Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Batman: Gotham County Line # 1

By Koppy McFad
October 8, 2005 - 05:16

Batman: Gotham County Line # 1 (of 3)

This is a very strange Batman story, supposedly about the first time he ever ventured into the suburbs of Gotham. How he could ever have stayed active in Gotham City for years without ever working on a case in the suburbs is mystifying. Do all Gotham criminals confine their activities to the city limits? Putting that aside, the tale itself is rather unusual as it features a rather falliable Batman, one who can be taken by surprise, gets beaten in a fight and who admits making mistakes. Quite a change from the uber-Bat that has been the norm lately. Batman investigates a series of brutal slayings that sound a lot like the ones in RED DRAGON (the book and movie.) The story and art are all realistically chilling and the murders are genuinely disturbing. The sudden introduction of supernatural elements near the end however, change the tone completely. Another odd facet is Batman's use of a jetpack to get around in the suburbs. Admittedly, there are no skyscrapers to swing from but when Bats starts flying around like the Falcon or Hawkman, he stops looking like a detective-vigilante and starts resembling some sci-fi character... which detracts from the realism of the story.

Last Updated: November 29, 2025 - 16:51