Welcome to General, Gotham City’s tier one trauma center. Power is out, fires are burning, transpo is shot, and the calls just keep coming. There are more patients than beds, half presenting with respiratory complications, the other half suffering hallucinogenic psychotic episodes. In every other emergency department in the DCU, this would be a catastrophe. For Dr. Ava Dastur and the men and women working at General, it’s a Tuesday. DC Comics is pleased to introduce you to the staff of Gotham General. No capes, no costumes, and don’t call them heroes—this is their job. Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #1 is fantastic and has us wanting an ongoing series focused on the hospital and its staff.

One of the best comics DC has released is its Gotham Central series which focused on Gotham’s police department. Writer Greg Rucka contributed to that series and is the writer for Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #1, so it’s no surprise its excellence. Starting off just before the chaos of the “Bad Seeds” event, we see Gotham General go into overdrive as the patients stack up as they attempt to figure out what’s going on.

Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #1 is brilliant in that it doesn’t dumb down its subject matter. Characters throw out medical jargon and diagnose without much explanation or taking readers through the steps. We’re observers to these miracle makers doing their job without question.

But beyond the realism of the jargon, Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #1 also focuses on the characters. An ongoing thread through the issue is a doctor wanting to move away from Gotham so her daughter is safer. But what is safety? Through the chaos, it’s an interesting debate that will have you debating that question and wondering if Gotham really is safe and the danger is exaggerated? It’s an interesting concept and adds an aspect to the story that readers can relate to.

The art by Rosa Ekedal and Steve Lieber is fantastic. With color by Patricio Delpeche and lettering by Tom Napolitano, the comic nails the chaos of the moment as doctors scramble to triage the incoming deluge of patients. You get a feeling of both the fear and unknown the doctors and nurses are feeling but also their focus as they scramble to help the patients. The visuals of the comic shows off the heroism of the staff of the hospital by focusing on them as humans doing what they can to help those hurting. The team does an amazing job of capturing the chaos of the moment but also making it easy to follow and easy to connect with the staff.

Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #1 is a hell of an issue and shows off the potential of focusing on the non-spandex aspects in the world of superheroes. It makes the case for an ongoing series where the hospital staff give us a new perspective on Gotham and the fallout from everything going on. It might be an event tie-in but it’s accessible and easy to dive into and enjoy without having read any of the event. Most importantly, it shows off that not all heroes wear a mask, some wear lap coats and stethoscopes.

Story: Greg Rucka Art: Rosa Ekedal, Steve Lieber
Color: Patricio Delpeche Letters: Tom Napolitano
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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