Ricky Church reviews Batman: Gates of Gotham Deluxe Edition…
One of the most memorable points of Batman’s long publication history was Dick Gratson’s, aka Nightwing, donning of the cape and cowl in the years Bruce Wayne was thought to be dead. Even after his return, Dick continued to act as Batman in Gotham City while Bruce gallivanted around the world in Scott Snyder’s excellent Detective Comics run with The Black Mirror. As DC began prepping for The New 52, Snyder and fellow writer Kyle Higgins wrote Batman: Gates of Gotham, a story that both was a send-off for Dick’s tenure as Batman and set-up for Snyder and Higgins’ run on Batman and Nightwing respectively. Now DC has re-released it as Batman: Gates of Gotham Deluxe Edition, a reminder of just how strong yet vulnerable Dick was as Batman as the secrets of Gotham City’s past came back with a vengeance to tear it apart. The story offers additional insight into Dick’s character while the deluxe edition allows a better chance to pour over the art and gives Higgins’ fans extra material with a Nightrunner story.
Gates of Gotham sees three of Gotham City’s oldest landmarks destroyed in a failure that Dick takes on himself simply because he believes Bruce would never have allowed it to get that far. When the mysterious culprit begins targeting more of Gotham’s historical landmarks, it opens up an unknown chapter of Gotham’s distant past and the role its oldest families played in its founding. It really puts the pressure on Grayson and his allies as they attempt to figure out who is bombing Gotham and why they have such a vendetta against the city before its too late in an exciting and introspective adventure.
Anyone who has read Snyder’s Batman run knows how much of a character Gotham City itself played throughout his run as he explored its past and the effect it has on people. A strong argument can be made that his examination began here as elements from Grant Morrison’s own Batman run is utilized and expanded on. Both Snyder and Higgins are able to input their own take on Gotham’s history, crafting an interesting look at some of the city’s oldest and prominent families as well as newcomers and outsiders. One of the big themes in the book is how Gotham City itself doesn’t like outsiders coming into it and their attempts to claim it as their own, instead tearing and twisting them into something unrecognizable. This theme doesn’t just fit with The Architect, the story’s villain, but is also paralleled with Dick. An outsider himself who was taken in by the last living member of its first family, Dick has seen his attempts to put his own mark on the city as Batman come into constant conflict and at risk of ruining the Bat legacy. Its a very intriguing look into Dick’s character and where he stands in Gotham that only reinforces how much of a strong hero he is no matter which costume he’s wearing.
Though Snyder did craft the story with Higgins, it is the latter who is responsible for the script. He writes a very engaging and fast-paced story with a good handle on all the characters, Dick and Tim Drake in particular. However, it is the flashbacks to Gotham’s past that are the most interesting aspects of the book. This is a time period that we rarely get a look at and the world of turn-of-the-century Gotham is a very intriguing place. The chemistry between Alan Wayne and the Elliots and Cobblepots paints a nice picture of the power structure within the city and how two up-and-coming but lowly brothers fit into this high society. Not only does it present a rich history of Gotham’s elite, it also gives the villain some sympathetic motivation and a nice mystery for the Bat-family to solve while examining the beast that is Gotham City. There is some help with the script by Ryan Parrot, who came onboard once Higgins began prepping for Nightwing, but there is no clash in style between the two writers as they both expand on the character dynamics and themes.
Trevor McCarthy’s artwork gives the book a very animated and fluid feeling. Things are constantly moving in a clear and easy to follow manner, from the way Dick parkours down a building to a fight between him and The Architect. He also brings a lot of emotion to the character’s facial expressions, especially those set in the past since they don’t wear masks.Combined with Guy Major’s colours, McCarthy’s illustrations are moody and atmospheric, a perfect blend for depicting Gotham. One chapter is filled in by Dustin Nguyen and Derec Donovan instead of McCarthy, but while their styles are different to his, the artwork still looks pretty consistent with everyone’s work.
Included in the book is a collection of McCarthy’s sketches and variant covers from Nguyen, including the beautiful cover of the deluxe edition, as well as a story from Higgins and McCarthy on the Nightrunner, the Batman of Paris. Its a nice short story that examines how similar societal differences led a young French-Algerian citizen hoping to help improve things in the Paris district of Clichy-sous-Bois during some pitched rioting. Higgins and McCarthy detail his origin in a fast-paced and emotional story that is both relevant and relatable. The character of Bilal Alsselah is an interesting one and though the story skips over his first meeting with Batman (due to his formal introduction being in a Detective Comics and Batman crossover), it still tells a compelling tale of how he came to don a mask and was inspired by Batman.
Batman: Gates of Gotham Deluxe Edition is engaging for both its examination of Gotham’s past and its character work on Dick Grayson. The look at how Gotham City can change a person and its treatment of outsiders was an intriguing one that served as a nice send-off for Dick’s Batman. Together with Higgins’ writing and McCarthy’s artwork, the story signaled the beginnings of The New 52 and a nice standalone story on its own that Batman and Nightwing fans can enjoy.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church
