The first ten issues of the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning series written by Ed Brubaker (Captain America) and Greg Rucka (Detective Comics, 52) pit the detectives of Gotham City's Special Crimes Unit against the city's greatest villains - in the shadow of Batman himself. 1. In the Line of Duty by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka: Mister Freeze kills a cop, and the squad is in a race against time to bring him in without the help of the Dark Knight. 2. Motive by Ed Brubaker: Bonnie Lewis 14 disappeared after babysitting Friday night, ransom note faxed to dad next day. Body found, dead since Friday, so someone close to her was trying to divert suspicion. Meanwhile, convicted Firebug sold his special fire-powered suit as memorabilia on internet. 3. Half a Life by Greg Rucka: Detective Renee Montoya is outed as a lesbian and finds her work environment and personal life turned upside down, complicated when she is kidnapped by Two-Face.

Submission: "Gotham Central is a 4 volume collection about the police force in Gotham, Batman's home. The cast is very diverse, with a latino lesbian (Renee) and a black man (Allen) as the two main protagonists. As well, the other detectives in their division have a nice divide between male and female, as well as other POCs. Renee has to deal with her relationship with her girlfriend, her family's inability to accept her sexuality, and being outed to the police force. Allen has to deal with balancing his family with his job. It's a great read, especially seeing the cases they have to handle."