The rotating character focus of Gotham Central swings back onto one of my favorite characters in the squad, Josie Mac, as she and her partner get involved in a case that starts out looking mundane but quickly takes a pretty distinctive Gotham twist. Brubaker does a terrific job of setup here, packing a ton of information about a past event in Gotham and the history the perp shares with Detective Driver along with a pretty intense hostage stand-off and interesting exploration of administrative sloppiness that could have hindered the police work. Lark and Gaudiano return to the pages with their usual gritty and realistic take on the streets of Gotham, and best of all, the story hints at the return of another old favorite, a character who could give this book some much-needed attitude.
I was pleased to see in the last Gotham Central story that the tale didn't include any Bat-villain involvement. While this is a book set in Gotham, it's a cop book, and I didn't really want to see every case turning out to be related to Batman in some way. However, that doesn't mean I don't want to see Bat-villains involved in these stories, especially when their involvement gets to shine a light on them in a way that being beat up by Batman for the zillionth time can't. When we find out which Gotham baddie is behind the case, it's a chilling moment, making his powers seem more frightening than they generally seem and also raising some big questions even as it answers one of the big mysteries central to this first issue. It's a cleverly done reveal, and a great use of a classic Batman villain.
For the most part, though, this issue focuses on two detectives, Josie Mac and Nate Driver. I've often said that the many characters in this book are a little indistinct and could use some kind of role call to introduce them, but Josie Mac is one of the big exceptions, as she was developed in a separate feature by Judd Winick and has a much stronger backstory and personality, not to mention one of the more distinctive looks in the series. Mind you, one of her big scenes this issue really only works on all levels if you know about her low-level psychic powers, but there's no way for Brubaker to get that information into the book (since they wisely eschew narrative captions as a stylistic choice on this book)... y'know, other than a role call, which they still need, and which is far more important than the "What has gone before" page that provides little information of any use to someone reading this particular story. Or maybe a straight-to-trade publication style, which would work so much better for this book but which is unfortunately wildly unlikely at this point in time.
Hm. Off on a bit of a tangent there. At any rate, Josie and Nate have great chemistry, and I love how the two of them have so quickly settled into a friendly but bickering partner routine. I feel like this routine has become a little rote for Gotham Central, as it seems to be shared by every detective pair, but it is consistently entertaining and probably more than a little realistic, so it doesn't bother me too much. In addition, while the characterization is solid enough, what really sells me on this issue of Gotham Central is the plot and the suspense, as Brubaker lays down a mystery. Given that he wrote one of the best mystery comics in the past decade (Scene of the Crime), it's good to see him returning to that territory. The incomprehensible rantings of a lunatic, a tragedy from the past, a disgraced detective who might hold the key to putting it all together and a shocking revelation about bigger players involved, not to mention an as-yet inscrutable motive, this all leads to one great setup for a mystery.
What can you say about the art of Lark and Gaudiano on Gotham Central? Not much, really, other than to reiterate that these two are perfect for the book. It's taken me some time to get used to Lark's rougher style on this book, and I'll admit I still miss some of the cleaner lines that he brought to Scene of the Crime, but I'll also be first to admit that the rougher style works to make the book feel a little darker and edgier, and that's crucial to the tone. In addition, Lark is one of those artists in comics who can draw real-looking people, folks who don't look like they stepped out of a modeling contest and into a role as crazy out-of-work guy but who actually look like a guy who hasn't bathed in a few days.
