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calebcasiano's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
jiayuanc's review
4.5
Getting back into reading super hero comics and this is a great way to dive back in to the DC world. Some arcs concluded very conveniently but I suppose that's the way cases go sometimes when you've got Batman to rely on. Loved the police procedural look at living in Gotham city.
lukedaloop's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The art is atmospheric and fits the mood well, but for a piece focusing mostly on characters it leaves a bit to be desired. At points it can be very difficult to distinguish between characters which is a problem. But the writing is well paced, and focuses on the matter at hand using its super-cameos well and sparingly. A great read to look into a part of super hero universes we don’t usually get to see.
lyrafay12's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
dantastic's review against another edition
5.0
Tell me you did not just shoot Batman!
Gotham Central tells the story of the detectives of the Gotham City Major Crimes Unit.
I read and reviewed Gotham Central in individual collections. This was my second time reading the entire run. It's just as good on the reread.
The cops of Gotham City have it rough, what with the spectre of Batman looming over them. In this massive tome, the cops of the Gotham City Major Crimes Unit have their hands full with Mr. Freeze, The Joker, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Doctor Alchemy, and others, all the while trying not to involve a certain Dark Knight Detective.
The book tells the tale of the downward spiral of Renee Montoya, outted as a lesbian and disowned by her family, seeking out violence for relief. It's also the tale of Crispus Allen, Marcus Driver, and others. The GCPD tackle super villains, corruption, and a bunch of dead Robins with good old-fashioned police work. It's basically The Wire set in Gotham City.
The artwork, particularly Michael Lark's, perfectly suits the tale, painting Gotham in grimy, dark, subdued colors. Brubaker and Rucka weave a realistic tale about what it would be like operating a police department in a world full of super heroes.
Even though I'd read the entire run before, Renee's tale jabbed me right in the feelings quite a few times. It's a gritty road to an unhappy ending. It's a shame there aren't many comics like this but we can still get bombarded with multiple flavors of Justice League and The Avengers every month.
That's about all I want to say. On the second read, Gotham Central is still one of the best comics of the 21st century. 5 out of 5 stars.
Gotham Central tells the story of the detectives of the Gotham City Major Crimes Unit.
I read and reviewed Gotham Central in individual collections. This was my second time reading the entire run. It's just as good on the reread.
The cops of Gotham City have it rough, what with the spectre of Batman looming over them. In this massive tome, the cops of the Gotham City Major Crimes Unit have their hands full with Mr. Freeze, The Joker, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Doctor Alchemy, and others, all the while trying not to involve a certain Dark Knight Detective.
The book tells the tale of the downward spiral of Renee Montoya, outted as a lesbian and disowned by her family, seeking out violence for relief. It's also the tale of Crispus Allen, Marcus Driver, and others. The GCPD tackle super villains, corruption, and a bunch of dead Robins with good old-fashioned police work. It's basically The Wire set in Gotham City.
The artwork, particularly Michael Lark's, perfectly suits the tale, painting Gotham in grimy, dark, subdued colors. Brubaker and Rucka weave a realistic tale about what it would be like operating a police department in a world full of super heroes.
Even though I'd read the entire run before, Renee's tale jabbed me right in the feelings quite a few times. It's a gritty road to an unhappy ending. It's a shame there aren't many comics like this but we can still get bombarded with multiple flavors of Justice League and The Avengers every month.
That's about all I want to say. On the second read, Gotham Central is still one of the best comics of the 21st century. 5 out of 5 stars.
rened22's review against another edition
5.0
You can no more win against the corruption in Gotham than Sisyphus could get the boulder to a mountaintop. Gotham Central is a gripping police procedural that follows the daily lives of the detectives working in Gotham's ¨Major Crimes Unit¨. As such, they frequently come in contact with the more unhinged criminal elements. From policemen getting frozen alive by Mr. Freeze to the Joker having a sniper shootout in the streets, the biggest villain in these books remains the regular human - suggesting that you don't really need any powers at all to be the worst mankind has to offer.
jekutree's review against another edition
4.0
Took my time rereading this one. Lots of good stuff here, one of the boldest moves and daring publishing risks DC has taken in their mainline in the 2000’s. Even though I’m a certified Brubaker fanboy, the main selling point of this book is Rucka and his work with Renee Montoya. Under his pen she’s an all time great character in the DC Universe. Not to discredit Brubaker, his arcs and characters were engaging as well. But Rucka writes some top tier stuff with Renee. The art is fantastic as well. It’s an aesthetic inspired by Mazzuchelli’s work on Year One, I wish more Batman books would adopt a similar style.
9/10
9/10
mschlat's review against another edition
5.0
As a series, this is probably closer to 4.5 stars (with some issues down to 3 stars), but I love the whole thing so much....
The high concept is great: tell the stories of Gotham detectives in the Major Crimes Unit (i.e., the ones most likely to run into Batman's foes, or what the cops call the "freaks"). Do they like working with Batman? (Usually not.) Are they angry about the state of crime in the city? (Probably yes.) Do they have to deal with crooked police and frustrating bureaucracy? (All the time.)
You have two of my favorite comics writers, Brubaker and Rucka, writing what they do very well: ground level gritty stories that still have humor and pack a wallop plotwise. You get tales that feature tons of characters in the Batman milieu, including the mystery of multiple dead Robins, a chilling Mad Hatter story with lots of Arkham Asylum, and a stellar Joker-as-sniper serial. (The creators hit it out of the park with a portrayal of the Joker in police custody --- it's super weird to see a character that crazed in the normal setting of an interrogation room.)
Much of the art at the beginning of the series is by Michael Lark, who sets the visual aesthetic for the book: scratchy pencils with tons of black ink and muddy colors. Lark carries it off quite well, but it's an art style that can go bad in the wrong hands. There are some stories by other artists where faces tend towards the unrecognizable with the grit, and throughout the series I got a little tired of panels with talking heads and no backgrounds. Besides Lark's work, I found Brian Hurtt's issue (#11) and a story by Kano and Gaudino (#33-36) to really shine.
I just reread this in pamphlet form and am now very tempted to buy the collection. It's one of my favorite examples from the Big 2 of small personal stories that work within a wider continuity.
The high concept is great: tell the stories of Gotham detectives in the Major Crimes Unit (i.e., the ones most likely to run into Batman's foes, or what the cops call the "freaks"). Do they like working with Batman? (Usually not.) Are they angry about the state of crime in the city? (Probably yes.) Do they have to deal with crooked police and frustrating bureaucracy? (All the time.)
You have two of my favorite comics writers, Brubaker and Rucka, writing what they do very well: ground level gritty stories that still have humor and pack a wallop plotwise. You get tales that feature tons of characters in the Batman milieu, including the mystery of multiple dead Robins, a chilling Mad Hatter story with lots of Arkham Asylum, and a stellar Joker-as-sniper serial. (The creators hit it out of the park with a portrayal of the Joker in police custody --- it's super weird to see a character that crazed in the normal setting of an interrogation room.)
Much of the art at the beginning of the series is by Michael Lark, who sets the visual aesthetic for the book: scratchy pencils with tons of black ink and muddy colors. Lark carries it off quite well, but it's an art style that can go bad in the wrong hands. There are some stories by other artists where faces tend towards the unrecognizable with the grit, and throughout the series I got a little tired of panels with talking heads and no backgrounds. Besides Lark's work, I found Brian Hurtt's issue (#11) and a story by Kano and Gaudino (#33-36) to really shine.
I just reread this in pamphlet form and am now very tempted to buy the collection. It's one of my favorite examples from the Big 2 of small personal stories that work within a wider continuity.