The secret history of Gotham City continues.
Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins continue to peel back the layers of Gotham's secret past with Batman: Gates of Gotham #2. What's astonishing is that this series has managed to precisely detail the rise of Gotham City down to the utmost detail without ever feeling like you're stuck reading a history book. The dual narratives that Snyder and Higgins weave together mesh so fluidly that Gates of Gotham becomes one hell of an informative page-turner.
It's clear from reading Snyder's other work on American Vampire and Detective Comics that he has a fixation with incorporating history into his fiction. The historical context of a situation is as important as the actual events that transpire. Batman: Gates of Gotham is a shining example of this philosophy. Only now, Snyder has the help of Kyle Higgins to give a personality and definitive backstory to the city of Gotham, not just the costumed characters that inhabit it. Much like in the previous issue, Gates of Gotham #2 spends a lot of time detailing the rise of Gotham City's more distinct architecture. But Snyder and Higgins manage to make the scenes ripe with intrigue, whether it's through the interaction between Gotham's first three families or through the monologue musing of an architect with his head stuck in the clouds.
What's so impressive is that Snyder and Higgins flow the narrative from past to present and back again so flawlessly. Everything is connected, with Snyder and Higgins' script keeping the intrigue level at a constant high. Nearly every line of dialogue feels like it has a double meaning; that sooner or later something is going to come to light that blows this whole situation out of the water. And wouldn't you know it, that very thing happens on the final page of this issue. You'll finish Gates of Gotham #2 and want to go back and reread both issues back to back to see how the breadcrumbs have been laid out in front of you since the very start.
I'm also a big fan of artist Trevor McCarthy's work in Gates of Gotham. He shows a lot of range with his pencils between the flashback sequences set in the late 1800s and the darker, contemporary superhero stuff. McCarthy also has a great knack for pacing, which is especially true as you get to the final few pages of this issue. As the book starts to ramp up tension and push the pedal to the ground, McCarthy's panel layouts step right in line with Snyder and Higgin's locomotive script to deliver one great cliffhanger ending.
Batman: Gates of Gotham #2 is a must-buy comic. We're being delivered, on a silver platter no less, a definite origin story for Gotham City wrapped up in an intriguing mystery yarn.
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