Batman: Death and the Maidens
Alan Moore'sWatchmeninspired a vogue for comic books that placed gaudily garbed superheroes in more true-to-life, real-world settings. Many similar series, such asAstroCity, have been widely acclaimed, but one of the best has gone largely unheralded.Gotham Centralfocuses on Gotham City's police and their struggle to maintain order in a flagrantly corrupt burg beset by bizarre, costumed criminals. Batman himself, whom the cops mockingly call the Bat, makes only fleeting cameos as GC detectives contend with his superpowered foes. In the installments collected here, the Joker terrorizes with sniper attacks, beginning with the assassination of the mayor, and the force reopens an unresolved bombing involving the Mad Hatter and, disgraced ex-detective Harvey Bullock suspects, the Penguin. Obvious analogues toGotham Centralare such TV procedurals asLaw and OrderandHomicide.Like them,Gotham Centralboasts superficial verisimilitude, hard-edged dialogue, and a large cast of precisely drawn characters. Michael Lark's shadowy, muted art, enhanced by sympathetic coloring, brilliantly realizes writers Brubaker and Greg Rucka's intricate, compelling story lines.Gordon FlaggCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.