In a world of super-heroes and super-villains, the little guys tend to get overlooked, but we cannot forget the very hard work done by many more street-level characters who don’t get the applause of the Dark Knight.

Today, we are spending time with police officers, private eyes, and spies.  Enjoy!!!

Commissioner James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department is undoubtedly the best known cop in the DCU.  He worked with Batman when Bats was still considered a vigilante and helped to bring down corruption in the Gotham City P.D.

Jim is a fine officer, detective, and leader of his men and women in the GCPD.  Let’s not forget that Jim is the father of Barbara Gordon, also known as Batgirl.  It was Jim’s insistence that Babs not enter the police force and Babs internal drive to do good that drove her to don the mask and cape of Batgirl in the first place.

Gordon is a confidante of Batman and is constantly on guard against the ever present danger of corruption in his own people. He is one of the few civilians who can put Batman in his place when need be.

Sgt. Harvey Bullock of the GCPD is one of Gordon’s trusted men and has no love for the costumed vigilantes of Gotham, even though on occassion his bacon has been saved by them, he’d also point out he’s saved them a few times in the past as well.  A gruff exterior and a hard living man, Harvey is the guy who will both start and finish a bar fight.

He treads the line of possible corruptibility in order to root out real corruption of the GCPD and Gordon allows him that slack, but has had to haul him a few times for his lack of respect for the Bat.

Also in Gotham we find private detective Jason Bard, a man who has remarkable powers of deduction and even carried on a dating relationship with Barbara Gordon for a while.  Jason walks with a cane for a distinct limp he has, when he was shot by Killer Moth in the line of duty as a GCPD officer.

Jason suffered another personal set back when he lost his sight, but Jason keeps showing an amazing ability to adapt to adversity.  His reslilience is what keeps him plugging away at the streets as Private Eye.

The Human Target is Christopher Chance, the ultimate bodyguard.  Chance hides himself by either becoming the target or becoming someone very close to the target in order to expose the danger and save the client’s life.  Usually he is hired when someone feels that their life might be at risk.

You may notice on this comic book cover that Chance is “coming to TV soon” and he did, portrayed by Rick Springfield.  That early series didn’t last very long at all, but the new one that is now on tv starring Mark Valley as Chance with Chi McBride and Jackie Earle Haley is doing quite well, give it a watch and keep a comic book character on the tube.

Sometimes the solution for revamping a character is a sex change, and that’s sort of what we get with Jonni Thunder…

Jonni is the daughter of a police officer who smoked way too much.  Once her father was dead Jonni took over the Private Eye business her father had started.  Amongst her father’s belongings is a statue which when Jonni touched it would give her powers as an energy being.  Sounds like Johnny Thunder and his mystic Thunderbolt doesn’t it?

Well on the surface, yes.  Jonni however had to deal with the fact that the energy powers were actually a malevolent entity and it took the combined might of Infinity Inc. to free her from its influence.  Jonni is still active as a Private Eye, just without any super powers.

Jonny Double (lots of Johnnys in the DCU aren’t there?)  is a beat cop who left the San Francisco Police Department to start his own Private Investigation business.  He has had few adventures that are recorded and typically is portrayed as a down-and-out sort of P.I. barely paying the bills on time and hanging on by a thread.

King Faraday is a fixture in the DCU Intelligence community, starting out as a field agent, King moves up into the ranks to know things even the President isn’t aware of yet.  He is a superb fighter, spy, and manipulator.  He is one of the many James Bonds running around the DCU.  He has worked extensively with characters that are involved with the Suicide Squad and is one of the featured characters of that era between the Justice Society and the Justice League.

Nathanael Dusk is the Bogie of the DCU.  Around the magical era of art deco and noir pictures, Dusk is that rough and tumble P.I. who is willing to help a dame out of trouble, but suspects that the dame might be the trouble.  An excellent archetype, just go watch Maltese Falcon and you’ll see what I mean.

Nemesis is Tom Tressor, who uses the symbols of the Scales of Justice to remind him of why he does what he does.  Tom’s brother died in shame, believed to be a traitor.   Tom took up the cause to clear his family and his brother’s name and with Batman’s assistance did so.  Nemesis then kept using his abilities of disguise and martial arts skills to continue to work as a spy for the government.  Nemesis typically wears a disguise that he reveals his presence at a pivotal moment.  Tom’s turtleneck can exude a gas causing the mask to dissolve in a matter of seconds.  It is usually right after this moment that Tom uses his target’s confusion to take them out.

Roy Raymond is the investigative reporter you do not want snooping in your business.  A contemporary of Jack Ryder, The Creeper, Raymond uses his public standing to investigate crimes and always reports corruption.

A bit of a contemporary of King Faraday, Sarge Steel went from WWII, into the intelligence community with ease.  Sarge’s steel hand affords him added strength in that hand enabling him to rule operations with a steel fist.

So, you’re probably wondering right now.. gee, these folks aren’t all that important are they?  So why are we talking about them?  Well, hang on folks, I am planning on getting back to the where we are in the DCU stuff shortly, but we have to get the intros out of the way because over the horizon is a HUGE event coming.. One that will change the DCU forever…

Next Up:  The Legion of Super-Heroes Supporting Cast:  Heroes of Lallor!  Wanderers!  The Science Police!  Dev-Em!  Legion Academy! and the Legion of Super-Pets!