The Batman Movie: 10 Comics Matt Reeves NEEDS To Adapt
8. Gothic
DC Comics
Grant Morrison's long-running stint on Batman in the late 2000s may boast the writer's best loved tales on the character, but there was another he masterminded earlier in his career: Gothic, which he created alongside artist Klaus Janson.
Released as a part of the famous Legends of the Dark Knight series in 1990, Gothic centred around a figure from the Gotham mob's past returning and murdering them one by one. They turn to Batman for help, who agrees reluctantly, and a brilliant game of cat and mouse ensues. Bruce has to use all his investigative knowhow to uncover the culprit responsible, but not before he too is treated to another revelation from his past.
Gothic is a great tale and it embodies most, if not all, of the elements Reeves spoke of in his interview with THR. It showcases Batman as a detective, takes place earlier on in the vigilante's career and develops the character in the process. Sure, it lacks the presence of a figure like the Joker or Two-Face, but it works tremendously all the same.
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.
