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Batman: Gates of Gotham #1-5
Batman: Gates of Gotham
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Batman stands today as one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture, and along with the Batcave and the Batmobile, Gotham City itself stands as one of the most identifiable aspects of Batman lore. This trade explores not only the history of the city but its dark secrets and deadly denizens as well, giving readers a whole scale look at world of Batman.
Writer Scott Snyder (AMERICAN VAMPIRE) teams with Kyle Higgins to pen the story, which features various members of the Batman family uniting to solve a mystery that travels through multiple eras of Gotham City. When a mystery as old as Gotham City itself surfaces, Batman assembles a team of his greatest detectives – including Red Robin, Owlman, I-Ching and others – to investigate this startling new enigma. As clues are discovered and the mystery deepens, Batman's team soon finds itself on a journey that explores different eras in Gotham's history and touches upon notable Gotham families including the Waynes, Kanes, and Elliotts. This miniseries spins out of recent events in the Batman titles and sets the stage for several exciting storylines in 2011.
This volume collects all five issues of the BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM miniseries and also includes BATMAN ANNUAL #28 and DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #12.
Batman stands today as one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture, and along with the Batcave and the Batmobile, Gotham City itself stands as one of the most identifiable aspects of Batman lore. This trade explores not only the history of the city but its dark secrets and deadly denizens as well, giving readers a whole scale look at world of Batman.
Writer Scott Snyder (AMERICAN VAMPIRE) teams with Kyle Higgins to pen the story, which features various members of the Batman family uniting to solve a mystery that travels through multiple eras of Gotham City. When a mystery as old as Gotham City itself surfaces, Batman assembles a team of his greatest detectives – including Red Robin, Owlman, I-Ching and others – to investigate this startling new enigma. As clues are discovered and the mystery deepens, Batman's team soon finds itself on a journey that explores different eras in Gotham's history and touches upon notable Gotham families including the Waynes, Kanes, and Elliotts. This miniseries spins out of recent events in the Batman titles and sets the stage for several exciting storylines in 2011.
This volume collects all five issues of the BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM miniseries and also includes BATMAN ANNUAL #28 and DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #12.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,886 books4,546 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
October 3, 2020
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: It’s Gotham’s origin story as a city built from oligarchy and ambition; forever run, ruined and rescued by its families.
Notes: It’s Gotham’s origin story as a city built from oligarchy and ambition; forever run, ruined and rescued by its families.
February 8, 2015
It's basically the story of past and present Robins working together to solve the mystery of Steampnk Dude!
Gotham's old sins have (once again) risen from the grave to haunt it.
*crickets chirping*
I'm not sure what to even say about this one.
I didn't hate it, but it didn't make much of a lasting impression, either.
It was a good solid story, lovely art, and a decent conclusion.
Ta-da!
There's was a bonus issue at the end about a Muslim Batman in Paris.
I thought it was gimmicky, cheesy, and irritating.
The end.
Gotham's old sins have (once again) risen from the grave to haunt it.
*crickets chirping*
I'm not sure what to even say about this one.
I didn't hate it, but it didn't make much of a lasting impression, either.
It was a good solid story, lovely art, and a decent conclusion.
Ta-da!
There's was a bonus issue at the end about a Muslim Batman in Paris.
I thought it was gimmicky, cheesy, and irritating.
The end.
December 15, 2021
"Just when I thought I was getting a handle on Gotham, I'm starting to realize how little I actually know. I may have outgrown being a sidekick, but at least it meant there was always someone else to look to for the answers." -- Dick Grayson, thoughtfully pondering the responsibilities of being Batman
Holy tedium, Batman! Even though it opens with an attention-grabbing scene - an exasperated Dark Knight (Dick Grayson, assuming the signature role long held by Bruce Wayne) dangles a jamoke from atop a waterfront skyscraper, attempting to glean vital information on an illegal explosives shipment - the story eventually sinks into monotony like a stone thrown into Gotham River. It was nice to our 'Bat' family (Batman, along with Tim Drake's Red Robin, Cassandra Cain's Black Bat, and Damian Wayne's Robin) working together to crack this thin investigation - although their mentor would've probably done it in half the time . . . and alone (ouch!) - this narrative was just not that interesting, and that's something I rarely say about a volume featuring these characters. The jumping back and forth between present day and 1890's Gotham City also did not help things in terms of pacing.
Holy tedium, Batman! Even though it opens with an attention-grabbing scene - an exasperated Dark Knight (Dick Grayson, assuming the signature role long held by Bruce Wayne) dangles a jamoke from atop a waterfront skyscraper, attempting to glean vital information on an illegal explosives shipment - the story eventually sinks into monotony like a stone thrown into Gotham River. It was nice to our 'Bat' family (Batman, along with Tim Drake's Red Robin, Cassandra Cain's Black Bat, and Damian Wayne's Robin) working together to crack this thin investigation - although their mentor would've probably done it in half the time . . . and alone (ouch!) - this narrative was just not that interesting, and that's something I rarely say about a volume featuring these characters. The jumping back and forth between present day and 1890's Gotham City also did not help things in terms of pacing.
July 1, 2012
Someone is blowing up Gotham City landmarks and it points to someone with links to Gotham's founding fathers. Can Batman, Red Robin, Robin, and Black Bat stop the menace of... the Architect?
After the awesomeness of The Black Mirror, this was a little bit of a letdown but still pretty good. Dick continues to adjust to his role as Batman as he pieces together the identity of the Architect with the help of his partners.
Hush and the Penguin play important roles but Gotham City itself is almost a character. While I didn't think the art was that great, Scott Snyder's writing was superb. He really makes me believe Gotham is a real place. The interplay between Damian and the other team members was probably my favorite part of the book. Man, that Damian is an arrogant little shit. Then if your dad was Batman...
Three stars. It's good but not in the same league as The Black Mirror.
After the awesomeness of The Black Mirror, this was a little bit of a letdown but still pretty good. Dick continues to adjust to his role as Batman as he pieces together the identity of the Architect with the help of his partners.
Hush and the Penguin play important roles but Gotham City itself is almost a character. While I didn't think the art was that great, Scott Snyder's writing was superb. He really makes me believe Gotham is a real place. The interplay between Damian and the other team members was probably my favorite part of the book. Man, that Damian is an arrogant little shit. Then if your dad was Batman...
