Gotham Central

In 2003, Ed Brubacker, Greg Rucka and Michael Lark got together to start a comic book series about the Gotham City Police Department or GCPD. The series was called Gotham Central and is part of the Batman family of books. The series was also a commercial failure. The first issue came out February 2003 and the last issue was dated April 2006.

Forty issues. That's it. And you know what? That's beautiful. I mean, if a series ran into the hundreds of issues it come under the responsibility of any number of creative teams; it's inevitable that some issues in the run would be crap. Can't be helped, if your series in currently numbers 500+ or 300+ there will be some dogs in that pile. And that's where the forty issues of Gotham Central become magic. I have read everyone and everyone is a gem. Well, there is one, issue no. 37 is a tie in to a DC-wide event called Infinite Crisis, and it doesn't have the magic of the others. It was a bit bleh, but still okay. If that's the worst that Gotham Central can do then it's safe to say that this series is magic and highly recommended.

Over the course of the run the writing is consistently Brubacker and Rucka and it shows in the quality of the stories. This two are among the top writers in the field at the time, still are actually (circa 2010), Michael Lark shares art chores with others over the run, artists like Stefano Guadiano and Greg Scott. They all do a good job. There are some panels in this run that are just spot on. Not just any writer can do this series because it's a street level series with hardly any costumed heroes; so the artists have to do 'street' very well. Things like facial expressions, gestures. From panel to panel the action can get very subtle - no expansive super-hero action here - which could explain the low sales.

So why should you even bother?

First of all: the writing. The pacing, characterization and the character dynamics add up to engrossing single-issue stories and story arcs. These are great page-turners that can be re-read with relish. My favorite single issue tale is called 'Nature' and is presented in issue no. 32. This is a tale that involves the Batman villain Poison Ivy - as the hero. How cool is that? The best of the arcs is called 'Soft Targets' and stars the most nefarious Batman baddie of them all - the Joker. Close to it in quality is another arc called 'Unresolved' this time with the Mad Hatter.

Another reason to pick this up is the art. Oh, the art. I've found myself stopping to stare at some panels. Just looking at them. The approach is not exactly noir but very close - the mood created is just perfect for street level Gotham.

Did I say Gotham. Yes, Batman's town. He's here too, along the edges of the stories. Never the centerpiece, but always present. In fact, a bit conspicuous by his absence. But not only him, he's history, the lore surrounding the bat. The stories are accessible to any reader not familiar with Batman but the more you know about the Batman's world the richer that tales become. Subtle touches abound for readers in the know. The series also adds to the DC Universe. Two protagonists in particular: Renee Montoya and Crispus Allen go on to bigger roles in the DCU.

Gotham Central wasn't popular, and isn't, except for a small group of loyalists like me. It's fated to be one of those 'lost gems' of comics. Quality awaits for those willing to give it a chance.

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Comic Book Review: 'Batman: Gates of Gotham' 1

Batman: Gates of Gotham hit the shelves of comic stores everywhere today, delivering the first of five issues to make up the miniseries. Gates of Gotham brings together writers Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins and features the artwork of Trevor McCarthy. This impressive team brings us a storyline that has its roots coming out of Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated, particularly issue #6 where Cassandra Cain began tracking explosives that eventually found their way to Gotham in the first issue of this series.

The story begins with the bombing and subsequent destruction of three bridges in Gotham City that follow with a cryptic warning to the press that "the families will fall by the gates of Gotham." The fact that each one of these bridges was named after a prominent family (the Cobblepots, the Elliots and the Waynes) leads us to believe that some deep dark secrets of said families are about to come out of the closet. The first couple pages sets that idea up nicely as we're treated to a meeting held in 1881with Bruce Wayne's great great grandfather to discuss the construction of these bridges. Personally, I loved this intro because of the time period being illustrated and it brought back that nostalgic vibe I felt when I read Gotham by Gaslight for the first time.

The first issue is clearly setting up the questions for the next four books to answer so the pace is relatively slow. That shouldn't come as big surprise for anyone starting a new series that has a well-developed storyline. I feel that pacing here is key. There is, however, a great action sequence that's wonderfully illustrated by McCarthy of Batman's response to the bridge explosions and the rescue attempts made. After being treated to a few pages of this type of action, I was fine having a slower pace for the rest of the issue.

McCarthy's artwork has grown on me a little bit more with this book. His character work stands out in this issue and he manages to effectively energize the panels, regardless of the action taking place. I particularly enjoyed the work he did illustrating a meeting between Batman and the Penguin. His drawings of Gotham City are very well done in the few panels in which it's visible. The buildings come off as dark and rustic and lend to the mood as the backdrop for the story. These illustrations are even more important to pay attention to as the city itself can be seen as a prominent character in Gates of Gotham.

What excites me about his storyline is that we're going to get new insights and backstory on the history of Gotham City. Snyder and Higgins both have a liberty here to create a new way for us to view how Gotham came to be and how it may have shaped the destinies of the characters in the Bat-universe. I hope they wield this liberty wisely because knowing that there's only 4 more issues to tell this story, I'm anxiously awaiting to see where it goes.

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