Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - 10 Ways It Could Save DC's Animated Films

5. Gotham By Gaslight Is A Brilliant Book

Batman Gotham By Gaslight
DC Comics

Probably a given, considering DC are mounting an attempt to adapt it and all, but come on! No one can pass up a chance to eulogise this particular Elseworlds classic.

Regardless of the fact that Warner Bros. have managed to improve really poor story arcs from DC's library in the past (Under the Hood says hi), starting with a solid foundation (in this case the Augustyn and Mignola classic), is, well, a really good place to start. The premise of a Victorian era Batman working to apprehend a Gotham-bound Leather Apron is so effective, and plays tremendously well upon the more outlandish theories that Ripperologists have espoused over the years.

Said investigators have long suspected that Jack left for the US after his grizzly Whitechapel murder spree, and, while it is an unrealistic prospect to entertain, it's one that makes perfect sense for a comic book - especially one with Batman.

Mignola's art is, as ever, sublime, and his mastery of gothic architecture lends itself well to a steampunk-inspiredGotham. Augustyn's script is also brilliant, and compliments the atmosphere created by Mignola's pencils perfectly.

Needless to say, it's a great book to pick up if you haven't already. Given that the new film is promising some twists on the established story, you won't have to worry about spoiling the experience either, which is always a bonus.

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Content Producer/Presenter

WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.