Sarah Essen Gordon
Encyclopedia
Sarah Essen Gordon is a fictional character in the DC Universe
, created by Frank Miller
and David Mazzucchelli
as a supporting character in the Batman
mythos.
storyline. Then simply Sarah Essen, she is a detective partnered with then-lieutenant James Gordon
. Her exact age is never revealed, but it is later revealed in Greg Rucka's "No Man's Land" novel that she is 12 years younger than Gordon. She and the married Gordon start a brief affair, but when Commissioner Loeb attempts to blackmail them, Gordon ends the affair and confesses his actions to his wife Barbara. Sarah leaves Gotham for New York City soon after.
Editor Denny O'Neil
later chose to revive the character as both an investigator and a love interest for Gordon. When she returns in Batman #458 (January 1991), it is explained that Sarah had married a New York cop who was killed in a drug bust. Gordon had long since divorced his wife Barbara, and the two begin a serious and open relationship, eventually resulting in Gordon proposing to her on a night when the police station is under attack by a trio of electric-based super-villains. The two get married soon afterwards in Legends of the Dark Knight Annual
#2 (1992). In the post-Infinite Crisis
continuity (as seen in flashbacks in 2011's Detective Comics #875), Gordon and Essen were married much earlier, when Jim Gordon was still a lieutenant, and she had a more active role in raising her stepdaughter.
When James Gordon is demoted by Mayor Armand Krol in Batman #519 (June 1995), Sarah is given the job in his stead. Gordon later resigns from the GCPD in the same issue. She continues Gordon's collaboration with Batman and Robin but does not like the job. Later, Sarah herself is fired from the GCPD by Mayor Krol, who is now a "lame duck" after recently losing in the Mayoral Election against Marion Grange. Essen is replaced as Commissioner by Andrew Howe, a close friend of Armand Krol. New Mayor Marion Grange later re-instates James Gordon as Commissioner, and also re-hires and promotes Sarah to serve as liaison between the GCPD and the mayor's office.
Sarah is murdered by the Joker
in Detective Comics
#741 (February 2000), at the end of "No Man's Land" arc. The Joker had kidnapped dozens of infants and was holding them in the basement of the police station. Sarah is the first to reach Joker's position. Although she has him at gunpoint, the Joker tosses an infant at her, and Sarah instinctively drops her weapon to catch the child, saving it from injury. The Joker then shoots Sarah in the head. The Joker seems to find none of his sadistic humor in this, as he is shown frowning as he walks away. He promptly surrenders to the police that arrive immediately afterward. Batman and Gordon catch up with the Joker soon after discovering Sarah's body. Batman steps aside, unable to bring himself to intervene. In retaliation, Gordon shoots the Joker in the leg. At Sarah's funeral, her stepdaughter Barbara
comments, "I always called her Sarah, and now it's too late to call her Mom."
, an alternate future story. In it, she is his loving, stay at home wife. Gordon, by now a retiring police commissioner, inwardly repeats, "I think of Sarah. The rest is easy," as a kind of mantra
. She is only glimpsed near the end, when she and Gordon embrace in silhouette
.
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...
, created by Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
and David Mazzucchelli
David Mazzucchelli
David Mazzucchelli is an American comic book artist and writer. His latest work is the award-winning graphic novel, Asterios Polyp.-Career:...
as a supporting character in the 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...
mythos.
Fictional character biography
She first appears in Batman #405, part of the Batman: Year OneBatman: 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...
storyline. Then simply Sarah Essen, she is a detective partnered with 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...
. Her exact age is never revealed, but it is later revealed in Greg Rucka's "No Man's Land" novel that she is 12 years younger than Gordon. She and the married Gordon start a brief affair, but when Commissioner Loeb attempts to blackmail them, Gordon ends the affair and confesses his actions to his wife Barbara. Sarah leaves Gotham for New York City soon after.
