Commissioner Gillian B. Loeb
Encyclopedia
Gillian B. Loeb is a fictional character in the DC Universe
. He first appeared in Batman
#404, as part of the Batman: Year One
story arc.
of Gotham City
's Police Department
at about the time Batman begins his war on crime. He is corrupted under the influence of Carmine Falcone
and immediately considers then-Lieutenant James Gordon
's honesty a threat. However, he does not immediately share the same opinion about Batman, since the masked vigilante
is targeting only low level criminals, and is popular with the public. One night, however, Batman attacks his house during a dinner party, which includes guests from Gotham's criminal underworld, and publicly announces that he intends to bring him down as well.
Enraged, Loeb orders Gordon to arrest Batman immediately. However, the vigilante proves frustratingly elusive, until one night in which the police corner him in an abandoned building following an impromptu rescue on the street. Loeb orders a bomb
dropped on the building and a SWAT
unit conducting an armed search of the rubble. As morning breaks, however, Batman escapes, much to Loeb's aggravation.
When Gordon begins surreptitiously helping Batman, Loeb blackmail
s him with evidence of his extramarital affair with Sgt. Sarah Essen. However, Gordon thwarts this by confessing his indiscretion to his wife and a later attempt to kidnap their child fails due to the Gordons and Batman's interference.
Eventually, Batman, Gordon, and District Attorney
Harvey Dent
expose Loeb's ties to the Falcone mob, and he is forced to resign. Another corrupt officer, Jack Grogan, replaces him. Gordon becomes the department's commissioner a few years later.
In Batman: Dark Victory
, Loeb returns, hoping to use the Hangman
killings as an excuse to try to get the city council to remove Gordon from his position as commissioner. His overall goal is to regain his former position, and justifies taking over due to his "experience". However, before his plans can be fulfilled, he becomes a victim of the Hangman Killer himself.
A younger Loeb appears as a captain in flashbacks in Wrath Child (Batman Confidential #13-16), where he arranges Gordon to transfer to Chicago for fifteen years after Gordon shot a corrupt cop and his wife in self-defense when he caught the couple attempting to rob a warehouse, fearing the news would bring him and other corrupt cops down. Loeb threatens Gordon with the death of the cop's son to force Gordon into accepting the transfer.
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
. He first appeared in Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
#404, as part of the Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
story arc.
History
Loeb is introduced as the commissionerPolice commissioner
Commissioner is a senior rank used in many police forces and may be rendered Police Commissioner or Commissioner of Police. In some organizations, the commissioner is a political appointee, and may or may not actually be a professional police officer. In these circumstances, there is often a...
of Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
's Police Department
Gotham City Police Department
The Gotham City Police Department is a fictional police department servicing Gotham City, as depicted in comic books published by DC Comics, in particular those tied into the Batman books.-History of GCPD:...
at about the time Batman begins his war on crime. He is corrupted under the influence of Carmine Falcone
Carmine Falcone
Carmine "The Roman" Falcone is a fictional character in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe, who made his debut in the four part story Batman: Year One written by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli in 1987.- Publication history :...
and immediately considers then-Lieutenant James Gordon
James Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
's honesty a threat. However, he does not immediately share the same opinion about Batman, since the masked vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
is targeting only low level criminals, and is popular with the public. One night, however, Batman attacks his house during a dinner party, which includes guests from Gotham's criminal underworld, and publicly announces that he intends to bring him down as well.
Enraged, Loeb orders Gordon to arrest Batman immediately. However, the vigilante proves frustratingly elusive, until one night in which the police corner him in an abandoned building following an impromptu rescue on the street. Loeb orders a bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
dropped on the building and a SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
unit conducting an armed search of the rubble. As morning breaks, however, Batman escapes, much to Loeb's aggravation.
When Gordon begins surreptitiously helping Batman, Loeb blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
s him with evidence of his extramarital affair with Sgt. Sarah Essen. However, Gordon thwarts this by confessing his indiscretion to his wife and a later attempt to kidnap their child fails due to the Gordons and Batman's interference.
Eventually, Batman, Gordon, and District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Harvey Dent
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
expose Loeb's ties to the Falcone mob, and he is forced to resign. Another corrupt officer, Jack Grogan, replaces him. Gordon becomes the department's commissioner a few years later.
In Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory is a 14-part comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale. The series is a sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween and was originally published from 1999 to 2000 by DC Comics. The series takes place primarily during the third/fourth year of Batman's career...
, Loeb returns, hoping to use the Hangman
Hangman (DC Comics)
The Hangman is a fictional character, a supervillain in the DC Universe and an early enemy of Batman featured in Batman: Dark Victory. The Hangman's identity was Sofia Falcone Gigante...
killings as an excuse to try to get the city council to remove Gordon from his position as commissioner. His overall goal is to regain his former position, and justifies taking over due to his "experience". However, before his plans can be fulfilled, he becomes a victim of the Hangman Killer himself.
