Gotham City: Year One #6 – Tom King, Writer; Phil Hester/Eric Gapstur, Artists; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Tom King and Phil Hester bring their story of old Gotham to a shattering close with a tale that pays tribute to the classic noir genre while also feeling all too current. Recruited to find Helen, the kidnapped daughter of Richard and Constance Wayne, Slam Bradley has been through the wringer—finding the girl dead, being blamed for her murder, and eventually fingering one or both of the grieving couple for the death. A brutal opening segment set in the South Side of Gotham, the Black district that is being blamed for the killing, reveals a lot about Slam’s backstory and his own heritage—including why he feels so connected to the community. It’s painful to read at time, but feels brutally real. And it sets the stakes high for the final showdown at Wayne Manor, with not just a family but a whole community hanging in the balance as riots rage across Gotham.
Like any good mystery, there are a few twists yet to be revealed. We know that the Waynes are incredibly shady and both have connections to the kidnapping—but what we don’t know is who actually struck the killing blow. The end of last issue sort of fingered Constance, but the reveal this issue of who was actually where is tragic in an almost mundane way. King is very good at making a confrontation between three people as tense as an explosive battle sequence, but this issue doesn’t really leave us with any easy answers. This is just a tragedy, and one that will still shape the future of Gotham and make the legacy of Batman possible. The framing segment of Batman talking to a dying Slam Bradley in the hospital didn’t actually affect things much, only helping Batman learn a little more about his family. This is probably the most straightforward of King’s stand-alone series, but just as powerful as the rest.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
