Review: Batman- Gotham by Gaslight The Deluxe Edition

Quick Summary

Pros: The original Gotham by Gaslight story is great on its own and is a worthwhile piece of DC Comics history. The majority of this collection’s artwork is positive.

Cons: The sequel to Gotham by Gaslight is just average. The volume’s other stories are barely related to Gotham by Gaslight and are only good for offering a few quick glimpses of its world.

Overall: This volume contains one awesome story and a succession of underwhelming sequels to that story. The original “Gotham by Gaslight” tale still holds up and is a joy to read today. However, the stories following it mostly range from average to unnecessary. This is a book for fans looking to experience the original Gotham by Gaslight story or fans desperate for every extension to the original story, no matter the quality.

Story

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight The Deluxe Edition is a mix of quality. The volume starts with its high point, the titular Gotham by Gaslight graphic novel. This is an entertaining comic on its own and an important piece of DC Comics history. This is followed by the original comic’s average-quality sequel. Finally, the book collects a few other stories that only barely relate to the original, including an entire chapter that doesn’t even feature anyone or anything from it. In the end, this volume is notable for collecting the original Gotham by Gaslight comic but, besides that, is only worthwhile for fans who really want to see every small extension of this original.

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The crown jewel in Gotham by Gaslight The Deluxe Edition is the original Gotham by Gaslight graphic novel. This is a dark and gripping story about Bruce Wayne emerging as Batman at the same time Jack the Ripper begins terrorizing Gotham. It starts off by showcasing its unique setting through some standard Batman heroics. Then, it gets more interesting as Bruce Wayne is tried for Jack the Ripper’s crimes and then, somewhat unexpectedly, is found guilty. At this point, Batman’s detective skills are pushed to the forefront and his intellect, not his fighting prowess, uncovers the Ripper’s identity and saves the day. All of this makes for a compelling narrative told through a unique world.

The other large story in Gotham by Gaslight The Deluxe Edition is the original graphic novel’s sequel, Batman: Master of the Future. This story doesn’t fare quite as well as its predecessor. It still manages to capitalize on the comic’s unique setting and still does some interesting things with the era. However, it does not have the darkness that made the original stand out and the main villain is not nearly as interesting.

The rest of the Gotham by Gaslight The Deluxe Edition fares even worse. The Countdown Presents story is fun in the way it adds new characters to this world but, ultimately, stands poorly on its own, divorced from the rest of the Search for Ray Palmer narrative. Meanwhile, the Convergence: Shazam! entries are fantastic Shazam stories but simply do not work as an expansion of the Gaslight universe, as the Gaslight Batman makes little more than a cameo here. Seeing these comics provide a few, tiny glimpses of this universe may be worthwhile to some but they don’t add much to the reading experience provided by this book.

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Art

The artwork in Gotham by Gaslight The Deluxe Edition is mostly positive. The volume starts with Mike Mignola’s beautiful work on the original Gotham by Gaslight graphic novel. Here, Mignola’s dark and imaginative visuals wonderfully set the stage for a turn of the century story about Batman and Jack the Ripper. The next chapter also provides some imaginative takes on a Gotham City of the past. However, the version of Batman seen in this second story is not as uniquely designed as the one seen in the first and the villain’s design is relatively unremarkable. The third story is similar in that it offers a few unique takes on Gotham and introduces a unique new character but ultimately feels a bit forgettable. The final few chapters feature gorgeous visuals from Evan Shaner but these are almost entirely devoted to the Shazam family, only devoting a few scenes to Batman. Overall, the quality of this collection’s visuals is a bit mixed but ends up trending toward positive.

Continuity

Gotham by Gaslight The Deluxe Edition features mostly standalone stories set within their own universe.

This volume references other comic books, detailed below:

• Countdown Presents the Search for Ray Palmer: Gotham by Gaslight #1 takes place after Countdown Presents: The Search for Ray Palmer: Red Rain #1.
• Convergence: Shazam! #1-2 is a tie-in to the Convergence (Review) (Reading Order) event.