the black mirror

This week marks the premiere of Gotham, the new Fox television show focusing on Jim Gordon's first year as a cop in Batman's hometown, and the origins of young Bruce Wayne and the people who will one day become the greatest enemies of his war on crime. That the show exists at all is a testament to how strong Jim Gordon and the rest of the Gotham city Police Department are as heroes in their own rights. So if Gotham has you in the mood to read about Gordon, Harvey Bullock and the rest of the GCPD -- or if you just want to dive into some solid Batman comics where the spotlight isn't entirely on the Dark Knight -- then I've got some suggestions for great comics about Gotham's top cops!

Writer Scott Snyder and artist Jock collaborated on what will likely go down as the best Dick-Grayson-as-Batman story, 'The Black Mirror,' so it just makes sense for them to work together again. Their new series, Wytches, isn't quite what you might expect. It's a horror story -- about witches, if you haven't guessed -- though Jock is often thought of as an artist who specializes in action. And it's published by Image Comics, despite Snyder seeming firmly entrenched at DC for the past several years (though his series Severed was also at Image).

One of the most memorable Batman covers of the last several years and very arguably one of the coolest Joker images ever created, this famous Jock illustration is finally being offered as a deluxe print that we can hang on our walls.

As 2011 draws to close, ComicsAlliance has assembled its annual list of the best comics and graphic novels of the year, with the help and input of our editors, writers, and readers. Like any list, it is naturally subjective, but we've packed it chock full of eleven comics that have awed us, excited us, and entertained us over the last 12 months and books that we're passionate about recommending...