Title: Batman.
Story-Arc: Gates of Gotham.
Writer(s): Scott Snyder, Kyle Higgins & Ryan Parrott.
Illustrator(s): Trevor McCarthy, Graham Nolan, Dustin Nguyen & Derec Donovan.
Publisher: DC Comics.
Format: Hardcover – Deluxe Edition.
Release Date: November 13th 2018 (first published February 7th 2012).
Pages: 152.
Genre(s): Comics, Science-Fiction.
ISBN13: 9781401284206.
My Overall Rating: ★★★★☆.
Many are quick to judge Gotham as one of the worst places to live in with the omnipresent criminal activity that pollutes its alleys and sewers. They aren’t wrong. With it being the ideal dark underbelly for your most evil ambitions, you could imagine that it would be easy to blend with the rest of the criminals and not stick out as a sore thumb in a city like Metropolis for example. It’s its vile and dangerous atmosphere that ultimately leads the city to need heroes who act outside the law in order to purge it of its criminality, but Gotham is much more than just a city. It has a life of its own and a story that goes with it. From its geographic location to its rich history, the city is drenched in the sweat and blood of many philanthropist and some ill-intentioned evil-doers. Their decisions are what brings to life a city that desperately needs heroes to assure the safety of everyone.
Batman: Gates of Gotham is the story of Gotham and its founding families. While at the turn of the century some of the most prestigious and rich individuals reunited their efforts in order to modernize Gotham City, today a madman runs loose with explosives tearing it all down into the ground. With unclear motivations and an impatience that drives him to act recklessly but also dangerously, this brand-new villain with a steam-punk’ish design looks to give Gotham its proper send-off. Looking to end the madness, Batman works with Robin, Red Robin and Black Bat to uncover the mystery behind this new villain who goes by the name of the Architect. This deluxe edition collects the full Gates of Gotham miniseries issues #1-5, Higgins’ and McCarthy’s debut story ‘The Nightrunner’ where the Batman of Paris makes an appearance, variant covers of single issues as well as sketchbook bonus material.
Since the story is set around the end of Grant Morrison’s famous Batman run, especially closer to the Return of Bruce Wayne story arc, you’ll find yourself with good ol’ Dick Grayson in the mantle of Batman. Trying to fill the shoes of Bruce Wayne, he shows throughout the story that there’s nothing easy to the task, but that the task is without a doubt a necessary one for the people of Gotham and their hopes of a safer place to live in. While still a rookie as Batman, his skill set is still undeniable. After all, he has the most experience among the Bat family, especially as someone who has understood Bruce Wayne better than anyone else—besides Alfred. To help him out, the story also integrates and develops Robin (Damian Wayne), Red Robin (Tim Drake) and Black Bat (Cassandra Cain). While the cast is huge, the writers on this mini-series does marvelous job in each of their characterization and creates a very authentic dynamic between each other.
The mystery that essentially serves as the foundation to this story is also intriguing and not too complicated to follow, giving fans the opportunity to indulge Gotham and its history. Nonetheless, the story does a great job in balancing the plot with rich characters and great artwork. While it alternates between two timelines (past and present), the artwork definitely worked better for the sequences set in the past as it gave it a Victorian edge with some vintage opulence. With the help of Scott Snyder, Higgins and McCarthy definitely make an excellent creative duo. However, it is worth mentioning that the inclusion of their ‘The Nightrunner’ story was completely unnecessarily. The story of a Sunni Muslim living in France who is invited to become the Batman of Paris after showing some parkour skills made no sense in itself, and even less when you try to understand the pertinence of including it in this volume.
Batman: Gates of Gotham gives Gotham an alluring origin story that leads to inevitable family warfare with its historical buildings as the ultimate collateral damage.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and DC Comics for sending me a copy for review!
Roars and Echoes 
I love the idea of a city being a sentient being somehow Lashaan! And the cover is just powerful and show the idea of Gotham being part of Batman. Wonderful review.
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Definitely a nice and original take in that regards. Ohh yes, I do love that cover too! It really draws you in! 😛 Thanks for reading, Sophie!
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Excellent write-up Lashaan! I heard about this when it was originally released and the Victorian-esque aspect has me intrigued, Gotham City itself is such an important character, quite possible the MOST important in the Batman universe – everything grows from that focal point.
It’s good to hear that Snyder’s collaboration with other writers is effective, I usually find that any more than two and things can just become jumbled and lack focus. I wasn’t particularly taken with Morrison’s Batman run (especially since it coincided with the Nolan trilogy which was a totally different and more ideal approach) but I always liked that period where Bruce was missing and Dick took over in his absence.
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Thanks, Chris! I totally agree. The fact that Gotham is where everyone seems to find that little trigger that turns them into who they are, it’s definitely nice to have a story that looks into the origin of that city.
You’re definitely right about those 2+ writer teams. I also find it a bit sad to not be able to properly credit whoever wrote certain parts, as I sometimes wonder how much work is put into the process by everyone, and how much of it is just… name-dropping. 😮 I have to say that Morrison’s Batman run was definitely particular. I think I still have a couple of arcs (some of the last ones) that I need to go through to complete it, but I do like how it expands Batman’s lore in ways no one else would have thought of dared. But…. When you put it side-by-side with Nolan’s trilogy. I totally agree. They don’t convey anything similar at all!
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I do like the sound of the victorian artwork and it’s cool that this explores two timelines. Great review!
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Hahaha yes! Something about Victorian-London things is always so compelling! 😀 Thank you!
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Perhaps bringing in a Muslim Batman will in time bring up the differences, as well as similarities, of viewpoints of a Judeo-Christian and a Muslim. Would add an interesting layer in the stories.
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It would indeed be an interesting idea, but it will also be tricky. If the execution isn’t right, people will see it as preachy or irrelevant. They’ll want current politics out of their comics since escapism is often what a lot of readers look for.
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