Comic Info
Comic Name: Gotham Central
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Greg Rucka/Ed Brubaker
Artist: Kano/Steve Lieber
# of Issues: 9
Release Date: 2011
Gotham Central #35
Reprints Gotham Central #32-40 (August 2005-April 2006). When Robin is found dead by the Gotham City Police Department, the GCPD realizes that they might have to face the death of a superhero. When another dead Robin appears, they realize they are facing a serial killer. Meanwhile, Detective Crispus Allen is seeking out a means to stop Jim Corrigan. Corrigan has been a thorn in the side of the GCPD for years and the dirty officer needs to go down…but the fight to bring down Corrigan could change everything at the GCPD.
Written by Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker, Gotham Central—Book 4: Corrigan is a DC Comics police procedural superhero comic book. Following Gotham Central—Book 3: On the Freak Beat, the collection features art by Kano and Steve Lieber. The issues in the volume were also collected in Gotham Central: Dead Robin and Gotham Central Omnibus.
Gotham Central was a great comic. It wasn’t always balanced and some of the stories were a bit rushed, but it was always interesting. Gotham Central—Volume 4: Corrigan has a lot of loose threads coming together, but like a lot of the series, it could have gone on longer.
The story breaks down into three parts and begins with the stand alone Poison Ivy issue. While the issue feels a bit like a throwaway, it dovetails back into the important “Corrigan” storyline that finishes up the issue. Unfortunately, there (like always) is a lot going on the Batman books outside of Gotham Central and knowing where the characters like Poison Ivy stand at the time this was released is sometimes difficult.
Gotham Central #38
The second storyline feels more like a traditional Gotham Central storyline in that it is a bit self-contained with extra story threads that help make the comic one cohesive story. The book sticks its toe into the idea that all of the children superheroes are actually cause for child endangerment (at least), and it would have been interesting if that had ended up being the thrust…can the GCPD look the other way?
The third storyline serves as the conclusion to the series. It sets out to solve (or at least partially solve) the conflict involving Jim Corrigan and his undermining of the GCPD though illegal sales of inventory taken from crime scenes. Corrigan proves to be slicker than the GCPD (which is probably accurate) and as a result, Crispus ends up dead and Renee quits the force. This storyline has bigger implications as it sets up Renee for 52 which introduced her as the new Question and puts Crispus (or at least his corpse) in line to become the new Spectre in Infinite Crisis. I didn’t like either solutions for these characters, but it is a compelling story to end the book.
Gotham Central had the potential to run for ages. If it had been presented as a soap opera with rotating creator teams and even more officers (like Alan Moore’s ABC title Top 10), the series could have had infinite shelf life. The series does serve as a basis for the DC live action series Gotham…so at least the format gets more exploration. I would welcome a return of Gotham Central, but I would worry that it cruelly would be ripped away again.
Related Links:
Gotham Central—Book 1: In the Line of Duty
