Gotham Central, Book Four: Corrigan

Gotham Central, Book Four: Corrigan by Greg Rucka
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Allen and Montoya cross paths with some dirty cops. Robin is found dead and the MCU is on the case. Supernatural horrors are afoot and the cops of the MCU try to get home to their families when the situation escalates far beyond their control. Crispus Allen investigates Jim Corrigan, the most corrupt cop on the force...

All good things must come to an end and in the world of graphic novels, few in recent memory were as good as Gotham Central.

With the departure of Mike Lark, the writing was on the wall and things kicked into high gear in this, the last volume.

1. I loved how Poison Ivy dealt with the corrupt cops.
2. The Dead Robin story was awesome, even though Lippman was being unbelievable dickish.
3. The Eclipso/whatever that magic crisis thing was with the Spectre seemed tacked on and unnecessary
4. Holy Shit! How about the Corrigan thing? Even though Crispus was dead in 52, I was still surprised the way he died.
5. Man, has Renee's life really spiraled out of control since the first book?

If Gotham Central was a television show, here's where the montage of moments from previous episodes would go.
1. Detective Driver was my favorite detective not named Crispus Allen or Renee Montoya
2. Stacy, the temp that turns on the Batsignal, is my favorite background player
3. My favorite line in the entire series was "Tell me you did not just shoot Batman!"
4. I think DC dropped the ball by not locking in Rucka, Brubaker, and Mike Lark to lifetime deals to keep Gotham Central going.
5. I could have used a bit more closure. I know the fates of Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya from 52. I can't remember if that's where Corrigan's hash finally gets settled as well, though.

That's it for me. I'm sad so see Gotham Central go since it's head and shoulders above most other comics. Five easy stars.



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Gotham Central, Book Three: On the Freak Beat

Gotham Central, Book Three: On the Freak Beat by Greg Rucka
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Montoya and Allen tangle with the Black Spider and a crucial piece of evidence goes missing. A televangelist turns up dead and it looks like Catwoman is the killer. One of Dr. Alchemy's old experiments transforms a cop and Montoya and Allen have to team up with some Keystone City cops and Dr. Alchemy himself to try to cure him. Business as usual for the detectives down at Gotham Central...

Brubaker and Rucka have wowed me again. Even this far into Gotham Central's run, they continue to impress me. This volume is just as good as the previous two.

The cases involved more superhuman elements than the previous one, including more Batman than the previous two volumes put together. Corrigan and MacDonald developed quite a bit as characters in this volume. Allen and Montoya's partnership is growing stronger and watching the two of them in action is one of my favorite parts of the series. It could have used more Detective Driver but you can't have everything.

Renee Montoya is my favorite GCPD detective by light years. You wouldn't think I'd latch on to a Hispanic recently-outed lesbian detective so quickly but I have. In a way, I wish I didn't know what 52 has in store for her once Gotham Central ends.

The Catwoman case was my favorite plot-wise, but Dr. Alchemy as Hannibal Lecter was the best character. Other parts of the book that stand out are the taking down of the Bat Signal and one of the Keystone City cops mentioning Detective Allen had a good last name for a cop in their town.

Gotham Central continues to be a home run derby of a graphic novel series as far as I'm concerned. Five easy stars.

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Gotham Central, Book Two: Jokers and Madmen

Gotham Central, Book Two: Jokers and Madmen by Ed Brubaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It's Christmas in Gotham and the Joker is picking off victims one at a time with a sniper rifle. The girl whose job it is to turn on the Bat signal has a crush on Batman. Two women are poisoned. A cold case involving the murder of an entire high school baseball team draws the attention of the GCPD AND ex-cop Harvey F'n Bullock! All par for the course down at Gotham Central...

So, yeah. Gotham Central had to be the best written comic book produced during it's entire run. I didn't think it would be possible for Brubaker and Rucka to top the first volume but they did, and Michael Lark pulled it all together with his art, which is understated but perfect for the tone of the series.

The individual stories were great. I love that Bru-Rucka doesn't give us nerfed versions of the villains just because they're going up against ordinary cops, not Batman. Speaking of the Bat, he's in this volume even less than the last one but I have to say I didn't miss him very much.

That's about all I have to say. Crime stories + Gotham City = Pure Comic Book Gold. Go out and get the Gotham Central omnibuses right now!

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Gotham Central, Book One: In the Line of Duty

Gotham Central, Book One: In the Line of Duty by Ed Brubaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Detective Driver's partner is killed and the department wants to apprehend the killer before Batman gets called in. Only the killer is Mr. Freeze. An arsonist plagues the city and Driver and his new partner have to catch him and a missing girl is found dead. Detective Renee Montoya is outed and framed. All in all, a normal week at the GCPD.

When enough of your friends give a book high praise, sooner or later you have to stop being a stubborn asshole and give it a try. In this case, Gotham Central is the book and the stubborn asshole is me.

The core concept behind Gotham Central is a fairly simple one. If Batman was patrolling your city, how would the cops deal with it? They'd probably resent and respect you simultaneously, as is repeatedly shown in the pages of Gotham Central.

There isn't a whole lot more I can mention about the plot without spoiling too much of it. It's basically a series of crime stories set in Gotham City, centering on the GCPD.

Brubaker and Rucka knocked the ball out of the park and into the river in this one. The writing is superb and at times I forgot I was reading something set in Gotham City. I cannot recommend this enough to fans of comic books and crime fiction.

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