With the publication of Gotham Central’s The Complete Saga (2024), two screenwriters as familiar with police stories as Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka have created epic stories about the daily lives of GCPD detectives in one volume.
In the fictional cities of the DC Universe, following the North American police model, there are local, state, and federal police. In North America’s decentralized model, police forces are usually omnibus, so officers in municipal police departments can perform all kinds of police missions, from patrol or traffic control to investigating crimes or preventing crimes and terrorist attacks.
Gotham has its own police force, coded to report on the Joker, and Gotham Central’s The Complete Saga tells the story of detectives investigating serious crimes in the city, with funny jokes about superpowered heroes as normal humans interact with them. Everyday problems, in addition to those caused by methamphetamines.
GCPD in the comics
The Gotham City Police Department -GCPD-, as you take the comics to one historical level or another, is a great ally of the Bat, watching over the Bat-Signal on the roof of the headquarters, or its worst enemy, Batman. As a public enemy.
This police department has its own series in addition to Gotham Central and Gotham Central The Complete Saga in the DC Universe: GCPD Gotham City Police Department (1996) and the latest GCPD The Blue Wall (2022). Along with these series, there were others about the police department that focused on Commissioner Gordon: Batman: Gordon’s Law (1996) or Batman: Gordon of Gotham (1998).
After Batman Miller and Mazzucchelli’s remake of Batman: One Year (1987), police lieutenant James Gordon’s arrival from Chicago to join the Gotham police coincides with Bruce Wayne’s homecoming. . Another shared story was Vow, in Legends of the Dark Knight (1992), Wounded Agent (Batman #587) or Batman: Crucial Moments (2001).
In the later works, the evolution of the department is seen, the investigation of violent crimes, including those committed by metahumans, is related to the Major Crimes Unit, MCU, whose cases were told in Gotham Central, with Captain Maggie being considered in their ranks. Sawyer from Metropolis SCU.
Great stories new edition
In this edition in Spanish, Gotham Central Complete Saga includes the entire Gotham Central series, a total of 40 issues, from North American issues 763 to 772 of Detective Comics, which tells the stories of Detective Josie Mack in Gotham Police.
The current publisher of DC rights has published this series in other formats, reviewed by Lacasa de L, including the original Santiago Negro Gotham Central 1: In the Line of Duty, Gotham Central 2: Clones and Lunatics, and Gotham Central 3: On Guard by Hell.
Previously, Planeta Comics published the collection in six cartoon volumes, the seventh with Josie Mack stories; Also, two generic titles: Gotham Central. Serve and Protect with Gotham Central Presents: James Gordon’s Law, including: Gordon’s Law, Gotham Gordon, GCPD, and Voices of the Dark Knight Legends.
Brubaker and Rucka Style Study Unit
The series, conceived by Brubaker and Rucka, was about the police, in the classic noir genre, but it did not feature Commissioner Gordon, and since the appearance of Batman or his enemies was not a common occurrence in the series, the characters almost all had no history in the DC universe and were a blank canvas to surprise readers.
A story written by both screenwriters on the line of duty, the detectives of the department present to the readers how to investigate crimes in which supervillains or heroes appear and make them more difficult, sometimes they become deadly. According to Detective Marcus Driver
The story of these detectives, as written by David Simmons and televised by the thriller The Wire, is the great book Day and Night Shift, Rucka for Day Shift and Brubaker for Night Shift.
On the day shift, Rene Montoya, from the pages of detective comics and the animated series, appeared, along with the new and morally impeccable Crispus Allen, as the main character detective. These stories include the award-winning Media Vida, as well as Corrigan, Lights Out and Keystone Cops.
On the night shift or the third shift, Marcus Driver, who always evokes the memorable introduction of the third Watch series, who hates superheroes and villains, together with Romy Chandler, were the detectives that Brubaker got into trouble, stories like Motive, Unsolved Case or The Monster’s Round.
Both authors, in addition to the presentation, wrote a series of stories that chronicled Brubaker’s life in print when he signed to Marvel. o Easy targets, with the Joker as the master criminal and Gotham’s police officers as his minions, Captain Maggie Sawyer is something they can’t afford with such a dangerous job.
The longest-lived artist in the series was Michael Lark, who Brubaker and Rucka put in brushes from the first issue when they were waiting to be counted. This artist was chosen because of his mastery of light contrast and realism. At the conclusion of number 25, Cano and Stefano Gaudiano knew how to maintain the level until the end of the series.
Regardless of the format it’s presented in, Gotham Central is a work that’s bound up with the world of Pajamas and Masks, becoming a classic of the DC Universe over time, with its freshness, intensity and original appeal. years, essential comics on readers’ shelves.
Renee Montoya, Crispus Allen, Jim Corrigan, Maggie Sawyer… Over the years, the long-suffering Gotham City police have played a supporting role in the adventures of Batman and Robin. However, the time has come for this heroic body of men and women to face worldly enemies alone and others who are also unworldly. And even if you’ve already mastered a thousand battles, can you handle entities like Mr. Freeze, Two-Face or the Joker?
Screenwriters Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka and artists Michael Lark, Cano, and Steve Lieber present Gotham Central, which centers on the adventures of Agent Josie Mack, played by Judd Winnick and Cliff Chiang.
Original issue: Gotham Central nos. 1-40, Detective Comics Vol. 763-772 America.
Format: 976 pages one color. Cardboard