Harvey Bullock (comics)

This article is about the DC Comics character. For the TV-movie writer, see Harvey Bullock (writer).

Harvey Bullock
Cover to Gotham Central #22 (October 2004). Art by Michael Lark.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Detective Comics #441 (June 1974)
Created by	Archie Goodwin
In-story information
Full name	Harvey Bullock
Team affiliations	GCPD Checkmate
Supporting character of	Batman

Harvey Bullock is a fictional character from DC Comics' Batman titles.^[1]

Fictional character biography

Prior to the 1984-85 DC maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, Bullock is a crooked police detective under instructions from Gotham City's Mayor Hamilton Hill to sabotage Commissioner Gordon's career.^[1] His method of doing so is to pretend to be exceedingly clumsy, thereby spoiling whatever Gordon is trying to do, seemingly accidentally. After inadvertently giving Gordon a heart attack, however, Bullock turns over a new leaf. His character later develops into a well-meaning cop who (probably) is exceedingly clumsy, similar to the later animated version. He also forms a close bond with Robin, based initially on their mutual love of old movies. Subsequent to this, he is a Bishop in the spy organization Checkmate.

Post-Crisis

Following the continuity changes brought about in most of DC's comics by Crisis, Bullock is perhaps the most controversial police officer in the Gotham City Police Department. His colleagues in the Major Crimes Unit will swear up and down that he is a good cop, despite his reputation for taking bribes, police brutality, and ties to organized crime. However, he also has elements of the earlier character, including a fondness for doughnuts and a hidden sentimental streak. This new post-Crisis Bullock was retconned as having been loyal to Gordon from the start. Even before he makes detective, he stays by Gordon during one of the Joker's earlier rampages. He saves Gordon's life with careful driving and helps him work through the clues. Ultimately, without Batman's assistance, Bullock and Gordon stop the Joker from causing an explosion that would have leveled Gotham City. During the entire case Bullock plays the part of (or was) the "bad cop," intimidating and threatening whoever gets in his way. At this point, Bullock still wears a regular police uniform.

Made detective

Several years later, Bullock is made detective. He again works closely with Gordon, as part of a small crew of people Gordon knows he can trust. This group includes Maggie Sawyer, Harvey Dent, and Detective Cohen as they try to bring down Sal Maroni. Though Gordon knows of and has recordings of Bullock's brutality against suspects, he brings him in because the man has never accepted bribes. The events surrounding this squad work around the events of Batman: The Long Halloween. Bullock and the group are then joined by Crispus Allen, they take down a gathering of Gotham's 'freaks', such as the Joker, Clayface and Scarecrow.^[2] Later Bullock is partnered with Renee Montoya and they both become very loyal to each other. For a time Bullock works with the international spy agency Checkmate.^[3] They confront threats ranging from counterfeiters to cult-terrorists.

Bullock is badly injured during a confrontation with the KGBeast, who has gained control of a small nuclear weapon. Robin and several members of the Gotham City Police Department brave a burning chemical plant, partly to save his life. Bullock almost dies during this incident, but is saved by CPR administered by Robin. Mackenzie "Hardback" Bock, a newcomer to the force, becomes involved, helping Robin carry Harvey out of harm's way. The nuclear bomb is then neutralized by Batman.

Earthquake

In the Batman: Cataclysm storyline, Bullock is confronting Anarky in a shopping mall when an earthquake hits Gotham City. Both save their own lives by diving into a hollow art structure. Despite this, Bullock's arm is impaled by a tube of metal. He does not let this stop him. He makes his way back to the badly damaged police headquarters.

