Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: A League for Justice

Victorian Batman #4

by Andy Diggle, Rob Williams, Leandro Fernández (Illustrator)

The Gotham by Gaslight saga continues with writer Andy Diggle and artist Leandro Fernández introducing the Gilded Age’s answer to the Justice League!

In 2024, DC’s iconic Elseworlds was ushered into a new era with the release of Gotham by Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age, a sequel to the classic original Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola. The Kryptonian Age continued the iconic saga of the Batman of the Victorian era and expanded that world by introducing Gilded Age-era versions of DC’s most iconic heroes.

Now, writer Andy Diggle and artist Leandro Fernández return to tell the second part of this epic tale in Gotham by Gaslight: A League for Justice! Bear witness to the formation of a new kind of Justice League in a steam-powered adventure that will bring these once-familiar heroes from the open plains of the Midwest to the freezing Arctic as they unravel the mystery of alien artifacts from the Kryptonian Age.

This jaw-dropping sequel is the latest release from DC’s beloved Elseworlds line, which reinvents DC’s timeless characters by placing them in new and exciting settings.

This volume collects Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: A League for Justice #1-6.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Batman, Dc Comics, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

216 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2026

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

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting Victorian Era take on these classic DC heroes. Good Read and art. Recommended

[Khurram · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I think i makes the last book down because it seemed to finish just as things were getting good. This book picks up right from there and things got good. Most the plot lines come together but why the unnecessary swerve at the end? That was my only reason for not giving this book 5 stars.

The heroes are finally together, but can they get along? Past histories and trust issues might prevent them from working together however with the world at stake they better get their act together.

I like the new histories of the characters and the world. Diana and the "Sentinel" take center stage but the others do get their chances to shine. All in all a very good Elseworld series. The book finishes with a variant cover gallery.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Batman: Gotham By Gaslight: A League of Justice collects issues 1-6 of the DC Cokics series written by Andy Diggle and Rob Williams, art by Leandro Fernández, and colors by Matt Hollingsworth.

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter team up to keep ancient Kryptonian artifacts away from Lex Luthor.

This was an absolute struggle to get through. I usually like Andy Diggle but I just couldn't get into this book. There are way too many characters and it's simply messy. I doubt I will read any more titles from this series that released in the future.

[Chris W · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly not a fan. Has none of the charm or appeal of the original Gotham By Gaslight.

This feels like generic Justice League adventure, with slightly different looks for the characters.

I love the original Batman Gotham By Gaslight but I find this to be a disappointment

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman: Gotham By Gaslight: A League for Justice

Luthor heads out into the desert in search of Kryptonian enlightenment whilst Constantine manipulates the newfound group of superheroes into realising their potential.

Superb artwork and a thoroughly intriguing plot makes this a great Elseworlds story, as well as a brilliant streamline adventure.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is holding steady, but I feel it’s ignoring the potential of a Victorian-era inspired universe. I mean, you could transplant this story and roster of characters into any time period and it wouldn’t change much. It’s not specific enough to the time period it’s set in, not the way the original “Gotham by Gaslight” was. Other than some of the costumes looking old-timey, there really is no indication that this is a steam-punk universe.


Needs more gaslight.
3.5/5

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Andy Diggle and Leandro Fernández steampunk the entire pantheon of DC’s heroes with their volume Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: A League for Justice. The book sees the fledgling alliance of Batman, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern investigating a small town in Kansas. Joined by a masked strongman not of this earth, the quintet discern that the robber baron Lex Luthor is after
mysterious alien artifacts. These Kryptonite items are power sources, used to help the defunct extraterrestrial race claim new planets in their conquest; their usage has awakened the dormant Zod from his ages-long imprisonment. As the so-called League unites to battle Zod, they gain new allies in the form of speedster Jay Garrick, robotic half-man Victor Stone, and occult conman Constantine. While the group manages to eke out a win against Zod, Luthor’s grab for power opens a doorway to Darkseid and beyond. It will take an epic turn for the League of Justice to escape the Phantom Zone and become heroes. Andy Diggle pens this unnecessary storyline to capitalize on the success of the Gotham by Gaslight tale that had been such a success for DC Comics. His plot seems to be little more than a contrivance designed to populate this Elseworlds universe with as many 1800s version of characters as possible, regardless of necessity. Everyone from the Suicide Squad to Adam Strange wind up with lengthy expositions and verbose conversations, barely altered from their iconic forms to fit the time period. Having already seen what Zod or an evil Superman can do in other media, Diggle’s portrayals are mere pastiches that never truly embody their roles. The grounded aspect of a costumed man fighting evil with gadgets translated well into Victorian era imaginings - aliens, cyborgs, energy beings, and pocket dimensions simply do not. The artistry from Leandro Fernádez is the sole saving grace, as his retro costumes bring this fan-service idea to life. The muddy tones and harsh action sequences do little to help clarify the pacing, making readers long for simple posed shots of the costumed characters. Batman: Gotham by Gaslight: A League for Justice fails to illuminate the reason for its own existence, not even holding a candle to its inspirational namesakes.

