Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age

Batman: Miniseries

by Andy Diggle, Leandro Fernández (Artist), Matt Hollingsworth (Colorist)

The year is 1893, and Gotham City has flourished under the eye of the Batman.But despite the gaudy new light bulbs and the gaudier nouveau riche, theshadows are also growing deadlier new threats. The Batman will find himselfchallenged by the mysterious Catwoman and the even more enigmatic Taliaal Ghul. And what cosmic treasure from beyond the stars waits for all of themoutside the confines of Gotham City?The new era of Elseworlds kicks off with the return of the crown jewel, thegothic world originated by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola. Superstar duoAndy Diggle (Action Comics, Poison Ivy) and Leandro Fernández (Batman, Birdsof Prey) breathe new life into the legend of Gotham City and its dark guardian.This isn’t the Gilded Age, this is the Kryptonian Age!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Steampunk, Superman

216 pages, Hardcover

Published April 1, 2025

About the author

Andy Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of 2000 AD. He is best known for his work on The Losers,Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Adam Strange and Silent Dragon at DC Comics and for his run on Thunderbolts and Daredevil after his move to Marvel.

In 2013 Diggle left writing DC's Action Comics and began working with Dynamite Entertainment, writing a paranormal crime series Uncanny. He is also working on another crime series with his wife titled Control that is set to begin publishing in 2014.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.1 stars

Not bad, not great. Thought this was going to be wrapped up in this volume but it’s going to be continued in another series, so we get no resolution here.

[Khurram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. Something can be said to go into a book without any expectations. Obviously, it is set in the Gotham by Gaslight universe. It keeps the same artwork and story style. This book is actually volume 1 containing the first six issues.

Everyone is searching for the remains of the "Kryptonian Age." What was this? Who were they? No people will kill at any mention of them, other will try to stop what is coming but everyone is trying to put the peices together.

An awesome way of introducing the heroes, heroines, and villains of the DC universe. Great artwork, I enjoy old language and story as well. I can't wait for part 2. The book finishes with a varient covers gallery.

[Molly™☺ · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise that uses familiar faces to tell a slow and sluggish story. Whilst it is fun to recognise characters and see how their core elements can be moulded to suit different settings, the bulk of the narrative drags itself along the floor and claws its way to an underwhelming cliffhanger. All of the positive points centre around Clark and his characterisation, but even that may not be enough to convince people to pick up the sequel.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting take on the Gotham universe by gaslight, extending it to the whole of the superhero world.
Diggle has found a way in, and I'm waiting for the conclusion to fully validate it, but in the meantime he skilfully uses steampunk at the end of the Victorian era to place his pawns and introduce the characters.
A very good piece of art by Leandro Fernandez

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid sequel to the original with some clever re-interpretations of classic DC characters. It doesn't work for me so much as a stand-alone story, actually it reminds me a lot of "The Doom The Came To Gotham" and feels more like a setup for a sequel. But overall pretty fun.

[Pruett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, granted, it’s a marketing abomination that this book was advertised as a complete story, rather than the first half of one that it is. However, if you can overlook that grievance, it is so. Much. Fun.

I love the Victorian steampunk vibes of the original Gotham by Gaslight so much, and the sequel vastly expands that world to new corners of the DC Universe. There are a million subplots in this Elseworlds story, but I was enjoying each and every one of them immensely.

Faux-Victorian speech is also just hilarious to read.

I’m looking forward to A League for Justice! I hope DC eventually packages them together with the OG one-shot in one hardcover volume, because they really are all inseparably of a piece.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eu não estava esperando nada desta história em quadrinhos. Em primeiro lugar, porque não gosto muito do que Andy Diggle faz e, em segundo lugar, porque é continuação da série Batman by Gaslight que não acho nada de mais. Mas primeiro fui arrebatado pelos cenários e conceitos reimaginados de personagens feitos por Leandro Fenández, com um estilo cada vez mais parecido com o de Eduardo Risso. Outra razão é porque somente a primeira história foca em Gotham, e nem é em Batman, mas na Mulher-Gato, o que já me conquistou. No final, temos um tour de force sobre as versões fim de século XIX da Liga da Justiça, o que faz desse um quadrinho muito mais deles do que do Batman: todo um universo DC que surgiu cinquenta anos antes. O clima das histórias tanto no roteiro como nos desenhos lembra muito as histórias do Hellboy de Mike Mignola e que performa isso de uma forma melhor ainda do que os desenhos do mesmo na edição original a que esta publicação presta homenagem. Foi muito gratificante percorrer os mistérios dessa edição, que ainda serão desdobrados mais ainda no próximo tomo, que está sendo publicado nos Estados Unidos.

