Gotham: As good as Gotham Central?

I remember reading a noir-inspired series from DC some time back in the 2000’s based around the infamous Gotham PD in Gotham Central. Brooding, gritty, like all great cop dramas. Batman portrayed more like a hovering, ethereal force of nature, the wild card when things were particularly darkest and impossible. I thought this was a unique take on the Batman universe and served to broaden our understanding of the complex mechanics involved. Also, in the Hush graphic novel narrative arc, Gotham is often personified as a creature that births criminals and gods, a true testament of survival. Transforming the city into a living, breathing, indifferent thing.
This pathetic fallacy, the environment birthing creatures of survival, and the brooding noir film are dynamics we are hoping to see in Gotham, the new series to launch October 20th on FOX.

Gotham Series Poster

Bullock and a young gun James Gordon get paired up to solve their first murder case together… the death of the Thomas and Martha Wayne. We also are bound to see numerous origin stories, as Gotham is set in the time before Batman. Alfred, Bruce, Selina Kyle, Edward Nigma, Cobblepot, Dent and Victor Fries all make an appearance. And here is where a problem could lie. A series only has a finite amount of episodes, so the last thing that DC would want to do is chock a full ensemble in a shot amount of time. This could diminish their individual impact on screen. The narrative would have to effortlessly weave these many complex characters together in an enthralling way. Which would be a feat in itself. The ‘superhero element’ is also something the series will have to consider; will there eventually be a strong presence in episodes to come, or will it be more of the stuff of urban legend? This, and more hopefully, was considered by creator Bruno Heller. However the stylised look of film stills released so far definitely captures the grittiness of Gotham streets.

Watch the trailer for the Gotham Villains trailer 1 here. And we must say, this new Jada ‘Fish’ Pinkett character looks like quite the boss.

With a city so rich with criminals, socialites and victims, hopefully the Gotham PD can put a dent in the plans of the superstitious, cowardly lot until the one-man reinforcement team arrives in a few years.