I liked the spin on each of these characters, whether it's with their name or their power. It's a cool little What If? story.

I really love the chemistry all these pairs of partners have. Last issue, Sarge and Crowe were awesome together. This time it's Burke and Procjnow and I absolutely loved their dynamic together. The case itself is interesting enough, but the real draw of this series is the characters. They're extremely well-written and I love that we get little insights into their personal lives; their aspirations, their vices, their struggles, their family issues... it makes for such a compelling read.

Also, detective Burke is a real one. more

A powerful end to an emotional tale about familial abuse, trauma, forgiveness, and personal growth/healing. I liked this as a conclusion, although I think I would've liked it more if Abel had fully reunited with his father at the end (although I understand why he wasn't ready for that). It seems that while Abel found it in himself to forgive his father, he wasn't yet ready to go back to living under the same roof with him. Again, I understand that, but I also feel for Abel's dad since he too was the victim of abuse at the hands of his own father. It sucks that he has to be alone for a time now while Abel goes off with his new "family". I think I would've liked to have seen Abel's mother come back into the picture somehow at the end, maybe showing remorse for having left Abel and his dad. That could've been a way to give Dale a more hopeful ending while adding to the theme of trauma and forgiveness. We got an explanation as to why Dale ended up the way he did, but it would've been cool to delve into the Mom's trauma and how that led her to leave her family, and then we could've had a resolution that saw Dale find it in himself to forgive her just as Abel found it in himself to forgive him. Oh well. Something of a missed opportunity perhaps, but this was still a decent little story with some great art that tackled some important themes. Glad I read it. more

I really liked the silent opening as the detectives paid their respects to their fallen comrades. This was a fun issue where we get back to "normal" with a focus on two cops who haven't had their turn in the spotlight yet. It's already been fun getting to know Sarge and Crowe, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this case progresses.

Greg Scott does a good job filling in for Michael Lark. His work is not quite as good, but it definitely captures the same tone well. more

An absolutely bananas issue with crazy good art. At last, Abel and his father are set to be reunited.

A great conclusion to this arc. I loved the brief commentary at the end on Batman and his work in Gotham compared to Superman in Metropolis. Batman isn't given the benefit of the doubt when people get hurt, and people tend to blame him for attracting all the crazies and innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. His mysterious and reclusive persona makes people hesitate to trust that he has Gotham's best interests at heart and whether he always does the right thing. The people don't believe in Batman like the citizens of Metropolis believe in Superman. I guess it just goes to show: he's not the hero Gotham deserves, but he's the hero they need. more

The tension is so high in this arc...this is so good.

This arc is so tense already. I love how much terror Joker can strike into people's hearts without even making an appearance. Also, I kinda really liked that we saw Batman for a split second, but then he went back out after saving the detectives and we just didn't see him again, even though he got shot and now I'm wondering where he went and if he's alright and everything...but this story is about the GCPD and it's little moments like that where we're reminded that this isn't a Batman story. And as much as I really wanted to follow Batman and know what he's up to now, I also find it absolutely awesome how we just get quick little glimpses here and there and that's it. It's like Brubaker and Rucka are teasing us just enough to satisfy but also leave us wanting more, while making it impossible not to care more about these police officers than about what Batman is up to. Expertly done, honestly. more

This was wild!

This issue helpful in getting to know some of the characters a bit better, especially Stacy, of course, being the narrator. A lot of it was recap and summary of the first 10 issues, so there wasn't much in terms of plot advancement here, but it was still an enjoyable read. The tone was lighter than usual, thanks in part to Stacy's personality, and the guest artist did a good job matching that tone with slightly more cartoony looking art than Lark's grittier, more realistic looking work. more

This was an amazing arc. I enjoyed Brubaker's story "Motive", but I can't say I don't prefer Rucka's writing. I find his dialogue much more realistic and engaging. Also, as a side note, the way that Two-Face was written here was fantastic. His switching between being about to blow a henchman's face off to calmly resuming his previous remarks about the dinner he had prepared for Renée was chilling. Also, the way Lark made the panels all jagged when Two-Face was in control but straight when it was Harvey was absolutely brilliant.

These first couple arcs have hooked me completely and I'm so looking forward to the rest. Also, I just figured out that the characters are divided into day and night shift cops and I think that's awesome. Makes it way easier to keep track of all the characters and their stories. more

Rucka is one hell of a writer, man. This was amazing.

Rucka's writing is so freaking good. He's crafted a really compelling case here, expertly laying the groundwork and then building it up to a crescendo. Also, I absolutely love that this reads like any normal cop story, until it doesn't. This comic doesn't rely on the setting of Gotham City with all of its costumed crazies to make an engaging story; it crafts an engaging story, and then it reminds you that it takes place in Gotham which only amplifies how great the story already is. The fact that this arc has featured a mere two name drops and no actual appearances of any costumed heroes or villains and yet has been this good speaks to the quality of Rucka and Brubaker's storytelling ability. This is really, really well done.

Also, I have to say something about Michael Lark's terrific art. It's not as flashy or stylistic or colourful as other artists, so it can be easy to underappreciate it, but it is so clean and detailed and it just suits the tone of this book so dang well. Phenomenal work all around by the creators. more

Renee Montoya is a really likeable character here. Another well-written issue with great art.

This was phenomenal. The cases intertwine, crimes are solved, and Marcus confronts the Batman. Some really fantastic and super satisfying moments in this one. The dialogue was great and the art was perfect. That brief encounter between Marcus and Batman at the end too was so, so awesome. The only issue I'm having with this series so far is that it can be hard to keep the names of all the different detectives straight, but I'm getting there. more