Batman Gotham By Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age #1 – Andy Diggle, Writer; Leandro Fernandez, Artist; Dave Stewart, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: DC’s new Elseworlds line is kicking off with this sequel to two decades-old Elseworlds that put Batman into the world of the 1800s, pitting him against Jack the Ripper and a sky-pirate original villain in a pair of tales by the late Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola and Eduardo Barreto. They were cult classics, even if they never reached the level of hype that some of the biggest Elseworlds did. But this new sequel, a miniseries with a completely new creative team, looks to expand that world and bring the rest of the DCU into it. The title gives away one big part of what’s to come, and that delivers in the form of the Kents as westward pioneers who encounter a famous rocket while in the middle of Native territory.
But that’s all we see of Superman this issue, surprisingly. Rather, the main character of this comic’s first issue actually seems to be neither Superman nor Batman—but Catwoman. In this world, Selina Kyle is a rich widow still tarred by her reputation as a woman of ill repute. She takes advantage of her newfound money by helping the less fortunate, and along with her partner Holly infiltrates a Gotham charity gala to pull off the heist of a lifetime. The classism and racism Selina encounters from minute one makes it easy to root for her as she gets her hands on the prize—a green ring that calls back to another semi-obscure DC Elseworlds that is even more of a deep cut than this one.
Batman, of course, is out patrolling the city, with his fiancee Julie Madison covering for him. As Selina tries to pull off the trade she’s arranged, she’s double-crossed, and she and Batman wind up going up against an army of highly trained assassins that seem to come out of nowhere. The reveal of this series’ main villain is an interesting twist—and also likely puts the speculation about the true identity of the villain from Master of the Future to rest. This is a wildly ambitious first issue that packs a lot into its thirty or so pages—maybe too much. But it does its job of getting me interested in spades. This has always been one of the most ambitious DC Elseworlds, and it’s full of potential for a longer series.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
