Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty

By Alex De-Gruchy
February 22, 2006

"So what's it really like to be a cop in Gotham City?" This is the question that writers Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka decided to explore when they launched Gotham Central nearly four years ago. Set in the dirtiest city in the DC Universe, In the Line of Duty collects the first five issues of the series and introduces a group of cops in the Gotham City Police Department just trying to do their job every day in a city where regular street crime is mixed in with the threat of costumed lunatics. And of course, the job is even more complicated when your city is watched over by the Batman. A much-admired critical success, the series recently concluded with issue 40.

Plot

In the Line of Duty introduces us to the detectives of the major crimes unit of the GCPD. The series opens with detective Marcus Driver standing by helplessly as his partner Charlie Fields is physically frozen and shattered by Mr. Freeze, who the two cops have stumbled onto by chance after following up a tip on an unrelated kidnapping case. Mr. Freeze escapes, and Driver is left alive, so he and his fellow detectives pull out all the stops in an attempt to bring their colleague's killer to justice. Driver is insistent that they do this themselves - without any help from Batman.

Over the first two issues, Mr. Freeze's scheme becomes clear, and as much as Driver hates to admit it, he knows that this is more than a matter of pride now, as Mr. Freeze is on the verge of killing hundreds of people. Driver reluctantly asks Commissioner Akins to turn on the Bat-signal. Although Batman stops Mr. Freeze and all the endangered lives are saved, Driver is angry that they had to involve Batman in the first place.

Issues three to five deal with Driver trying to crack the unresolved kidnapping case that mistakenly cost his partner his life. With little to go on, things only get more complicated when the kidnapping becomes a homicide. Also, we discover there might be a connection between this murder and a recent string of arsons by the costumed criminal known as Firebug. Partnered up with detective Chandler, Driver struggles to find the truth amidst all the secrets surrounding the case.

The main plots that run throughout these five issues are cleverly interlinked to the various sub-plots, and events never get bogged down in too much clinical detail or "cop-speak." Although there is a lot of depth to the story, it is never difficult to follow what is happening. Twists and turns throughout the story also mix nicely with the character development along the way.

Characterisation

The characters of In the Line of Duty are one of the strongest points of the title, as Brubaker and Rucka have created a group of people who are totally believable and realistic, and capture the reader's attention. There is Marcus Driver, the detective who loses his partner in the story's opening, and is the main character throughout these five issues as he tries to bring some closure to the death of his partner. In addition to his police work, there are a couple of nice scenes between Driver and Batman (who makes several brief cameos) that add another layer of depth to Driver's character.

Then we have the other cops such as Romy Chandler, the female detective who Driver works alongside on the kidnapping case - we quickly see signs of a possible romance developing between the two, much to the annoyance of Chandler's partner, Nate Patton, who has hidden feelings for Chandler. This love triangle is introduced in subtle fashion, and just adds to the believability of the characters and the relationships between them. Some other cops making up the cast are Captain Maggie Sawyer - who might be familiar to long-time Superman fans - and others such as Lieutenant Probson and Sergeant Jackson Davies. The title's cast is a strong and varied one, and this leaves the reader wanting to know more about each of them.

Long-time Batman fans might recognise a few familiar faces in the form of detectives Renee Montoya and Chris Allen, as well as Commissioner Akins. There's even a cameo from former Commissioner Jim Gordon. This mix of new and established characters really helps in bringing this title to life, as you don't need any former knowledge of Batman or any of his supporting characters to enjoy it. But at the same time long-time fans can still appreciate the links to the Batman mythos as well as the whole DC universe in general.

Art

The pencils and inks for In the Line of Duty are handled by Michael Lark, whose art I wasn't familiar with previously, but whose work definitely impressed me. His style is slightly reminiscent of the work of other artists such as Sean Phillips and Darwyn Cooke, in that his pencils and inks are very bold and use thick lines, although not in excess. His style is ideally suited to the gritty, noir-ish, urban crime drama that makes up this series.

With an ensemble cast who has no colourful costumes to make them more visually distinctive, it's extremely important for the reader to be able to follow the story and the characters through the artwork as well as the dialogue, and Lark does a great job in this respect. Each character is visually unique enough to never cause any confusion as to who is who, and Lark's use of facial expressions and body language always contribute to the characterisation and the ongoing plot. Even with many dialogue scenes throughout the five issues, there are never any lazy or dull continuous talking-head panels. The art always complements the story, whether it is an image of Batman swooping down to answer the Bat-signal, or simply a scene between detectives Driver and Chandler sitting and talking in their car.

Overall

Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty is an engrossing crime drama with storylines that are complex but never convoluted, and realistic characters who are easy to relate to. Brubaker and Rucka have done an excellent job of keeping the book realistic, while at the same time having it firmly entrenched in the DC Universe that we all know. Having the title set against the backdrop of Gotham City and involving some long-running Batman-related characters is merely a bonus that enhances the ongoing story, and it never feels forced. The title works extremely well as part of the Batman mythos, and ultimately stands well on its own as a thrilling cop drama. These protectors of Gotham's streets may not have capes, cowls and gadgets, but that just makes their stories all the more worthy of your attention.

Publisher: DC Comics
Writing: Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka
Art: Michael Lark
Collects Gotham Central Issues #1-5