Gotham By Midnight #4 Review and *SPOILERS*

Written By: Ray Fawkes
Art By: Ben Templesmith
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: February 25, 2015

O.G.I.F. Oh God It's Friday!

*Non Spoilers and Score At The Bottom*

During the last shift of Precinct 13, our supernatural slayers found themselves investigating a girl in a hospital that seemed to have a shadow entity controlling her.  If that wasn't bad enough, the monster also gave people smallpox.  It's a good thing that Dr. Tarr was working on this "Ghost Language" as he puts it that we've been dealing with since the first issue because he was able to distract the shadow monster long enough for Detective Drake to sever the connection with the young girl with....... get this, a flashlight.  Now I may have thought it was bullshit but what the hell, we'll go with it as we move into this issue knowing that all these threats our heroes have been facing are all connected.  Let's check it out.

Explain It!:

Our issue begins with us finding out it's Friday and apparently on Friday like a lot people in the world, the citizens of Gotham like to get their drink on and that's just what Jim Corrigan and Agent Rook are doing.  Only problem I see right off the bat is even though Agent Rook has seen some wild shit since he's been shadowing Jim Corrigan, he still refuses to believe what he's seen and still intends on shutting them down.  Hopefully their next Internal Affairs Agent is a little more open minded and I say this because out of nowhere, Agent Rook has a damn flower tentacle come out of his head.

As Jim Corrigan fights off this tentacle monster, Dr. Tarr and Detective Drake come across a bunch of bodies in the street that start sprouting their own head tentacles and it looks like all hell has broke loose on this Friday in Gotham.  Dr. Tarr calls Corrigan and Tarr translates what he hears coming from the monster and we find out that this whole thing that our Precinct 13 has been dealing with is some kind of entity that wants to know what Gotham is and apparently something about being judged.  Did someone say "judged"?  Enter Spectre.  Oh man is shit going to get serious on this Friday.  I hope no one has plans for the weekend.............. Some more things about how it's getting real and it's Friday......... Yeah, I'm done.

In the end, Dr. Tarr realizes that the entities that they've been fighting are more connected then they originally thought.  Way back when, the founders of the original Gotham did some real terrible things to the indigenous people and apparently the atrocities committed on this land have festered and become an entity all it's own and more than anything it wants Gotham to be judged for the actions of it's forefathers and it just might get it's wish.  Even though Jim Corrigan has Spectred out and deems this entity to be an abomination, I'm not convinced that after The Spectre has dispatched this menace that it won't begin judging everyone anyway.

That's it for this issue of Gotham By Midnight and while I really like this title, I have a hard time with it due to Ben Templesmith's art.  Don't get me wrong though, I dig it for the fact that it really adds a dark horrific look to the book but damn do I lose some things that are going on due to it.  Besides for what I missed from the art, the stuff I did see and understand was really good.  I love that the Spectre is out and about and that the fate of Gotham itself might be judged and really, unless Corrigan gets a hold of his alter ego, shit might get real.  See you next month where............... again, shit might get real!

Bits and Pieces:

Another great issue of Gotham By Midnight and the thing I think that makes it so great is the fact that we have such a familiar environment and it's just being turned on it's head due to what the Precinct 13 has sworn to fight....... Man, it's cool to see this different side to Gotham.  My only complaint, which is a weird one due to the fact that I think it adds to the whole atmosphere of the book is that I find myself not realizing everything that's going on due to Ben Templesmith's art.  I think that a lot is lost due to the art style but other than that, I love this title.

8/10