As soon as he learns Gordon is missing, he slams his arm against a wall, knocking out the bar and institutes a search. Bullock finds and saves a rattled Gordon from the debris of his own office.^[4]

A few weeks later, Gotham is shut down and closed off by the government in the incident known as No Man's Land. Bullock and several other officers, Renee included, willingly stay behind to assist Gordon. Bullock sticks by Gordon through the death of many fellow officers. When SWAT leader Billy Pettit revolts and takes even more officers with him, Bullock sticks with Gordon. Renee herself is even lost for a while due to Two-Face. In the end, efforts led by Lex Luthor re-open Gotham. Gordon, Bullock, Renee and the remaining officers (Pettit and the others had been killed) are given their jobs back. Bullock is then promoted to lieutenant and becomes the shift commander of the GCPD's Major Crimes Unit.

In the "Officer Down" storyline, disgruntled former officer Jordan Rich attempts to kill Gordon. Afterwards, a vengeful Bullock reveals Rich's location to the Mafia, thereby indirectly killing the shooter. When evidence of this comes out, he resigns from the force.^[5]

He then appears in the "Unresolved" story arc in Gotham Central, where he has descended into a life of alcoholism and is shown contemplating suicide.

Back on the force

As part of DC's "One Year Later" storyline, Bullock has returned to the GCPD, with the understanding that he is not allowed a single mistake. The circumstances behind this are unknown, the only clue so far being the line, "Six months since Harvey Bullock made his discoveries." Batman and Bullock have made their peace, agreeing to give each other a second chance.^[1] He is promoted to Lieutenant.^[6]

Other versions

JLA: The Nail

In the Elseworlds series JLA: The Nail, Bullock is shown to be Gotham's Commissioner of Police (Reference is made to Gordon having been murdered, but nothing specific is known about his death). Bullock is even shown defending Batman against reporters in one panel, an opposite of mainstream Bullock.

Flashpoint

In the Flashpoint universe, Harvey Bullock was an alcoholic after Batman interrogated him for information on the Joker.^[7]

In other media

Television

• Harvey Bullock appears in Batman: The Animated Series voiced by Robert Costanzo. He is only vaguely similar to this persona and he is still a staunch opponent of the Batman, has something of a gruff, tough guy exterior. He is much more benign (and closer to the later Pre-Crisis version). Bullock tends to alternate slightly in his role and nature. At times, he is nothing more than an oafish comic relief character, while other episodes show him in a more serious context as a capable detective. Many episodes blend both of these aspects, thus giving more dimensions to the character. Despite his somewhat corpulent appearance, he is shown in a few episodes to be a capable fighter. Rather than smoking cigars, he chews toothpicks and eats doughnuts. He was featured prominently in the episode "P.O.V.", in which he and two other officers are questioned about how and why an important bust ended in colossal failure. In his recounting, Bullock's voice-over tells a variant on what is visually shown, in which he is painted in a much more heroic light. In this episode Bullock is responsible for screwing up the Heist. He trips over an oil can, and alerts the bad guys that He is there. He then somewhat redeems himself, by taking on a group of his attackers single handedly. He handles himself quite well in the fight, but accidentally starts a fire in the process, from which He needs to be saved by Batman. The effect given in the series is that of an honest, if not exactly by the book, cop who merely looks like the stereotypical corrupt detective. At one point, when Batman insinuates that Bullock is on the take, Bullock reacts as if he was insulted. Although he dislikes and distrusts Batman at first, Bullock develops a grudging respect for the Dark Knight when Batman saves him from The Joker in "The Laughing Fish". It is also revealed that Bullock knows the existence of the Batcomputer, but how Bullock learned of it is unrevealed. It's possible though he just might have been referring to a computer used by Batman as a "Batcomputer" akin to the 1960s TV series habit of everything having a bat- prefix. Bullock, along with Commissioner Gordon, Mayor Hill and Carl Rossum, is saved again by Batman in the two-part episode "Heart of Steel" when he and the others are abducted for the evil HARDAC computer's master plan to create robotic duplicates out of Gotham's officials and take tyrannical control of the city. The android Bullock has a notable fight scene against Batman in said episode, although Batman defeats the duplicate by pushing him off a building and onto the Bat-Signal. By the episode "The Man Who Killed Batman," Bullock's respect for Batman was such that he was visibly saddened by the news of the vigilante's apparent "death" at the hands of Sidney "Sid the Squid" Debris. Bullock earns the wrath of criminal Killer Croc after Bullock sends him to prison for killing a trade union member. Croc swears revenge on Bullock, and attempts to frame him for sabotage, kidnap and murder in the episode "Vendetta." Bullock is sent to prison, but Batman clears his name, much to Bullock's surprise, as he had often caused nothing but a headache for Batman in the past. In "A Bullet For Bullock," directly adapted from Detective Comics #651, Bullock teams up with Batman to find out who is behind several attempts on his life. At first, it appears to be a mob boss named Vinnie "The Shark" Starkey, but it is later revealed that it is actually his own landlord having been driven crazy by Bullock's rudeness and sloppiness.

