GOTHAM CENTRAL #32 ADVANCE REVIEW

[Blake Petit]

Review by: Blake M. Petit Blake@comixtreme.com
Quick Rating: Good
Title: Nature

The beat cops of the GCPD track a killer.

<a href="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/media/131/gothcen32.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixtreme.com/gallery/data/thumbnails/131/gothcen32.jpg" align="right" border="0"></a>Writer: Greg Rucka
Art: Steve Lieber
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Matt Idelson
Cover Art: Sean Phillips
Publisher: DC Comics

Review: This done-in-one issue of Gotham Central is different from the norm in several ways, and considering that it was originally solicited with a different cover, I suspect it was a fill-in issue done to help meet deadlines. Frankly, that doesn’t really bother me. It’s better than having the next issue delayed two months, and as it’s a self-contained story in-between story arcs, it doesn’t disrupt the flow at all. Plus, it’s an interesting look at a part of the Gotham City Police Department that we haven’t really seen before : the beat cops.

This title usually focuses on the detectives of the Major Crimes Unit, the ones that are called in when a seriously nasty villain is on the tear. This issue we get to see how a pair of ordinary, uniformed police feel about the MCU. When two beat cops find a 15-year-old runaway dead in an alley, the MCU is called in to handle the case. Our viewpoint cops don’t appreciate it very much, however, and they have their own way of doing things.

Greg Rucka does not flinch from the portrayal of Gotham City as a dirty town with only a few clean cops fighting to take it back. Even the cops who think the MCU goes too far and steal too much thunder don’t have totally clean hands. They wind up in totally over their heads, and in deep stuff.

This entire title is a different focus on Gotham City, and this issue is a different look at the title, but it’s a good one. If you haven’t read this title before, this isn’t really indicative of what it’s ordinarily like, but it’s a good issue nonetheless.

Steve Lieber handles the art on this issue, and he does a good job, but I don’t know if it’s entirely suited for this title. It’s a little too clean, a little too much like a traditional superhero comic. He doesn’t use the grimier look that this title usually employs, and which fits it so perfectly. Lee Loughridge’s colors go a long way towards correcting that, however, keeping the feel somewhat consistent.

It’s a decent issue, but not really a groundbreaking one. Still, it’s a satisfying story iin a title that doesn’t get the attention it deserves.

Rating:


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[Sloat]

I liked the misdirection in the narration at the beginning. And Corrigan returns, planning? Rucka is still nourishing this book and that makes me happy.