Review by Jay Scarsi

As a cop, how do you do your job when The Batman is ready to clean up your messes? Me, I’m guessing that it’s like Wally Pip being on the bench waiting for Lou Gehrig to take a day off. But, Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker use that very concept as the through-line for their series Gotham Central.

The series opens with two Gotham City detectives, Charlie Field and Marcus Driver, following up a tip on a kidnapped teenage girl. Unfortunately, the tip is wrong and they end up looking down the barrel of Mr. Freeze’s Cold Gun. Instantly and without remorse, Freeze shoots Driver in the hands and completely encasees Fields in ice. He then proceeds to taunt Driver by tearing off his partner’s ear, throws it at him and then shatters Fields’ body, killing him.

This starts a story that follows the first five issues of a partner trying to clear the last case of his dead partner. It’s kind of like Law and Order or NYPD Blue set in the DC Universe. I would say it’s like Barney Miller, but I can’t decide who is Fish.

Overall, what makes this story special though is one idea. Right after the incident, Driver sits down with The Chief and asks him not to “use the signal” on this one. These cops are proud men and women and they feel castrated by the presence of The Batman. Freeze killed one of their own and they know that they have until sundown to solve this murder and bring the super-villain to justice. Because apparently, Batman is a vampire.

They follow every lead and eventually figure out that Freeze is planning to take down former Commissioner Jim Gordon. Swallowing their pride, they call in Bats, who of course takes down Mr. Freeze before he can commit anymore of his planned atrocities.

The story continues as Driver tries to solve the case of the kidnapped girl with his new partner, Romy Chandler. While they work to solve her disappearance and subsequent murder, the rest of the dick squad (huh-huh, dick) is on the search for Firebug. Of course, these two cases intersect and the new Firebug is also the man who killed the missing teenager. And while that may seem contrived, it actually is a very organic story.

Gotham Central is a very worth while investment. The art fits the storytelling, isn’t overly gritty or dark. The characters are well developed and fill a unique need. Sure, cop characters have always been ancillary players in superhero books, but now they are in the forefront.

The last pages of the book pretty much sum everything up. Driver puts on the Bat Signal and when Batman shows up, Driver tells him that they took down Firebug and that they did it without his help. Batman just responds with a curt “good,” and then tells him not to use the Bat Signal again unless it’s an emergency.

Suggested Retail Price $9.99 I’d pay at least $15.00