Watched: 02/23/2018
Viewing: First
Format: Amazon Streaming
Decade: 2010's
Way, way back in - I think - early high school, the slim, prestige format comic Gotham By Gaslight arrived in comic shops, and as a good little comics-kid, I picked up my copy, read it, loved it, and it was probably in a longbox until the great purge a few years ago. I am 95% certain I have it in a collection somewhere amongst the Batbooks, but its been two decades since I've read the thing.
Like everyone else, I was batty for Gotham by Gaslight upon arrival. It featured art by Mike Mignola and a pretty decent story by Brian Augustyn, and I think it took off much better than DC figured. This put the idea of Elseworlds into DC's head, and for the next two decades we got endless versions of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and sometimes others, in various periods, geographies and genres. It took a concept like "but what if Superman emerged in conjunction with, say, War of the Worlds!?" or "Batman, but a pirate" and sold a couple of prestige-formatted issues. Or, you got some "what if?" sort of story, like "what if Krypton never exploded?"
Some of it was great, some of it serviceable or bad. Some of it got way overhyped (everyone needs to relax about @#$%ing Red Son. It's not that good.). But Gotham By Gaslight started it all, and - for my money - though I haven't actually re-read it in two decades - was among the very best.
The movie is okay.