[Remxo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Criminally underrated imo. For me, The Kryptonian Age was one of the most accomplished Batman stories I've read in a long while. It's worth noting that this is coming from someone who is more often than not underwhelmed by books from the Big Two with above four star ratings. Ehat This is not a Batman story though, but a DC event set in Victorian-era Gotham, with inspired Elseworld versions of every major DC character including Batman. The cast is huge but Diggle's tight script - injected with a Lovecraft inspired mystery - is balanced. Love Hollingsworth's colors on Fernàndez' art. Ends on a cliffhanger.

Can we get a movie version of this universe please?
4.5 stars.

[Lucille · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5
Très emballée au début, ambiance victorienne parfaite et histoire qui se met en place petit à petit. Mais ça reste une grosse intro et plus j’avançais dans ma lecture plus ça n’avançait pas trop. Quand même passé un bon moment et je lirai sans doute la suite

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The new character designs range from really cool to okay. The story is choppy and sluggish. I found myself skimming over a lot of it. The art is nice.

[Annalise Kraines · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fascinating take on Batman. The pacing was kind of disjointed and weird and the climax didn't feel like a climax-- I was kind of underwhelmed at the end. The most fun part by far was seeing how all the characters we know and love fit into a different time and context-- especially Clark Kent.

[Jasper · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this was genuinely excellent, then I realized this book wasn’t going to meaningfully conclude anything and was just a set up for a sequel.

I remember when this was first announced it was originally marketed as being 12 issues, then it was cut down to 6. And it’s clear now that what they did is chop the 12 issues into two separately named and released titles. So I will give the lack of conclusion a little bit of slack for that reason. But still, you have to provide SOME kind of conclusion, at least something has to have a completed arc. As it stands now this is just an unfinished story.

[Shivesh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I followed The Kryptonian Age in single issues as they hit shelves, but the staggered release made for a frustrating wait. Eventually, I grabbed the hardcover at the library and consumed it in one sitting. As it stands, this feels like just the prologue to a far more expansive narrative Diggle is building—dense in setup, deliberate in pace. And frankly, if you're chasing payoff, this chapter alone won't cut it. The story unfolds slowly, and its plot mechanics can feel like they're treading water. But what redeems the experience is the character work—it’s textured, thoughtful, and full of promise.

This installment is a spiritual successor to the classic Elseworlds tale Batman: Gotham By Gaslight from the early ’90s, a book that lingered in my memory from childhood, back when its thematic layers eluded me. Revisiting it and then diving into this arc gave the whole experience a kind of cyclical resonance. There’s something satisfying about returning to a myth and seeing it reborn through an older, sharper lens.

Stylistically, the book leans hard into the steampunk aesthetic, and it's here that it really shines. The technological consistency and visual language steep you in an alternate Victorian age that feels eerily familiar and intriguingly alien. It’s more than just gears and gaslamps—it’s about worldview, power, and suppressed modernity.

Plot-wise, we see a slow unveiling of a broader conspiracy involving ancient Kryptonian influence embedded in Earth’s hidden history. Martian Manhunter’s arc feels particularly promising—an alien wrestling with identity within another alien mythos. Wonder Woman gets a bold reimagination as a fierce emissary from a cloistered Amazonian sect, while Green Lantern’s presence hints at something radically arcane—perhaps a more mystical spin on the ring’s origin rooted in ancient science.

Superman, curiously, feels more archetypal—his characterization doesn’t stray far from the mainline myth. But that’s not a complaint. Superman’s symbolism thrives in its constancy, especially when juxtaposed against all these reimagined variables.

The artwork is mostly serviceable, occasionally stellar. Certain panels burst with intricate detail that elevates the sense of dread and atmosphere—especially if you’ve got a taste for Lovecraftian undercurrents and narratives that explore what lies beneath the known world. The Victorian setting pairs beautifully with that cosmic unease, giving the story a slow, mythic burn.

Bottom line: this chapter's more mood and mystery than resolution. But if you value immersion, symbolic reinvention, and worldbuilding that leans into myth and mechanics, it’s a compelling start. I’ll wait for the full run before diving in again—some stories deserve to be consumed whole.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not so much a Batman book as the title and cover would have you believe. In The Kryptonian Age, Diggle uses the Gotham By Gaslight name to springboard a Victorian Era version of DC: The New Frontier, based on the first half of the story that is collected here. And this most certainly is the first half of the story that was collected on its own like they are want to do instead of just waiting to release a 12 issue trade that is the full thing.

Other than a rather rushed feeling sixth issue, my only real nit to pick is with the art which never is rarely anything more than fine. It comes across as bit C-tier, to be honest. I don't expect Mignola to come back and draw a 12 issue Victorian Era Justice League comic, and given his current style I don't know if I would want that, but it would have been a nice touch if they had gotten someone like Ben Stenbeck who has done loads of Hellboy spin-off work to keep the visual style within the Mignola family.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

19th century Batman...continues(?)

