Gotham’s Ghostbusters.
Creative Staff:
Story: Ray Fawkes
Art: Juan E. Ferreyra
What They Say:
The Midnight Shift is in danger from both its members and the rest of the GCPD! In a deadly new Gotham City, does the paranormal really still pose a threat? As the task force struggles to rebuild after their tragic loss, their only weapon against the supernatural and Internal Affairs both might be in the form of attorney Kate Spencer. Ray Fawkes and new series artist Juan Ferreyra are ready to take Jim Corrigan and his motley crew on the adventure of their lives—or afterlives!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gotham by Midnight finished its first arc a few months ago and took some time off with the Convergence event, but now it’s back with its second run and things change up a bit with the addition of Juan E. Ferreyra on the artwork. I’ve enjoyed his work over the last few years and his style, while different from Templesmith’s, is one that fits in very well with this series overall. The first arc is one that when read in full is really impressive, so Fawkes has his work cut out for him here in what’s to come. With this opening issue, things do keep relatively small, and it look like the human element may be the real danger this time around with what’s playing in the background. Nothing like the threat of a lawsuit percolating under the surface with criminal charges against the Midnight Shift here to keep things hopping.
The aftermath of what happened takes up a welcome chunk of the book as the funeral for Sister Christine is properly somber for the most part, though Corrigan has little value on such things. There’s not accusations per se against him, but seeing the way Rook and Drake deal with what they’ve discovered about him and the Specter leads to some decent (if familiar) reveals about how the arrangement works. Familiar enough for longtime fans, but nudged nicely for them while also being clear enough for new fans with what it’s all about. There’s a kind of wary acceptance about it all that comes together well for the group, though there’s also that uncertainty. Amusingly, it’s Corrigan that’s just blunt about things in general, even going so far as to call out Drake for what she really is, something she’s not really accepted herself. Revealing her to be of faerie origin certainly has you reevaluating her once again.
Though a lot of focus is on there, and the percolating material with Tarr elsewhere about the potential lawsuit, there is a new case that comes into play here – one that’s called into them rather than them discovering it. This has them going to the Powers Corporation, which is basically a simplistic riff on Apple that falls flat in a lot of ways rather than creating something interesting. There’s a mystery about with a spiritual presence that’s been threatening everyone there in some ghoulish ways. It plays out in a mostly procedural angle, letting Corrigan and Drake use their detective skills in a solid way as they investigate, but it’s something that feels like treading water overall unless it’ll be part of events later. it’s decently done, but it doesn’t quite yet speak of something bigger. It does let Ferreyra really showcase some great looking creepy material though.
In Summary:
Gotham by Midnight is one of those books I really missed during the Convergence months, so it’s great to finally have it back and slink into the supernatural side of Gotham again. There’s a really good world to work with here and it’s populated with some intriguing characters, which look great through Juan Ferrerya’s interpretation of them. This is a simple kind of issue though in terms of the actual supernatural element, but it’s a strong issue in design and for the time spent with Drake and Rook getting what they can out of Corrigan with what he really is. It’s done in a way where most books hem and haw over it, so I definitely liked the more straightforward approach used here. There’s some real darkness waiting in the wings it feels like and I’m eager to see more of it exposed based on the simple teases placed here.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: June 24th, 2015
MSRP: $2.99
