Batman: Gotham By Gaslight: The Kryptonian Age

Victorian Batman #3

by Andy Diggle, Leandro Fernández (Illustrator)

Um meteorito misterioso caiu no Meio-Oeste estadunidense, desencadeando uma série de eventos que chamam a atenção de um certo vigilante de Gotham. Como Batman lidará com o surgimento de seres superpoderosos em pleno século 19?

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Batman, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Historical Fiction, Steampunk

216 pages, Paperback

First 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

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Victorian Era retake on some classic DC characters. Good Read. Recommended

[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.

[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.

[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.

[kookaburra o’clock · 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.

[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

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gotham By Gaslight has long been one of my favourite Batman stories, so I was looking forward to another story set in the same era.
I'm sorry to say that this was a big disappointment. Batman only makes a few brief appearances in the story, while other heroes and villains from the DC Comics universe fill up the plot. This really should have been published as a Justice League graphic novel, not a Batman one.
You can't fault the excellent artwork. It's just the story and the absence of Batman that spoilt it for me.

[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.

[Jiro Dreams of Suchy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The original is an all-time great Batman story, a key Elseworlds title. This is adding too much to such a classic. I’d have enjoyed another Batman story using the foggy London vibe of the original, that was a real treat. This one is a fine read but it really feels like a disservice to the original, it takes the idea and runs it into the ground.

Batman in 19th century “Gotham”, awesome and original- this story takes that what if, and just repeats it with many other DC characters (and most of the original JLA). It’s a FINE concept but just didn’t feel like it needed to be done, it doesn’t feel nearly as original as the, well, original.

In the one horse town of Smallville, that horse has been beaten to death.

[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.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age

It is 1893 and heroes circle, looking for an emerald ring of immense power and relics from the bygone Kryptonian Age. As Lex Luthor investigates strange events in a small town in Kansas, Lois Lane meets the local lawman - Sheriff Clark Kent.

Lovely artwork and a great Elseworlds story. Diggle has made the characters recognisable and different at the same time.

[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.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn’t bad but it felt more like a lead up to a subsequent comic than a full comic itself. There were almost *too many* strands of story and characters introduced but not enough actual plot.

Most of the story centres on the search for a ring that turns out to be a Green Lantern ring. It’s called “The Kryptonian Age” and there’s mention of this as a concept a few times but no clear indication of what “Kryptonian” means to these people.

The characters introduced in this volume included:
• Catwoman/Selina
• Talia (and a mention of Ra’s) & the League of Shadows
• Wonder Woman
• Alan Scott aka Green Lantern
• Adam Strange
• Martian Manhunter (though not named yet we know it’s him)
• “Sheriff” Clark Kent
• Lex Luthor
• Victor Stone/Cyborg
• Lois Lane
• Jimmy Olsen
• Perry White
• Pete Ross
• Harley Quinn
• Deadshot
• Killer Croc
• Slipknot
• El Diablo
• John Constantine (totally forgot about him and had to come back to add him… I can’t even remember what purpose he serves in the story but seeing a fictionalized DC version of Queen Victoria was fun)

Their stories all converge on the ending where Martian Manhunter and Wonder Woman come to find Clark who they’re angry with… for some reason? (Martian Manhunter seems to think he’s to blame for the death of his people?).

Bats is busy beating on Scott to get answers about that ring, who then suddenly turns into GL. (And just escapes Talia’s assassins… who were trying to steal the ring from an old lady that Selina had take it. I am unclear on who she was or why she was the one chosen to take it… but she’s dead from an assassin created train crash anyway now 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Lois is trying to diffuse dynamite set up by Harley at a circus (why did you go to a circus run by a criminal?!)

The criminals are at a bank attempt to steal Clark’s spaceship…

And Clark was just left in a fire/explosion and walks out in his Olde Tyme Super-gear.

And that’s where it ends! Right when it started to get interesting it ended.

I did love the Lois and Clark parts and in a comic subtitled “The Kryptonian Age” they’re the ones I expected to see most. Instead we got mostly everyone else with a touch of them towards the end. I think it’s neat to see the various iterations of the JLU but it was almost TOO MUCH.

