In this review of Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1, in the midst of the supernatural chaos tearing through Gotham City, patrolman Jim Gordon and his partner investigate a potential homicide at Gotham Arboretum, and the mystery only deepens from there.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #1 main cover by Jacob Phillips (DC Comics)
BATMAN: BAD SEEDS: GOTHAM CENTRAL #1
Written by CHRISTOPHER CANTWELL
Art and Main Cover: JACOB PHILLIPS
Variant Covers: MIKE PERKINS, MARTIN SIMMONDS, DUSTIN NGUYEN
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: 9/9/26
This review contains spoilers
Batman: Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1 begins as GCPD officer Jim Gordon and his partner Espinoza defy Commissioner Vandal Savage’s orders to investigate a suspicious death at Gotham Arboretum. Despite the rampant chaos from Poison Ivy’s attack on Gotham City, Gordon is determined to investigate this case. The partners arrive and meet the Arboretum’s chief of security who directs them to the body. Gordon and Espinoza quickly deduce that the man has been murdered and dumped there.
In Chinatown, a rambling and manic Anarky crashes an underworld game parlor and is quickly chased away, followed by patrol officer Lynne Baker. Back at the Arboretum, one of Gordon’s old GCPD friends examines the body, and the evidence leads the officers to Arkham Towers and a particular resident, Mr. Szasz. Gordon and Espinoza unravel a complicated plot where Szasz murdered two people and escaped leading to a mass convergence at Gotham’s underground train station.
Officer Baker crosses paths with Anarky, Gordon, Espinoza, Harvey Bullock and Arkham’s Doctor Zeller amid a crush of Gothamites seeking the last train out to escape the coming “plantocalypse”. The train stops suddenly as the cars become blocked by giant plants.
Batman: Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1 ends as the group plan their next move, while seated nearby, Mr. Szasz watches, a screwdriver in his hand.
Analysis
Batman: Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1 plays out differently than the award-winning 2002-2005 Gotham Central series, but the street level approach of the GCPD officers contending with Batman’s Rogues Gallery and the occasional supernatural event is still present. In this crossover, Jim Gordon finally appears in the series and plays a central role as the former GCPD Commissioner is determined to solve a murder case despite all hell breaking loose in Gotham.
As luck would have it though, the murder victim leads to evidence of an escaped killer (Szasz) who has a dangerous mission. Writer Christopher Cantwell (Iron Man) crafts a compelling crime story that weaves threads across Batman: Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1, and by issue’s end, the pivotal players are all assembled in one place for the inevitalbe finale.
Cantwell’s script grounds the characters despite the unfolding supernatural (or superhuman) threat. The dialogue crackles and Gordon and Espinoza’s easy rapport shines, as does Gordon’s bond with some old friends and private eye Harvey Bullock.
Gordon’s willful disobedience of the orders from the TUCO captain (and Commissioner Vandal Savage) is a cheer worthy moment amid the chaos and illustrates his character’s dedication to protecting Gotham and delivering justice.
The only gripe in Batman: Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1 might be how Gordon could get a forensics team to the Arboretum and how Gordon and Espinoza could reach Arkham Towers in the middle of a city-wide crisis.
Jacob Phillips’ art and color lend itself to the mix of the familiar and terrifying. Phillips washes the Arboretum sequence in lush green (with a trace of blood red, the Arkham Towers scene in bright red framed by dark shadows. The pacing of the chase sequence, the camera angles roving around the characters, and the crowded train and train station’s claustrophobic conditions are palpable.
Phillips’ depiction of the giant vines bursting up through the ground, and the large, shadowy plant creature stomping down the road as Gordon and Espinoza zoom past in their patrol car ably illustrates the GCPD officers’ familiarity with the unusual.
Final Thoughts
Batman: Bad Seeds: Gotham Central #1 kicks off the street level crime procedural aspect of the “Bad Seeds” event with a grounded and enjoyable mystery that mixes drama, intrigue, action, humor, compelling characters, sharp dialogue and moody art. Fans of the creative team or of the previous Gotham Central should find much to like.
