Gotham by Gaslight is a DC Comics one-shot by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola, with inks by P. Craig Russell (famous for his work with Neil Gaiman). The story revolves around a 19th-century version of Bruce Wayne making his debut as Batman just as Jack the Ripper has arrived in Gotham City. Not all the citizens of Gotham trust this Bat-man. Could the Batman be Jack the Ripper? Read to find out!

Although it was not initially labeled as such, Gotham by Gaslight is considered to be the first Elseworlds story in which DC Comics characters from alternate timelines or realities are featured in stories outside of the DC Universe canon (a sort of What if? scenario). While not originally labelled as such, subsequent printings of Gotham by Gaslight have incorporated the Elseworlds logo. It spawned one sequel, Batman: Master of the Future (1991), also written by Augustyn, with art by Eduardo Barreto, that was included in the edition I read.

Both stories are enjoyable for the alternative worldbuilding that is on display. I enjoy a good historical fiction/superhero mashups. Gotham by Gaslight was a bit disappointing in the end, however, as the motivation of our killer was absolutely ridiculous. ( )

I revisited this after Gotham by Gaslight went on sale, having not read the Master of the Future story. It's not rally anything to write home about, but Gotham by Gaslight is still a classic enough to make up for it. ( )

This was my first time reading a “real” comic book; my husband told me about this, and I was able to find it at my local library. I’m a huge Batman and Jack the Ripper fan, so this seemed like the perfect thing for me to try. And it was fine. It was fun to read but I don’t know that it made me a fan of comics overall. But you have to try something new every once in a while, right? ( )

This was a very good read. If you like Victorian settings and adventure, then this book is for you. This particular edition collects two stories: the title story, and its sequel, "Master of the Future." It is part of the DC Elseworlds series, which is basically an alternate history/settings series that places the DC heroes in different settings, some historical, some completely different.

Anyhow, the art is very complementary to the story. It is interesting to see how they place Batman in a Victorian era Gotham to face Jack the Ripper, and then another villain bent on destroying the Gotham World's Fair. Batman fans will likely enjoy this. In terms of appeal, if readers like this, it could be a good jump to reading Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. The appeal factors are probably similar, though Moore's work is a bit more mature. Overall, it was an entertaining read. And I may seek out other works in the Elseworlds series. ( )

Gotham by Gaslight is a unique retelling of the Batman origin. This book was actually the starting point for DC's later Elseworlds series due to its popularity. The Elseworlds series took their characters and reset them in time periods or circumstances different from their established histories and told one shot stories around these new ideas. The other interesting bit about this new (old) Batman story is that it can be considered a Steampunk Batman tale, before Steampunk was as popular as it is today.

Gotham by Gaslight follows the basic idea of Bruce Wayne/Batman's origin, with Bruce Wayne's family being murdered in front of him as a young boy and him later in life going out into the world to recreate himself into a force of good against evil as Batman. The difference here, however, is that this all takes place in the 1890s and his first adversary is Jack the Ripper. (This isn't spoiling anything. You learn that Jack the Ripper is in this book on the very first page.)

The real star of this book is the art by Mike Mignola. Fans of his Hellboy series will appreciate his dark and shadowy graphic sense, which ultimately lends itself perfectly to this tale. I think anybody who is a fan of Batman, or of Steampunk and is at least familiar with the Batman mythos, will find this quick read enjoyable. ( )