The procedural series Gotham Central rounds out the collection of books in McKenzie's photo. Written by Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Michael Lark, the series follows members of the GCPD as they fight crime in the DC Universe's darkest city. Unfortunately, despite being nominated for several major Eisner Awards, the series was a brutal commercial failure. But Gotham Central is a success where it counts - on the artistic side of things - and the storylines are rich enough to provide plenty of material for the writers of Gotham. Well-known GCPD characters, cameo appearances by the likes of Maggie Sawyer, Slam Bradley and Jim Corrigan, and a whole host of fresh characters all crop up in the pages of Gotham Central. Most notably, Batman is largely absent from these storylines. Granted, he exists and is operating around these plots (as is Robin, as are the Teen Titans, etc.), but the GCPD never lose the limelight. They fight famous Batman rogues like Mr. Freeze and the Joker, but they attempt to do so within the confines of the law. This theme should be a major part of Gotham - the necessity of a vigilante who fights outside the law, the effectiveness of fighting from within it, and the gradient of good and evil across the entire Gotham police force.
