If we think of Gotham Central like a TV show, and issue 1 like a pilot episode, then it’s a damn good example of how to introduce this kind of high-concept police procedural. Detectives Driver and Fields, two regular members of the Gotham City Police Department, are introduced checking up on a routine tip: An informant says that some shady characters are holed up in a hotel, and Driver and Fields suspect that it might have something to do with a recent kidnapping.

Unfortunately, the shady character in the hotel room turns out to be costumed supervillain Mr. Freeze, who is way beyond the capabilities of a couple of detectives. He uses his freeze gun on Fields and then shatters him, a classic cartoonish Mr. Freeze move that is rendered horrific in this context, but he leaves Driver alive with relatively minor freeze wounds. The scene is a great setup on its own, immediately jacking up the stakes and introducing just how terrible it is to live in Gotham City.

Back at the precinct, we start to meet more of the Gotham Central cast, specifically newly appointed Captain Maggie Sawyer and partners Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya (who debuted in Batman: The Animated Series and later made the jump to comics, just like Harley Quinn). As word spreads about what happened to Fields and Driver, everyone starts dancing around a touchy subject, namely The Batman. After all, if there’s some Mr. Freeze action going down, it won’t be long before the Caped Crusader starts cracking skulls.

But that doesn’t sit right with Driver. What kind of a partner would he be if he just sits back and lets someone else — someone outside the law, at that — get justice for Fields’ death? With all of the cops called in to try and find Mr. Freeze and Montoya leading the investigation, Driver meets with the commissioner and pleads with him not to turn on the Bat-Signal so the GCPD can prove that they’re capable of getting things done without Batman’s help. The commissioner agrees, but he points out that Batman is probably just going to show up anyway, especially when a second Mr. Freeze victim is found.

It’s a great first issue that sells the idea of a Gotham City police procedural really well, and it proves that one of the most effective ways to tell a “Batman story” is by focusing on the world around him and how he impacts his city rather than the guy himself. Batman doesn’t physically appear in this issue at all, and yet his presence looms over everything exactly the way it should in a story like this.

The Untitled Comic Book Newsletter Book Society continues next week with the next issue of Gotham Central. Does Batman show up in this one? He shows up at some point, I swear. If you have questions or comments or anything you want to share, find me on Bluesky or track down my email address!