Review: Gotham by Midnight Vol. 2- Rest in Peace

Quick Summary

Pros: The first half of the book is great and tells a number of interesting stories. The Internal Affairs investigation ends strong. The conclusion is very exciting and feels very epic.

Cons: The Internal Affairs investigation starts out a bit rough. The conclusion has a few small problems.

Overall: The second and final volume of this series offers readers a lot in terms of compelling mystery and well-written suspense. About half of the volume is dedicated to serial style police cases, telling tales of horror and supernatural thrills. Meanwhile, the other half is a conclusion that feels very epic, despite a few flaws here and there. This is still the book to pick up if you are looking for a unique take on supernatural police investigations.

Story

Gotham by Midnight Vol. 2: Rest in Peace succeeds in telling several stories about paranormal investigation, despite not being quite as explosively entertaining as its predecessor. Writer Ray Fawkes details the misadventures of the Midnight Shift in stories that are more reserved but no less interesting. Then, at the volume’s conclusion, these cases form the pieces to a larger puzzle, revealing a larger conspiracy in a satisfactory bout of action. All in all, this volume feels like a few episodes of good television, while the last one felt more like a blockbuster movie.

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The first half of this book focuses on smaller supernatural disturbances that are mostly independent of one another. These cases see the Midnight Shift fix a haunted building, eradicate a spectral parasite, deal with a bothersome ghost, and quell devilishly inspired rioting. Each one of these stories is interesting on its own and helps satisfy the supernatural mystery quota that this book promises. I ended up really loving each of these independent tales; they gave off a great Law and Order vibe with an occult twist.

While these investigations are occurring, the GCPD begins looking into the legality of the Thirteenth Precinct. At first, this subplot is pretty lackluster. It is simply not that appealing and feels like an intrusion on the otherwise above average story. However, as it progresses, it becomes better and better and eventually plays a big part in the volume’s finale. While this payoff does not exactly make up for the subplot’s rough start, it does help justify it in the grand scheme of things.

Once the volume’s conclusion begins, all of this setup becomes very relevant. Fawkes ties in elements from the independent case files, the GDPD investigation, and the previous volume in order to make this finale as epic as possible. It gives the final showdown plenty of weight and really ups the stakes in general. I also appreciated that, in a manner similar to the previous volume, this final showdown is something deeper and more meaningful than a simple fight between supernatural beings.

However, on the flip side of things, this conclusion does fall short of its potential in a number of ways. For one, it is incredibly stingy on explanation, which makes Sister Justine’s inclusion feel sudden and makes portions of the narrative confusing. The conclusion also reads a bit too similar to the conclusion of the previous volume, making it seem like a rehash of prior works rather than a unique experience on its own. These problems are small but crop up enough to bring the overall quality of the final chapters from great to just shy of good.

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Art

The departure of Ben Templesmith from this series is unfortunate, since his artwork was part of what made the previous volume so unique. However, it is likely that Juan Ferreyra’s artwork will have more universal appeal. His work here gives the book more detail and realism, while still allowing it to be spooky and frightening.

In addition, colors are used to their full extent, allowing reds, blues, and greens to pierce through the otherwise washed out streets of Gotham City. These colors highlight important features of the story and instantly let you know what to look at. Overall, this is a more standard looking volume but one that does not disappoint.

Continuity

Gotham by Midnight Vol. 2: Rest in Peace continues the story started in Gotham by Midnight Vol. 1: We Do Not Sleep (Review).

The Gotham by Midnight series ends with this volume and does not directly continue in any specific comic book.

This volume also makes references to other comic books, detailed below:

• The new version of Batman, shown here, has his origins in Batman Vol. 8: Superheavy (Review).
• The origin story behind Jim Corrigan’s connection to the Spectre is brought up. This story is told in Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger Vol. 1: A Stranger Among Us (Review).
• Jim Corrigan’s involvement in the collapse of Arkham Asylum is detailed in Batman Eternal Vol. 2 (Review).