Three stars. It's good but not in the same league as The Black Mirror.
October 26, 2021
This was actually pretty good!
It tells the tale of two brothers Nicholas and Bradley and how they the "Gates of Gotham" built this city along with the founding fathers - Wayne, Elliot, Cobblepot and Kane and the betrayal and twists and turns and how it relates to the story at present where Batman (Richard) and Robin and Cass are trying to save pople and stop the destruction of the bridges in Gotham and we learn their origins through flashback and there is this foreboding mystery at the heart of it and when these two stories connect finally and THE ARCHITECT behind it is revealed, it will change a lot and will be a big challenge for the Bat-family!
Its an epic volume with so many great twists and turns and delves into the architectural history of Gotham and the twist was good too and it does a good job of introducing a new villain and challenging Dick, Damian and Cass on all fronts in a great manner. Its an amazing book and shows Dick in a great way. And also the secret origins of the Night runner of Paris and how it connects to Bat Inc, it was a cool short story and I loved it! Must read volume for sure!
It tells the tale of two brothers Nicholas and Bradley and how they the "Gates of Gotham" built this city along with the founding fathers - Wayne, Elliot, Cobblepot and Kane and the betrayal and twists and turns and how it relates to the story at present where Batman (Richard) and Robin and Cass are trying to save pople and stop the destruction of the bridges in Gotham and we learn their origins through flashback and there is this foreboding mystery at the heart of it and when these two stories connect finally and THE ARCHITECT behind it is revealed, it will change a lot and will be a big challenge for the Bat-family!
Its an epic volume with so many great twists and turns and delves into the architectural history of Gotham and the twist was good too and it does a good job of introducing a new villain and challenging Dick, Damian and Cass on all fronts in a great manner. Its an amazing book and shows Dick in a great way. And also the secret origins of the Night runner of Paris and how it connects to Bat Inc, it was a cool short story and I loved it! Must read volume for sure!
September 30, 2018
So this was a half and half type of story.
The story is basically someone blowing shit up. We don't know who, or why, until later, but the mission is to cause havoc. Dick as Batman decides to go investigate with his team of Damien, Tim, and my favorite Bat-family member, Cassandra! On their investigation they work on discovering who is behind these terrible things while we get the backstory of the villain here and why he's trying to destroy the city after being betrayed.
Good: The art is pretty solid throughout though it does dip at times. I also thought the interactions between the heroes is great. Damien with his quick wit and assholish comments make it a ton of fun. Watching the Bat-family work together was also a blast. The ending was satisfying and all in all anything to do with the Bat-family worked.
Bad: The other side of this is a past of a villain and how he was wronged, which isn't new, but this is also really boring as well. While the story is by two writers, the dialog is written by Kyle Higgins, but it doesn't really captivate you. It's weird since I'm loving his power rangers.
Overall this was a okayish Batman story. As much as I love Dick as Batman, this one wasn't all that memorable. Still okay to check out, it's not bad, but I read better. A 2.5 out of 5.
The story is basically someone blowing shit up. We don't know who, or why, until later, but the mission is to cause havoc. Dick as Batman decides to go investigate with his team of Damien, Tim, and my favorite Bat-family member, Cassandra! On their investigation they work on discovering who is behind these terrible things while we get the backstory of the villain here and why he's trying to destroy the city after being betrayed.
Good: The art is pretty solid throughout though it does dip at times. I also thought the interactions between the heroes is great. Damien with his quick wit and assholish comments make it a ton of fun. Watching the Bat-family work together was also a blast. The ending was satisfying and all in all anything to do with the Bat-family worked.
Bad: The other side of this is a past of a villain and how he was wronged, which isn't new, but this is also really boring as well. While the story is by two writers, the dialog is written by Kyle Higgins, but it doesn't really captivate you. It's weird since I'm loving his power rangers.
Overall this was a okayish Batman story. As much as I love Dick as Batman, this one wasn't all that memorable. Still okay to check out, it's not bad, but I read better. A 2.5 out of 5.
February 16, 2013
Someone in Gotham is blowing up the bridges of the city and enacting some strange vengeance against the descendants of the families who built Gotham - the Elliotts, the Kanes, the Cobblepots, and the Waynes. But who, and why?
The adventure collects the three Robins - Dick Grayson as Batman, Tim Drake as Red Robin, and Damian Wayne as Robin - along with the Cassandra Cain, the Batgirl currently stationed by Bruce Wayne in Hong Kong, to stop this terrorist before more of Gotham's historic buildings are destroyed.
The story jumps from the 19th century when Gotham was being built to the present day to explain the actions and it was great to see a young Gotham and see how the city came into its gothic look. The new villain in this book, "the Architect", has a steampunk look, something a lot of comics are doing these days, and looks very cool. I'm enjoying these stories of the young heroes of Gotham more and more and think that Bruce Wayne can safely retire with these guys taking care of things. That said, the book shows the difference between Wayne's Batman and Grayson's in the lack of knowledge Grayson currently has about the city he's supposed to be protecting. Its touches like that that makes for a more engrossing read.
Also included is a story about the Night Runner of Paris and how he comes across Bruce Wayne/Batman and is recruited into Batman Inc., to become the Batman of Paris. The story contained political elements that I thought DC could've avoided as they showed a contemporary France with its racial and cultural issues in full view, but they included it and I thought that was a very ballsy move. The Batman of Paris is very cool too and Batman Inc is shaping up to be a tremendous concept.
One side-note though - the book lists Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins under "story" and Higgins under "dialogue" so I don't know whether Higgins wrote the script and Snyder wrote the outline with Higgins but it seems like an odd distinction. Anyway, Snyder is quickly becoming one of the best Batman writers working today and for anyone who hasn't read "The Black Mirror" I highly recommend it.
"The Gates of Gotham" is a fine Batman story with plenty of action and mystery, as well as continuing to build the new Batman world strongly, subtly and in new inventive ways.
The adventure collects the three Robins - Dick Grayson as Batman, Tim Drake as Red Robin, and Damian Wayne as Robin - along with the Cassandra Cain, the Batgirl currently stationed by Bruce Wayne in Hong Kong, to stop this terrorist before more of Gotham's historic buildings are destroyed.
