brandonsears

I honestly didn't expect to love this series as much as I did when I started it. The fact that you're asking me to read about Gotham but you're not going to give a whole lot of love to The Dark Knight himself? Blasphemy!

Turns out when you hand it over to the very capable hands of Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka, you know you're going to get to read something special.

This third volume collects issues 23 through 31 of DC's stellar Gotham Central series. In this volume, we're given 4 different story arcs:

Corrigan - Two part story dealing with the lifting of evidence from a crime scene which may prove the innocence of a well known detective. Interesting, but a somber way to start your collection.

Lights Out - We're presented with a tough decision made by Commissioner Akins to dismantle the Bat-Signal following some trust issues between The Caped Crusador and the GCPD. While Batman disagrees with what Akins deems to be a serious problem, he elects to proceed as if business were normal.

On The Freak Beat - Detective Josephine MacDonald is brought in as lead on a case seemingly caused by Catwoman. The only problem being that the case involved murder most foul, and common knowledge is that Catwoman doesn't leave bodies laying around. "Mac", however, is harboring a secret that could blow the case open but jeopardize her career.

Keystone Kops - A brilliant four part story detailing a case involving the disfigurement of a well liked, hardworking beat cop that the team is struggling to solve. Spanning a good chunk of this book, the story brings in elements of The Flash's universe with super villain Dr. Alchemy (or Albert Desmond).

Renee Montoya takes center stage in this collection, dominating most of the stories. Not only can she come across as a pretty sympathetic character due to her continuous persecution as a gay woman, but she kicks some serious ass when faced with violent enemies.

I absolutely love this series and will have no problem recommending it not only to any fans of The Bat but to those who love a good crime yarn.