Gotham by Midnight #9 Review

Writer: Ray Fawkes / Artist: Juan Ferreyra / DC Comics If you haven’t heard the news, DC Comics has ordered the cancelation of Gotham by Midnight that will bring this book to wrap up in December. A shame, really – especially as this second arc finally hits its stride in Issue #9 and reminds us how good this series typically is. The build, anticipation, and ghastly climax make for a formula that works for its single-issue stories while the character development is more subtly cultivated in the long run – only there won’t be a long run anymore. If I could make one critique of Gotham by Midnight, it would be that it embraced the episodic crime drama feel to its own detriment by sacrificing the natural intrigue of its characters. How much would readers love to have learned more about Lisa Drake and what makes her tick? To see her back story and her personal life? How much more could we have appreciated Tarr if we spent more time with him outside of a ghost scene? The short flashbacks of Sister Justine back in the series’ earliest issues were enough to make us care more about her than most other characters, and she didn’t even live long. Character development in an episodic story-driven series is always a gamble because it only works if you have enough time: you might know a ton about Benson and Stabler from Law & Order: SVU because you’ve learned bits and pieces over dozens – or hundreds – of episodes. Unless DC changes its mind, Paranormal Law & Order won’t have that lux…