Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The
Kryptonian Age
by Andy Diggle and Leandro Fernández
(illustrator) is a book that is a sequel to the original Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, which I
have not read, but I did not have any trouble following this read. This was
originally supposed to be a 12-issue series but instead was turned into to two
six issue series. The second series will be called Gotham by Gaslight – A
league For Justice. I read this
in one sitting through the DC Universe Infinite app.
A lot of this story is setup for the
next series so questions are raised without real answers and it all ends
abruptly. This elseworld tale set sometime in the 1800s has Batman
investigating the Kryptonian age. A lost civilization (Krypton) on Earth that disappeared
with very few clues to what happened to them. This period of time is referred
to as the Kryptonian age.
For some reason, a mysterious group is
collecting artifacts from that time and killing anyone who gets in the way.
Somehow the artifacts herald the return of the Kryptonian age. That return,
somehow, threatens humanity. This tale is told through multiple perspectives and
that means that a significant portion of the read is without Batman.
There is a wide range of characters
involved from Superman (yes, there is somehow a Superman in the 1800s even if
the Kryptonians died thousands of years ago), Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, the
Suicide Squad, Lois Lane, and others. There is constant shifting between
stories. One segment might have John Constatine in England with Queen Elizabeth
while another has Adam Strange in somewhere cold looking for a lost city of the
Kryptonians while still another has Catwoman trying to steal a relic in a
museum.
I found the story interesting even with
the abrupt ending and with so much unexplained. However, the creative team
being told sometime while working on it that the series was being broken up
into miniseries instead of the original plan definitely played a negative role
here for the reader. The art was serviceable. Some pages were way more detailed
than others.
The sequel, hopefully, will answer these
questions. The sequel, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – A League for Justice,
is not a horrible title, but maybe they can workshop it and make it better.
Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4443PLI
I read this through DC Universe Infinite app.
Scott A. Tipple ©2025