Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Batman. The character debuted in the first panel of Detective Comics #27 (May 1939), also Batman's first appearance. The character was created by Bill Finger, but credited to Bob Kane. Gordon's name was taken from the earlier pulp character Commissioner James W. "Wildcat" Gordon, also known as "The Whisperer", created in 1936 by Henry Ralston, John Nanovic, and Lawrence Donovan for Street & Smith. Commissioner Gordon made his debut as an ally of Batman, making him the first Batman supporting character ever to be introduced.