Gotham Central Vol. 1: In the Line of Duty (Batman) [Paperback]

Greg Rucka (Author), Ed Brubaker (Author), Michael Lark (Illustrator), Lawrence Block (Illustrator), Noelle Giddings (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Batman (DC Comics Paperback) | Publication Date: May 1, 2004

Working in the shadow of the Dark Knight, the detectives of Gotham City's police force are determined to prove that they can enforce the law in a city rife with criminals, with or without Batman's help.

In this latest volume of the Eisner award-winning series, the cops have what appears to be Robin's dead body in the Gotham Morgue and the evidence is pointing toward his mentor, the Dark Knight. With an uncooperative Batman, the only people the police can turn to for answers may be the Teen Titans.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Even with Batman on the job, the police of corrupt, crime-ridden Gotham City have their hands full. Such is the premise of the latest Batman serial, Gotham Central, which focuses on crime fighters without costumes and superpowers. Resentful of but dependent on the shadowy figure they derisively call the Bat, Gotham's cops spend most of their time on mundane crimes--the primary case in this, the first Gotham Central story arc, is the murder of a teenage girl--but they invariably encounter Gotham's bizarrer crooks, too. In the opening pages, a member of the force is brutally killed by Mr. Freeze, and a third-rate villain called the Firebug figures indirectly in the murder investigation. Ed Brubaker and Rucka's intricate plotting and deft characterization are brilliantly realized by Michael Lark's noirish, muted artwork, which places Batman firmly in the street-level world of the cops rather than the other way around. This outstanding addition to the Batman universe, so to speak, should grab viewers of TV shows like NYPD Blue as well as regular Batman readers. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

The List, 22nd July - 5th August 2004, : " The characters are fleshed out with real depth, the gritty film noir art and subdued colour scheme adding to the realism capturing the human side of a world populated by superheroes (and supervillains)." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: DC Comics (May 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401201997
• ISBN-13: 978-1401201999
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,432,193 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The author of four novels about professional bodyguard Atticus Kodiak -- Keeper (nominated for a Shamus Award by the Private Eye Writers of America), Finder, Smoker, and Shooting at Midnight, Greg Rucka has been writing since he was eight years old, and hopefully is improving with age. A longtime comics fan, his first graphic novel series was the suspense thriller Whiteout, published by Oni Press and nominated for three Eisner Awards in 1999. Since that time he has been a contributing writer for DC Comics and an active participant in the Batman series of titles.
Born and raised in California, he earned his undergraduate degree at Vassar College and his MFA at the University of Southern California. He currently resides in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Rucka has two tattoos, and rides a motorcycle.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hill Street Blues in Gotham City, May 12, 2004

By 

Guy L. Gonzalez "Malcontent" (Bloomfield, NJ) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gotham Central Vol. 1: In the Line of Duty (Batman) (Paperback)

With Batman lurking on the fringes, Gotham Central is a darker Hill Street Blues, focusing on the rough-edged men and women of the Gotham City Police Department Major Crimes Unit who resent Batman's presence while often coming face to face with members of his gallery of rogues. This collection of the first 5 issues of the series features a brutal appearance by Mister Freeze (nothing like the abomination played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the resolution of two seemingly unconnected cases without Batman's help.

Michael Lark's gritty and atmospheric art are a perfect complement to Brubaker and Rucka's taut plots and precise characters, making Gotham Central one of the most compelling comics currently being published.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can't Go Wrong with Gotham Central, May 18, 2004

By 

Erin M. (Bellingham, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gotham Central Vol. 1: In the Line of Duty (Batman) (Paperback)

Gotham Central is a great series that is unfortunately under-read. This volume collects the first five issues for a very reasonable price -- and is a great way to get into this series. In fact the collected TPB is almost a better and easier read than the single issues. This is an intelligent book and appeals to a wider audience than just Batman fans. If you enjoy Law & Order or any crime drama, you will enjoy this book. Even if you haven't picked up a comic since you were a kid -- pick this one up.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating graphic novel, April 12, 2005

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Gotham Central Vol. 1: In the Line of Duty (Batman) (Paperback)

Life isn't easy for Gotham City's finest; living is the shadow of the Dark Knight, and dealing with villains large and small. While investigating a kidnapping, Detective Marcus Driver sees his partner murdered right in front of him by Mister Freeze, and he is determined that these crimes won't be solved by Batman, but will be handled by good old-fashioned police work. But, there's more to this case than meets the eye. Tough times have a way of turning common people into heroes, and Detective Driver will need to be a hero before all of this is over.

I must say that I was quite pleasantly surprised by this graphic novel. Batman appears in the story, but he is a very minor character. Instead, this is the story of a group of regular police officers doing their duty, and fighting crime the way that they police must. The illustration work is done in a style that took me back to the Golden Age comics, giving the story something of a timelessness that I did not expect.

Overall, I found this to be a fascinating graphic novel, one with an interesting twist in the selection of heroes. I loved this book, and highly recommend it to you.