Gotham By Gaslight - Blog Posts

Batman; Gotham by Gaslight

Within the annals of cultural, pop cultural, and historical crime, there are few whose macabre methods could reach the bloody depths that 'yours truly,' Jack the Ripper, managed to plumb.

Five brutal deaths were all it took for that deadly name to resound for Five centuries. The echo of the deed has so scarred the psyche of man that Man collectively found 'champions' of their own to face the blood-soaked beast on the battlefield of 'what if' in an attempt, perhaps, to find a semblance of cold closure on one of the most famous cold cases in history.

A murderer must be hunted by a detective, and there is no more excellent detective at DC's disposal than Batman to solve the mystery of Jack the Ripper. It is a contest between legendary figures, a Dark Knight on a quest to capture a monster, two ghosts playing a grisly game of hide-and-seek through the foggy alleys of a Victorian-era Gotham lit not by neon ...but by Gaslight.

Ironically, even though Batman is DC's greatest detective, barely any detective work is done in both the movie and the original comic it is adapted from. Any investigative work done by Batman in both mediums to uncover the identity of Jack is brushed over, and the reveal of the killer's identity had nothing to do with anything Batman had done throughout the narrative.

Ultimately, Batman is almost railroaded into solving the mystery, and the climax is somewhat underwhelming and blunts the effect of the twist reveal of Jack the Ripper's true identity.

YES. Commissioner James Gordon IS Jack the Ripper. This risky reimagining elevated this adaptation to a height that its original comic did not achieve. The twist shocked the system for any DC fan familiar with Batman's relationship with Gordon. It is also expertly hinted at throughout the film for any sharp-eyed viewer interested in a whodunit, as the narrative presented many possible suspects, but Gordon was the only one who would have fit all the facts of the mystery. The twist was further muddied by the inspired decision to design Jack the Ripper to be as angular as possible, while Gordon had a softer, more rounded silhouette.

This culminates in a climactic showdown atop a burning Ferris wheel, which was ironically begun by a knocked-over gas lamp. At the end of a brutally animated brawl, Gordon allows himself to be consumed by the fire of the burning wheel. He is a good man driven into hellfire by his hellish desires. Was he the last evil of a bygone age sacrificed for a better future? Or was he just the latest in a never-ending cycle of self-destruction, doomed to go around in a wheel until the wheel eats itself alive?

Whatever the case, Gotham by Gaslight turned a throwaway 'what if' comic story into a film that embodies everything that makes a Batman story great. The film shows that, even if lit by gas, Gotham is still a city that needs its Dark Knight, regardless of what the city deserves.

I love your interpretation of him! So based fr.

I feel like Jonathan would grow up to be a psychologist and make his own theories involving fear, he probably does work in Arkham Asylum but not too fond of Huge Strange’s methods (I live for Huge Strange slander)

Hilariously I do have an au where GBG Jonathan isnt a villain but still highly interested in fear.

Off topic of Gotham by Gaslight, I also hc Jonathan as biracial (half white and half native american)

Anyone got any rogues hc for the Gotham by Gaslight universe specifically?

I desperately need to read others view on GNG Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow or even anyone else. I really love that it takes place in the Victorian era and I wanna see how the time-period could affect each others backstories!!

I’m gonna be honest I only saw the movie and not the comics (and only a pic of some of the rogues in there) so I’m unsure what the differences may be and how drastic they are. But anyway is free to tell me what they think!

Anyone got any rogues hc for the Gotham by Gaslight universe specifically?

I desperately need to read others view on GBG Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow or even anyone else. I really love that it takes place in the Victorian era and I wanna see how the time-period could affect each others backstories!!

I’m gonna be honest I only saw the movie and not the comics (and only a pic of some of the rogues in there) so I’m unsure what the differences may be and how drastic they are. But anyway is free to tell me what they think!

Gotham by Gaslight x Scarecrow Swap au. The Twisted Nurse.

Decided to draw my scarecrow swap version of Gatia (aka where they are basically the Scarecrow in that au) in Gotham by Gaslight.

Basically they are a plague doctor inspired nurse who is very mysterious and menacing. She has a knowledge with chemicals and surgery as a nurse in the Arkham Hospital (still very much an asylum.) Gatia is very tactical and makes thought out moves as she isn’t very physically strong and needs to get away with it. She learned a way to make her own fear toxin that is meant to trick the user into believing it is a pleasant smell.

Gatia is a very reserved and quiet nurse who has no work friends but has a huge crush on the fear psychologist doctor, Jonathan Crane. However she acts obedient and friendly only to get people off her back. She finds flowers and any greenery to be repulsive and enjoys seeing pollution happen due to her trauma involving plants.

While she isn’t canonically non-binary (due to the time period) but is very coded to be as she hates the thought of being called “a Women” or anything along the lines of notifying she is a women. She states that she isn’t just a some women or a looney women killer but fear itself. A phobia.