Officer Merkel
Encyclopedia
Watch Commander Stan Merkel is a fictional character
in DC Comics
' shared universe
, the DC Universe
, who made his debut in Frank Miller
's The Dark Knight Returns, later integrated into the mainstream Batman continuity by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
in their 1987 four-part storyline Batman: Year One
.
Merkel is usually seen working closely with Lieutenant (later Captain and Commissioner) Jim Gordon
, and appears to be one of few good policemen in Gotham. Two versions of the character exist.
. A patrolman of downtown Gotham, Merkel was involved in a number of drug busts and hostage situations and was instrumental in bringing Mario Falcone to trial.
Sometime later, Merkel was promoted to the position of Watch Commander. During the Batman: Dark Victory
storyline, he was found dead on St. Patrick's Day, hanging on the former property of the house that originally belonged to Harvey and Gilda, making him the sixth victim of the serial killer known as The Hangman.
In these stories, Merkel's face is never visibly seen, always off-screen or obscured by shadows.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
, the DC Universe
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, who made his debut in Frank Miller
Frank Miller (comics)
Frank Miller is an American comic book artist, writer and film director best known for his dark, film noir-style comic book stories and graphic novels Ronin, Daredevil: Born Again, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City and 300...
's The Dark Knight Returns, later integrated into the mainstream Batman continuity by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
David Mazzucchelli
David Mazzucchelli is an American comic book artist and writer. His latest work is the award-winning graphic novel, Asterios Polyp.-Career:...
in their 1987 four-part storyline Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
.
Merkel is usually seen working closely with Lieutenant (later Captain and Commissioner) Jim Gordon
James Gordon (comics)
James Worthington Gordon, Sr. is a fictional character, an ally of Batman that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane...
, and appears to be one of few good policemen in Gotham. Two versions of the character exist.
Mainstream Continuity
Officer Merkel is seen working with Gordon late in the Batman: Year OneBatman: Year One
"Year One", later referred to as "Batman: Year One", is an American comic book story arc written by Frank Miller, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, colored by Richmond Lewis, and lettered by Todd Klein...
. A patrolman of downtown Gotham, Merkel was involved in a number of drug busts and hostage situations and was instrumental in bringing Mario Falcone to trial.
Sometime later, Merkel was promoted to the position of Watch Commander. During the Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory is a 14-part comic book limited series written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale. The series is a sequel to Batman: The Long Halloween and was originally published from 1999 to 2000 by DC Comics. The series takes place primarily during the third/fourth year of Batman's career...
storyline, he was found dead on St. Patrick's Day, hanging on the former property of the house that originally belonged to Harvey and Gilda, making him the sixth victim of the serial killer known as The Hangman.
Frank Miller's Dark Knight Universe
In this continuity encompassing only and all Frank Miller penned storylines, including Year One, Merkel wasn't killed and remained on the police force through the events of All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder and is among the first police officer to see the returning Batman during The Dark Knight Returns.In these stories, Merkel's face is never visibly seen, always off-screen or obscured by shadows.