Real
Name: James "Wildcat" Gordon
Whisperer
Real
Name: James "Wildcat" Gordon
Identity/Class: Normal human
Occupation: Police commissioner
Affiliations: Richard "Quick Trigger" Traeger, Detective Sergeant Tom Thorsen
Enemies: Black Hood, Deputy Commissioner Henry Bolton, Mayor Van Royston
Known Relatives: Tiny (daughter)
Aliases: Wildcat
Base of Operations: New York City
First Appearance: "The Dead Who Talked," The Whisperer #1 (Street & Smith, October 1936)
Powers/Abilities:
Excellent shot. Armed with silenced automatic pistols.
History: Having been appointed New York Police Commissioner over the objections of Mayor Van Royston, James "Wildcat" Gordon found himself constantly undermined by both the Mayor and Deputy Commissioner Henry Bolton, who had been Royston's choice for the job.
Tired of seeing criminals evade justice and with his rival Henry Bolton seeking to sabotage his cases and thus discredit him, New York Police Commissioner James "Wildcat" Gordon decided to become a vigilante. His friend Richard Trager, an aging policeman, designed special dental plates to wear on his face and inside his mouth to distort Gordon's face, disguising him but also making him unable to speak in anything louder than a whisper delivered with a chilling undertone. Dressed in grey to move unseen through the darkness, and armed with specially silenced automatics, Gordon became the Whisperer.
Comments: Created by Henry William Ralston and John Nanovic, initially written by Clifford Goodrich (pen name for Lawrence L. Donovan) and later Alan Hathaway. With the success of the Shadow's radio serial, the Whisperer was developed so he would also work well on radio, with a distinctive voice. His series ran for fourteen issues, and when it was cancelled he became a back-up feature in The Shadow. The Whisperer magazine was later revived for an additional ten issues.
CLARIFICATIONS: Not to be confused with
Jim Gordon, Batman's police commissioner ally, who was named after him.
Any Additions/Corrections? Please let me know.
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