"This isn't Metropolis, Captain, and not just because our guy works at night. This isn't the City of Tomorrow, it isn't San Francisco, it's not New York. It's Gotham, and if you want to see what that means, just check out your squad room."

I'm taking that quote out of context but it fits this volume so perfectly. While the previous volumes in the Gotham Central series focused on the sometimes seriously rocky relationship between Batman and the GCPD, as well as the everyday lives of the officers, this focuses on just how hard it is to be a "good” cop in a city as corrupt and dark as Gotham. I can't remember the last time that a comic book made me feel so much but this one accomplishes that with ease. There are three main stories in this volume:

Nature by Greg Rucka



This was an interesting story mostly because it’s told from the viewpoint of the corrupt cops in Gotham. I suppose it’s to provide some contrast to the usual viewpoints of the officers in the Major Crimes unit (who were handpicked by former Commissioner James Gordon and therefore a helluva lot more reliable than the rest of the force). This story is from the viewpoint of Officers DeCarlo and Munroe who are about as crooked as they come. In the course of shaking down a drug dealer for their portion of the score, they end up killing a young homeless girl. Of course, with as corrupt as Gotham is, they really don’t have to worry about anyone finding out the truth, as long as they can stay away from the relentless MCU duo of Montoya and Allen. It ended much differently than I expected but it was an ending that I found pretty damn satisfying.

Dead Robin by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka



This story begins with the murder of Robin. When the police find a young man who died of blunt force trauma from a rather nasty fall and who just so happens to be dressed in a Robin suit, they immediately suspect an accident on the job. It definitely doesn’t look good for Batman and even the Teen Titans get pulled into the case as known associates of Robin. This one was pretty damn dark. I mean, killing kids just so you can get noticed by the costumed freaks? That’s seriously fucked up. It features a fairly major clash between Batman and Officer Romy Chandler (who still blames Batman for the death of her partner). It’s resolved in a way that I wasn’t expecting and really liked. Overall, it’s a very well-written story that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

Corrigan II by Greg Rucka



And this was the story that just fucking broke my heart. Although it’s a quote from one of the previous stories, I’m pretty sure that Captain Sawyer says it best:

”Mother*%$#!
Mother*%$#!
Mother*%$#!
Mother*%$#!”

I still can’t believe how frustrated and heartbroken and angry this story made me. Not in a bad way. The writing was absolutely amazing, it’s the first time I can remember a comic book making my heart physically hurt. I don’t want to ruin its impact so all I’ll say without the spoiler tags is that two of my favorite detectives continue their clash with the corrupt crime scene tech James Corrigan and things definitely do not go according to plan.



That son of a bitch. God I wanted Montoya to pull that trigger so damn bad but she made the right choice. Fuck.



This story really underlines how corrupt and messed up a city Gotham is and no matter how many good people work to clean it up, it still takes its toll. Just an amazing story and the first time that I’ve been really impressed with one of Rucka’s stories.

Again, like it has been this entire series, the artwork is pretty bland. It’s not quite as bad as in book three but this series deserves so much better.

This is hands down the best volume in the entire series. It’s also one of the best Batman books I’ve ever read. I really can’t say enough good things about it, it’s forever going to be one of my favorites.