• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Sep 14, 2011 Web Exclusive By Kyle Lemmon

Find It At: Midtown Comics | My Comic Book Shop

The final battle between the Bat-family and The Architect is somewhat anti-climatic after the first four issues of Gates of Gotham held such steampunk-y promise. In Issue #5, co-writers Scott Snyder (American Vampire), Kyle Higgins (Deathstroke and Nightwing New 52 relaunches), and Ryan Parrott, quickly tie together the loose ends of the narrative. In hindsight, the overall miniseries might have been aided by being stretched to six issues. The writing seems rushed, especially during key moments.

The Gotham history bits of the Gates throughline are still quite fascinating to read. Higgins and Parrott handle the writing on this issue. The rotten politics, family deceit, and moral decay elements they sprinkle in the mix are quite compelling. The Gates brothers dynasty that aided in the construction of Gotham unraveled through the decades. We follow Batman (Dick Grayson), Blackbat, Robin, and Red Robin as they uncover those mysteries and try to save the city from a series of bombs. Last month's issue left on a huge cliffhanger with the city about to be flooded and the pacing only picks up in issue #5.

Trevor McCarthy and Graham Nolan's art tops the earlier episodes in the arc by the length of the Gotham Bridge. Consistency was an issue earlier, but their sturdy linework compliments Guy Major's gritty and layered colors. Gates of Gotham sometimes resembled a flawed curio, but this type of heroic storytelling was certainly appreciated on the eve of DC's New 52 relaunch. The Bat-family is still a dynamic bunch and deserve novel villains such as The Architect. (www.dccomics.com / www.comicbookdb.com/creator.php)

Author rating: 6/10