#gothamcentral

Perhaps the most memorable–and certainly the most influential–critique of violence in superhero comics comes from Fredric Wertham’s 1954 bestseller “Seduction of the Innocent,” which heavily influenced the subsequent creation of the censoring body known as the Comics Code Authority. 2/13

In Seduction, Wertham wrote: “The Superman type of comic books tends to force and super-force… Superman... needs an endless stream of ever new submen, criminals and ‘foreign- looking’ people not only to justify his existence but even to make it possible…” 3/13

“It is this feature that engenders... 1 of 2 attitudes: [children] either fantasy themselves as supermen, with the attendant prejudices against the submen, or it makes them submissive and receptive to the blandishments of strong men who will solve all their social problems for them–by force.” 4/13

A central flaw of Wertham’s critique was his assumption that children (not to mention the teens & adults who also read comics) are not discerning –that the fantasy media someone consumes directly informs how they behave in real life. Today, video games are often similarly accused. 5/13

Still, Wertham’s concern about the hyper-masculine and racist elements of superhero violence are not completely unjustified. Superhero comics have a long history of racial caricature and contemporary feminists have similarly critiqued superheroes as promoting toxic masculine fantasies. 6/13

Within both conservative and liberal critiques of superheroic violence, whether the violence is “problematic” often depends, in part, on whether there’s any consideration of the morality of violence: does the story embrace violent fantasies or does it question them? 7/13

Gotham Central doesn’t reject violence. This is, in fact, an incredibly violent series. Superviolence that’s often cartoonish elsewhere is rendered with sometimes-brutal realism. Blood spatters, bodies break, people die. But this brutality has a purpose. 8/13

This is dramatically evident in Gotham Central #1, when the GCPD confront the consequences of Mr. Freeze’s superpowered violence. In many Batman stories, Mr. Freeze’s victims are safely unthawed. But here, frozen bodies shatter into pieces in front of stunned human beings. 9/13

The physical costs of superpowered violence are emphasized by artist Michael Lark’s framing of the encounter with Freeze & its aftermath. Lark uses “inset panels”–i.e., panels that spotlight a small aspect of a larger scene–to underscore the horrific effect of violence on specific bodyparts. 10/13

Lark also emphasizes the emotional costs of superpowered violence. Here, he uses spacing, framing, and pacing to emphasize Renee Montoya’s painful shock. The repetition of Renee’s expression the how she drifts out of the frame in the final panel specifically evokes traumatic disassociation. 11/13

Granted, this violence is orchestrated by a supervillain rather than a superhero. But several characters in the story blame superheroes like Batman for escalating the intensity of Gotham’s violent crime, arguing the existence of superheroes prompts the creation of supervillains. 12/13

Ultimately, Gotham Central reflects Jim Coby & Joanna Davis-McElligatt’s argument that, “By externalizing the internal, cartoons can stage a critical dialectic between the function of power, between those harmed and those causing harm, and between the reader and the creator’s universe.” 13/13

The underlying point is that Gotham Central stands as an award-winning, highly influential, deeply beloved comic property by legendary creators…that failed to find an audience at a time when Batman properties were top sellers (7 of the top 10 bestsellers in 2005 featured Batman). 2/12

Ed Brubaker notes that “It was a critical darling much more than a sales blockbuster, for sure, but there was never anyone at DC going ‘oh, we're wasting a ton of money on this book.’ There was never any danger of it being canceled. It was beloved at DC.” 3/12

A useful approach here is to look at the argument on the cultural capital of comics that is articulated by Bart Beaty and Benjamin Woo in their 2016 book “The Greatest Comic Book of All Time: Symbolic Capital and the Field of American Comic Books.” 4/12

B&W use Pierre Bourdieu’s work on fields to create a system of comics valuation (based on quadrants) that breaks down to two variables: economic success and cultural success, aka commercial sales and “the esteem of influential cultural intermediaries.” 5/12

While these forms of success can coexist (and indeed, that is almost always the ideal pursuit) they can also antagonize each other, such as when a creator’s commercial success causes scholars, critics, and fan-influencers to ignore one’s artistic achievement (*cough* Claremont). 6/12

Gotham Central actually decentralizes the most supernatural and sensationalistic elements of the comics world it inhabits in order to see what remains and whether or not it’s enough to work. This is more than just a “gritty and real” take – it’s a stripped down version in some ways. 7/12

For context, the #1 comic bestseller in 2005 was Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin, a comic that has not been welcomed by the cultural intermediaries that Beaty and Woo mention. Indeed, it has been subjected, more frequently, to scholarly and critical revile. 8/12

This tale of two Gothams, and the staunch divisions that it portrays between cultural and commercial success, raises a number of interesting questions about how comics culture juggles the opposing forces of art and commerce. 9/12

