Gotham Central: Half a Life - Volume 2
Grade 10 Up–This series is very much like such programs asL.A. Law,NYPD Blue, andLaw and Order. Although it takes place in the Batman universe, the Dark Knight is a peripheral character (when he appears at all). Instead, the focus is on a member of Gotham's police force–Detective Renee Montoya. She is young, urban-dwelling, and a lesbian.Half a Lifefeatures her public outing. Surrounding this plot point is a story involving Two-Face, one of Batman's enemies. His part in the story, while serving to tie up loose ends, is subservient to Montoya's more compelling drama. Lark's dark, moody drawings are a perfect complement to the story. Their bold lines and fluid compositions have a cinematic quality while still being gritty and slightly abstract; the art brings to mind the cell-shading techniques used in Richard Linklater's filmWaking Life. This is a great example of the literary and artistic maturity of the graphic-novel format.–Steev Baker, Kewaskum Public Library, WICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.