The story jumps from the 19th century when Gotham was being built to the present day to explain the actions and it was great to see a young Gotham and see how the city came into its gothic look. The new villain in this book, "the Architect", has a steampunk look, something a lot of comics are doing these days, and looks very cool. I'm enjoying these stories of the young heroes of Gotham more and more and think that Bruce Wayne can safely retire with these guys taking care of things. That said, the book shows the difference between Wayne's Batman and Grayson's in the lack of knowledge Grayson currently has about the city he's supposed to be protecting. Its touches like that that makes for a more engrossing read.
Also included is a story about the Night Runner of Paris and how he comes across Bruce Wayne/Batman and is recruited into Batman Inc., to become the Batman of Paris. The story contained political elements that I thought DC could've avoided as they showed a contemporary France with its racial and cultural issues in full view, but they included it and I thought that was a very ballsy move. The Batman of Paris is very cool too and Batman Inc is shaping up to be a tremendous concept.
One side-note though - the book lists Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins under "story" and Higgins under "dialogue" so I don't know whether Higgins wrote the script and Snyder wrote the outline with Higgins but it seems like an odd distinction. Anyway, Snyder is quickly becoming one of the best Batman writers working today and for anyone who hasn't read "The Black Mirror" I highly recommend it.
"The Gates of Gotham" is a fine Batman story with plenty of action and mystery, as well as continuing to build the new Batman world strongly, subtly and in new inventive ways.
November 27, 2018
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Many are quick to judge Gotham as one of the worst places to live in with the omnipresent criminal activity that pollutes its alleys and sewers. They aren’t wrong. With it being the ideal dark underbelly for your most evil ambitions, you could imagine that it would be easy to blend with the rest of the criminals and not stick out as a sore thumb in a city like Metropolis for example. It’s its vile and dangerous atmosphere that ultimately leads the city to need heroes who act outside the law in order to purge it of its criminality, but Gotham is much more than just a city. It has a life of its own and a story that goes with it. From its geographic location to its rich history, the city is drenched in the sweat and blood of many philanthropist and some ill-intentioned evil-doers. Their decisions are what brings to life a city that desperately needs heroes to assure the safety of everyone.
Batman: Gates of Gotham is the story of Gotham and its founding families. While at the turn of the century some of the most prestigious and rich individuals reunited their efforts in order to modernize Gotham City, today a madman runs loose with explosives tearing it all down into the ground. With unclear motivations and an impatience that drives him to act recklessly but also dangerously, this brand-new villain with a steam-punk’ish design looks to give Gotham its proper send-off. Looking to end the madness, Batman works with Robin, Red Robin and Black Bat to uncover the mystery behind this new villain who goes by the name of the Architect. This deluxe edition collects the full Gates of Gotham miniseries issues #1-5, Higgins’ and McCarthy’s debut story ‘The Nightrunner’ where the Batman of Paris makes an appearance, variant covers of single issues as well as sketchbook bonus material.
Since the story is set around the end of Grant Morrison’s famous Batman run, especially closer to the Return of Bruce Wayne story arc, you’ll find yourself with good ol’ Dick Grayson in the mantle of Batman. Trying to fill the shoes of Bruce Wayne, he shows throughout the story that there’s nothing easy to the task, but that the task is without a doubt a necessary one for the people of Gotham and their hopes of a safer place to live in. While still a rookie as Batman, his skill set is still undeniable. After all, he has the most experience among the Bat family, especially as someone who has understood Bruce Wayne better than anyone else—besides Alfred. To help him out, the story also integrates and develops Robin (Damian Wayne), Red Robin (Tim Drake) and Black Bat (Cassandra Cain). While the cast is huge, the writers on this mini-series does marvelous job in each of their characterization and creates a very authentic dynamic between each other.
The mystery that essentially serves as the foundation to this story is also intriguing and not too complicated to follow, giving fans the opportunity to indulge Gotham and its history. Nonetheless, the story does a great job in balancing the plot with rich characters and great artwork. While it alternates between two timelines (past and present), the artwork definitely worked better for the sequences set in the past as it gave it a Victorian edge with some vintage opulence. With the help of Scott Snyder, Higgins and McCarthy definitely make an excellent creative duo. However, it is worth mentioning that the inclusion of their ‘The Nightrunner’ story was completely unnecessarily. The story of a Sunni Muslim living in France who is invited to become the Batman of Paris after showing some parkour skills made no sense in itself, and even less when you try to understand the pertinence of including it in this volume.
Batman: Gates of Gotham gives Gotham an alluring origin story that leads to inevitable family warfare with its historical buildings as the ultimate collateral damage.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Many are quick to judge Gotham as one of the worst places to live in with the omnipresent criminal activity that pollutes its alleys and sewers. They aren’t wrong. With it being the ideal dark underbelly for your most evil ambitions, you could imagine that it would be easy to blend with the rest of the criminals and not stick out as a sore thumb in a city like Metropolis for example. It’s its vile and dangerous atmosphere that ultimately leads the city to need heroes who act outside the law in order to purge it of its criminality, but Gotham is much more than just a city. It has a life of its own and a story that goes with it. From its geographic location to its rich history, the city is drenched in the sweat and blood of many philanthropist and some ill-intentioned evil-doers. Their decisions are what brings to life a city that desperately needs heroes to assure the safety of everyone.
Batman: Gates of Gotham is the story of Gotham and its founding families. While at the turn of the century some of the most prestigious and rich individuals reunited their efforts in order to modernize Gotham City, today a madman runs loose with explosives tearing it all down into the ground. With unclear motivations and an impatience that drives him to act recklessly but also dangerously, this brand-new villain with a steam-punk’ish design looks to give Gotham its proper send-off. Looking to end the madness, Batman works with Robin, Red Robin and Black Bat to uncover the mystery behind this new villain who goes by the name of the Architect. This deluxe edition collects the full Gates of Gotham miniseries issues #1-5, Higgins’ and McCarthy’s debut story ‘The Nightrunner’ where the Batman of Paris makes an appearance, variant covers of single issues as well as sketchbook bonus material.
