Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham

Among the most well-known Marvel and DC superheroes, Batman is unique in that he not only possesses no superhuman abilities, relying more on his wits, he’s a very versatile character. You can place him in just about any situation or tone and it somehow makes sense. From the more grounded Batman: The Animated Series to the sillier Batman: The Brave and the Bold or even the more fantastical Batman Ninja and Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, just about any situation works for the world’s greatest detective as long as there’s some sort of mystery to solve. In one of the more unique takes from back in late 2000, DC published a three-issue “Elseworlds” story written by Mike Mignola and Richard Pace called Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham, which places Batman in a cosmic horror story heavily inspired by the works of H. P. Lovecraft. This story later got loosely adapted into a film of the same name in 2023.

Although I had not read the original comic story, the premise of The Doom That Came to Gotham piqued my interest since I had read some of Lovecraft’s work when I was younger and had been fascinated with different takes on it ever since. Unfortunately, while it hits many of the elements found in Lovecraft’s style of cosmic horror, and has a lot of potential within the context of Batman, the film doesn’t quite hit it out of the park.

Stubs - Batman: Gotham by Gaslight

 

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018) voices Bruce Greenwood, Jennifer Carpenter, Anthony Head, Scott Patterson. Directed by Sam Liu. Screenplay by Jim Krieg. Based on Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Augustyn, Mike Mignola. Produced by Sam Liu. Run time: 78 minutes. Color. USA. Animated. Superhero

The world of Batman has been transported to different times and places, take Feudal Japan in Batman Ninja (2018), which was released earlier the same year. In Gotham by Gaslight, Batman is transported back to the time of Jack the Ripper, but rather than the foggy alleys of London, the murders happen in Gotham perhaps a little later than they had actually happened.

Batman: Year One

Of the many writers who have penned Batman stories over the decades, Frank Miller is one of the more interesting ones, if only for singlehandedly writing some of the most famous (The Dark Knight Returns) and most infamous (All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder) takes on the character. One of the highlights of his career, however, is Batman: Year One, published in 1987 with artwork by David Mazzucchelli, a story that was considered the official origin story of Batman until 2013’s Zero Year. I actually read this story myself for a comics class in college, though it was a version where they inexplicably recolored the original artwork. Though this story would get an animated film adaptation in 2011, I didn’t view it until a 2020 Toonami broadcast, after which I wondered why I didn’t watch it sooner.

Stubs - Batman: The Killing Joke

Batman: The Killing Joke (2016) Voices by Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Tara Strong, Ray Wise Directed by Sam Liu. Screenplay by    Brian Azzarello. Based on Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore, Brian Bolland. Produced by Bruce Timm, Alan Burnett, Sam Register Run Time: 77 minutes US Color Animated, Superhero

Alan Moore, as a writer of comic books, is unparalleled. He has created some of the truly great and groundbreaking series, including Watchmen, which he co-created with Dave Gibbons in 1986, V For Vendetta, which he created with David Lloyd and Tony Weare in 1982, and Batman: The Killing Joke with Brian Bolland in 1988.

Batman: The Killing Joke Written by Alan Moore, the artwork is by Brian Bolland.

He is not, however, a fan of the adaptations of his work, having removed his name from productions of Watchmen (2011) and the animated version of Batman: The Killing Joke. I’m sure that while he doesn’t like the adaptations, he doesn’t mind the money that no doubt comes from the productions.