Gotham by Gaslight

[Silver Nemesis]

This is arguably one of the best, if not the best of all the Batman Elseworlds books. Well, actually it's two books: the original Gotham by Gaslight (1989) and its sequel Master of the Future (1991). They're both equally excellent in my opinion and I have difficulty deciding which of them I prefer. I love the gritty realism of the first book, with Mignola's stylised artwork and the historical connections to the Ripper killings in Whitechapel. But I love the brighter, more colourful steam punk vibe of the second book, with its swashbuckling atmosphere and extravagant villain.

The fundamental components of the Batman myth blend extremely well with the Victorian era, and little is lost in the recontextualisation. The costume, the weapons, the playboy alter ego – all function just as well in the 19th century setting as they do in the present. The only thing missing is a steampunk equivalent of the Batmobile. Perhaps a Bat-locomotive or a Bat-steamboat would have worked well in this context. The closest thing we get to transportation is the horse he rides in the first book.

It's about time Brian Augustyn wrote a third book in the series. If he does, I'd like to nominate Trevor McCarthy (Batman: Gates of Gotham) to do the artwork. And while I'd prefer the next few DC animated movies to steer away from Batman and Superman, I wouldn't say no to an animated feature adapted from the first book. Or perhaps even a live action miniseries.

This footage of the cancelled Victorian Batman video game has been posted before, but its relevant to the thread so I'm posting it again.

This version of Batman even got his own action figure.

And Batman wore his Gotham by Gaslight outfit in the Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode 'Trials of the Demon!' when he travelled back to the Victorian era.

The only other Elseworlds Batman that's as enduringly popular as this one would be the Earth-43 version from Tales of the Multiverse: Batman – Vampire. Personally, I prefer the Victorian/Earth-19 Batman over the vampire version. What about everyone else? There must be some other fans of the Victorian Batman on the site.

[thecolorsblend]

Right here. LOVE Gotham By Gaslight. If TDKR doesn't count, this was my first Elseworlds book. Mark Waid said that Batman has the least time-sensitive origin of any superhero. For example, Spider-Man's original origin (if that's not redundant in some way) is a very 50's and 60's concept. Some small part must be updated for current times... and isn't even possible before that time. But Batman? The Waynes get killed while Bruce watches. You can plug that in to any period in history and change little or nothing. GBG proves it.

I much prefer GBG over MOTF. Good as the latter is, it just doesn't hit me the same way GBG did. I can't really point to a single thing and say "they screwed up there". Maybe it's the change in art. Mignola's art oozed atmosphere and darkness. I can't remember for sure who drew MOTF. Eduardo Barreto? But whoever it was and as good as the art is in general, I guess I was put off by the fact that it's not Mignola.

Still, when the biggest criticism you can come up with is that it wasn't as good as the original (as opposed to saying it was really awful), that says a lot.

If anybody hasn't checked out these books, I cannot more highly recommend them. Elseworlds or not, these things go right to who Batman is and what he's all about.

[Silver Nemesis]

Mark Waid said that Batman has the least time-sensitive origin of any superhero. For example, Spider-Man's original origin (if that's not redundant in some way) is a very 50's and 60's concept. Some small part must be updated for current times... and isn't even possible before that time. But Batman? The Waynes get killed while Bruce watches. You can plug that in to any period in history and change little or nothing. GBG proves it.

That's an interesting observation. One I haven't given much thought to before now. I suppose it applies to space as well as time. Gotham City doesn't necessarily have to be located in America. In fact Batman's story doesn't even really need to take place in Gotham. It just requires a suitably threatening environment, which could be anything from a prehistoric jungle to an alien space station. The essential components of the Batman story are sufficiently elemental that they can be applied in almost any context.

I'm not sure I'd say the same about Superman though. I know Red Son (2003) was very popular, but I personally feel something is lost once Superman's nationality is no longer American. But that's just my take on the character.

If anybody hasn't checked out these books, I cannot more highly recommend them. Elseworlds or not, these things go right to who Batman is and what he's all about.

