Gangs of Gotham #1 Explores a New Side of the Cities Underworld
- Writer
- Christopher Cantwell
- Artist
- Mike Henderson
- Colors
- Trish Mulvihill
- Letters
- Becca Carey
- Publisher
- DC
- Released
- 11/04/2026
- Cover
- Ariel Olivetti
- Price
- $3.99
Gangs of Gotham is the sort of book I’m surprised hasn’t been made before. Gotham is known, more than anything else, for its crime. Yet that crime has so rarely been an actual focus before, and anytime it is, it’s in the big leagues, through the lens of Penguin, or Two-Face, or Joker. Christopher Cantwell and Mike Henderson’s Gangs of Gotham offers a rare look at what goes on in the low tier, the everyday gang life, through the lens of Anarky, who finds himself on the bottom rung of Gotham’s underworld after the events of Bad Seeds, where he stole $50,000 dollars from another gang then managed to lose it all in the chaos of the crisis facing the city. Anarky might be the lead, but he isn’t the only “freak” on the streets of Gotham, we see the changing perspective on a few other characters too, like Magpie taking anti-psychotics just to stay in the game, and the mysterious Ten-Eyed Man.
While not entirely necessary reading, I would definitely recommend reading the Bad Seeds – Gotham Central tie-in, also written by Christopher Cantwell, before this book. It’s a clear setting of the stage for this book and basically every character from the book reappears, from the small role of Officer Jim Gordon walking the streets of Gotham and the re-introduction of what seems to be the books main antagonist, Captain Arnold Flass. The former partner of Jim Gordon has taken advantage of Vandal Savage’s time as Commissioner to find himself promoted to Captain, and now seems to be working alongside the Minotaur, the new villain introduced in Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez’s Batman, who is making a play for the city through financial means. With the major factions operating through him, he’s taking advantage of Anarky’s situation to bring in the final criminal element, the streets themselves, giving Anaky two weeks to unite them in his name before he flattens them.
At least based on the first issue, this is largely an Anarky solo book, which is something I’m a lot more interested in than I expected. The modern reinvention of Anarky started by Matt Fraction and Jorge Jimenez in the main Batman book has evolved him in interesting ways. The character is inherently against “the system”, but as that becomes more and more of a mainstream opinion he becomes an increasingly relatable character. Cantwell balances out any likability by making Lonnie disillusioned to the point of depression, any actual belief in anarchy as an alternate to the current system long faded and replaced by nothing but a desire to survive and somehow make it to the next day, with no plan for what to do after that.
Mike Henderson’s depiction of Anarky really nails this, when wearing the mask he feels half his age and the second he takes it off his posture shifts as you see the boy aged far beyond his years, trapped in the Hell that is Gotham. His first instinct when everything hits the fan is to try and appeal to Batman’s help is a great indicator of just how far Anarky has fallen from his principals, but also how dire the situation in Gotham is.
Truthfully, the real reason I was interested in this book was Stephanie Brown, and while her appearance is brief here it’s an interesting new direction for her. I appreciate the immediate tension between Steph and Batman – it should always be there especially in a situation like this, and I appreciate that it’s clear from the start Cantwell isn’t ignoring the War Games shaped elephant in the room. Her undercover design as “Clu” feels very at home in Gotham, and I like that she’s being integrated into the Gotham underworld in a way separate from her father despite the name.
Mike Henderson is a great fit for this book, and really captures the dirt and grime of the Gotham streets well, and especially nails the contrast in the brief scenes when we visit the Minotaur’s Tower, the empty glass tower really highlights the dense, lived in interiors of the dive bars and bodegas, and even the streets themselves. It’s further contrasted by the brief Ten-Eyed Man scene, showing yet another area of Gotham with it’s own unique identity, more focused on community despite poverty, instead of crime. All the little touches like the graffiti filled toilet stall make the world feel so lived in. Henderson conveys the brutality of the fights too, this isn’t Batman doing a swift, tactical beating to take down a guy in one punch, these are street guys and the violence feels like it.
Gangs of Gotham is a really strong start to the sort of book Gotham has been waiting for years for, and Christopher Cantwell and Mike Henderson are the perfect team to bring it to life. The combination of Anarky and an undercover Stephanie Brown are a great way to spotlight this underexplored part of the Gotham underworld, and The Minotaur’s ticking clock provides some real energy to it.
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