Gotham Central, Book 1: In the Line of Duty Author: Greg Rucka | Language: English | ISBN:
1401220371 | Format: EPUB
Gotham Central, Book 1: In the Line of Duty Description
- Series: Gotham Central (Book 1)
- Paperback: 240 pages
- Publisher: DC Comics; First Edition edition (March 15, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1401220371
- ISBN-13: 978-1401220372
- Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 6.6 x 0.5 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty collects issues #1-10 from Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker's highly acclaimed Batman spin-off title, which had a short-lived run of 40 issues from 2003-2006. The book focuses on Renee Montoya, Crispus Allen and the detectives working GCPD's Major Crimes Unit as they solve cases in a city where Batman's presence is as much a liability as an asset.
If any series ever deserved the hardcover reprint treatment, Gotham Central is it. The book is as good as any police procedural on television, giving names and personalities to the Gotham police force that up until that point had been relegated to minor background characters and cannon fodder for Joker, Two-Face and the like. A tragic run-in with Mr. Freeze in the opening pages is enough to suck readers in, and Rucka and Brubaker continually drive home the cost of being a good cop in a city that relies on Batman for protection. Honestly, Batman's portrayal during this era of comics was never great, often crossing the line from being edgy and gritty into just being unlikable. Gotham Central really puts this in perspective with the cops only asking for assistance from Batman as an absolute last resort (a theme that intensifies in the next volume). Also spotlighted this volume is the relationship between Renee Montoya and Two-Face, which Rucka had been steadily building since Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 2.
This hardcover edition features the best presentation of Michael Lark's gorgeous artwork, and it's great to have Gotham Central in a format that will include the entire run (as opposed to the earlier trades, which omitted select issues).
I can remember back when Gotham Central was first announced, I was hooked before the first issue was even released. The concept alone made it impossible for me to even think about passing up. When it was finally released, I was extremely happy to see that it lived up to my expectations. There have been many, many cop shows on television, but only one was ever appointment television for me, Homicide: Life on the Street. Thankfully, if writers Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka took any inspiration from TV, that was the one they used as their model. Despite being a comic book and set in the world of superheroes, the series never leaves behind its down-to-earth approach. Even when the fantastic intrudes upon the gritty street-level happenings of the stories, it's presented in the most mundane fashion possible. Michael Lark's art helps a lot in this regard. His characters always look realistic (without looking photo referenced), including the costumed heroes and villains. (In a later story arc, he even avoids giving The Joker the exaggerated features--e.g., the nose and chin--that many artists tend to draw.)
The first story is a perfect set-up to the series. Following a lead on a kidnapping, two detectives unexpectedly cross the path of Mr. Freeze resulting in one cop's death. From that point, it becomes a race against the clock to find Freeze before Batman does. The police department already begrudges the fact that a costumed vigilante makes them look bad, and they're not about to let him avenge the death of one of their own. The story is short, sweet, and to the point, as is the next one which follows up on the kidnapping that was only mentioned in the first.
The final story in the collection is a bit longer and is a much more character-driven story.
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