Review by Sam O'beirn
Gotham City. The name alone conjures up images of dark alleys, rampant urban sprawl and decay, and tall gothic buildings that seem to loom over the citizens like giants. This is the city that brought us insanity in the face of The Joker, the clown prince of crime. This is the city that brought us brutality, at the hands of Killer Croc, and sensual deceit at the hands of Catwoman, and Poison Ivy. Gotham City is the home of the dark knight himself, The Batman. Steve Niles has set out to change that. Steve Niles was taken on by DC comics for the “Gotham after Midnight” Storyline in Batman. The writer behind the wildly popular comic “30 Days of Night”. As he was working on the storyline, he started working on a Character that would become the focus of his own comic series, Simon Dark. Simon is a teenage boy, but is anything but normal. He has almost superhuman strength, speed, and agility. He wears a mask that looks like stitched skin. He tries to protect the people in the small neighborhood that he lives in, and he tries to deal with his origins. Part Frankenstein, part hero, Simon is the only hope the people have against a mysterious secret society that’s using magic and science to take over gotham with a terrible plague. The Art in the comic, done by Scott Hampton, is rough but adds to the story. This is not a pretty story, and the rough art blends with the story Steve weaves to make a bleak atmosphere. The thing that always seems to be an underlying theme is the story is that you’re never quite certain if Simon is a hero, or if he’s a villain. Still, if you’re a fan of the bat, or if you just want to see something a little different in comics, check this one out. (Ongoing series by DC Comics) 7/10