Each year, the fine folks at Warner Bros. Animation serve up a handful of films based on DC properties and, more often than not, they knock it out of the park. Not only that, but a significant portion of the fan base argues that they’re superior to what’s offered in the live action realm. And, to be completely honest, I have to concede in most cases.
Having said that, the trend looks to continue in 2018 with Batman: Gotham by Gaslight leading the charge. First revealed to us via a sneak peek included on the Batman and Harley Quinn Blu-ray release, it boasts a Dark Knight unlike anything we’ve seen outside of the comic books.
For those unfamiliar, Gotham by Gaslight was originally published in 1989 and ended up starting the “Elseworlds” line of books. Written by Brian Augustyn and drawn by Mike Mignola, it followed the exploits of a Batman residing in the 1800’s, tracking down Jack the Ripper.
Still, we’re told not to expect a carbon copy of the printed classic, as executive producer Bruce Timm, director Sam Liu and screenwriter Jim Krieg did their best to dance around major spoilers when speaking with DC All Access co-host Tiffany Smith at New York Comic Con.
To be fair, the filmmakers will hit all the major beats found in the comic, but if you’ve read it, you’ll know that it wasn’t very long at all. Thus, some liberties have been taken to expand the narrative to feature length, with Timm and company stating that we’ll see new spins put on the likes of Selina Kyle, Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock and other favorites.
Right now, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight has no concrete release date, but smart money says it’ll arrive on Blu-ray and DVD sometime in January or February of 2018.