Since the story is set around the end of Grant Morrison’s famous Batman run, especially closer to the Return of Bruce Wayne story arc, you’ll find yourself with good ol’ Dick Grayson in the mantle of Batman. Trying to fill the shoes of Bruce Wayne, he shows throughout the story that there’s nothing easy to the task, but that the task is without a doubt a necessary one for the people of Gotham and their hopes of a safer place to live in. While still a rookie as Batman, his skill set is still undeniable. After all, he has the most experience among the Bat family, especially as someone who has understood Bruce Wayne better than anyone else—besides Alfred. To help him out, the story also integrates and develops Robin (Damian Wayne), Red Robin (Tim Drake) and Black Bat (Cassandra Cain). While the cast is huge, the writers on this mini-series does marvelous job in each of their characterization and creates a very authentic dynamic between each other.
The mystery that essentially serves as the foundation to this story is also intriguing and not too complicated to follow, giving fans the opportunity to indulge Gotham and its history. Nonetheless, the story does a great job in balancing the plot with rich characters and great artwork. While it alternates between two timelines (past and present), the artwork definitely worked better for the sequences set in the past as it gave it a Victorian edge with some vintage opulence. With the help of Scott Snyder, Higgins and McCarthy definitely make an excellent creative duo. However, it is worth mentioning that the inclusion of their ‘The Nightrunner’ story was completely unnecessarily. The story of a Sunni Muslim living in France who is invited to become the Batman of Paris after showing some parkour skills made no sense in itself, and even less when you try to understand the pertinence of including it in this volume.
Batman: Gates of Gotham gives Gotham an alluring origin story that leads to inevitable family warfare with its historical buildings as the ultimate collateral damage.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
June 21, 2017
A new adversary, The Architect, is targeting historical properties in Gotham City and it’s up to Batman, Red Robin, Robin and Black Bat to bring him to justice.
That one sentence summary would seemingly apply to 99% of Batman stories but hey, that’s OK, it’s Batman after all. With Gates of Gotham, writer Scott Snyder, alongside Kyle Higgins, returns to the Caped Crusader to pen a follow-up to his successful Black Mirror story arc from the prior year. This time around, while we still have Dick Grayson (formerly Robin/Nightwing) under the cowl as Batman, he’s joined by the extended Bat-Family to assist capturing The Architect.
I really enjoyed the layout of the story as Snyder and Higgins jump back through time to tell the history of Gotham’s “founding fathers”. I’m not sure if this is a story that has been told before, but it was interesting learning about the history of some of Gotham’s most revered architecture – for a fictional city, its history is extremely well-developed.
There’s a short one-issue story tacked onto the end about the Paris branch of Bruce Wayne’s Batman Incorporated but I didn’t care too much for it. I’m not a fan of these “extras” slapped onto the end of a book, they always feel like padding.
While Gates of Gotham isn’t quite as good as Black Mirror, it’s some solid work on the part of Snyder and Higgins that likely helped solidified Snyder as the next writer of the then forthcoming Batman “New 52” reboot.
That one sentence summary would seemingly apply to 99% of Batman stories but hey, that’s OK, it’s Batman after all. With Gates of Gotham, writer Scott Snyder, alongside Kyle Higgins, returns to the Caped Crusader to pen a follow-up to his successful Black Mirror story arc from the prior year. This time around, while we still have Dick Grayson (formerly Robin/Nightwing) under the cowl as Batman, he’s joined by the extended Bat-Family to assist capturing The Architect.
I really enjoyed the layout of the story as Snyder and Higgins jump back through time to tell the history of Gotham’s “founding fathers”. I’m not sure if this is a story that has been told before, but it was interesting learning about the history of some of Gotham’s most revered architecture – for a fictional city, its history is extremely well-developed.
There’s a short one-issue story tacked onto the end about the Paris branch of Bruce Wayne’s Batman Incorporated but I didn’t care too much for it. I’m not a fan of these “extras” slapped onto the end of a book, they always feel like padding.
While Gates of Gotham isn’t quite as good as Black Mirror, it’s some solid work on the part of Snyder and Higgins that likely helped solidified Snyder as the next writer of the then forthcoming Batman “New 52” reboot.
July 14, 2015
"How can you hope to deal with Gotham's future when you know so little about its past?"
Current Batman series writer Scott Snyder used to write for Detective Comics back when Dick Grayson took the mantle of Bruce Wayne as Batman. Final Crisis complications and whatnot demanded such a change in heroes; much like for today's post-Convergence event whete Bruce Wayne is once more a goner. You just have to be there to understand. In any case, this is the second major story arc collected in as a graphic novel that I've read from Snyder's Detective Comics run with Grayson as the Dark Knight. The first one is The Black Mirror which you better believe is worth the trouble. I cannot stress how much I recommend the bejesus out of it.
In contrast Gates of Gotham is a thinner compilation with a story that ran only for five issues. The two stories are fundamentally different but just as enjoyable for the same reason which would be Synder's uncanny skill to weave together compelling murder mysteries/conspiracy tales. After all, this story does come straight out of the Detective Comics line so that's something that should be a given. While The Black Mirror is more of a psychological thriller, Gates of Gotham is an action-suspense pseudo-steampunk narrative concerning a forgotten pillar of Gotham and his deranged journey to destroy the city--or at least that's what he fancies himself to be: a revolutionist who felt deprived and abused by Gotham, particularly by its elite.
And by its elite I mean the Kanes, Cobblepots, Elliots and the Waynes. These are the four founding families who have respective skeletons in their closets and demons to contend with. Grayson is Batman now while Bruce is busy with this global vigilante organization (Batman Incorporated) so he had to do this alone but not without the support and assistance of Tim Drake (Red Robin), Hong Kong operative Black Bat and the arrogant Damian Wayne who is still a prickly and insecure pre-teen who is always disagreeable just for the sake of it. I say this with all the love and affection I have for his Peter J. Tomasi counterpart in the recent comics.
"Like it or not, Gotham has royalty and they stretch back to the origins of the city. She protects her own but if you don't belong here, she'll never keep you."
I really loved reading Gates of Gotham because it was briskly-paced and wasted no time with the finer details; it packed and threw some serious punches. Each installment propelled you to keel reading, to look forward to the resolution and pay-off of the mystery surrounding the villain known as the Architect. Once again, Snyder, together with co-writer Kyle Higgins, employed Gotham city not just as a setting piece but as a participatory character itself. This was established through the flashback sequences concerning the city during its humble beginnings that also tied back to the villain's own arc and whatever motivated his nefarious actions in the present. The transition between past and present was seamless and suspenseful, and I could definitely see readers waiting in anticipation back then when Gates of Gotham was only released as a monthly issue during its run.
