Off the books indeed.
Creative Staff:
Story: Ray Fawkes
Art: Juan E. Ferreyra
What They Say:
The responsibilities of the Midnight Shift can take their toll on even the bravest. What trials has Lt. Weaver endured—and has he reached his breaking point?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Gotham by Midnight had a pretty good installment the last time around as it focused on Corrigan for a lot of it, though it had its “monster of the week” element as well. Bringing the team up to speed on aspects of what Corrigan is was one of those awkward moments to be sure but it can also be dangerous, simply because there could be an increased reliance on him and his abilities and that can make others sloppy. But just bringing most of them up to speed and having him being honest about most of it added a welcome layer to things, removing some of the complications that can be replaced with other ones. And those other complications are most definitely coming into play as there are two main storylines running through the book now.
The first is that someone is indeed looking at taking down this precinct, and it makes sense that an underhanded “legal” approach would be taken to cover their tracks. This has Weaver being prodded about what’s going on by Kate Spencer, who normally operates as a prosecutor but is trying to help out an old friend. Weaver’s pretty much in a kind of low grade mix of panic and apathy here over it because he knows if they get shut down, things are going to go horribly wrong in Gotham. But at the same time, it’s hard to really explain it all with what they do, which we saw with Rook. And things are even worse of the group now that Gordon’s gone and their layer of protection afforded by him to deal with all of this has been removed. There’s a sense that events are rolling right at them and they’re unable to move out of the way to deal with it, which makes it fairly chilling.
The supernatural side is the other element here that plays well as we get Drake and Tarr sent to a couple of houses next to each other where there are several dead bodies that have been there for a few days. It’s creepy to be sure just in how it seemed to happen suddenly and no outward issues, but the fact they’re all laying on the ground and have things like plants connected to them through the floor that spread throughout the houses is horrifying. There’s a simple but strong supernatural element to it that again shows both of them that they’re out of their element, though Tarr is certainly enticed by everything in that kind of near schoolboy manner. It’s Corrigan once again that’s saving the day since only he can deal with such things, but his ease in which he accepts that the Specter has to deal with this is a change, though this event takes a toll on him. And on Drake and the others, considering what they see unfold and the even more chilling results of the truth of the matter.
In Summary:
Gotham by Midnight has another strong supernatural installment but one that’s also layering in some great character material. I’ve long liked the Corrigan character so seeing his struggle with what happened to Sister Justine here is welcome, as is his strong Specter side moments. Weaver’s story really has me intrigued to see how it unfolds as well, as Fawkes makes it a thoroughly engaging storyline that will have bigger implications. But the best thing about this book is Ferreyra’s artwork as he does some fantastic design work here. The side views of the houses for a couple of pages with events playing inside is strikingly beautiful, especially with the colors used, and just the sense of hopelessness that comes from so many panels and characters, notably Weaver, is amazing to watch. His artwork is adding another defining chapter to the look and feel of this book and it’s one that brings Fawkes’ storyline to life in an even bigger and better way.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: July 22nd, 2015
MSRP: $2.99
