Writer Scott Snyder is currently dominating the New 52 Batman title. The stellar Zero Year is unfolding at a tantalizingly slow pace, and this month's Batman: Eternal looks promising. Before the New 52 initiative Snyder worked on Detective Comics, where he turned out some equally good material, and one of his final arcs put James Gordon at center stage. Collected in the must-have trade paperback The Black Mirror, the titular story is the one that least concerns the GCPD Commissioner - Skeleton Cases, Skeleton Key, and Lost Boys, all of which are beautifully illustrated by Francesco Francavilla, are all about the Gordons. Dick Grayson's Batman hardly makes an appearance until the end, but it's still one of the best stories under the Batman title in recent memory. The sudden, suspicious return of Gordon's son - James Jr. - is the occasion for the drama. While a story like this wouldn't be used as direct inspiration for the early seasons of Gotham, the depths to which the Gordon Family is plumbed are fascinating. Looking to later Batman arcs - even just hinting at a possibility, planting an inauspicious seed for later seasons - would show both a respect for long-term storytelling and a respect for the comics. Let's hope we're that lucky.