Gates of Gotham was reminiscent of the tonality and approach of his Owls saga in New 52 particularly the concept of secrets from the past and the historical style of storytelling. Unlike Owls, however, this was a brief exploration about one madman's quest to avenge a perceived wrongdoing which actually helped it because it wasn't unnecessarily drawn out. The confrontation between Batman and the Architect was an impressive display of how perception especially a narrow-minded and hateful one can destroy oneself and his connections with the present which was what the Architect wholly represents.
"Gotham doesn't change you. She just reveals things, whether you like them or not. And today she showed me that I can be Batman." ~Dick Grayson
On the other side of the coin, Dick Grayson also gets some insight concerning his role as the new Batman and why he has more than lived up to the code of the Dark Knight while also not losing himself in the process. While The Black Mirror story arc has already tackled the tricky disadvantage of becoming the mask you wear, Gates of Gotham reveals what lurks under that mask and why we can only wear it for so long until it rots away our real face and erases who we are.
Scott Snyder and Kyle Higgins' Gates of Gotham may only be less than 200 pages but it's a purchase you will never forget. I can easily see a well-adapted animation film for it. There are great action and narrative panels within its pages that are just begging to be realized on screen. The collection also has a bonus story about Bat-Inc's Muslim operative the Nightrunner as written by Kyle Higgins. Other supplements include the variant covers by Dustin Nguyen which werr as awesome as Trevor McCarthy's published ones.
This is a highly-stylized action-adventure meant to be picked up by anyone and sooner rather than later.
RECOMMENDED: 8/10
DO READ MY BATMAN COMICS REVIEWS AT:
March 15, 2016
This book delves into the history of Gotham and the four families. An interesting one to read around the time that the TV series "Gotham" just finished an arc involving one of the historical Gotham family's feud with the Waynes. In this story, it's not so much a feud with Wayne, but a historical Gotham vendetta that puts modern Gotham and its inhabitants in jeopardy. I think the artwork was very well-done, and it delves into Steampunk territory with some of the design. I would have liked it better if the layout was better arranged. It was a big confusing reading the panels and the story jumps forward and backward in time. I liked that all of Batman's team is working together to save Gotham. I squeed when I saw that Black Bat aka Cassandra Cain is actually in this book. It was good, but not great.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.00 stars.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.00 stars.
July 16, 2019
A history of Gotham, with architecture, whodunnit, revenge, and a faint Court of Owls vibe. Fantastic artwork that gives a purposeful nod to Batman The Animated Series.
May 15, 2012
Scott Snyder is (and may always be) best known for American Vampire. His take on Batman shows that background most in the historical backdrop that adds depth to an already interesting story. As a note, the credits say that Snyder provided the story and Kyle Higgins the dialog. I suspect that means that Snyder wrote the plot and Higgins did most of the sentences that you see on the page, but there's really no telling.
We all know that Gotham drives people mad. It's almost comforting to know that it always has. Case in point, the Gates brothers, whose steampunk flavored architecture brought them into close quarters with the first families of Gotham. Familiar names, more than a century later: Wayne, Cobblepot, Elliott, Kane. One of their descendents sets out to avange his family, by causing massive destruction with really big bombs by wearing a cool set of steampunk armor. As one does, in Gotham. The story is really far more about Gotham city itself than it is about Batman, and I really liked that. Gotham is a fascinating place.
I really liked seeing Dick Grayson as Batman, and this story is from his tenure, after Bruce returned and left Gotham to him. He's backed up by Tim Drake (still Red Robin, still not fond of the name), Damien, and Cassandra Cain, now Hong Kong's Black Bat. She was especially good to see, as she hasn't been treated very well by editorial in the past. It's a good team, and they balance each other nicely. I was surprised to see Dick struggling so much with his doubts. I get that he'll always wonder how he measures up to Bruce, but it seemed like a step backwards from previous stories.
As a bonus, there's an additional story about Nightrunner, the Muslim, Parisian member of Batman Incorporated. It's his own backstory, and it's very well done. I really did like the idea of Bruce using his billions to fund Batman-inspired heroes around the world. Gotham isn't the only place that needs him, after all. Too bad that seems to have gone with the reboot.
We all know that Gotham drives people mad. It's almost comforting to know that it always has. Case in point, the Gates brothers, whose steampunk flavored architecture brought them into close quarters with the first families of Gotham. Familiar names, more than a century later: Wayne, Cobblepot, Elliott, Kane. One of their descendents sets out to avange his family, by causing massive destruction with really big bombs by wearing a cool set of steampunk armor. As one does, in Gotham. The story is really far more about Gotham city itself than it is about Batman, and I really liked that. Gotham is a fascinating place.
I really liked seeing Dick Grayson as Batman, and this story is from his tenure, after Bruce returned and left Gotham to him. He's backed up by Tim Drake (still Red Robin, still not fond of the name), Damien, and Cassandra Cain, now Hong Kong's Black Bat. She was especially good to see, as she hasn't been treated very well by editorial in the past. It's a good team, and they balance each other nicely. I was surprised to see Dick struggling so much with his doubts. I get that he'll always wonder how he measures up to Bruce, but it seemed like a step backwards from previous stories.
As a bonus, there's an additional story about Nightrunner, the Muslim, Parisian member of Batman Incorporated. It's his own backstory, and it's very well done. I really did like the idea of Bruce using his billions to fund Batman-inspired heroes around the world. Gotham isn't the only place that needs him, after all. Too bad that seems to have gone with the reboot.
October 22, 2020
The "Gates of Gotham" is a five-part story that's as much as a present-day mystery as well as an origin story of Gotham City (of sorts). Reason for that is simple: the two stories are related. "But how?" you ask. Well...
Someone's blowing up the bridges of Gotham City and Batman needs to find the dude responsible and make him stop (I guess he does that in every story, come to think of it). The real interesting part of this book is what happens in the late 19th century, as Alan Wayne and 2 other power players of Gotham City [not telling you who] hire two architects to design and build "the Gotham of Tomorrow". Everything's going swimmingly for a while for the two architects, but then [of course] something bad happens and, well... Fast forward to present-day and the bad guy is wearing a special suit first used by those same two architects. What's the connection? You'll have to read this book to find out!