Feels like these should have been split into separate graphic novels on each set of people (1) WW/Strange/Martian Manhunter), (2) Lex + the villains & cyborg (this was another interesting one), (3) Selina/Talia/Alan Scott and the ring.

Batman is the title of the entire series but he’s kind of confused (and easily discovered) for most of it which isn’t great for a detective… also he doesn’t play much of a role in the Wonder Woman part except for realizing she plays a part… somehow.

I’m still not entirely sure what they even mean by The Kryptonian Age, why the GL ring has to do with all this or really… any of what this story was trying to bring together… but it doesn’t feel like a complete story at all.

I hope we get more Lois & Superman in the next volume… and I mostly hope we have some answers and resolutions.

So on the whole - cool cast of characters, but too many for one comic and needed more actual plot instead of a setup for next the volume (which seemingly won’t be out for about another 4 months, a full year after this volume).

It was really neat looking being set in the 1800s (I liked the Bat Zeppelin), sometimes the art was a little off, but mostly it’s quite nice looking.

[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.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hey there, comic book/graphic novel lovers! It’s your old pal, Ninetoes, coming to you from Ninetoes HQ. Today, I am looking at Batman: Gotham by Gaslight- The Kryptonian Age. I have coffee in my system and my thinking cap on, so let’s get to it!!!

30 years ago, DC Comics launched its Elseworlds line with Batman: Gotham by Gaslight. It was an instant success, giving birth to more titles featuring our favorite DC heroes in “what if?” situations. Personally, for me, it was love at first sight! Now, we are getting another dose of Gotham by Gaslight. Judging by the title, you know what is coming….The Kryptonian Age, do I hear trumpets?

A mysterious meteor crashes into the American Midwest. Yeah, we know the story. What’s that? Really? In the mid 1800’s? Well then, things just got more interesting! And interesting they became! We are getting a dose of our favorite DC heroes and villains with a Victorian-era angle. Yes, even the good queen herself gets in on it by sending John Constantine to investigate. In fact, we get a healthy dose of Victorian-era Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Cyborg.

Andy Diggle takes the reader on a globe-trotting adventure that ends in the Midwest and an encounter with a sheriff who wears glasses. That sounds familiar, huh? After an explosion, we see a man with an “S” on his chest rise from the aftermath, with three of the most dreaded words you can read in a comic book: “To be continued…” WTH?!? REALLY?!? Seriously, did we have to end it on a cliffhanger? The book will continue in Batman: Gotham by Gaslight- A League for Justice.

For the record, I am one of those who sees the word “Elseworlds” on a DC comic, and it is an immediate purchase for me. I love the series and the stories it has taken me on, and this book is no exception. The story is well written, and the sense of mystery it gave me was wonderful. The pace was good and steady; nothing was rushed in this book, and everything unfolded as it should and was perfectly complemented by Leandro Fernandez’s artwork. These two make a dynamic duo!

This book captured all of the feelings I had with the original Gotham by Gaslight: a sense of adventure and wonder that grabbed my pulp-loving heart, and it made me want more. Thankfully, there is a book two available.

Is this book worth the money? In my opinion, it is. It has a re-read value to it that most books miss. So far, I have gone over it twice, and each time I have seen something new. This book is perfect for fans of DC heroes, the Victorian Age, great storytelling, and great artwork.

I give this book 4.5 bookmarks out of 5!

[Rhys Causon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I need to start by saying this title feels like a lie, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight merely ties it into the universe of that Elseworld story, whereas this isn’t a Batman book. It’s a Justice League book that got pushed to act as something else.

Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed it but felt like the story deviates from the Gotham part of the world to fully use the Gotham by Gaslight title… most of this takes place not in Gotham for a start. So I guess it could have been more DC By Gaslight?

I also need to say that, like other comments I’ve seen, I expected this to be a a more stand alone story rather than clearly being an ongoing series (despite a bit of research saying this was classed as a Limited Series which just makes no sense to me as it doesn’t wrap up anything at all).

So in my opinion it suffers too much from being written like “here’s the world, here’s the characters… oh crap they’re not together… we’ll make it up as we go”. I think I would have enjoyed this more if it was simply six issues of stories that can take place within the world rather than all tying together.

