Batman '89 artist Joe Quinones has revealed the first look at Harvey Bullock. The miniseries will continue on from the events of Tim Burton's Batman Returns. Revisiting Michael Keaton's Batman and the characters that surrounded him in the two Burtonverse films. The new series will allow for an expansion of Burton's world, continuing the character arcs that were teased, using unused concepts and bringing in entirely new characters. One of those characters is Harvey Bullock, one of Gotham's most notorious dirty cops.
This is just one of the newest of Quinones' many teases for the upcoming miniseries, he recently revealed that an unused Batman sequel suit will make a cameo in the series. Additionally, Harvey Dent is returning and will make his transformation into Two-Face. However, until now, no new characters have been revealed.
Joe Quinones, via a new Tweet, has revealed the first look at his version of Harvey Bullock in Batman '89. In which Harvey Bullock sports his classic shirt, tie, and blazer look with a fedora. Although Quinones hasn't stated outright that the character is Bullock, it is heavily inferred, based on his appearance. In the Burtonverse, Bullock never showed up in any of his Batman films. Therefore, this is the first new character that Batman '89 is implementing as it takes from its source material, but branches out further.
Although Bullock never appeared in the films, many assumed that William Hootkins' Lieutenant Max Eckhardt was supposed to be him. Both characters share many similarities in terms of looks and attitude. For instance, Eckhardt, like Bullock, is a dirty police officer who takes bribes and looks the other way to get what's best for him. Perhaps inspiration was taken from Bullock's attributes in the comics, but with Bullock being introduced, it seems that those fan theories could be regarded as redundant. As Batman '89 is considered as canon by DC Comics to Burton's films.
With Harvey Bullock being introduced to the Burtonverse, along with Two-Face, it seems that the team behind Batman '89 are very open to expanding the world beyond what's safe. They are telling new stories, just with already established characters. This practice is not anything new to comic book creators who often pick up where the last person left off. Check out Batman '89 #1 on July 27 when it releases on participating digital platforms.