If you're a fan of Batman, you need to get this book. "Gates of Gotham" is such a good story, it makes it easy to disregard the throwaway "bonus" story included at the end of the book. 5 stars!
Someone's blowing up the bridges of Gotham City and Batman needs to find the dude responsible and make him stop (I guess he does that in every story, come to think of it). The real interesting part of this book is what happens in the late 19th century, as Alan Wayne and 2 other power players of Gotham City [not telling you who] hire two architects to design and build "the Gotham of Tomorrow". Everything's going swimmingly for a while for the two architects, but then [of course] something bad happens and, well... Fast forward to present-day and the bad guy is wearing a special suit first used by those same two architects. What's the connection? You'll have to read this book to find out!
If you're a fan of Batman, you need to get this book. "Gates of Gotham" is such a good story, it makes it easy to disregard the throwaway "bonus" story included at the end of the book. 5 stars!
February 28, 2017
This was okay. I didn't love it.
The backstory about the Gotham families was kind of interesting. I loved the art for that era and the borders of the pages for those scenes. The story itself was a little confusing at times but it was fine.
I didn't love the art for the present day stuff. Cass, Damian and Tim looked different from panel to panel. Not like, "the colorings changed" different but "who's this character standing in the exact same spot in the same exact outfit" different. It was weird.
Still, I read this for Batfam interactions and I kind of got them. I got Damian interacting with Cass and Tim. I got Dick leading his brothers and sister. I got Cass being protective over Damian even after he was a little shit to her. It was enjoyable but I felt like Snyder had no idea what to do with Cass. She seemed a little bland here.
Oddly enough, there was a story from Batman, Incorporated at the end about Nightrunner, the Batman of Paris that was a lot more interesting. I kind of enjoyed that more than the rest of this story.
The backstory about the Gotham families was kind of interesting. I loved the art for that era and the borders of the pages for those scenes. The story itself was a little confusing at times but it was fine.
I didn't love the art for the present day stuff. Cass, Damian and Tim looked different from panel to panel. Not like, "the colorings changed" different but "who's this character standing in the exact same spot in the same exact outfit" different. It was weird.
Still, I read this for Batfam interactions and I kind of got them. I got Damian interacting with Cass and Tim. I got Dick leading his brothers and sister. I got Cass being protective over Damian even after he was a little shit to her. It was enjoyable but I felt like Snyder had no idea what to do with Cass. She seemed a little bland here.
Oddly enough, there was a story from Batman, Incorporated at the end about Nightrunner, the Batman of Paris that was a lot more interesting. I kind of enjoyed that more than the rest of this story.
July 15, 2020
I was fascinated at the prospect of getting to learn some actual history of Gotham City - who built it and how it ended up the way it was - but ended up disappointed with how limited this vision turned out to be: it concerned mostly of one (admittedly influential) character's personal history in it all, and most of it involved a bomb threat in the present day. Shame.
March 9, 2017
Batman: Gates of Gotham takes place during the Scott Snyder "Everybody is Batman" phase. That's the Batman Inc trend I am speaking of. A Batman on every corner- no skill or training required. Perhaps if you're the kind of person who finds excellence only through the elevation of mediocrity, then you are a fan of the Batman Inc concept. I am not. That's why I was so surprised by this graphic novel. While it does have some of the annoying aspects of the pedestrian, if not downright amateurish, aspects of the Batman Inc world view and the prosaic members that make up the B-squad Batpeople (seriously at one point there are four of these inept Batpeople running around trying to do something that the REAL Batman could have solved within the first act). But ignore all that, Scott Snyder writes a pretty damn good origin story here and it's not what you think.
Gotham City stars front and center as the main character of this story. In the early 1800's two brilliant architect brothers (the Gates) move to Gotham City at the behest of Alan Wayne. Mr. Wayne, along with the similarly wealthy Mr. Cobblepot and Mr. Elliott, form the foundation of the great Gotham families. These men wish Gotham to be ushered into a new age and the Gates were the right architects to do it. Made famous by building three bridges that linked Gotham island to various other counties, the bridges were called the Gates of Gotham since they allowed access to the main island itself.
In present day Gotham someone named the Architect (yeah I know..a very terrifying villain-name..right up there with the Actuary) is blowing up many of the historical buildings of Gotham City. What is his agenda? Why is he doing this? This is the mystery put forth to Dick Grayson, our substitute Batman and his merry band that includes TWO Robins and someone called the Black Bat (Cassandra something or the other from somewhere-yet another utterly random person to wear the Bat symbol in uhhh Japan? China? Laos? Mongolia?Actually..I don't care. At all.) then try to unravel this mystery.
This doesn't read like a 3 star review does it? Well my rants aren't about the story or the plot, per se, but rather about the world it inhabits in this case Batman Inc. But aside from that irritation, there is a pretty good tale here. We learn a lot about the motivations of the Gotham city founders and designers. We see Gotham sprout from the 1820's to the 1840's. The story is complemented by an interesting art style. It has noir elements that worked well with this tale and its historical setting. The art doesn't quite translate as well when it is in the current time, but the 19th Century parts mesh very well with this particular style.
Thus Gates of Gotham is a good detective-style story. It truly shines when it gets into the history of Gotham City. I won't say any more about the story since that would spoil a good mystery. It is worth your time to read, even if you dislike the whole Batman Inc mess like I do. If you don't dislike it-then you'll really like this story. Gates of Gotham by itself- 4/5.
