Gotham Season 2: Complete DC Comics References Guide

Gotham season 2 is here. It's not a threat, not even a promise, it's a reality. Luckily, it's off to a strong start, and it's not being remotely shy about its DC Comics history this time around.

So here's what we'll do for you this year. After every episode, we'll update this post with all of the DC Comics references and easter eggs contained in the episode. If we missed anything, you just have to let us know in the comments or on Twitter. If it checks out, we'll update this again!

One thing to note: Any characters who were introduced in season one probably had their DC roots handled in the "Gotham Central" portions of our season one reviews, so I'm not going to repeat them here. One day I'll get around to aggregating all of that into one mega guide. But today is not that day. Tomorrow probably isn't that day, either.

Oh, one last thing! Click the episode titles if you want to read full reviews! We'll put the most recent episode up top each week, and then things get chronological after that.

Anyway, here goes...and I suppose it goes without saying that major spoilers will follow.

Gotham: Season 2 Episode 6 "By Fire"

- It seemed like these past two episodes really wanted to pay tribute to the two most famous arsonists in Batman lore. Obviously, Bridgit Pike was supposed to be the inspiration of the future Firefly, but Pike was also referred to as Firebug a number of times these past two weeks.

The first Firebug appeared in Batman #318 (1979) and was created by Len Wein. That Firebug was named Joe Rigger, a former soldier and demolitions expert who lost three family members to three different building accidents caused by shoddy maintenance. Rigger vowed to destroy all the unsafe tenements in Gotham and became Firebug. Like Pike, Rigger was a tragic villain, a victim of Gotham City's corruption, but that's where the parallels between the two fire starters end.

- This week marked the first Catwoman style robbery for Selina Kyle. Yeah, she's been a sneak thief, a pickpocket, and a Dickensian street rat, but her  co-robbery of that weird sex slave auction was her first Robin Hood-esque rob from the rich and give to the poor classic Catwoman job.

The episode also showed Selina as a protector of the street kids of Gotham City. In the pages of the comics, Selena has long been a crusader for the motley and discarded; especially young street girls, and "By Fire" did a good job inserting her into that role.

- When Edward Nygma committed his shocking act this week, there sure was a vibrant light green glow at his window, a nice little tonal foreshadowing of the Riddler's future uniform. I was really hoping for a nice Frank Gorshin cackle once the deed was done, though.

And now for the previous episodes...

Gotham: Season 2 Episode 1 "Damned if You Do"

- The Gothamproducers are adamant that Thomas Wayne's man-cave isn't the Batcave, but we all know the truth. It's the Batcave. Well, it will be the Batcave.

Even as low tech as this proto-batcave appears, it's still miles ahead of the first live action version, which appeared in chapter two of the extraordinarily bad (and horrifically racist) 1943 Batmanmovie serial. To be honest, that's probably the first full blown Batcave appearance full stop, although in that cinematic classic they called it "The Bat's Cave," which lacks a certain zing, don't you think?

- This has absolutely nothing to do with anything related to DC Comics, but the use of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" was a nice surprise in this episode. It comes from the album Transformer, which is really essential listening in any case, but that's an album that deals with all manner of identity issues, mental illness, and assorted depravity. In other words, it's perfect for Batman's world, even in a pre-Batman world.

There's even a song that references bats, for cryin' out loud. Anyway...

- The big guy that Barbara befriends is Aaron Helzinger, known in the comics as Amygdala. Amygdala has been around since 1992, generally giving Batman agita with his great strength and low intellect. We thought we had met Amygdala in season one, but we were wrong. By "we" I mean "me," and possibly "you."

The other guys in Barbara and Joker's little gang of maniacs aren't from the comics, so don't worry about them.

- Commissioner Loeb did indeed resign in the comics, although it was in more of a "public disgrace" kind of way after his corruption became widely known.

- Theo Galavan doesn't have any obvious DC Comics parallels, but there are rumblings that he's actually someone important using an alias. Speculate away as to who that might be. He could be Ra's al Ghul (which is just dumb enough that this show might attempt it), or he could be someone with deep ties to the Court of Owls. We'll find out eventually. 

- This show's version of the Tigress (as Tabitha Galavan) is essentially an original creation. I can't really think of any prominent similarities she shares with her comic book counterparts.

For the record, though, the original Tigress first appeared in Action Comics#1 in 1938. Yes, that's right...the same comic that introduced Superman and is pretty much the reason we have hundreds of websites like this one that can talk about superhero movies and TV shows all day long. She didn't fight Superman there.

There have been other Tigresses (Tigri?) throughout DC history, but it would take an entire article to deal with them. All you need to know right now is...don't worry about it. This is a new character.

