When a mysterious meteor falls on the wide-open plains of the Midwest, it will unleash a chain of events that find Gotham’s bizarre Batman contending with not just the twin threats of the Catwoman and a mysterious international assassin but also the emergence of superhuman beings beyond all comprehension! This sequel series expands the 19th-century DC Universe beyond the confines of Gotham City, showcasing bold new visions of once-familiar heroes… Do not miss it! Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is a classic Elseworlds tale, unfortunately, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – The Kryptonian Age #1 doesn’t quite excite like the original.

The classic Gotham by Gaslight was originated by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – The Kryptonian Age #1 has Andy Diggle and Leandro Fernandez stepping into the creative role, expanding the world in the next adventure. While Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – The Kryptonian Age #1 is an entertaining read, the new creative duo can’t quite match the original… yet.

Written by Diggle, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – The Kryptonian Age #1 expands this Gotham City focusing in on Catwoman and the talks of an unknown civilization whose remains are on display. Teasing Krypton and a certain Man of Steel, the debut issue is a fine start but doesn’t play off of its setting enough. It feels like it could be transported to modern days and would work with almost no changes. The setting, outfits, and that’s about it are all that would let you know this is the 19-century, though the opening kicks off with a covered wagon.

Still, Diggle creates a fairly entertaining start that’s packed with action and some nice character moments.

The art by Leandro Fernandez is good. It doesn’t quite have the flair of the original but with color by Dave Stewart and lettering by Simon Bowland, it looks good. Where the comic falls a little short is it feels a bit too “clean” for the time period. There’s a lack of grime and dirt, the modern Gotham looks more grungy than this take. There’s some good use of colors by Stewart that really emphasizes small details or the setting and situation. It looks good but not memorable.

The original Gotham by Gaslight is a modern classic. It’d be difficult for Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – The Kryptonian Age #1 to come close to it. It’s not bad in a vacuum but for the hyped return of Elseworlds as well as this beloved setting, it doesn’t hit it out of the park. Where the issue, and where Elseworlds will have trouble, is that alternate takes on worlds and characters are a dime a dozen at this point. It’s not special like it used to. Indicating the line of comics is a solid choice, but, much like this debut, they’ll have a difficult road ahead to stand out.

Story: Andy Diggle Art: Leandro Fernandez
Color: Dave Stewart Letterer: Simon Bowland
Story: 7.5 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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