Batman: Gotham by Gaslight — The Kryptonian Age
The year is 1893, four years after Batman’s encounter with the Ripper and something uneasy stirs in Gotham again. It isn’t just that a glowing green ring from a museum exhibition is stolen by a female thief dressed up like a cat, but that this act also attracts the attention of the infamous assassins known as the League of Shadows. There’s also the fact that the League is after similar relics from a lost civilization known as Krypton, which had its time on Earth long ago and appears to be returning again. A fierce warrior woman from the underworld. A cynical agent of the crown with a knowledge of magic and the gift of gab. A stranger who comes and goes like a phantom. A sheriff in Kansas whose incredible power is thought to be just luck by those around them. How are they all connected to this mystery and what does it portend for them – and the world?
“Gotham by Gaslight” was the seminal one-shot from writer Brian Augustyn and artist Mike Mignola that legitimized modern out-of-continuity storytelling for DC as Elseworlds. Given its status, it’s honestly kind of surprising that DC resisted expanding on it until now with this new series (which is just the first half of the story) from writer Andy Diggle and artist Leandro Fernandez. The latter does great work here, not just in establishing a credible late 19th-century look for the proceedings, but also in his visual reinventions of familiar characters for the era. It’s all done with style as Fernandez expertly meshes the fantastic and the mundane.
The only problem here is that it takes a while for Diggle’s story to get going. I can understand why he’d want to take his time introducing the cast, and things do gain more steam as they’re introduced. He also manages to have some characters slide effortlessly into the setting – John Constantine, Lois Lane, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor in particular – while other reinventions like the Suicide Squad are tweaked in just the right way or contain clever twists like his version of the Phantom Stranger. Best of all is Diggle’s “Aw, shucks” take on Superman which is thoroughly charming even as it gives way to something more imposing at the end.
It’s an end that is utterly jam-packed with characters and I was honestly impressed that it didn’t feel like it was about to collapse as a result. One thing it does make clear is that while his name is in the title of this series, Batman isn’t the main character as the “Kryptonian Age” is really an ensemble piece which is meant to showcase the new versions of these characters coming together. I shouldn’t have to tell any longtime DC reader what they’re coming together for as the next volume’s subtitle “A League for Justice” has already done that. While I’m not going to rush out and buy that in hardcover, I’ll certainly be picking it up once its paperback edition arrives.