Gotham Central

So, there's this Batman comic series called Gotham Central, and I love it like cookies. It's all about the cops of Gotham trying to fight crime and go about their business with supervillains and Batman running around causing havoc. It's pretty obvious that The Dark Knight was influenced by it, as there's a bit with the Joker that's almost identical between the movie and the comic. It's wonderfully moody, dark and intelligent, and I love the Law & Order feel to it. Plus, the third-person pov of Gotham and how it works is just excellent.

But that's not even the best part. The best part is that there are female characters! Who are genuinely characters with their own story arcs and motives, and they're allowed to care about things besides husbands and babies! And there are characters of color! Who are not thugs! And are in fact about half or more of the main characters! And there are lesbians! Who are not crazy or dead! And even though the two lesbians both like and respect each other, they are not, in fact, romantically involved in any way whatsoever! This is not to say that the series is without issue, but it's so much better than I would have expected.

Tragically, this series only lasted for 40 issues, mostly due to some of the creators leaving for other things, but it was definitely amazing while it lasted. And it definitely makes me angry that we have such a shoddy Montoya clone in The Dark Knight. They should have just made her the real deal.

If you're interested in taking a peek, the scans_daily tag is here.