Editor Denny O'Neil
Dennis O'Neil
Dennis J. "Denny" O'Neil is an American comic book writer and editor, principally for Marvel Comics and DC Comics in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of books until his retirement....
later chose to revive the character as both an investigator and a love interest for Gordon. When she returns in Batman #458 (January 1991), it is explained that Sarah had married a New York cop who was killed in a drug bust. Gordon had long since divorced his wife Barbara, and the two begin a serious and open relationship, eventually resulting in Gordon proposing to her on a night when the police station is under attack by a trio of electric-based super-villains. The two get married soon afterwards in Legends of the Dark Knight Annual
Legends of the Dark Knight
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, commonly referred to as simply Legends of the Dark Knight is a DC comic book featuring Batman. It was launched in 1989 with the popularity of the Batman movie, following on from Frank Miller's Batman: Year One...
#2 (1992). In the post-Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is a 2005 - 2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, and a number of tie-in books...
continuity (as seen in flashbacks in 2011's Detective Comics #875), Gordon and Essen were married much earlier, when Jim Gordon was still a lieutenant, and she had a more active role in raising her stepdaughter.
When James Gordon is demoted by Mayor Armand Krol in Batman #519 (June 1995), Sarah is given the job in his stead. Gordon later resigns from the GCPD in the same issue. She continues Gordon's collaboration with Batman and Robin but does not like the job. Later, Sarah herself is fired from the GCPD by Mayor Krol, who is now a "lame duck" after recently losing in the Mayoral Election against Marion Grange. Essen is replaced as Commissioner by Andrew Howe, a close friend of Armand Krol. New Mayor Marion Grange later re-instates James Gordon as Commissioner, and also re-hires and promotes Sarah to serve as liaison between the GCPD and the mayor's office.
Sarah is murdered by the Joker
Joker (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...
in Detective Comics
Detective Comics
Detective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
#741 (February 2000), at the end of "No Man's Land" arc. The Joker had kidnapped dozens of infants and was holding them in the basement of the police station. Sarah is the first to reach Joker's position. Although she has him at gunpoint, the Joker tosses an infant at her, and Sarah instinctively drops her weapon to catch the child, saving it from injury. The Joker then shoots Sarah in the head. The Joker seems to find none of his sadistic humor in this, as he is shown frowning as he walks away. He promptly surrenders to the police that arrive immediately afterward. Batman and Gordon catch up with the Joker soon after discovering Sarah's body. Batman steps aside, unable to bring himself to intervene. In retaliation, Gordon shoots the Joker in the leg. At Sarah's funeral, her stepdaughter Barbara
Barbara Gordon
Barbara Gordon is a fictional character appearing in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media, created by Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino...
comments, "I always called her Sarah, and now it's too late to call her Mom."
The Dark Knight Returns
Sarah was an unseen presence in Batman: The Dark Knight ReturnsBatman: The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns is a four-issue comic book limited series written and drawn by Frank Miller, originally published by DC Comics under the title Batman: The Dark Knight in 1986. When the issues were released in a collected edition later that year, the story title for the first issue...
, an alternate future story. In it, she is his loving, stay at home wife. Gordon, by now a retiring police commissioner, inwardly repeats, "I think of Sarah. The rest is easy," as a kind of mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
. She is only glimpsed near the end, when she and Gordon embrace in silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
.
All Star Batman and Robin
In issue #6, Gordon is talking to Sarah on the phone. Though he is married to Barbara at the time, dialogue indicates that Gordon still loves Sarah.Film
- Detective Sarah Essen appeared in 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...
voiced by Katee SackhoffKatee SackhoffKathryn Ann "Katee" Sackhoff is an American actress known mainly for playing Captain Kara "Starbuck" Thrace on the Sci Fi Channel's television program Battlestar Galactica. In 2004 she was nominated for a Saturn Award in the "Best Supporting Actress in a Television Series" category for her work in...
.
Video Game
- In Batman: Arkham City, although Sarah Essen herself is not explicitly referenced, 'Sarah' is the password used by Gordon's men when they infiltrate Arkham City.