Even DC Admits Batman's Most Iconic Symbol Doesn't Make Sense Anymore
When Batman provides Jim Gordon with a phone to contact him in Batman: Earth One, it makes the bat-signal look inadequate. The Dark Knight’s iconic callsign doesn’t make sense like it once did.
Since Detective Comics #60 (1942), Batman has responded to Commissioner Gordon’s signal, as seen in the night sky of Gotham City. Whenever there was a situation that Batman was fit to handle, Gordon utilized the spotlight to reach his bat friend. However, the mode of communication doesn’t take into account whether Bruce Wayne has the sky in view at a given moment. With his abundant resources, there are many alternate routes for the two to remain in touch. While fans have frequently overlooked the logistics that come with the signal, it has remained a staple of the Batman mythos. As Batman: Earth One provided writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank with the opportunity to reimagine key components of the Caped Crusader’s crimefighting career, the bat-signal was called into question.
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In Batman: Earth One Volume 2, the Dark Knight gives Jim Gordon a custom-made cellphone with one button to use if he needs to call him. The device is an homage to the red bat-phone from Adam West’s Batman TV series, in which Gordon called Wayne Manor by using a custom red phone. Although the series has been regarded as campy and outdated, the means of communication is surprisingly modern compared to the bat-signal. Considering Gordon’s status as a detective in Earth One, he doesn’t have the ability to utilize the light on the police department’s roof. When Batman hands him the phone and refers to it as a «bat signal,» Gordon notices it even has a signature bat emblem engraved
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