This Sunday I tackled two graphic novels- a feat easily accomplished, for the selections are just 48 pages each. Both are in the same vein: Batman historical fiction.
Yes, you read that correctly- historical fiction, but with Batman. Years ago, DC Comics released a series of titles labeled "Elseworlds." Essentially, they took familiar characters- Batman, Superman, etc- and placed them in various situations and contexts throughout history. I'm not sure how well they sold- I picked up several such titles in a bargain bin back in college- but I've enjoyed the few I've read. My favorite two in this category are today's selections: Scar of the Bat and Gotham by Gaslight.
Scar of the Bat
An interesting take on the Eliot Ness story- looking at how Ness helped take down gangster Al Capone in 1920's Chicago. In this version, Ness does all the things we've read about during the day, but moonlights as a certain masked vigilante, using means outside the law to help bring Scarface to justice.
Gotham by Gaslight
It's the 1880s, and Bruce Wayne is on his way back to Gotham after years in Europe. Jack the Ripper, responsible for a string of gruesome deaths in Victorian London, takes his act to Gotham around the time of Wayne's return. Is it a coincidence- or is Wayne indeed the Ripper? It may take a dark knight to solve the case.
Rating (for both): A
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