10 Reasons Why New 52 Batman Was The Best Ever

Batman’s supporting cast is as good as they come. They deserve proper attention, and the New 52 team had plenty to say about Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Batgirl, and the Robins. They even threw in a totally great love interest for Bruce in Julie Madison. (Even in the context of Bruce’s doomed romances, somehow, Julie sold me. Maybe it’s the cool tattoos.)

In the New 52, the tension at the core of Batman’s mission comes from Alfred’s love and concern for Bruce. This depiction of Alfred is up there with Michael Caine’s portrayal for its heartbreaking intensity. You can’t help but see Bruce through Alfred’s eyes. And every time Alfred lets him disappear into the night, you realize that Alfred’s faith in him is just as heroic as Batman’s crusade. You realize that Alfred has just as much to sacrifice.

And then there’s the big controversial one, Jim Gordon: Batman. The deeply human portrait of Jim Gordon feels like a fleshing out of the noir antihero presented in Frank Miller’s “Year One.” The series has compellingly painted Gordon as the flipside of Batman, a Gotham crusader from within the lawful system, a guy worth exploring as a hero in his own right.