WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Batman/Superman #6 by Joshua Willamson, David Marquez, Alejandro Sanchez and John J. Hill, on sale now.
In Batman/Superman, the Batman Who Laughs has infected six characters to create his own twisted version of the Justice League. Donna Troy, Hawkman, Supergirl, Shazam, Blue Beetle and Jim Gordon were infected by the same concoction that turned the Dark Multiverse version of Bruce Wayne into the manic Batman Who Laughs. Now, their mission is to enforce their leader's commands and make the DC Universe a living nightmare.
Batman and Superman may have thwarted their plan to use the Batman Who Laughs' weaponized Justice League satellite to infect everyone on Earth, but the threat is far from over. Most of the infected six are still in the wind -- but the two superheroes have a prisoner: Jim Gordon. Now, in Batman/Superman #6, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight attempt to get answers from the infected police commissioner... but all they end up with is a confession that brings a heavy dose of realism to the world of Gotham City.
In the opening page of Batman/Superman #6, Jim Gordon emerges from the dim lighting of his cell to tell the two titular superheroes a dark truth. The Batman Who Laughs' serum doesn't create a new persona for the infected -- instead, it allows their fears and anger to bubble to the surface, creating an angry, sick and twisted version of themselves.
"Something I hated as commissioner was telling the next of kin whenever one of my officers fell in the line of duty," he says. "My cops died miserably -- laughing because of the Joker, frozen to death by Mr. Freeze, ripped apart by Bane -- month after month, over and over again."
Jim goes on to say that each time, he would put on his uniform, visit the families of the fallen and lie to them by saying the officers died like heroes, when the truth is they probably went out frightened.
Now, Gotham is a fictional city in the DC Universe, sure. It's part of a comic-book world filled with superheroes, monsters, aliens and magic gods. It's a fantastical place that demands a certain suspension of disbelief. Countless times in DC Comics, we have seen nameless police officers fall victim to the worst supervillains Gotham has to offer. It's simply a part of the reality these characters live in.
Yet, Jim's confession reminds us that these officers that constantly die whenever the Joker or Scarecrow break out of prison had lives and families -- and they died trying their best to protect the people of their city.
Even for the DC Universe, Gotham City is a surreal place. Jim Gordon's confession, however, not only makes Gotham a little more grounded, it makes the place infinitely more frightening.