouts and Gordon crosses him off the suspect list. In truth, Dent is keenly aware of the Batman’s presence and has been secretly aiding him.
Later, Gordon and detective Sarah Essen are nearly killed by a runaway truck driver asleep at the wheel. Batman arrives on the scene and Gordon witnesses him rescue a wino who has fallen in the path of the out of control vehicle. He commands Batman to halt, but the vigilante darts down an alleyway. SWAT officers arrive and open fire, but Gordon begins to suspect that the Batman is not the evil creature that he read about in his files.
Batman runs inside of a derelict building for shelter. Commissioner Loeb consults with the SWAT officers over the radio and authorizes the use of deadly force. Chief Brenden uses a helicopter to firebomb the apartment building.
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| Slot: |
Batman 406 |
| Item: |
Batman 406 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
0780607005
|
Owner Comments
"Year One (Part III of IV): Black Dawn"
Flaming piles of debris drop down on top of Batman as the Gotham City SWAT team firebombs the derelict apartment building. Flammable materials within his utility belt begin to explode. Batman finds an electrical cover and uses it to mask his presence. A ground crew enters the building and begins sifting through the rubble. Batman lures them into a lower section of the building and traps them.
Before preparing his escape, Batman uses a remote device to signal a massive flock of bats from the Batcave. The swarm of bats descends on the area giving Batman a chance to use them for cover to mask his escape. Several police squad cars attempt to follow the bat swarm, one of which even drives off Gotham Pier. Dozens of bystanders (including Selina Kyle) are forced to get rabies vaccinations.
Later, Jim Gordon consults with Sarah Essen over the Batman issue. Sarah suspects that the Batman may in fact be Bruce Wayne. Wayne has an alibi however, citing that he was skiing in Switzerland during the recent incident.
Gordon walks Essen home and the two share a romantic embrace. Jim instantly feels guilty knowing that his pregnant wife is home waiting for him.
In Gotham's East End, Selina Kyle decides to go into a different line of work. She punches out her pimp Stan and takes Holly with her. She fashions a costume for herself and becomes Catwoman for the first time.
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| Slot: |
Batman 407 |
| Item: |
Batman 407 Modern |
| Grade: |
CGC |
| Cert #: |
1012110002
|
Owner Comments
"Year One (Part IV of IV): Friend in Need" James Gordon and Sarah Essen have dinner together. Jim feels guilty over their recent affair, but doesn't have the will to call it off. He even gives Sarah a bracelet – a present that should have gone to his pregnant wife. Finally, Sarah makes the decision to break it off. She puts in a transfer to New York City. A few days later, Gordon arrests noted drug dealer Jefferson Skeevers. Skeevers is a key figure that can link Detective Flass to organized crime, but he’s not revealing any information. Assistant district attorney Harvey Dent allows the court to grant him bail. Batman sneaks into Skeevers' hotel room and accosts him. That same night, Skeevers approaches Lt. Gordon offering to reveal everything he knows concerning Detective Flass and his illegal conduct. After taking Jefferson's statement, Gordon bypasses Commissioner Loeb and goes straight to Internal Affairs. Loeb does not appreciate Gordon going over his head. To further illustrate his displeasure, he shows him a surveillance photo of Jim and Sarah kissing one another. Loeb is more than ready to expose Gordon’s tryst if he continues pursuing an indictment against Flass. Later, Gordon and his wife Barbara visit Wayne Manor. Jim interviews Bruce Wayne concerning his suspicious actions, but Bruce dismisses all notions that he could possibly be Batman. As the two leave the estate, Jim confides in Barbara and tells her of the affair. A few nights later, Gordon and a few loyal officers interrogate Flass at length. At first, he refuses to cooperate, but before long, he agrees to detail everything he knows – including dirt on Commissioner Loeb. Meanwhile, Barbara Gordon gives birth to her son – James Gordon, Jr. A few nights later, the Catwoman raids the home of Carmine Falcone. She believes that making a strike against Falcone will help to forge her own legendary status. The Batman arrives and attacks Falcone's men. The Catwoman escapes capture, but not before raking her claws across Falcone’s face. The media learns of the incident and reports that the Batman and this mysterious new Catwoman are working in collusion with one another. Commissioner Loeb makes a telephone call to Falcone. He instructs him to take measures against Gordon. Falcone sends his men to Gordon’s apartment where they abduct his wife and infant son. Jim manages to shoot a few of the kidnappers, but Johnny Falcone takes off in his car with the baby. Fortunately for Gordon, Bruce Wayne is present incognito. He follows Jim who takes off after Falcone on a motorcycle. While Gordon deals with Johnny, Bruce rescues baby Jim Gordon. Days later, news of Commissioner Loeb's corrupt regime hits the media wire. Loeb announces his possible resignation. The incident places Gordon back into the spotlight and he is soon promoted to the rank of Captain
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