Detective Comics #25 Review

James Gordon is going against the dark side of Gotham. Problem is it’s his own backyard.

In this Zero Year tie-in (which may be one of the few that actually contribute to the Dark City arc), James Gordon goes after the criminals who have risen in the wake of the Red Hood Gang. 

And how can I resist when the cover is homage to my favorite Resident Evil character Leon Kennedy?

Batman Year One gave us a very good look at Gordon’s fight against a corrupt police force, and while this is a brighter Gotham, Gordon still fights the good fight.

The art is brilliant and if this is the standard Detective Comics is going for, I may just look it up again.

And Layman knows when to hit the right beats and that really helps.

SPOILERS FOLLOW………………..

Gordon has decided to go after the Black Mask Gang, but along the way falls prey to the corrupt policemen on his payroll.

And we are met by not so subtle references and homages. 

First is the flashlight. Henshaw, Gordon’s fellow officer on the Black Mask case, tells Gordon to call him by using a flashlight, much like Gordon calls Batman (only with a bigger flashlight………I mean, searchlight). And this is hit home when we find that the torch (gifted to him by Barbara) has broken in the shape of a bat.

Next, Gordon is dropped off the same bridge that his son was in Year One and both were saved by Batman.

Then, Gordon makes mention of the Falcones being rounded up by the ‘vigilante’ just like in Year One.

Despite some problems with the above incidents, this was a very enjoyable read as we see both a slim and good Bullock (though I prefer bad to good instead of slim to fat, like in Batman Earth One) and a morally neutral Loeb (which I liked, because a neutral Loeb going to the bad side is more interesting than seeing one who is already bad).

Also, Roman SIonis is introduced here before her becomes Black Mask, so any future stories may build upon the interaction between him and Gordon.

Though replacing Flass with Henshaw (both look the same) looks superfluous and his death at the end really didn’t help.

The back story starts the next arc with Man Bat and………She Bat? So, Francine is a villain here and Batman and Gordon will have to stop her, maybe with the help of Kirk Langstrom aka Man Bat.

SPOILERS END……………………….

While it does suffer when compared to Year One, it is enjoyable on its own and we finally see the Jim I wanted unlike the vilified Batgirl one.

A good companion to Dark City (unlike the other Zero Year tie-ins this week, which were enjoyable on their own), this is a must for Jim Gordon fans and people who like good art and story combined.

So, I give it 8.5 out of 10

+A new interesting take on the Gotham Police Force

+Great pacing

+Great art, especially when showing dark Gotham

+Good introduction to Jim Gordon for new readers

-Some conflicting character changes

-Some references and homages missed the mark