There are a lot of comics out there but some stand out head and shoulders above the pack. With “Don’t Miss This,” we want to spotlight those series we think need to be on your pull list. This week, we take a look at DC Comics’s “Gotham City: Year One.”
Who’s This By?
Tom King (“Strange Adventures,” “Mister Miracle”) has made quite a name for himself in comics over the last decade or so, and the majority of his most lauded work has been his thought-provoking and his canon-morphing miniseries over at DC Comics. King simply knows the ins and outs of the characters and stories within the DC universe. He knows what works, what can be changed, and how to make every detail come together in a way that is new and refreshing, and feels like it is how it always should have been. His writing is smart, intense, naturalistic, and powerful.
Illustrator Phil Hester (“Invincible,” “Family Tree”) works in a hard-lined, hard-boiled style that is equal parts Mike Mignola and Tim Sale. His work brings a gorgeous, heavy shadowed, noir feel that he is able to shift and rework based on the kind of story he is working in, but he goes full detective noir for “Gotham City: Year One,” and there could hardly be a better choice out there to pencil this series.
Emboldening the heavy lines of Hester is inker Eric Gapstur (“James Bond 007,” “Legends of the Dark Knight”) who is most known for his work on various DC comics and a smattering of smaller titles. A steady hand with a knack for a gorgeous style, and having worked with Hester on “Family Tree,” Gapstur’s work is something to truly be admired and appreciated.
Colorist extraordinaire Jordie Bellaire (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Wonder Woman”) brings her incredible talents to this noir-ish tale of the early days of Gotham. One of a handful of artists working today that is truly a genius in how she colors comics.
Rounding out this team is letterer Clayton Cowles, a master of his craft, who gets to play with various styles on this book.
What’s This All About?
Taking place two generations before Bruce Wayne, a private investigator named Slam Bradley gets pulled into the “kidnapping of the century” as the infant Wayne heir disappears in the night, thus starting this hard-boiled and nasty mystery that could cause the very foundation of one of America’s meanest cities to crumble.
So, Why Should I Read This?
A gorgeous noir story. Gotham City of the 1960s. Links to Bruce Wayne/Batman, and current Gothamites. This book has so much going for it in terms of what it is establishing and with such a stellar creative team behind it, there is no reason that any fan of this corner of DC comics should not be picking it up. An untold history crafted by some of the best creators working in comics today, it is a must read.
King’s gruff and whiskey laden dialogue sets a perfect tone for the smoke filled and blood spattered spaces within this Gotham of years past. He really makes it clear that this is a turning point for the city. There are so many directions it could take, but the path that this story sets the city on is something that will lead directly to Bruce becoming the Batman. This is one of those books that feels like it could be directly linked to any of the grittiest noir Batman tales, like “Batman: Year One,” “The Long Halloween,” “Gotham Central,” “Batman: The Imposter,” or even most recent film adaptation, The Batman. King introduces us to some key ancestors of Bruce Wayne and it is a fascinating journey into learning more about this family that helped build Gotham, and how tragedy has never seemed to pass them by.
Hester’s pencils are clean and neat, but feel bold and heavy. There is nothing flimsy or suggested in his illustrations. The work is beautiful and flawless, calling back to noir films of decades past. You feel the smog in the air and the pipe smoke on Slam’s breath. Like “Sin City” through a Bruce Timm filter, the art is exceptional and is a healthy mixture of familiar nostalgia, and something new for a pre-Batman comic book.
Continued belowBellaire’s style and palette on this book calls back to various Batmand and Gotham set comics over many years, as well as stories from other mediums such as Batman: The Animated Series. Her work is absolutely stunning and gives a warm and fuzzy, nostalgic look to these issues, even when some dark stuff is going down.
How Can You Read It?
“Gotham City: Year One” is set to be a six issue miniseries, with issue #2 dropping this week, available anywhere comic books are sold.
