In a sneak preview video released back in August, writer James Krieg said, “I think it was important to have Selina be a proactive investigator, trying to protect the women of Gotham City.” Here’s hoping they make good on that idea. It looks like she switches into a traditional Victorian-lady getup later on, but I have to give this character design props for the way it draws on Selina’s newly discovered love of tuxedos and suits post-New 52, and the way it makes me far more interested in checking out this movie. Selina Kyle hunting down a murderous misogynist in a top hat? Yes. Bruce Wayne white-knighting his way through sensationalized scenes of violence against women? Nope. I do love the idea of expanding her role in this mystery, especially since Jack the Ripper specifically targeted women. However, I have to admit that I kind of want to watch it for this fancy-cravat-and-top-hat vision of Catwoman. It’s possible that they wanted to emphasize the horror for the trailer, but given the track record of these DC animated movies and their female characters, I’m a bit worried. A lot of these shots linger on the fear and carnage. Honestly, the trailer overall seems to have a weirdly lurid fascination with female victimhood that I find off-putting in any series, and tonally bewildering in one that’s drawn in this style. Jack the Ripper is a pretty gruesome subject, and I personally like my Victoriana to feel a bit moodier than the clean lines in this trailer allow for.
GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT SERIES
Gotham by Gaslight is one of DC’s “Elseworlds” stories, set outside continuity, and it follows Batman through a Victorian Gotham as he hunts for Jack the Ripper.įans of Mignola’s work will be disappointed to find that Warner Brothers hasn’t adapted this story in his signature style, and I’ll admit I’m curious to see how it will work when it’s drawn in the Batman animated series house style. Gotham by Gaslight is a unique and intelligent comic that shows the fluidity of the Batman ethos, experimenting with the many themes and genres that shape his character and is an ageless tale that definitely puts the dark in Dark Knight.IGN has the exclusive first trailer for Gotham by Gaslight, the DC Animated Universe adaptation of Mike Mignola, Brian Augustyn, and P. Taken out of his contemporary context the comic questions at what point does Batman stop being Batman? Take him out of his social norms, throw him into a 1800s version of Gotham and does he still maintain the justice and sense of morality of the traditional Dark Knight? Mike Mignola’s artwork, beautifully diluted to look like a decaying relic amongst the bright vibrant world of the superhero, works perfectly with Brian Augustyn’s psychological thriller. This dual identity, mixed with the possible insanity/villainy of Batman’s character lends itself to the Gothic tradition of the ‘id’ like Jekyll and Hyde, Bruce and Batman exist as opposites, light and dark, good and potentially evil. It cleverly plays out the mystery/detective narrative that the Dark Knight was created for. The narration at points makes the readers, who are well aware of Batman’s character, doubt themselves as the evidence stacks up against Bruce Wayne, suggesting he could be the Ripper. Unlike most conventional superhero narratives, the story is not action-packed, it delves into the trauma and humanity behind the mask.
Stripped of the modern technology that would normally give him superhuman advancements, the story is more about Bruce Wayne’s strength of character than Batman’s, focusing more on his willpower and his detective skills. It argues that Batman has and will always be the underdog superhero, a hero that society can never fully accept. Commonly within the revisionist genre, the superhero is used within a particular social setting to make contemporary commentary on our own, and this is also the case in Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola’s work, which uses the past as a mechanism to discuss the present.Īs is often the case with the new style of superhero, Batman’s sudden appearance in 19 th century Gotham is treated in much the same way as comics set in contemporary society, with a mixture of reverence and repulsion. Much like the timeless quality of the Dark Knight, 1800s Gotham retains its dark, gritty and dangerous aesthetic. The World’s Greatest Detective utilises his skills to uncover the murderous crimes but in doing so must face up to his own psyche. In Gotham by Gaslight the concept of Batman is transported to Victorianesque Gotham amidst the panic of the mysterious killer Jack the Ripper.
GOTHAM BY GASLIGHT CODE
These ‘what if’ one-shot titles took the traditional superhero into unknown realms and dissected and reshaped their moral code to adhere to different universes. Gotham by Gaslight is arguably the first Elseworlds publication in the DC franchise and is a prime example of the revisionist superhero genre.
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