Well said. It's worth mentioning as well that Gotham by Gaslight was the first Elseworlds book ever published (not counting The Dark Knight Returns, which wasn't originally published under the Elseworlds banner). So for anyone with an interest in the series, this is where it all began.

Something I neglected to mention in the original post is that the Victorian Batman did in fact return during the Countdown storyline. First there was the Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer miniseries that saw several DC characters, including Jason Todd, travelling across different Earths originating in the Elseworlds books. At one point they arrive on Earth-43 and encounter the vampire Batman. Then they arrive on Earth-19 and team up with the Victorian Batman. This story was written by Brian Augustyn and introduced Victorian versions of Blue Beetle and Kirk Langstrom. It's got a more fantastic feel than the original two books, but I suppose that was inevitable for a story centred around interdimensional travel.

The Victorian Batman showed up again in Countdown: Arena (2007), where he, the vampire Batman and the WW2 Earth-40 Batman from JSA: The Liberty Files (2000) were kidnapped by Monarch and forced to fight each other aboard an interdimensional satellite. Unsurprisingly, the vampire Batman emerged the victor. But the Victorian Batman put up a good fight and escaped with his life.

IGN is currently listing the Victorian Batman as a playable character in the upcoming game Infinite Crisis. Apparently there's going to be a Victorian Catwoman too: http://uk.ign.com/wikis/infinite-crisis/Champions?objectid=163367 So it looks like we'll be seeing more of this particular Elseworld in the near future.

[The Dark Knight]

Count me as another fan of Gotham By Gaslight. I love the Victorian era. The visuals and tone are spectacular and suit Batman. The recent Doctor Who Christmas special 'The Snowmen' was set during this period, and again, it was sensational. Dark, gloomy and cinematic.  So I've got no problems whatsoever with Batman going back in time.

Funny thing is, if anything, it makes the concept of Batman even more relevant. An era where people were more superstitious. Things were low tech and crimes were predatory, ala Jack the Ripper. It's interesting to see the origins translated, because the comic still manages to get it all across.

[Silver Nemesis]

Funny thing is, if anything, it makes the concept of Batman even more relevant. An era where people were more superstitious. Things were low tech and crimes were predatory, ala Jack the Ripper. It's interesting to see the origins translated, because the comic still manages to get it all across.

Exactly. It's not just a great Elseworlds book, it's a great Batman book. It manages to convey all the ingredients you would expect from a contemporary mainstream Batman story, but with the added atmosphere of a Victorian murder mystery. I only wish Brian Augustyn would write more Batman stories. He's got a superb grasp on the character and the world he inhabits.

[Paul (ral)]

Gallery, if anyone wants to contribute to it

http://www.batman-online.com/gallery/Comics/Batman-Gotham-By-Gaslight_1989

[Silver Nemesis]

I just stumbled across some interesting comments from director Jay Olivia regarding upcoming DC animated movies.

We can do original content, we can do New 52 stuff. I still want to do 'Gotham by Gaslight.' 'Red Son' would be a great one to do as a one-off.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/289935-warner-bros-animation-to-release-three-dc-animated-films-a-year#/slide/1

[The Dark Knight]

If I had to pick just two Elseworld stories, they would be Gotham by Gaslight and Red Son. They're the best.

I hope the animated films get off the ground. I really liked both volumes of TDK Returns.

[Silver Nemesis]

Same here. IMO Gotham by Gaslight and Red Son are not only two of the best Elseworld books, but two of the best DC stories period. I'd definitely rank Gotham by Gaslight amongst my top ten Batman stories.

I'm surprised they haven't adapted more Elseworld titles before now (not counting the TDKR films). There's little to no continuity between these animated movies anyway, so it makes sense to adapt stories that are set in their own self-contained universes. And if the Gotham by Gaslight feature should prove popular, they could follow it up with an adaption of Master of the Future.

[Silver Nemesis]

Here's an interesting Batman fan film based on the Gotham by Gaslight premise. But be warned - it contains adult content, including some strong violence.