Cops. Noir. And a big freaking ghost of terrifying justice. It doesnt get better than that. Read Full Review

Gotham by Midnight does fall to some of the usual aspects of what makes an annual what it is, which is a standalone story with minimal to no real impact on the ongoing series. It's at least not part of some overall event, though sometimes those can work well. What we get from Fawkes and Duce is a solid tale dealing with the Gentleman Ghost and his latest pursuit, which has Corrigan intent on eliminating him once and for all. The book works the dialogue well between the core trio here as they go back and forth with each other and Duce provides a very good look to the book overall, fitting in with the tone and style established within the main series while also not mimicking it and losing his own. It's a solid standalone piece that adds lightly to the overall mythology that Fawkes is putting together here and is certainly a welcome additional overall. Read Full Review

My question with this issue involves Drake. We clearly see Craddock kiss her before the Spectre seems to get him. Was he able to transfer his soul into Drake with this kiss and as a result allow his body to disappear? Drake does look strange in the last panel of the book. I hope we see an aftermath of this issue soon. Read Full Review

The Gentleman Ghost's updated look is provided by Christian Dulce who's art looks great from beginning to end. His pencil lines are thick, using plenty of shadows that's all the more distinct when colored by the gifted Lee Loughridge. Most of the story takes place at night and Loughridge is able to use a healthy amount of blues and purples to give the landscape that perfect mood. Dulce uses all sorts of random panel layouts to tell the story and he's an artist that can definitely tell a story. Annuals don't always get it right when it comes to a healthy combination of both art and story, but Gotham By Midnight does. It tells a done-in-one story that takes a long standing villain in the DCU and updates his look and origin. Although the updated look doesn't necessarily add to the villain, the additions to his origin definitely do Read Full Review

We briefly see Doctor Tarr in this book, but the rest of the shift (and all of their Internal Affairs worries) are set aside as we focus on Jim Corrigan and Lisa Drake hunting down the specter known as The Gentleman Ghost. Of course Corrigan's own Spectre makes an appearance as well, though the majority of this tale is heavier on the sleuthing. An interesting story that doesn't add much to the regular series, but provides an opportunity to spend time with some of the coolest characters working in Gotham, this annual is an entertaining digression and worth an evening's read. Read Full Review

Gotham By Midnight Annual #1 isn't an amazing comic but it's a fun little gothic horror story that explores the more supernatural and creepy side of Gotham with a level of quality usually absent from the series. Here's hoping it carries over into the next issue and Gotham by Midnight manages to rise from its doldrums permanently instead of enjoying only a brief reprieve. Read Full Review

Who doesn't love Gentleman Ghost?  That's right nobody and after Ray Fawke's re-imagining of him here, we have a whole other depth and look to the character than anything we've seen of him before.  While some of the emotions seem kind of forced due to trying to cram all of this story into an Annual sized issue, I still managed to have a good time and really enjoyed seeing Christian Duce's art representing these characters in a way that we haven't seen from this series before.  Hopefully after this, we won't have to wait as long as we have to see Gentleman Ghost back on the paneled page. Read Full Review

Gotham By Midnight Annual#1 is an entertaining issue, but ultimately stumbles in its presentation. Christian Duce's artwork and Lee Loughridge's colors give the issue a unique style compared to the art the series normally has and this matches the tone of the annual. But while Ray Fawkes' dialogue and character work is still strong, the delivery of information in the story doesn't quite meet the potential of the premise. Readers ofGotham By Midnight will likely enjoy this issue, but newer readers looking to get a feel for the series would be better off trying any of the previous chapters. Read Full Review

This annual issue continues the trend of diminishing visual returns. There's plenty of shadow, but not nearly as much mood or sense of style. Read Full Review

"Gotham by Midnight Annual" #1 feels like a half-finished comic. The conclusion goes back to the same well as several previous issues, which is disappointing in part because it would have been a much more satisfying conclusion if Fawkes and Duce had shown us something involving Drake and Corrigan outwitting the Gentleman Ghost. Instead, the conclusion seems to happen in spite of the duo, rather than because of them. Hopefully, this series can find its way forward again soon, because it started so much stronger than this utterly average version we're getting now. If there's some sort of spell or charm in Precinct 13's arsenal, now is the time to use it. Read Full Review