Review: Batman- Gates of Gotham

Quick Summary

Pros: Flashbacks to Gotham’s history are interesting and detail a compelling story. The volume’s artwork is unique and mostly positive.

Cons: The present day story is not that interesting or compelling. The closing story arc is never developed enough to hold interest. The artwork looks odd in a few places.

Overall: This is a collection that does well with one unique factor but is mediocre everywhere else. The volume’s chief success comes from its flashbacks to the evolution of Gotham City and the art going along with it. However, the rest of the collection is pretty lackluster and fails to really stir up that much excitement or interest. This volume may appeal to readers looking for a unique history lesson about Gotham City, rather than those looking for an exciting Batman story.

Story

Batman: Gates of Gotham, by Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins, is a volume with mixed appeal. About half of the book is told through a series of flashbacks. These show pieces of Gotham’s history that form a unique and interesting story. However, the other half of the book is set in the present, where actions taken in the past are beginning to have an impact. The modern story is pretty generic and has little to offer. In the end, it leads to a collection that is fun in some places but boring in others, making it hard to recommend overall.

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The central storyline in Gates of Gotham deals with the history of Gotham City and how that history impacts the present. Readers see how Gotham’s ruling class were able to push the city into the future through impressive building projects, shepherded by two talented brothers. Then, readers see the fall of these two talented brothers, which is initially believed to be due to a betrayal from the ruling class.

The history-focused portion of the book is where the majority of Gates of Gotham‘s positives can be found. The lives of the Gates brothers tread an interesting line between historic classes. Their descent into insanity also makes for a unique twist that subverts expectation. I was consistently intrigued by this storyline and kept wanting to learn more about exactly what was happening.

Unfortunately, the present day storyline does not fare nearly as well. It is an average battle that has one man in a mostly unexplained piece of armor outsmart and outfight multiple members of the Bat-family. This villain’s motivations are generic and the reader never learns enough about him to make his character interesting on its own. At points, it is interesting to see Dick Grayson question his knowledge of Gotham but, for the most part, even the members of the Bat-family fail to shine within this story arc.

Finally, Gates of Gotham closes with a short story about an upstart vigilante in Paris. Though the premise here is nice, it isn’t developed enough to really have that much appeal.

(spoilers end here)

Art

The artwork in Batman: Gates of Gotham is one of the collection’s biggest draws. Trevor McCarthy’s work is beautiful in some places and consistently unique. His depictions of Gotham are gorgeous in both the past and the present. They give allow the city to look either hopeful or frightening, depending on what the story calls for. In addition, his use of steampunk elements and unorthodox architecture allow the visuals to stand out as something special.

However, there are a few places where the artwork in Gates of Gotham dips in quality. In some areas, Trevor McCarthy’s stylized characters conflict with the gritty background scenery. There are also places where the art just looks wrong, like when Cassandra’s hair goes from short and straight, to long and wavy, then back to short and straight. These flaws aren’t too significant but do slightly take away from the appeal.

Continuity

Batman: Gates of Gotham is a mostly standalone story arc. However, it roughly follows the events of Batman: The Black Mirror (Review).

Though this is a standalone story arc, small aspects of the conclusion help set-up Bruce Wayne’s return to the role of Batman in Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (Review).

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• The “No Man’s Land” event is mentioned. This event began in Batman: No Man’s Land Book 1.
• Batman Incorporated #6, collected in Batman Incorporated, shows that Cassandra Cain began working as one of Batman’s agents in Hong Kong.
• Thomas Elliot’s connection to the Wayne family is explored over the course of Batman: Hush.