The Good
Years ago, Sister Justine met Jim Corrigan while she was backed into a corner by two possessed people. The Spectre handled it all though. This isn't a large team, but writer Ray Fawkes chooses to focus a bit more on the new character Sister Justine in this issue and her connection to Jim Corrigan. It's a good move for the sake of the series, with so many new characters, even though it does have its drawbacks. Her story is interesting and a bit freaky. More importantly, her story builds towards the main story line of this first arc. Fawkes is doing a great job with world building and story building in these first two issues, which is a huge task because this is really a non-traditional DC book. Sure, DC has some mystic books and has touched on horror before, but never like this.
The idea that the Spectre is a part of this book but the reader never sees him is pretty awesome. While I cannot wait to see Ben Templesmith's version of this character, leaving the visual out of the issue is great and just builds anticipation for the reader. Plus, it leaves the focus on Corrigan a bit more, so the reader can get to know him as a character and not just think of him as the vessel for the Spectre.
Once again, seeing artist Ben Templesmith on a DC book puts a gigantic, dumb smile on my face. His art and colors aren't traditional by any means, but his style is exactly what this series needs to stand out. His art on this book is captivating, and the final page of this issue is surreal insanity. If you're unfamiliar with his work, it's horrific and disturbing at times, mainly from the shading and color work on the pages. Some of the cooler moments from this issue is seeing Jim Corrigan right before he turns into The Spectre, which we actually never see here. The green light emanating out of his body is a really cool effect.
This is just a thorwaway moment with no impact on the book, but there's a moment where we see a few panels zooming in on a plant in the swamp and all I can think "is Solomon Grundy or Swamp Thing going to be in this book?" While the series is focusing in on newer characters, there's still a lot of cool DCU characters who could fit into this book, but that's something to think about
GOTHAM BY MIGNIGHT #2 lays the ground work for an interesting story as well as an interesting series. There's still a lot to learn about this world ad the stars of the book but Fawkes and Templesmith are pacing all of this out extremely well and leaving the reader wanting more. This is a very different Gotham City than most people are used to, but folks who are open to to the mystic side of DC's most famous fictional city (sorry Metropolis but Gotham is so much cooler), will find themselves really enjoying this issue and series.
The Bad
The issue doesn't pack the same punch as the first one, but solid nonetheless. The series is still very new and because of the heavy focus of Jim Corrigan and Sister Justine, we don't get to know the rest of the team as well. It's a double-edged sword because the Sister Justine and Corrigan scenes were great but it sacrifices a bit of readers learning more about the rest of the team.
The Verdict
Ray Fawkes and Ben Templesmith continue to have a hit on their hands. The second issue may not be as good as the first, but issue #2 offers some great backstory to Jim Corrigan and Sister Justine. We don't get much from the other characters because of the issue's focus, but there's a lot of great things happening here and once again, seeing Ben Templesmith on a DC book is a breath of fresh air. If you're looking for something a bit different from DC, you need to check this series out.
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