• Robert Costanzo as Bullock later makes small guest appearances in Superman: The Animated Series.

• Robert Costanzo reprises his role of Harvey Bullock in the Static Shock episode "Hard as Nails." He is first seen with some cops arresting some crooks that Batman had already caught. When Batman and Static visit Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Bullock, they tell them that Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn have held up a ship containing gold bricks. After Batman and Static leave, Harvey asks Commissioner Gordon "What the heck did Robin do to his hair" when talking about Static causing Commissioner Gordon to shake his head in disappointment.

Film

• A character with similar traits to Harvey Bullock appeared in the 1989 film Batman. In this version, his name is Lt. Maxwell Eckhardt and he works for Jack Napier (who will later become the villain Joker). He is later killed by Napier when Eckhardt seemingly betrayed Carl Grissom. He is portrayed by William Hootkins.

• Harvey Bullock appeared in Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. He is voiced by Robert Costanzo (who voiced Bullock in Batman: The Animated Series).

• Harvey Bullock appeared in Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero, with Robert Costanzo reprising the role.

• Bullock also appeared in Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman. That was his last appearance in the DC animated universe. Robert Costanzo reprised his role.

Radio

• In Dirk Maggs' radio adaptation of Batman: Knightfall for BBC Radio 1, Bullock was played by Eric Meyers.

Video games

• Harvey Bullock is not seen in Batman: The Animated Series, but his voice is heard when he warned Commissioner Gordon about the Penguin planting bombs.
• Harvey Bullock appears as a supporting character in Batman: Chaos in Gotham.
• Bullock & Montoya appeared in a cut scene in Batman: Dark Tomorrow for Gamecube, & Xbox, while also being a playable character in the DS version of Lego Batman: The Video Game.
• Bullock also features as an NPC in the MMORPG DC Universe Online. In the hero campaign, the players encounter Harvey Bullock in a greenhouse where Poison Ivy is using as a hideout.

Miscellaneous

• In the comic book The Batman Adventures, Bullock is forced to resign after Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, becomes mayor, thanks to Temple Fugate rigging the elections to exact revenge on Mayor Hill. As with the DCU version, he becomes a private detective. This presumably not in the DCAU canon however.

See also

• Max Eckhardt
• Detective Arnold Flass

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Wallace, Dan (2008), "Sgt. Bullock", in Dougall, Alastair, The DC Comics Encyclopedia, London: Dorling Kindersley, p. 63, ISBN 0-7566-4119-5 
2. ^ "Two Face Year One" #1-2 (2007)
3. ^ "Checkmate Vol 1 #1 (April 1988)
4. ^ Batman #553 (April 1998)
5. ^ "Detective Comics" Vol 1 #762 (November 2001)
6. ^ "DETECTIVE COMICS" #742 (March 2000)
7. ^ Flashpoint: Batman - Knight of Vengeance #2 (July 2011)

Preceded by Sarah Essen Gordon

GCPD Major Crimes Unit Shift Commander 2000–2001

Succeeded by Maggie Sawyer