Art by: Phil Hester, Eric Gapstur
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire
Letters by: Clayton Cowles
Cover art by: Phil Hester
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: December 6, 2022
Gotham City: Year One #3 puts Slam Bradley on the sleuthing trail to find Helen Wayne - dead or alive. When the only lead Slam has left is the mysterious and catlike 'Sue,' Slam snakes his way through Gotham's underbelly to find her.
Is It Good?
Gotham City: Year One #3 is good. Very good, in fact. Regardless of your opinion of Tom King's creative choices, the man knows how to put an engaging script together, and this issue is no exception.
Leaning fully into the detective noir aspects of the story, Slam goes into full sleuth mode to find Helen Wayne's kidnappers by chasing down leads, connecting with Gotham's network of informants, and calling in favors to track down the mysterious Sue. Slam's travels are moody and dripping with atmosphere. The dialog is pitch-perfect, the pacing is excellent, and the plot progression will have you on the edge of your seat.
Unsurprisingly for Tom King, the down point of the issue is the nasty deconstruction of the Wayne family as racists, now spouse abusers, and just all-around jerks. You could say besmirching the Wayne family legacy gives the story extra flavor, but it adds nothing to the story and is unnecessarily off-putting.
Phil Hester's art is moody and captivating. As King leans into the detective noir genre, Hester leans into the detective noir aesthetic with long, dramatic shadows, stark silhouettes, and harsh neon reds that bathe the filthy city streets with a sickly glow.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces:
Gotham City: Year One #3 is an excellent example of detective noir done right. Slam Bradley's gritty detective work is matched only by Hester's moody, atmospheric art. That said, the depiction of the Wayne family's moral flaws is gratuitous, unnecessary, and off-putting, holding back a very good comic from being a great comic.
8/10
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