This is the first of two sequels to the original "Batman: Gotham By Gaslight". Andy Diggle is piecing together his 19th century era Justice League. It's a cross between a Justice Society and a JLA (meaning it's got characters from both teams).

In this version, we've got a baby Superman crashing on the Oregon Trail in front of Martha an Jonathan Kent. We've ALSO got a Victor Stone running into (a typical) Lex Luthor who wants it all, Wonder Woman meets the world of Man, Alan Scott is a fast-talking snake oil salesman, and Jay Garrick got on the wrong side of a lightning bolt.

I'm guessing it'll be late in 2025 before we get the 2nd half of the story.

[Mocassin · Rating 3 out of 5]

En réalité, ce n'est pas vraiment un titre Batman, qui n'est qu'un personnage parmi beaucoup d'autres. Ce n'est même pas vraiment une suite de Batman by Gaslight, si ce n'est visuellement, mais s'affiche comme telle probablement pour profiter de son nom. Et ce n'est pas si grave puisque la proposition d'Andy Diggle est des plus intéressantes. Le but affiché est clairement de réinventer l'univers DC dans son ensemble à cette autre époque, dans un hommage évident au travail de Lovecraft. Pas mal de pistes sont lancées, aucune vraie réponse n'est apportée pour le moment, mais le travail d'adaptation est réellement intéressant. Très curieux de lire la suite.

[Mik Cope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been 4 stars but for the abrupt ending which announces a further volume in the series. So a bit of a let-down at the end. Otherwise, a cool Elseworlds story with some really neat interpretations of standard DC characters for Gaslight Gotham and the wild west. These mostly worked okay, though the sheer volume of superheroes and thus plot hooks just got too much by the end. The artwork was good and fit the 1890s atmosphere.

[Gina Engman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun comic book read. This one really runs smooth, and is very creative. The Steampunk mixed with our beloved Gotham heroes works very well. The way they are changed to work with an earlier time period and what those characters would do/act is great. Like Superman as a sheriff of Smallville, and Bruce Wayne as a Victorian era millionaire. I also loved the Bat-airship!! I very much enjoyed it and will look for the next one!

[Emil W · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Batman in this victorian, steampunk setting. Unfortunately, this is not a Batman comic. Diggle feels the need to push as many DC characters into this book as humanly possible and what follows is a long string of introductions rather than an actual story. And it ends in a cliffhanger making it all feel like just a prologue.
All in all not the worst, it has its good moments, but a bit frustrating.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid successor to Gotham by Gaslight. This is not a Batman story though, it's a DC universe or Justice League story. These 6 issues are entirely buildup. Calling this the Kryptonian Age, I expected a confrontation with Superman but he doesn't even show up until the fifth issue. It's got a lot of ominous overtones to it reminding me more of The Doom That Came to Gotham. I really like how Wonder Woman was reinterpreted with the Skartaris angle. We'll see how this sticks the landing in volume 2.

[SarahKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun Victorian-era DC comic, featuring everyone from Batman to Constantine. I liked the way the characters spoke, using language that is not used now. I want to see steampunk Cyborg. The story itself was okay. Lex Luthor is up to his usual shenanigans trying to figure out the mystery that is Superman. And apparently the doom is coming.

[Kyle Dinges · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know what, this was actually well done. It's not so much a Batman story as it is an elseworlds story about the whole universe in the spirit of New Frontier. My only small gripe is that this volume is really all setup for bringing together all the members of the Justice League for the follow-up series.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting concept and a huge improvement on the previous run in the same elseworld. Here the villains and the Heros feel consistent with the reimagined world and fit in a inventive way that doesn't feel like a gimmick. Highly recommended, and you don't miss much but skipping straight to this.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

It doesn’t quite have the same spark as the original Elseworlds books, but it is an interesting expansion on that universe with a lot of world-building that draws out more supers from the Gotham by Gaslight dimension.
Feels like it may be the start of something good.

3.5/5

[Pickletape · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, I like the art too but I hate the way the artist draws faces. The pacing was good at first but then the last 2 issues went by so fast just to end in a cliff hanger. Time to pic up A League for Justice.

[Matt Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read and a great example of how much fun can be had with the DC characters in an Elseworlds setting.

My one minor quibble would be that it reads more as a prologue to a further series rather than having a fully satisfying conclusion to its story arc.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

About halfway through you realize there will be no payoff, and then bam, as predicted, cliffhanger.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a feeling this wasn't gonna be wrapped up in 6 issues. Damn. Had I known that I would've waited to read it until part 2 was out. This was way better than I was expecting though.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels slightly too big struggling to make all of its connections sometimes.

[Steven desJardins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good enough to get the next volume, but the changes it rings on the original feel more like ticking boxes on a checklist than a coherent world with its own logic.