Ed Brubaker became one of those writers whose work I would alwas check out after I read Scene of the Crime, a dark, mature piece of crime fiction from DC's Vertigo imprint, illustrated perfectly by Michael Lark. Rucka made Gotham City come alive when he took over the writing reins of Detective Comics three years ago. So when this project was announced, teaming those creators up, anticipation was instantaneous. This is a solid beginning, but I want to get to know the new characters even better.
Detectives Driver and Fields follow up on a routine tip at a ratty rooming house about a kidnapping, but in Gotham City, no police matter is ever routine. The two partners find themselves face to face with a much more dangerous threat than a couple of penny-ante kidnappers, and neither one escapes the encounter unscathed. The incident sparks a manhunt, but one of the victims, Marcus Driver, asks a favor of the new police commissioner... a favor that involves the Batman.
Lark's simple but gritty style is perfectly suited to a dark police drama such as this one. His sketchy style boasts a surprising sense of realism, and it reinforces the down to earth atmosphere of a story set in an unreal city. Giddings reinforces the dark atmosphere with dark, dull tones that paint the Gotham landscape as an inhospitable place.
The highlight of this issue is the cold, calulating tone with which the villain deals with the everyday men in his path. It's one thing to see him go up against a colorfully clad hero, but his harsh treatment of regular human beings puts him in an even more corrupt light. In other words, the writers show us the potential real consequences of a villain's actions. The mystery of his motives is an intriguing plotline as well, and I look forward to seeing how it plays out.
Though there are some familiar characters featured prominently here, the newer ones are those that are front and center here. Given that this is just the first issue, we still don't know all that much about them, and I expect once that happens, the series will be even more entertaining and riveting. Then, the readers will have a vested interest in these new figures. I expect I will, anyway.
