"Nature"
Writer: Greg Rucka
Art: Steve Lieber
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Clem Robins
Publisher: D.C. Comics
$2.50 U.S. / $3.50 CAN
Plot:
As the book opens with the murder of a young runaway, we see this crime was committed by a pair of corrupt police officers who are well versed in the steps that they must take to hide the criminal actions that they have made. However this time they discover that there is an element of the crime that they didn't take into consideration, as they learn that this young runaway had herself a very powerful guardian who is looking for justice.
Comments:
The cover to this issue gives more of a heads up about how this story would play out than I would've preferred, but truth be told the plot mechanics of a story like this pretty much require that the villains must pay for their crimes in order to keep the readers happy, so I really shouldn't have been surprised that the story followed the established path. Greg Rucka also deserves the extra credit for turning in a story that details the action from the villains point of view, as while our regular cast members put in an appearance, the real stars of this issue are a pair of corrupt police officers who are clearly taking advantage of the position of power that comes with their position of power. I also rather enjoyed the idea that there does look to be a system in place that helps the corrupt officers carry out their jobs, as we see Corrigan gives them the means to get evidence from inside the lockup, and I rather enjoyed the scene where our two leads discuss how to best go about establishing a relationship with the Black Mask. There's also a nice extra moment where we get a look at how far gone these two are, as they pay a visit to a pair of prostitutes, and needless to say this scene can't help but leave one quite convinced that the issue isn't going to have these characters seeing the error of their ways. Plus, again while the cover image does serve to spoil the final twist, I have to say I did enjoy the sequence where our corrupt officers come to realize how deep they've gotten themselves, and I have to say this encounter does a wonderful job of capturing the idea that in Gotham City these two police officers are guppies with delusions of grandeur who are swimming around with the real sharks. I did find myself wondering why these two characters weren't a little more concerned when they discovered the site of the meeting, and the issue also doesn't really explain why the M.C.U. was called in to investigate the girl's murder as I had been operating under the impression that they were a special unit that was called in when there was suspected involvement from Gotham's more radical elements.
I have to say it's been quite a while since I've seen Steve Lieber's name gracing a credit box, as the last time I can recall seeing his work was on Greg Rucka's "Whiteout" miniseries, and I do believe it's been a few years since the last one hit the stands. Still, I have to say he proves to be a surprisingly impressive match when it comes to this book's overall look, as this issue fits seamlessly into the established look that has been created for this series. I mean Steve Lieber's version of Gotham Ciy is decidedly sinister looking, and the less than heroic actions of our pair of detectives are well presented by the art, as there's a lovely little sequence where we see our detectives spending a little quality time off the clock that perfectly sell how bad these two officers have become. The opening murder is also quite unsettling, but the final moments of this pair would have to be my favourite section of the issue, as this character has never looked more terrifying than she does during this sequence.
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!