Gotham by Gaslight
Gotham by Gaslight is a 1989 DC Comics one-shot graphic novel written by Brian Augustyn, penciled by Mike Mignola, and inked by P. Craig Russell, which reimagines Batman as a Victorian-era vigilante in 1889 Gotham City pursuing the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper.[1][2][3] Originally released on November 16, 1989, as a 52-page prestige format issue priced at $3.95 USD, the story marked DC Comics' inaugural entry in the Elseworlds imprint, a line dedicated to alternate-history tales featuring its characters in non-canonical settings.[2][4] The narrative follows Bruce Wayne, recently returned from studies in Vienna under Sigmund Freud, as he dons the cape and cowl of Batman to combat crime amid Gotham's gaslit streets, blending elements of the classic Batman origin with historical fiction inspired by the Whitechapel murders.[1][2] Additional creative contributions included coloring by David Hornung and lettering by John Workman, contributing to its distinctive gothic atmosphere.[5] The work's significance lies in pioneering the Elseworlds concept, influencing subsequent DC stories that explore "what if" scenarios, such as Batman in other eras or worlds, and establishing a steampunk-infused visual style that has become iconic in Batman media.[4][6] It has been reprinted multiple times, including in collections like Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - An Alternative History of the Batman (2012), and retroactively placed within DC's multiverse as part of Earth-19.[7] In 2018, Warner Bros. Animation adapted it into a direct-to-video film directed by Sam Liu, featuring voice acting by Bruce Greenwood as Batman and Jennifer Beals as Selina Kyle, which expanded the story with additional characters and earned a 75% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its thrilling alternate-world adventure.[8] The original comic's blend of detective noir and historical horror has garnered praise for Mignola's shadowy artwork and its commentary on Victorian social issues through Batman's lens.[3]Publication history
Development
Brian Augustyn conceived the concept for Gotham by Gaslight in 1987 while working as an assistant editor at DC Comics, pitching it as a Victorian-era reimagining of Batman that would pit the Dark Knight against Jack the Ripper in an alternate 1889 Gotham City. With help from fellow editor Mark Waid, who assisted in refining the proposal, Augustyn presented the idea beat-by-beat to DC co-publisher Dick Giordano, who approved it on the spot due to its fresh take on the character.[9][10] The story's inspirations stemmed from the real-life Jack the Ripper murders in 1880s London, which Augustyn adapted to Gotham as a historical thriller, alongside nods to Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes tales for their detective procedural elements and foggy Victorian atmosphere. Augustyn took primary responsibility for the scripting, drawing on early Batman Elseworlds experimentation to explore the hero without modern technology, while recruiting artist Mike Mignola to capture the era's shadowy, gothic mood through his emerging minimalist linework and high-contrast shading.[11][9] Development proceeded as DC's inaugural Elseworlds project, though the imprint label was applied retroactively in 1991; Giordano's oversight ensured historical fidelity in costumes, architecture, and social details to ground the alternate-history narrative. Challenges included navigating DC's approval for non-canonical Batman tales amid the late 1980s push for innovative prestige formats, but the collaboration yielded a defining showcase for Mignola's atmospheric style. The final product was a 52-page one-shot graphic novel, penciled by Mike Mignola, inked by P. Craig Russell, and colored by David Hornung, with color covers, released on November 16, 1989.[4][2]Release and sequels
Gotham by Gaslight was first published by DC Comics on November 16, 1989 as a 52-page prestige format one-shot under the Elseworlds imprint, with a cover price of $3.95.[2][12] The original edition did not carry an ISBN, as was common for comic one-shots of the era.[13] The story received a direct sequel in Batman: Master of the Future, a 64-page one-shot released by DC Comics in December 1991 with a February 1992 cover date, written by Brian Augustyn and illustrated by Eduardo Barreto.[14][15] This sequel continued the Victorian-era narrative, expanding on the alternate history established in the original.[16] In 2024, the series was revived with Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age, a six-issue limited series published from June to November 2024 under the Elseworlds banner, written by Andy Diggle and illustrated by Leandro Fernández, which introduced steampunk versions of Superman and other elements to the Earth-19 setting.[17][18] This was followed by Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - A League for Justice, a six-issue miniseries launched on July 9, 2025, also by Diggle and Fernández, featuring analogs to the Justice League in a steam-powered adventure across the Victorian world, ongoing as of November 2025.[19][20][21] The Gotham by Gaslight universe was officially designated as Earth-19 in the DC Multiverse following the events of Infinite Crisis in 2005-2006, integrating it into the broader cosmology as a Victorian-era reality originally inspired by the 1889 setting of the original story.[22] This Earth-19 appeared in the 2017-2018 Dark Nights: Metal event, where its Batman variant contributed to the multiversal conflict against the Dark Multiverse.[23] Specific print run figures for the original 1989 edition are not publicly documented, but it has been re-released in various digital formats since the 2010s, including on platforms like Comixology and DC Universe Infinite, with the collections accessible via DC Universe Infinite subscriptions as of 2025. Collected editions bundling the original with its sequels have also been issued for broader availability.[24][25]Collected editions
The stories from Gotham by Gaslight and its sequel Master of the Future have been reprinted in several collected editions across various formats. The first trade paperback collection, titled Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, was published by DC Comics in February 2006, spanning 112 pages with ISBN 978-1-4012-1153-0.[26] A deluxe hardcover edition, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: The Deluxe Edition, followed in October 2020, expanding to 208 pages with ISBN 978-1-4012-9982-8; it includes the original stories plus bonus material such as character studies and artwork related to the 2018 animated film adaptation.[27] In October 2023, DC released a new trade paperback edition under the same title, also 208 pages with ISBN 978-1-77952-405-8, featuring updated formatting and additional content for modern readers.[28] Digital versions of the collected stories have been available since at least 2012 via platforms like Comixology (now integrated with Amazon Kindle), with the 2006 trade paperback content digitized for e-readers. As of 2025, the collections are accessible on DC Universe Infinite, DC's subscription-based digital service, for unlimited reading.[24] International variants include a Japanese tankōbon edition released by Kodansha around 1990, shortly after the original one-shot, adapting the story for local audiences in a single volume format.[29] European compilations, such as a 120-page hardcover by Panini Comics in September 2018 (ISBN 978-88-293-0188-1), have bundled the tales with localized translations.[30]| Edition | Format | Publisher | Release Year | Pages | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batman: Gotham by Gaslight | Trade Paperback | DC Comics | 2006 | 112 | 978-1-4012-1153-0 | Collects both stories; original retail price approximately $9.99.[26] |
| Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: The Deluxe Edition | Hardcover | DC Comics | 2020 | 208 | 978-1-4012-9982-8 | Includes bonus sketches and film-related art; original retail $34.99.[27] |
| Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (New Edition) | Trade Paperback | DC Comics | 2023 | 208 | 978-1-77952-405-8 | Updated reprint with extras; current retail $19.99.[28] |
| Japanese Tankōbon | Softcover | Kodansha | ~1990 | ~100 | N/A | Localized translation of the original one-shot.[29] |
| Batman: Gotham by Gaslight e altre storie (Deluxe) | Hardcover | Panini Comics | 2018 | 120 | 978-88-293-0188-1 | Italian edition compiling both stories.[30] |