Are comics readers willing to accept, en masse, a more mature and serious look at a beloved franchise, or do their expectations define what stories can be truly sold? How do art and commerce orbit the Batman universe and what-level of gravity is exerted on each? 10/12

Does prominently featuring a man dressed up as a bat in your narrative automatically lower its cultural status via associations with juvenilia, fan-service, or escapism? Are we, as a culture, shallow for loving Batman? 11/12

Gotham Central does not propose answers to any of these questions, but it certainly speaks to them implicitly, if a reader is willing to ask. GC was always a bit of an experiment, though, and that alone might attest to its enduring cultural status….as well as its short (but memorable) run. 12/12

Most traditional superhero stories have an initial conflict involving a threat to the socio-cultural status quo (bank robbery, threat to take over the world, etc.). In Spider-Man Annual #6, 6 villains band together to get revenge, kidnapping both Aunt May and love interest Betty Brant. 2/10

To build tension, this initial conflict is often followed by an initial setback, such as the hero losing the first fight. In Spider-Man Annual #6, Spidey seems to lose his powers, making it seem unlikely he’ll ever be able to rescue Betty from the clutches of his 6 deadliest foes. 3/10

Interpersonal conflicts or “b-plots” often contribute additional tension. In Spider-Man Annual #6, it’s partly Spidey’s fault May & Betty have been kidnapped; when a despondent Peter Parker skips school, May goes looking for him, which is why she and Betty end up encountering the Sinister Six.4/10

Most traditional stories climax with a specular, violent conflict in which the superhero emerges victorious. Spider-Man Annual #6 performs 6 victories as Spider miraculously regains his powers to defeat each of the Sinister Six in a series of memorable splash pages drawn by Steve Ditko. 5/10

The first story arc of Gotham Central fulfills some of the expectations of a traditional superhero story. There is an initial conflict in the form of a kidnapping and a violent encounter with the supervillain Mr. Freeze. 6/10

There is also an initial setback, but compared to the brief setback in Spider-Man Annual #6, this setback has brutal, irreversible consequences. At least one police officer is brutally killed by Mr. Freeze; when backup arrives, his frozen body is scattered in pieces around the room. 7/10

Interpersonal dynamics again heighten tension; Detective Driver is particularly eager to take down Freeze after the murder of his partner. But in Gotham Central, this is a central focus; most of the story involves watching the GCPD & their loved ones respond to the aftermath of brutal violence.8/10

But the biggest difference between Spider-Man Annual #6 and Gotham Central is how each story stages its climax. Where the former celebrates Spidey’s heroic victory in 6 big splash pages, Gotham Central shunts Batman’s battle with Freeze off-panel, so that we never actually get to see it. 9/10

Gotham Central’s first arc ends in anticlimax: Freeze is stopped but the kidnap victim dies. Driver swears at Batman & drives off despondent. It’s a perfect setup for a different kind of superhero story, centering consequences of the violent spectacles the genre typically takes for granted. 10/10

Additive revisionism is the most common form of revisionism. Wandtke defines it as a “logical outgrowth” of a basic premise. A useful example is the introduction of Batman’s origin story in Detective Comics #33, 6 issues after the character’s debut. 2/11

Fundamental revisionism includes major changes that signal a significant departure from previous iterations of a specific superhero. For example, the 1960s re-birth of Captain American, which transformed him from a clear-eyed patriotic icon into a rumination on the meaning of national identity.3/11

Conceptual revisionism rewrites the idea of the superhero, with wide-ranging social impact. A preeminent example is Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ “Watchmen,” which retells the history of America and comics and features superheroes debating the meaning of superheroes. 4/11

Critical revisionism is influenced by fan communities and critical discourses. For example: the 2012 redesign/relaunch of Captain Marvel, in which Carol Danvers’ updated superhero moniker, costume, and mission statement respond to critiques of the portrayal of women in superhero comics. 5/11

Wandtke’s categories of revisionism are not exhaustive. And they’re not necessarily discrete; they can overlap, and interpretation can be subjective. Gotham Central can reflect many kinds of revisionism, depending on how we read it. 6/11

Perhaps Gotham Central is an example of additive revisionism. The Gotham City Police Department struggling with the aftermath of Batman & Co.’s costumed exploits had been seen in previous comics and seems to extend naturally from the source material; the GCPD must have been there all along. 7/11

Or maybe Gotham Central is an example of fundamental revisionism. By reorienting the world of Batman around criminal investigations and personal relationships within the ranks of human police offers, Gotham Central offers a new perspective on an existing mythos. 8/11

Gotham Central can also be an example of conceptual revisionism. The reorientation of the narrative perspective compels us to question the righteousness of Batman and the extreme violence he both combats & begets, in turn raising questions about the righteousness of the superhero genre itself. 9/12

Gotham Central could also be an example of critical revisionism, in that its critiques of violence and anti-LGBTQ bigotry are influenced by historical critiques of both, within the superhero genre and beyond. (We’ll explore these critiques in more depth in future threads.) 10/11

