Sarah Essen Gordon

Sarah Essen Gordon is a fictional character in the DC Universe, created by Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli as a supporting character in the Batman mythos. She first appeared in Batman #404, part of the Batman: Year One storyline. Then simply Sarah Essen, she is a detective partnered with then-lieutenant James Gordon. She and the married Gordon start a brief affair, over by the end of the story arc. Editor Denny O'Neil later chose to revive the character as both an investigator and a love interest for Gordon. The two are eventually married. She was an unseen presence in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Gordon, by now a retiring police commissioner, inwardly repeats, "I think of Sarah. The rest is easy" as a kind of mantra. She is only glimpsed near the end, when she and Gordon embrace in silhouette. (Dark Knight Returns, however, is considered non-canon.) She is murdered by The Joker at the end of "No Man's Land" arc (Detective Comics #741); the Joker had her catch an infant... full article at wikipedia