A younger Loeb appears as a captain in flashbacks in Wrath Child (Batman Confidential #13-16), where he arranges Gordon to transfer to Chicago for fifteen years after Gordon shot a corrupt cop and his wife in self-defense when he caught the couple attempting to rob a warehouse, fearing the news would bring him and other corrupt cops down. Loeb threatens Gordon with the death of the cop's son to force Gordon into accepting the transfer.
Film
- Gillian B. Loeb appears in the 2005 film Batman BeginsBatman BeginsBatman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
and its 2008 sequel, The Dark KnightThe Dark Knight (film)The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
. He is played by British actor Colin McFarlaneColin McFarlaneColin McFarlane is an English actor and voice artist. He has appeared in several TV series, including The Fast Show, Judge John Deed, Jonathan Creek, Randall & Hopkirk , Jeeves and Wooster, Black Books and The Thin Blue Line. He is also known for portraying Police Commissioner Gillian B...
in both films. Unlike in the comics, the Loeb in these films is African-American and apparently an honest cop, more closely resembling the comics' Michael AkinsMichael AkinsMichael Akins is a fictional character in DC Comics' Batman comics series. He is a man of African American descent who was chosen to succeed long-time Gotham City Police Commissioner James Gordon, who retired shortly after the end of the "No Man's Land" story arc.-Fictional character...
. In "Batman Begins," he first appears to notify the young Bruce Wayne that they have caught Joe ChillJoe ChillJoe Chill is a fictional character in the DC Comics Batman series. He is best known for murdering young Bruce Wayne's parents , thus making him indirectly responsible for Batman's existence....
. Though shown to be at odds with Batman (launching a police task force to arrest him), Loeb is portrayed more sympathetically in the films, with no indications that he is corrupt or under the influence of Carmine FalconeCarmine FalconeCarmine "The Roman" Falcone is a fictional character in DC Comics' shared universe, the DC Universe, who made his debut in the four part story Batman: Year One written by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli in 1987.- Publication history :...
. In The Dark Knight, Mayor Garcia's office received a series of angry letters and phone calls from the citizens of Gotham expressing dissatisfaction as "a number of policies that he enacted as commissioner were unpopular." Loeb is killed when he drinks from a liquor bottle containing a poison planted by corrupt police officers working for JokerJoker (comics)The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
. After Loeb's death, Mayor Garcia promotes James Gordon to the vacant post of Police Commissioner. - Gillian B. Loeb appears in the Batman: Year OneBatman: Year One (film)Batman: Year One is a 2011 animated superhero film based on the four-issue story arc Batman: Year One printed in 1987. It premiered at Comic-Con on July 22 and was officially released October 18, 2011. The film was directed by Lauren Montgomery and Sam Liu...
animated film, voiced by Jon PolitoJon PolitoJon Polito is an American actor and voice artist, who is known for working with the Coen Brothers, most notably in the major supporting role of Italian gangster Johnny Caspar in Miller's Crossing. He also appeared in the first two seasons of Homicide: Life on the Street and on the first season of...
.
Novel
- In The Dark Knight movie novelization, Loeb's full name is given as Perry Loeb rather than Gillian Loeb. In The Dark Knight viral campaignViral marketingViral marketing, viral advertising, or marketing buzz are buzzwords referring to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of viruses...
however, he is referred to as Gillian B. Loeb as in the comics. Loeb's first name is given as "Joseph" in Matt WagnerMatt WagnerMatt Wagner is an American comic book writer and artist, best known as the creator of the series Mage and Grendel.-Career:...
's limited-series comic Batman and the Monster MenBatman and the Monster MenBatman & the Monster Men is an American comic book limited series written and drawn by Matt Wagner with colors by Dave Stewart, published by DC Comics and starring the superhero Batman. It, along with its sequel Batman and the Mad Monk, are set in between the events of Batman: Year One and Batman:...
(2005–2006), a likely reference to writer Jeph LoebJeph LoebJoseph "Jeph" Loeb III is an American film and television writer, producer and award-winning comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series Smallville and Lost, writer for the films Commando and Teen Wolf and was a writer and Co-Executive Producer on the NBC TV show Heroes from its...
, whose first name is Joseph.
- Gillian Loeb is referred to in DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' HitmanHitman (comics)Hitman is a fictional character, a superpowered hitman in the DC Comics Universe. The character was created by Garth Ennis and John McCrea and first appeared in The Demon Annual #2 and then received his own series by Ennis and McCrea lasting 61 issues.-Background:Hitman chronicles the exploits of...
series. Loeb is mentioned by character Moe Dubelz (one of Gotham City's most influential mob bosses) remembering him as the reason their illegal operations flourished as he was being paid to avoid police interference. Dubelz remembers Loeb's term as commissioner as the "good times" his organization enjoyed.