In this review of Gangs of Gotham #1, Anarky, on a mission from Minotaur to take over the Gangs of Gotham in two weeks, meets a bunch of familiar faces in some violent confrontations.
Gangs of Gotham #1 main cover by Mike Henderson (DC Comics)
GANGS OF GOTHAM #1
Written by CHRISTOPHER CANTWELL
Art by MIKE HENDERSON
Main Cover: ARIEL OLIVETTI
Variant Covers: MARTIN SIMMONDS, CHRISTIAN WARD, KYUYONG EOM
Page Count: 32 Pages
Release Date: 11/4/26
This review contains spoilers
Anarky, Lonnie Machin, gets mugged and loses his only quarter, witnessed by beat cop Jim Gordon and his partner Espinoza, who threaten to arrest him for his stupid antics during Bad Seeds. Anarky writes Batman a letter on toilet paper, revealing that Minotaur and Captain Flass of the GCPD (see also Batman Year One) have given him two weeks to unify the gangs of the East End and get a seat at Minotaur’s table as a “capo.” Lonnie gives up on his letter to Batman and flushes it down the toilet, just as Magpie and her gang the Mud Daubers rob the gas station for fuel.
The Ten-Eyed Man and his drifters gossip and hallucinate about Anarky, as Anarky hits a biker bar to try to get his quarter back by selling some gas he stole piggybacking on Magpie’s robbery. The second in command of the gang, Clu, calls him a coward scumbag, while the Pacer (boss) of the Street Demons, Rash, challenges him. Anarky gets into an all out brawl with the Street Demons, but a TUCO armored truck pulls up with Flass, who beats down the gang and secretly gives Anarky another quarter, a key part of his mission to take control of the gangs.
Gordon and Espinoza find the “muggo” (bottom feeder) who mugged Anarky. Gordon feeds him a sandwich after tangling with Flass.
Lonnie isn’t doing too well post Bad Seeds (DC Comics)
Clu reminds Rash of Street Demons rules – that Anarky beat a demon, he rides in his place. He uses his quarter to call Flass and tell him he’s in the Demons, and Flass reminds Anarky he only has two weeks before the city bulldozes the streets to get rid of the gangs the hard way.
Clu meets Batman in the abandoned East End Library, and we discover she’s really Stephanie Brown, undercover for Batman in his investigation of Minotaur.
Analysis
Well, as a Stephanie Brown fan, this is the big title I’ve been waiting for ever since it was announced and Christopher Cantwell revealed that Stephanie would be a major character in the series. So much so that I even watched Streets of Fire and The Warriors, both crime movies I wouldn’t normally watch, because Cantwell mentioned they were big inspirations for the series. Unfortunately, while both have compelling elements, Streets of Fire in particular is written so painfully badly it actively hurt to hear the often excellent actors propel the expositional pap out of their mouths into my pained ears.
Fortunately, Cantwell has a MUCH better line in dialogue, though of course a lot of exposition is necessary in a first issue. Connections abound, from the expected ones to the Bad Seeds Gotham Central miniseries from the last two months (also by Cantwell, also featuring Steph), to a very surprising one where Batman and Steph refer to her disastrous involvement with War Games. Steph’s disguise is pretty visually striking, and her rendering by The Forged artist Mike Henderson gives her power and huge personality, as does Henderson’s rendering of all of the characters, from Anarky in all his self-righteous selfishness, to Minotaur and Flass in their towers of blood and glass, to Jim and Espinoza and their hard bitten but clinging to integrity uniforms, lastly to Batman and his grim cameo at the end. The worldbuilding is fantastic, the characters are pungent, the art is visceral, and the tension is top notch!
Ariel Olivetti appears to be the main cover artist for this series, and provides our first main cover featuring Anarky and Steph against a light blue background fading into Minotaur’s helmet and some bikers in a very photoreal type of style (also available as a virgin foil variant for an upcharge). Martin Simmonds gives us a variant of Steph in front of one of the gang members featured in the story in a very murky, moody painted style – really expressive. Christian Ward shows Anarky spraypainting right at the audience, a very in your face design. KyuYong Eom paints Steph in her disguise picking up a lead pipe on the streets of Gotham, looking very ready for a fight.
Final Thoughts
Cantwell and Henderson kick off Gangs of Gotham with incredible texture, character work, and unexpected continuity!
Gangs of Gotham #1
DC Comics Reviewed by Ian MillerFinal Thoughts
Cantwell and Henderson kick off Gangs of Gotham with incredible texture, character work, and unexpected continuity!
