Batman: Gates of Gotham

Much of this story takes place in the 1890s, allowing the artist to play around with steampunk and Victorian design elements in the world of Alan Wayne (Bruce's great-grandfather?). Alan is an industrialist and civic visionary, and his plans for Gotham have a direct bearing on the present-day when a mystery man begins targeting Gotham's civic landmarks.

Some aspects of this story may trip up newcomers. For example, Batman is Dick Grayson here, not Bruce Wayne. But as long as you don't let stuff like that bug you, there's a story here that touches on issues of wealth, civic management, the growth of urban America, and, as in any Batman story, madness, law enforcement, and urban decay. An understated but effective story. For Batman completists, the story establishing The Nightrunner as the "French Batman" in the "Batman, Inc." storyline is included as an afterword. ( )

My second Batman comic! There was a lot going on in the beginning and since I don't read a lot of Batman books, some character introductions would have been nice. Other than that the plot was full of twists and there were lots of things being slowly uncovered to give the reader the full story. I liked the artwork and the little bit of steampunk that was thrown in. ( )