Batman: Gates of Gotham hit comic book store shelves around the world today, delivering the first of five issues that make up the miniseries. Gates of Gotham brings together writers Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins and presents the artwork of Trevor McCarthy. This impressive team brings us a story that has its roots in Grant Morrison’s Batman Incorporated, particularly Issue 6, where Cassandra Cain began tracking down explosives that eventually made it to Gotham City in the first issue of this series.

The story begins with the bombing and subsequent destruction of three bridges in Gotham City that is followed by a cryptic warning to the press that “families will fall through Gotham’s gates.” The fact that each of these bridges is named after a prominent family – the Cobblepots, the Elliots and the Wayne families – leads us to believe that some deep and dark secrets of these families are about to be revealed. The first couple of pages establishes that idea very well, as we are invited to a meeting in 1881 with Bruce Wayne’s great-great-grandfather to discuss the construction of these bridges. Personally, I loved this introduction for the time period it illustrated and it brought that nostalgic vibe to me that I felt when I first read Gotham by Gaslight.

The first problem is clearly setting the questions for the next four books to answer, so the pace is relatively slow. That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to anyone starting a new series that has a well-developed story. I feel that the rhythm here is key. There is, however, a great action sequence that is wonderfully illustrated by Batman’s McCarthy response to the bridge explosions and rescue attempts made. After being dealt with a few pages of this type of action, it was nice to have a slower pace for the rest of the issue.

McCarthy’s artwork has grown in me a little more with this book. His character work stands out in this issue and manages to effectively energize the panels, regardless of the action that takes place. I especially enjoyed the work he did illustrating an encounter between Batman and the Penguin. His Gotham City drawings are very well done on the few panels where it is visible. The buildings appear dark and rustic and lend themselves to the atmosphere as a backdrop to history. It’s even more important to pay attention to these illustrations, as the city itself can be seen as a prominent character in Gates of Gotham.

What excites me about his story is that we are going to gain new insights and a backstory on the history of Gotham City. Snyder and Higgins are free to create a new way for us to see how Gotham came to be and how it may have shaped the fates of characters in the bat universe. I hope they exercise this freedom wisely because knowing that there are only 4 more numbers to tell this story, I am eager to see where it goes.