World Famous Comics: Gotham Central Book One: In the Line of Duty
Gotham Central Book One: In the Line of Duty
By: Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Hardcover Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: September 16, 2008 Release Date: September 16, 2008
Product Description: The first ten issues of the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series is collected in hardcover for the first time! Written by Ed Brubaker (Captain America) and Greg Rucka (Detective Comics, 52), this series pitted the detectives of Gotham City's Special Crimes Unit against the city's greatest villains – in the shadow of Batman himself. This volume collects two cases of the Gotham Special Crimes Unit. In the first, a cop is killed by Mister Freeze, and the squad is in a race against time to bring him in without the help of the Dark Knight. In the second story–the acclaimed, award-winning “Half a Life”–Detective Renee Montoya is outed as a lesbian and finds her work environment and personal life turned upside down. Things only become more complicated when she’s kidnapped by Two-Face. This debut volume features an introduction by acclaimed mystery author Lawrence Block.
excellent police procedural As a fan of Brubaker and Rucka already, and as a fan of noir/hard-boiled fiction, Gotham Central seemed a natural fit for me. I wasn't wrong. I came in late but I'm really glad I'm here. I'll leave it to others to detail the stories but just know that this is classic Bru and grand cop procedural story-telling. As for the art, Lark starts off a little rusty but grows to the job before the book is over.
...and if you haven't heard of Brubaker and Lark before, try some Captain America. He's dead, you know...
Outstanding graphic novel This book collects inventive stories from the fringes of the Batman world, focusing on the police force. Now that commissioner GORDON is retired, members of said police force strive to bring Gotham to order without the help of the Batman. Will they win their self-imposed challenge? If so, at what price? And who will foot the bill? Very good plots (on a gripping modern noir tip), very fine dialogs, very efficient drawings, very strong characters. I am seriously hooked, and I can't wait for the next hardcover collection!
This would make a great TV show on HBO A great read for adult Batman fans. There's not much of the Bat, but I found that refreshing. It focuses on the cops, and their resentment toward Batman for solving the crimes they cannot. I really started empathizing with each of the characters. The art is also very nice, and evokes a Year One quality. Highly recommended. I'd love to see this made into a TV show on HBO.
Brilliant Police Drama in the World of Costumed Vigilantes Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker team up to write a stellar police drama set in Batman's home, Gotham City. Michael Lark provides the outstanding art work for this crime drama.
There are three stories contained in this great collection. The first has the writers co-writing a plot introducing us to the night and day shifts of GCPD and the Major Crimes Unit as they take on Mr. Freeze.
Brubaker then tackles the mystery of a kidnapping and murder. With plenty of plots and twists to keep an mystery fan jumping for more.
Rucka takes a more personal look at one of Gotham's Finest, Renee Montoya, as she deals with personal issues and the revenge of a twisted perp she arrested who was released on a technicality.
One of the strongest highlights was seeing how these police officers deal with a city that is protected by the Batman. The spectre of the Batman looms over each story but Batman only makes brief appearances. Brilliant handling by the writers to ground a real world story in the world of costumed vigilantes.
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