Oh and to top it off, or add insult to injury depending on your view, there is a crappy PC story of no consequence whatsoever other than to promote the silly Batman Inc concept. The plot is contrived and offensive to what Batman is as a concept. It starts in a destitute banlieue (neighborhood on the outskirts of a city, similar to suburbs) of Paris where the vast majority seem to be from Islamic countries of the Sunni faith. We are introduced to forgot-his-name already and his very devout mother. She prays a LOT, at the drop of a hat..riots? Pray. Tough economic times? Pray. But at least she's a good person, if a bit too much of a religious type. Anyways her idiot son and his best friend decide that it's a brilliant idea to run into the middle of a riot in their neighborhood (it's a fairly common situation it seems-but for some inexplicable reason these two idiots are confused and don't know what to do). Anyways running right at the Parisian Riot Police is generally not considered a high-IQ thing to do and they get beat down. Later ,in the hospital, they lament that the police weren't able to discern their peaceful intentions, as opposed to the thousands of hooligans rioting right next to them who were dressed in the same way and from the same neighborhood. Then they lament about their treatment and decide that they will use this act as motivation. Naturally, instead of wanting to become lawyers and fight injustice, they decide to blow up the police station. But once the habitually-praying mother gets wind of it, she says "no" and the boy drops out of the attack (strange how that never seems to work in the real world). His friend goes on to attempt that attack, fails miserably and gets blown away by the cops. Kid, mother is still praying, decides to write a diary and do parkour. Flinging himself around Paris with reckless abandon, jumping park benches, climbing on cabs, sliding down guardrails and writing in his diary make him outstanding material to become the Batperson of Paris. At least so says Scott Snyder's Bruce Wayne. I say 2/5 for this story. I also dropped the whole overall score for making me read this garbage. Why is it even included in a book called Gates of Gotham? It is set in Paris. About a Parisian. Seriously. I'd just skip this pap, but some people enjoy this shit. *lol* A guy does some parkour and now he's Batman....that about sums it up for me. Stick to the Gates of Gotham story.
Gotham City stars front and center as the main character of this story. In the early 1800's two brilliant architect brothers (the Gates) move to Gotham City at the behest of Alan Wayne. Mr. Wayne, along with the similarly wealthy Mr. Cobblepot and Mr. Elliott, form the foundation of the great Gotham families. These men wish Gotham to be ushered into a new age and the Gates were the right architects to do it. Made famous by building three bridges that linked Gotham island to various other counties, the bridges were called the Gates of Gotham since they allowed access to the main island itself.
In present day Gotham someone named the Architect (yeah I know..a very terrifying villain-name..right up there with the Actuary) is blowing up many of the historical buildings of Gotham City. What is his agenda? Why is he doing this? This is the mystery put forth to Dick Grayson, our substitute Batman and his merry band that includes TWO Robins and someone called the Black Bat (Cassandra something or the other from somewhere-yet another utterly random person to wear the Bat symbol in uhhh Japan? China? Laos? Mongolia?Actually..I don't care. At all.) then try to unravel this mystery.
This doesn't read like a 3 star review does it? Well my rants aren't about the story or the plot, per se, but rather about the world it inhabits in this case Batman Inc. But aside from that irritation, there is a pretty good tale here. We learn a lot about the motivations of the Gotham city founders and designers. We see Gotham sprout from the 1820's to the 1840's. The story is complemented by an interesting art style. It has noir elements that worked well with this tale and its historical setting. The art doesn't quite translate as well when it is in the current time, but the 19th Century parts mesh very well with this particular style.
Thus Gates of Gotham is a good detective-style story. It truly shines when it gets into the history of Gotham City. I won't say any more about the story since that would spoil a good mystery. It is worth your time to read, even if you dislike the whole Batman Inc mess like I do. If you don't dislike it-then you'll really like this story. Gates of Gotham by itself- 4/5.
Oh and to top it off, or add insult to injury depending on your view, there is a crappy PC story of no consequence whatsoever other than to promote the silly Batman Inc concept. The plot is contrived and offensive to what Batman is as a concept. It starts in a destitute banlieue (neighborhood on the outskirts of a city, similar to suburbs) of Paris where the vast majority seem to be from Islamic countries of the Sunni faith. We are introduced to forgot-his-name already and his very devout mother. She prays a LOT, at the drop of a hat..riots? Pray. Tough economic times? Pray. But at least she's a good person, if a bit too much of a religious type. Anyways her idiot son and his best friend decide that it's a brilliant idea to run into the middle of a riot in their neighborhood (it's a fairly common situation it seems-but for some inexplicable reason these two idiots are confused and don't know what to do). Anyways running right at the Parisian Riot Police is generally not considered a high-IQ thing to do and they get beat down. Later ,in the hospital, they lament that the police weren't able to discern their peaceful intentions, as opposed to the thousands of hooligans rioting right next to them who were dressed in the same way and from the same neighborhood. Then they lament about their treatment and decide that they will use this act as motivation. Naturally, instead of wanting to become lawyers and fight injustice, they decide to blow up the police station. But once the habitually-praying mother gets wind of it, she says "no" and the boy drops out of the attack (strange how that never seems to work in the real world). His friend goes on to attempt that attack, fails miserably and gets blown away by the cops. Kid, mother is still praying, decides to write a diary and do parkour. Flinging himself around Paris with reckless abandon, jumping park benches, climbing on cabs, sliding down guardrails and writing in his diary make him outstanding material to become the Batperson of Paris. At least so says Scott Snyder's Bruce Wayne. I say 2/5 for this story. I also dropped the whole overall score for making me read this garbage. Why is it even included in a book called Gates of Gotham? It is set in Paris. About a Parisian. Seriously. I'd just skip this pap, but some people enjoy this shit. *lol* A guy does some parkour and now he's Batman....that about sums it up for me. Stick to the Gates of Gotham story.
August 3, 2015
This is the second story by Scott Snyder I've read and it was again a great read! He knows how to write a Batman story and he knows how to portray Gotham. I find it very intersting that he portrayed Gotham as a living breathing thing, a city that can corrupt someone in the Black Mirror and that here in Gates of Gotham he does the exact opposite. In Gates of Gotham Snyder emphasises on the fact that Gotham doesn't change you, it just reveals things whether you like them or not and everything else is just an excuse.
The art fits the story, which is a little steampunky, well. I especially like the coloring. The story itself is great, very interesting and original. I always love reading about the origin or past of Gotham. And this story gives you a lot of that. It gives you a backstory to the first families of Gotham (the Elliots, the Cobblepots and of course the Waynes). What we didn't know is that there was another family heavily involved in building Gotham City and in this case you can take that quite literally.
Dick Grayson is still the Batman of Gotham, while Bruce Wayne is travelling the world looking for Batmen and Batwomen for Batman Incorporated. Red Robin, Black Bat and Damian Wayne as Robin are also involved.
The little story in the back of this book was great too. It showcases Bruce finding his "Batman" for the city of Paris. I can't wait to read Batman Inc. after this. The premise is very promising and this book gave me a little taste of what it can be.
