Gotham Noir

Gotham Noir is a one off comic in a sort of spin off Batman universe with a film noir bent following the exploits of Commissioner Gordon as he attempts to solve a murder. It's an idea that really appeals to me because I love noir in general, so I was excited to read this one. Gotham Noir, however has it's highs and lows. It's only 64 pages and in that time it tries to get a lot done but unfortunately it drags a bit in the middle and then ends suddenly. So the pacing is a bit strange. However I can say that the art is excellent and the dialog is pretty good even if I wish it had a bit more of that old fashioned 20's pulp film language sprinkled in.

While the story does mostly focus on Gordon it also manages to work in Batman and the Joker for good measure. I suppose it almost had to happen to make people want to pick this up but I think I would have preferred Batman as more of a cameo than a full on character role. Regardless the design of both Joker and Batman in this book is awesome and so I enjoyed them even if they felt a bit shoe horned in.

Overall it's solid but not a must read. If you love Noir like me then it may have a bit more appeal but if your just a general Batman fan then I don't think this book has all that much to offer you. It's short, lacks depth and does mostly focus on a frequently drunk Gordon. I wish it had been a mini series because as a one off it's just too short to really hook you before it's already over.