Categorizing revisionism doesn’t mean every story must fit neatly into a category, or that some types are better than others. These categories are just a way of encouraging us to think deeply about how long-running superhero universes create meaning amid never-ending cycles of revisionism. 11/11

The “ages of comics” model originated in 1960s fan culture. After a fanzine article by Richard A. Lupoff designated the WWII era the Golden Age of comics, other ages followed, including the Silver Age, the Bronze Age, and what’s sometimes called the Iron Age or Modern Age. 2/13

The Golden Age of comics begins with the debut of Superman in 1938 and continues to the launch of the Comics Code Authority in the mid-50s. It's commonly characterized as a period of experimentation & concretization, as memorable tropes debuted and became established features of comics genres. 3/13

The Silver Age of comics begins with the re-birth of the Flash in 1956 and continues to the early 70s. This era, which includes the birth of Marvel Comics, is characterized by renewal & revision. New & rejuvenated superheroes became increasingly dominant after a postwar decline in popularity. 4/13

The Bronze Age of comics begins in the early 1970s, marked by either the 1971 revision of the Comics Code or the 1973 Spider-Man story “The Night Gwen Stacy Died.” Both touchstones are thought to signal the “maturation” of mainstream comics, which became more diverse and self-conscious. 5/13

The Iron or Modern Age of comics dominates the 1980s and is generally thought to continue into the 90s. Also sometimes called the Dark Age, it’s characterized as a period of critique and increased artistic freedom, wherein many characters were remade in grimmer, grittier forms. 6/13

The Ages of Comics evoke Christian Metz’s “classic-parody-contestation-critique” model, where genres move from “formation & discovery, through a phase of self-conscious awareness… to a time when generic patterns have become so well-known that people become tired of their predictability.” 7/13

Gotham Central has a lot in common with the self-critical and occasionally nihilistic elements of the Modern or Dark Age of comics. Like “Watchmen” and “The Dark Knight Returns” before it, Gotham Central reframes a superheroic world to question whether superheroes are even heroes. 8/13

But Gotham Central doesn’t necessarily typify its era. Since at least the mid-1990s, many different versions of the Batman universe have proliferated at any given time, with official publications ranging from kid friendly fare to adult-only content to retro nostalgia and contemporary “realism.”9/13

Henry Jenkins argues that the 21st century is an Age of Multiplicity, “where principles of multiplicity are felt at least as powerfully as those of continuity. Under this new system, readers may consume multiple versions of the same franchise, each with different conceptions of the character.”10/13

In the Age of Multiplicity, Golden Age Batmans can coexist alongside Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age Batmans, all of which can be equally valid, depending on your POV. As much as Gotham Central owes a debt to the deconstructions of the Modern Age, it also reflects this Age of Multiplicity. 11/13

In the Golden Age, superheroes are sure of their purpose. In the Silver Age, superheroes struggle with personal problems, reflecting growing self-consciousness. In the Bronze Age, heroes struggle with personal *and* social problems. In the Modern Age, comics asked, what is a superhero, anyway?12/13

The Age of Multiplicity answers this question by declaring a superhero can be just about anything. And so can a superhero story. In Gotham Central, this means telling a superhero story that decentres superheroes but is, ultimately, about superheroes–and their increasingly diverse meanings. 13/13

The series stars the members of the Gotham City Police Department, who sometimes perform heroic feats. But the members of the GCPD are not superheroes. More often than not, these merely human figures contend with their own impotence amid a world of superpowered heroes & villains. 2/7

The GCPD is also rife with internal divisions, corruption, and prejudice, which are on full display in one of the series’ most well-remembered stories, the arc “Half a Life” from issues #6-10, in which lesbian Detective Renee Montoya is outed by her colleagues (with a little help from Two-Face).3/7

During its initial 40-issue run, Gotham Central didn’t sell particularly well. But it was critically praised, helping secure writing awards for Brubaker & Rucka. The “Half a Life” arc also received a 2004 Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story and a Harvey Award for Best Single Issue. 4/7

Gotham Central has also been remarkably influential. While there hasn’t been a direct televisual adaptation of the series, the Fox TV series “Gotham” (2014-19) and MAX’s “The Penguin” (2024), which are similarly crime fictions set in Batman’s world sans Batman, undoubtedly owe it a debt. 5/7

And in the wake of "Half a Life," Renee Montoya became one of mainstream superhero comics’ most prominent LGBTQ+ characters. In comics, she became The Question and would appear in numerous adaptations, including the TV series “Gotham” and “Batwoman” (2019-22) and the film “Birds of Prey” (2020). 6/7

For comics scholars, Gotham Central offers rewarding opportunities to discuss dynamics of revisionism, the ethics of violence in superhero stories, issues of representation, and the art of perspective in comics. In the weeks ahead, we’ll discuss all of that and more. Stay tuned! 7/7