It’s been a while since the GCPD got its series, but writer John Ridley and artist Stefano Raffaele delivered big time with a flawless first issue. A lot to live up to with long ongoing series like Gotham Central changing the game, GCPD: The Blue Wall focuses on three new police in the GCPD who are friends. Taking up different roles in the police department, we soon see it’s not as heroic or easy as they were led to believe.
GCPD: The Blue Wall #2 opens with a news briefing of where we left off. Officer Samantha Park failed to engage a bad guy with a gun, and now a man is critically wounded. Just last issue, she was a hero, but now she’s getting a full review, and the department does not have her back. Possibly a sign of how Commissioner Renee Montoya is reeling from her demons, the GCPD is not well.
That goes for the other two police officers we’re following in this narrative. Officer Wells is also reeling from the incident Park went through, as it was his parolee that took the shot. Much of this issue follows Wells as he attempts to prevent another parolee from making a mistake, but with the added pressures and being on the job for only a few days, does he push the parolee too far?
The balance between the three characters doesn’t work as well as in the first issue. Ortega continues to face racism from his fellow police officers, but there isn’t much progress in this subplot. We get an interesting conversation between Ortega and his father about racism, but this character is mostly sidelined. This might be due to the parolee taking up much of the page count. Ridley explores the impossible situation he is in as he tries to get back on the right track but also has a baby on the way and very few options.
Devante ends up being a central character in this issue.
Credit: DC Comics
Meanwhile, Montoya continues dealing with a lot, but it never explores her character beyond being stuck in her head. At one point, she casually mentions suicide, and she’s clearly in a terrible place. That said, her narrative seems less interested in the woman and more interested in pointing her at Two-Face with all the rage and revenge someone with her power and role shouldn’t have.
It’s beginning to feel dark and impossible for these characters, which is hard to read at times. Each went into the police force wanting to do good, but by the end of this issue, I can imagine they’ll all be quitting the force soon enough if they don’t end up dead eventually. By the end of the issue, you can begin to see maybe this series is about how the police force is a broken system and only works as a blunt object that pummels its police officers and anyone that gets in its way. It’s hard to know what the series is getting at with just two issues released, but it’s certainly not hopeful.
Raffaele’s art is good, although a little is less refined than it was in the first issue. Character acting continues to be on point, with many sorrowful faces and intense feelings working well off each other.
Gone are the hope and dreams of the three new police officers who make up the main characters in GCPD: The Blue Wall, and darkness and despair are in their place. While the first issue rode a line of good people trying to be good cops, this second issue seems to suggest there is nothing good coming out of the police, and in more ways than one, their roles serve in a system that takes away their ability to make the right choices. That’s a tough pill to swallow, even if it’s likely based on truth.
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