Written by: Andy Diggle
Art by: Leandro Fernandez
Colors by: Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by: Simon Bowland
Cover art by: Leandro Fernandez, Matt Hollingsworth
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: September 11, 2024
Is Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #4 Good?
Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #4 is, on the whole, an entertaining entry in the maxiseries that introduces a whole host of familiar but new characters. However, the novelty of a Gotham By Gaslight version of Green Lantern, Cyborg, and Lois Lane comes at the expense of a plot that isn't moving very fast and hasn't found its footing.
When last we left our collection of Victorian Era adventurers in Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #3, Adam Strange received a strange (no pun intended) tale from Diana about how the Amazons retreated to the underground kingdom of Skartaris when a great Doom befell the Earth ages ago. Meanwhile, Alan Scott, the aerialist, boarded a train where he encountered a sweet old woman carrying a strange ring, and the Doom that ravaged Earth long ago awakes on Mars.
In Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #4, we begin with a dazed Alan Scott picking his way through the wreckage of the steam train that was demolished when the League of Shadows blew up the train trestle. Scott can't believe he's alive, and when he finds the dying old woman he met on the train, she explains the ring saved him, so she bequeaths the ring to him moments before the League appears at the wreckage to find the ring Alan Scott wears. The assassins don't leave the wreckage alive.
In a series focused on twisted takes of classic heroes, Andy Diggle provides a (mostly) faithful adaptation of the first Green Lantern's origin story by putting Alan Scott in the right place at the right time. This version of Alan Scott doesn't have the same moral fiber as the Scott we know, but the way his origin is presented here gives him an external and internal challenge to overcome, which works in his favor as a relatable hero.
Miles away, the Gotham police board a ship coming into the harbor carrying legal and illegal goods for sale. The police are keen to get their payoff before the ship docks for inspection, but before they can collect, Batman arrives to knock out the police and crew before forcing the captain to relay all he knows about the League of Shadows.
Andy Diggle continues to play the Batman aspects of this series fairly straight while portraying Batman as a relatively minor player in the unfolding threat to Earth. That's not to say Batman isn't well-represented, but there's nothing particularly interesting about what he's doing. Diggle gives you Batman doing average Batman things.
On the other side of the globe, Adam Strange makes the tough decision to abandon his expedition to escort Diana back to civilization, leaving his crew behind to continue the excavation work on the ancient city. Diana doesn't suffer fools or aggressive men when they reach a whaling port, so she grows increasingly suspicious about Strange's benefactor, Bruce Wayne, and his ability to help her warn the world about the impending Doom.
Diana's less hospitable encounter with civilization is mildly amusing, albeit a bit on the nose. Still, Diggle presents Diana as a warrior with limited patience for tomfoolery, which fits her personality to a tee.
Back in the Americas and the gleaming city of Metropolis, Lois Lane barges into Perry White's office with young Jimmy Olsen trailing behind. Lois unleashes an epic tirade at the news that unscrupulous industrialist Lex Luthor is trying to buy the Daily Planet. She believes she can prove Lex is a crook, so Perry White offers to fund her trip to a small town in Kansas where Lex bought up hundreds of acres of land, looking for something unique. If Lois can uncover what illegal scheme Lex is up to, she can stop his bid for the Daily Planet.
Despite the timeframe and setting, Diggle plays Lois, Jimmy, and Perry as near-perfect replicas of their contemporaries, which helps ground readers in a more traditional Superman mythos. Aside from their clothing and Lois's period-specific stream of insults, the three characters are exactly the same as the ones you already know.
The issue concludes with a visit to the newly formed town of Luthorville, Kansas. Mercy Graves and Lex Luthor invited a promisingly brilliant patent clerk named Victor Stone to become Luthor's assistant for a very special set of experiments.
Overall, Andy Diggle heaps on world-building elements from every corner of the DC Universe, in the style of Gotham By Gaslight, to tickle your fancy. The plot and main event have yet to come into focus since much of the story still remains in world-building mode, but Diggle drops enough Easter Eggs and cool twists to hold your attention. That said, readers wondering what the Doom is, hinted at the end of the last issue, will have to wait, which may deter less patient readers.
How's the Art? Leandro Fernandez continues to present a perfectly good representation of the Gotham By Gaslight universe with Gothic settings and costumes, heavy shadows that evoke a mysterious atmosphere, and linework that pays respectful homage to Mike Mignola's original vision. In short, the art looks great.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Batman: Gotham By Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age #4 gives Elseworlds fans plenty of cool developments to chew on with the introduction of Superman's supporting cast of characters and the first Green Lantern. Admittedly, the plot and direction of the story take a back seat to the world-building, but the twists are interesting enough to hold your attention for the time being.
7/10
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