Gotham: Season 2 Episode 2 "Knock Knock"

- Yes, the Gotham Gazette is "real." It's not as well known as the Gotham Globe, which famously employed award winning photographer Vicki Vale and spectactularly irritating reporter Alexander Knox in Tim Burton's first Batman movie. DC Comics has also used the Gotham Gazette for various viral marketing bits and pieces here and there.

- It was politely pointed out to me in the comments that not only did Sarah Essen also briefly attain the rank of Commissioner in the comics, she was also murdered by the Joker. The circumstances were rather different, and it's a shame that Gothamchose to do away with its only not completely insulting female character so early on, but that's life in the big city.

- Edward Nygma is certainly on his way to supervillainy here. I'm not overly fond of the way they're handling his mental illness, especially since the comic book Riddler was always less "mentally ill" than some other Batman villains. It was traditionally more "genius level intellect with severe OCD" than the split personality on display here.

On the other hand, I rather like Cory Michael Smith's "Riddler reflection" being more calm, cool, collected ultra-criminal type. If that's the Riddler we're ultimately going to get, I might just be on board.

Gotham Season 2 Episode 3: The Last Laugh

- Theo Galavan's talk about his family's connection to Gotham City sounds more and more like he's a member of the Court of Owls, the secret society who has quietly ruled Gotham from the shadows with money and political influence.

Or he could be a really dumb version of Ra's al Ghul. I'm hoping it's the former, though.

- Jerome's knockout gas trick with Gordon and Bullock foreshadows the Joker's love of chemical weapons. Of course, this probably isn't foreshadowing after all.

- Deputy Mayor Harrison Kane is probably a nod to Bob Kane, the artist who co-created Batman.

- The joke about Bruce having "a split personality" is...oh, for crying out loud, do I really have to explain this?

- Penguin's aside about "perhaps I could use a new laugh" is probably the most clever Bat-reference the series has done this season. 

Original live action Penguin Burgess Meredith imbued his Penguin performance with a raspy "waugh-waugh" laugh that seemed more appropriate for a duck than a penguin, but whatever. He used it to cover up the cough brought on by the Penguin's always lit cigarette in its jaunty holder.

- The strange, almost supernatural influence that Jerome seems to have over certain elements of Gotham City in that ending calls to mind some of the more far-reaching implications of recent Joker comic book appearances. We have more on that right here if you feel like digging deeper.

Gotham: Season 2 Episode 4 "Strike Force"

There wasn't very much in the way of DC Comics references this weekend, but there's one pretty big one...

- Silver St. Cloud first appeared in Detective Comics #470 by Steve Englehart and Mike Gold. If you're looking for a truly excellent collection of Batman stories that tends to get overlooked in the noise, check out Strange Apparitions, which collects a bunch of Englehart's Batman stories, many with some really stunning Marshall Rogers artwork.

- Also, I just have to give them points for busting out Louis Prima's "Just a Gigolo." 

Gotham: Season 2 Episode 5 "Scarification"

- It seems that Officer Mac of Gordon's Strikeforce is based off Gotham Central regular Josie Mac. While the Mac on Gotham reminds one of Hooks from Police Academy fame, Josie Mac was a Gotham Central mainstay whose father was killed by Two Face.

Unlike most members of the GCPD, the comic book version of Josie Mac had precognitive abilities. Comic book Mac had the ability to "read" objects so she almost literally had conversations with crime scenes. TV's Mac has not shown signs of these strange abilities nor will she I'm guessing as Gotham seems to have an anti-powers thing going but Josie Mac hasn't appeared in the New 52 DCU yet so it's nice to see her legacy survive on TV. Mac was created by Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang and first appearanced in the pages of Detective Comics #763 (December, 2001).

- There have been a number of arsonists that used the name Firefly stretching back to just after the Golden Age. The first Firefly appeared in Detective Comics #184 (June 1952) and was created by France Herron and Dick Sprang. Firefly has always been portrayed as a brutal firebug although his more insane, fire obsessed tendencies went on full display in the more modern age.

There was also a Firefly on Arrow. Arrow's Firefly was Garfield Lyons, based on the second Firefly to fight Batman in the pages of DC Comics. Despite the gender difference of the characters, the Gotham version of Firefly's uniform is more consistent with the comic and might be the coolest looking villain Gotham has utilized yet.

- The origin of the Galavan family is pretty close to the origin of the Court of Owls. While some of the bells and whistles of the Gotham Court are different, both TV and comic book Court's motivations all stem back to a feud with the Waynes. This is all assuming it is the Court of Owls that Galavan is leading, but who the hell else could it be?

Galavan promised the arrival of an army loyal to him. Could that be the Talons, the Court of Owls enhanced foot soldiers introduced in the comics a few years back?

We'll update this with new references from each episode every week! If we missed any, let us know in the comments or on Twitter!