Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #1: A Grounded Police Story

The original Gotham Central vibe mixes well with the bigger superhero/supervillain oriented events of Bad Seeds in Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #1. Writer Christopher Cantwell develops two stories: one centers on Jim Gordon and his partner Espinoza as they investigate a murder that may be tied to Victor Zsaz; the other focuses on Anarky being chased by the police.

Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #1’s grounded nature owes as much to art as it does writing–perhaps even more. Jacob Phillips uses relatively thick lines that play well with the abundant fields of black that he uses for shading. The abundant black shading plays well with the coloring choices Phillips makes, leaning into darker colors. That makes sense for most of the issue which takes place at night. But even scenes set in lighted areas aren’t handled with overly bright colors. Phillips uses more of a faded canary–one that’s almost sickly. Additionally, color changes in response to implied light sources are more akin to jumps from one shade to another rather than subtle transitions. This works quite well with Phillips’ use of straight black fields for shading. The overall effect is that Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #1 is a particularly moody comic relative to what’s been seen in Bad Seeds to this point.

Cantwell’s narrative is the perfect backdrop against which to put Phillips’ art style. Bad Seeds Gotham Central #1 seemingly starts with Gordon and Espinoza responding to the report of a man being killed by predatory rose bushes. The story shifts almost immediately into a straight murder investigation. Gordon’s storyline is a blend of considered mystery investigation and fast criminal pursuit. The result is an issue that has more urgency than any of the Bad Seeds issues released to date.

Anarky’s storyline is less developed than Gordon’s. Anarky himself feels less serious than every other character in Bad Seeds Gotham – Central #1. Cantwell does keep Anarky consistent with recent characterization, but paired with the more serious Gordon murder investigation, there is a bit of an imbalance when it comes to how compelling the character’s storyline is.

This imbalance is also in part the result of Phillips’ high level of facial detail on everyone except Anarky, who is wearing a mask. Phillips applies the highest level of detail for everyone else, creating dimension with extra lines around characters’ eyes, mouths, on their foreheads, and along their cheeks. This detail adds an extra level of depth to Phillips’ already moody art and the crime story that dominates the issue.

Letterer Becca Carey utilizes white space within dialogue bubbles in an interesting way here. Volume and emphasis are partly communicated in the size of the font and the amount of empty space surrounding the text. The best example of this is Anarky talking to himself before he steals money from a Triad hangout. The font is smaller than that seen with back and forth dialogue elsewhere in the issue. The dialogue bubbles, though, stay much bigger–more appropriate for a larger font. The empty space coupled with the smaller font effectively communicates a lower volume and separates how Anarky is speaking in that moment versus when he is in a dialogue with someone else.