Because as fun as it is to see Adam Strange doing his own version of Mountains of Madness with Wonder Woman, does it need to be stretched over five issues?
Why did we have to wait till issue four to see any of the other Superman characters after the first issue opens with the Kent’s?
If the stories hadn’t been cut apart it may actually be a decent read but it feels too unfocused at times.

I can certainly praise the art though, the characters where all clearly who they were meant to be, or paying homage to other characters at the same time (in regards to Martian Manhunter) so you never found yourself stopping to question who you’re looking at… until maybe the group of villains that show up near the end but when you choose to use Slipknot… yeah… that’s not going to be quick to notice. Though I’m sure there’s Easter eggs I’ve missed.

Looking back on this rambling review it may seem like I didn’t like it all that much but it’s a fun read… just missing something that makes it truly great.

[Victor Orozco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read Batman: Gotham by Gaslight several years back, I was happy that this one-shot story of a Victorian-era Batman was just that. So, I found it quite a surprise that they would make a story that would appear to add other elements of the DC Universe into the Victorian Era.

It's been years since Bruce Wayne, the Batman, tested his skills against the murderer of his parents; he would then use those abilities to stop some madman and would appear to continue serving the people of Gotham as Batman. But apparently, in 1860, something appeared over the skies of Kansas that has several interested parties. A League of Shadows is out to find some powerful ring that is found by a charlatan named Alan Scott. A corrupt Metropolis businessman-scientist making a claim out in the Wild West. A British spy dabbling in the occult. An explorer seeking company with a strange-speaking warrior woman calling herself Diana. Finally, a small-town sheriff caught in between as a showwoman's circus leads to an epic confrontation. But the biggest revelation is that it is only just the beginning.

Not bad; clearly the writers wanted to make the Victorian Era just as exciting as the present day, with potential superheroes converging on some powerful mysterious object. But I'm not sure; it's like it went from being Sherlock Holmes to Jules Verne, and it takes away a little from the original stories.

[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.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age collects issues 1-6 of the DC Comics series written by Andy Diggle, art by Leandro Fernández, and colors by Matt Hollingsworth and Dave Stewart.

Batman investigates an ancient Kryptonian artifact that leads him around the world.

The Krytonian Age is more of a collection of DC heroes and villains origin stories within the Gotham by Gaslight Elseworlds universe. The actual plot is quite flimsy, thread bare, and ultimately is a set-up for an additional volume - but it is still a decently fun read. I very much liked that Clark Kent is a sheriff of Smallville which is a presented as a small town in the Wild West. The art is pretty good throughout but the character designs are hit and miss. Catwoman, Alan Scott, Wonder Woman and both Clark Kent and Superman are all good whereas Constantine, Dead Shot, Harley Quinn, and Ma & Pa Kent are unoriginal or just plain bad.

Milage may vary with this title.

[Jannik Fogt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ikke blandt de bedste batmantegneserier, men heller ikke blandt de værste. Faktisk er det slet ikke en batmanserie, for helte og skurkegalleriet er stort og lægger op til efterfølgeren (A League for Justice) hvor jeg fornemmer at Batman får samlet ligaen til en omgang tæv. A League for Justice er lige udkommet her i april 2026 og den skal jeg også ha' læst. Det var fedt at se Deadshot, El Diablo og Slipknot som en western posse. Artwoket er so and so - det ser ud til at være gået lidt stærkt hist og her, og der er omfattende brug af helt udfyldte skygger og silhuetter, hvilket trækker læseoplevelsen lidt ned. Pacingen er heller ikke helt på plads, men alligevel ok.

Præmissen med at udbrede det steampunket gotham til resten af DC-universet, og genfortolkningerne af både helte og skurke holder gejsten oppe.

[Vincent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as fun as the first one. The focus is much more on Superman this time around, which would be fine, except that they also drag in analogues for Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, the Martian Manhunter, and of course Batman. This is really JLA by Gaslight.

One thing I do like is that Lex Luthor makes perfect sense in this milieu as it was a time where a single man, or inventor, could still easily have a huge impact all by himself.

I am not quite in favour of some of the characterizations here. My impression is that "...By Gaslight" should keep characteristics and motivations the same even in different times or circumstances and that doesn't really apply to some major characters here.

Decentish adventure but that's all.

[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.

[pn · 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.

[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!