Batman: Gotham by Gaslight
Victorian-era Batman hunts Jack the Ripper in Gotham.
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is a 2018 American adult animated superhero film from Warner Bros. Animation, distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. It presents an alternate take on the DC Comics character Batman and serves as the 31st installment in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies series. Sam Liu directed and produced the film, with a screenplay by James Krieg, and it draws loosely from the standalone graphic novel of the same name by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola.
The film premiered at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on January 12, 2018, as part of the "DC in D.C." event. It became available for digital download on January 23, 2018, followed by DVD and Blu-ray release on February 6. This was the final film released during the lifetime of longtime DC film producer Benjamin Melniker, who died a month later at age 104.
Set in Victorian-era Gotham City, the story begins with Batman rescuing a wealthy couple from three orphan boys—Dickie, Jason, and Timmy—and their abusive handler, Big Bill Dust. Meanwhile, Ivy, an orphan turned exotic dancer and prostitute, becomes the latest victim of Jack the Ripper, a serial killer targeting the city’s poor women. Many citizens believe Batman and the Ripper are the same person. Actress Selina Kyle criticizes Police Commissioner James Gordon and Chief Harvey Bullock for failing to stop the murders.
At the Monarch Theatre with his friend District Attorney Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne meets Selina, and they bond at the exclusive Dionysus Club. Bruce discovers they were both raised by Sister Leslie, and that some of the murdered girls were orphans under her care. Realizing the Ripper will target Leslie, Bruce rushes to save her but arrives too late. At the crime scene, he finds a bloody Dionysus Club pin, indicating the killer is among Gotham’s wealthy. At Sister Leslie’s funeral, psychiatrist Hugo Strange claims to know the killer and wants to meet Batman. Bruce also encounters Marlene, a drunken woman who says she saw him sneaking around during the murder.
At Arkham Asylum, the Ripper ambushes Strange and throws him to his patients, who tear him apart. While pursuing the Ripper, Batman is chased by police but saved by a costumed Selina. After seeing Bruce is Batman, she takes him home, where they spend the night. Marlene is later found dead, and Bruce is arrested. Dent, jealous of Selina’s affection, prosecute
- release_year
- 2018
- director
- Sam Liu
- writer
- James Krieg
- studio
- Warner Bros. Animation
- distributor
- Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
- series
- DC Universe Animated Original Movies (31st film)
- rating
- R (for violence and coarse language)
Lore & Background
The film premiered at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. during the 'DC in D.C.' event on January 12, 2018, followed by digital download on January 23, 2018, and DVD/Blu-ray release on February 6, 2018. It was the last film released during the lifetime of longtime DC film producer Benjamin Melniker, who died a month later at age 104. The plot follows Batman as he protects Victorian-era Gotham from Jack the Ripper, a serial killer targeting poor women, while citizens suspect Batman and the Ripper are the same person. Key characters include Selina Kyle, Commissioner James Gordon (revealed as the Ripper), Harvey Dent, and Alfred Pennyworth.
Reader's Guide
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight is significant as a standalone alternate-universe adaptation that reimagines Batman in a Victorian setting, blending the superhero genre with Jack the Ripper lore. Producer Bruce Timm cited influences including the 1944 film The Lodger, Erik Larson's book The Devil in the White City, and a dream sequence from Gilligan's Island. Writer James Krieg drew on Sherlock Holmes stories and the 1965 film A Study in Terror. The film received mixed to positive reviews: MovieWeb called it among the best of the DC Animated Universe, while IGN gave it 6.5/10 and Den of Geek 2.5/5. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 75% approval rating from 12 critics. Its North American home video earnings totaled $4,670,521 from DVD and Blu-ray sales.
Did You Know?
- The film is loosely based on the graphic novel of the same name by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola.
- It was the last DC Universe Animated Original Movie released during the lifetime of producer Benjamin Melniker, who died at age 104.
- Commissioner James Gordon is revealed as Jack the Ripper in the film.
- The film's influences include the 1944 film The Lodger and Erik Larson's book The Devil in the White City.
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