Rucka writes the final tale, which occupies the second half of In the Line of Duty. It’s a closer focus on two detectives, Romy Chandler and Marcus Driver, as they ask the questions and follow the clues. Both writers collaborate on these opening two chapters, introducing the majority of the cast that will see the series through, and, interestingly, avoiding most of Gotham’s higher profile police by concentrating on the nightshift of the Major Crimes Unit for the opening half of the book.Ī missing child is mentioned during the course of the first investigation, and takes precedence during the second, scripted by Brubaker alone. There’s a pride, though, a reluctance to take the easy option and activate the bat-signal. The initial pages are shocking, displaying what life is like for cops in a city where unhinged costumed maniacs prey on the citizens.

This is superbly achieved, only really becoming apparent on the second pass through, once you’re no longer concentrating so much on the mystery aspects. He keeps the story moving by varying his layouts, a necessity in material that’s dialogue led rather than action led. He brings the darkness of Gotham to life, and pulls off the difficult trick of not only distinguishing, but also characterising the cast in a book where there are very few costumes. Signing up Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka to co-write the series, both having more than dabbled with crime comics, was a smart move, as was assigning primary artist Michael Lark. The irony is, that in the continuity of the era, Gordon was retired, and is only seen in a cameo role. In the 1990s there has been several attempts to star him in his own series, now collected as Gordon of Gotham, but it wasn’t until the scope was widened to become a police procedural comic that there was success and critical acclaim. Gotham City Police Commissioner Gordon has been an integral member of Batman’s slim supporting cast since the very early days.

Gotham Central, Vol. 2 by Greg Rucka