[Randy Lander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotham by Gaslight started the DC Elseworlds line, so it's fitting that a two-part sequel (beyond the original Master of the Future) is part of the revitalized Elseworlds. Diggle and Fernandez put together a fantastic expansion of the premise, beyond Victorian London and into the American West, creating versions of the Justice League/Justice Society and pitting them against the Cthulhu-inflected Kryptonian civilization, and the revelation of the Kryptonian champion and indeed, the Great Old One, are so perfect that I'm kind of surprised I didn't see either one coming.

Florid but effective prose gives each of the characters a really defined personality, and I particularly enjoyed Diggle's take on Wonder Woman, a more huckster-y Alan Scott (who blends in some of Hal Jordan's aerialist nature and swagger), as well as a Jay Garrick who has a little of Barry Allen's scientific leanings. He also does great work with John Constantine, reminiscent of what Tom Taylor has done in his Elseworlds tales DCeased.

The story closes out with a finale but a hint of more, and I hope they return to this universe again.

[Nerdmaling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaha. Här kommer de. Nu ska väl varenda hjälte i hela multiversumet dyka upp också.

Jag var ganska skeptisk till den här.
Mike Mignola lämnat över pennan till Leandro Fernandez som kändes lite mer som en copycat.

För trots att serien går åt precis det håll jag inte trodde att jag ville att den skulle gå åt, så gör den det med sådan entusiasm att det blir svårt att värja sig. Batman, Wonder Woman, Kryptonier, steampunk, galna uppfinningar, alternativa versioner av välkända hjältar..... det är nästan mer Black Hammer/Kingdom Come motvilligt upptäcker jag att jag älskar det.

Det är lite som att gå på en restaurang och beställa en välgjord oxfilé, bara för att servitören sedan kommer in med en gigantisk efterrättsbuffé formad som ett rymdskepp.

Fernadez kanske inte har en superoriginell stil men jag gillar det riktigt mycket. Är det bra så är det bra helt enkelt.

Storyn är egentligen lite samma sak. Det är inget revolutionerade men.. vafan... är det coolt så är det coolt.

Den får en ganska stark 4:a av mig. Kanske inte riktigt högsta betyg pga det är lite upprepning men jag hade skitroligt när jag läste den. Rekommenderas starkt.

[Matthew Giesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been 5 stars but the last issue sucked. What a crappy ending. I loved most of it, although it’s disappointing that they have such a fascinating universe and what do they do with it? Just assemble The Justice League and have Batman be a side character in his own book.

I wanted more of the Batman universe with his rogue gallery, including a Joker that has only been toyed with once or twice. Or maybe introduce Dick Grayson? But instead its a Justice League book, not a Batman book.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The final members of the League are folded into the story in the first half of the tale, which is to be expected, but in the second half a pair of big bads are introduced - one disposed of far to easily and the second never even confronted. Even assuming other arcs are forthcoming, the pacing left much to be desired.

[John Shaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

The original Gotham by Gaslight
was an amazingly, wonderfully
clever re imagining of
The Batman in the late
19th Century.
A steampunk Batman
if you will.

These books are not that.
To be blunt these books
are criminally bad.
Crass attempts to cash
in on the original concept.
They just did it so badly
as to offend.

[Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ - not Batman per se, but the Gotham by Gaslight world’s Justice League. Lots of characters, with a limited amount of development, but that’s always been the case. Still, a well done take on the league. Of all the re-dos DC has done over the years, this one feels the most original and well executed.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this book should probably be knocked down another star to 2 stars...

The original story, 'Gotham by Gaslight' is iconic and a great read. This? This is a slapped together cash in that just swaps out the Justice League with Gilded Age interpretations.
====
Bonus: My own opinion? Darkseid ISN'T

[Keegan Schueler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things change a lot with this coming off of Gotham by gaslight and the kryptonian age which makes it feel less steampunk like the original story was. Still a good mini series comic but loses a sense of its style with how everything is now apart of the grander dc universe.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was better than the first half. It's not all bogged down with exposition and just goes for it. May be a little too ambitious for if they want to do anything else in this Elseworlds. I do like how they disrupted things making Kryptonians the bad guys.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the uniqueness. The characters everyone knows were still recognizable but felt completely fresh and I liked how the team was slowly picking up more of them and growing as the issues went on.

[Sam Nicholson]

8/10

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

The league know, but with a steampunk feel.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both this and the previous Gotham by Gaslight miniseries would have read much better if they'd been published as a single maxiseries instead.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good continuation of the work that was setup in the first book, and while I enjoyed this, I don't think we need to spend any more time in this Elseworld.

[Logan Polk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun alt-universe origin of the League

[Ali Sadeq · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah this book was great 🔥

[Paul Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took awhile to finish this one. An enjoyable read and I would be interested to see what comes next.