The art fits the story, which is a little steampunky, well. I especially like the coloring. The story itself is great, very interesting and original. I always love reading about the origin or past of Gotham. And this story gives you a lot of that. It gives you a backstory to the first families of Gotham (the Elliots, the Cobblepots and of course the Waynes). What we didn't know is that there was another family heavily involved in building Gotham City and in this case you can take that quite literally.
Dick Grayson is still the Batman of Gotham, while Bruce Wayne is travelling the world looking for Batmen and Batwomen for Batman Incorporated. Red Robin, Black Bat and Damian Wayne as Robin are also involved.
The little story in the back of this book was great too. It showcases Bruce finding his "Batman" for the city of Paris. I can't wait to read Batman Inc. after this. The premise is very promising and this book gave me a little taste of what it can be.
August 20, 2013
With Gates of Gotham, Snyder does a great job giving history to Gotham City. Though the actually mystery was set in the modern day Gotham, Snyder did a solid job building the backstory and setting the tone with an historical look into how the city was designed and created. This may attest to my ultimate nerdiness, but some of the frames depicting the early Gotham skyline gave me chills - I loved seeing one of my favorite skylines develop.
This book features Dick Grayson as Batman and shows that he is still getting used to his new role. As much as I didn't know how I would feel about Dick in this role, I am really starting to like him. He works so well with Tim as Red Robin. In contrast, Damien is quite the little asshole, something that I thought would annoy me but which ultimately seems to entertain me. I was surprised to find myself rooting for his success at one key moment in the story.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I initially felt that it wasn't fantastic and maybe not a four star read, but I changed my mind when I thought of all the people that I could recommend it to.
This book features Dick Grayson as Batman and shows that he is still getting used to his new role. As much as I didn't know how I would feel about Dick in this role, I am really starting to like him. He works so well with Tim as Red Robin. In contrast, Damien is quite the little asshole, something that I thought would annoy me but which ultimately seems to entertain me. I was surprised to find myself rooting for his success at one key moment in the story.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I initially felt that it wasn't fantastic and maybe not a four star read, but I changed my mind when I thought of all the people that I could recommend it to.
December 19, 2012
I really enjoyed this book, with Dick as Batman, alongside Damian as Robin, Tim as Red Robin and Cassandra Cain as Black Bat, along with very brief appearance of Bruce. The story ties together 19th Century Gotham with 21st Century Gotham and the families that built Gotham: Cobblepots (Penguin) Elliots (Hush), Kane and of course the Waynes. It also ties together a new Antagonist, "The Architect" along with introducing the brothers who helped literally construct/build Gotham. Well written, relatively new for a Batman story (not a throwaway or rehash of others) and very entertaining. Well worth a read, also for the doubts that raise in Dick's mind as Batman and his capabilities as well as the family dynamics.
June 8, 2015
An okay read! So first off this book features the Dick Grayson Batman, that was nice to see, i really enjoyed him as batman for that short period. The Story follows bridges being blown up in Gotham, they were build in the 1800s. So each issue, would first have a flashback segment where you see the origins oF The Architect(the main villain) and whats going on in the present! For the most part i really enjoyed the villain, the art was very good as well! The story however was okay at best, also i'm noticing a trend that Scott Snyder likes to link his stories to the origins of Gotham city, which what we see here, in Court of The Owls and Endgame; which is pretty cool! Overall its an okay read!
February 2, 2012
Interesting story, but it keeps you completely off guard which diminishes your ability to enjoy it.
May 6, 2023
I think they used every Robin for this story. And a girl too. I'm not familiar with the sidekicks much, so I just glossed over that part. The Batman is a former Robin too and it shows. There is some detective work going on, but nothing major. The flashbacks of the past are at the core of the story. It's good to learn about Gotham's past for a change, but I would have also liked something more accessible from the events in the present day.
Batman and co. are investigating several bridge bombings. They discover that the bombings are related to four families who built most of the city in the late 19th century. The story slowly reveals the secrets of past and present with frequent alternations between the two moments in time.
Batman and co. are investigating several bridge bombings. They discover that the bombings are related to four families who built most of the city in the late 19th century. The story slowly reveals the secrets of past and present with frequent alternations between the two moments in time.
June 11, 2018
3.5/5
July 15, 2019
Definitely liked this one!
Great story.. exciting, thrilling..
Also liked the story about Bilal !
The art was darn good too ;)
All in all a firm 3,75/5
Great story.. exciting, thrilling..
Also liked the story about Bilal !
The art was darn good too ;)
All in all a firm 3,75/5
November 23, 2016
Meh... Batman'in Dick Grayson olduğu maceraları sevemiyorum. Kara Ayna'da da böyle olmuştu, Gotham Kapıları'nda da aynı problemle karşılaştım. Dick, yani ilk Robin, ya da Nightwing, Batman için fazla yumuşak ve hataya meyilli. Hiçbir şeye zamanında yetişemiyor, hiçbir şeyi kendi akıl edemiyor, karizmatik laflar edemiyor. Ve çoğunlukla diğer Robin'lere ve Batgirl'lere bel bağlıyor.
Gotham Kapıları da pratik olarak bu aslında: Steampunk kıyafetler giyen bir adamı durdurmaya çalışan Robin takımı.
Çizimleri güzeldi, hakkını yemeyeyim. Penguen ve şehir 90'lardaki çizgi diziyi andırıyor. Ama konusu için aynı şeyi söyleyemeyeceğim. Sonlara doğru iyice sıkıldım. Sanırım tek beğendiğim kısmı çeviri ve editörlüğü.
Gotham Kapıları da pratik olarak bu aslında: Steampunk kıyafetler giyen bir adamı durdurmaya çalışan Robin takımı.
Çizimleri güzeldi, hakkını yemeyeyim. Penguen ve şehir 90'lardaki çizgi diziyi andırıyor. Ama konusu için aynı şeyi söyleyemeyeceğim. Sonlara doğru iyice sıkıldım. Sanırım tek beğendiğim kısmı çeviri ve editörlüğü.
April 27, 2012
Good solid story that both expanded and deepened the "history" of Gotham but also did so without running roughshod over established character continuities or personalities.
Very well done collection of stories and far better than many of the past few years, in my opinion.
Very well done collection of stories and far better than many of the past few years, in my opinion.
July 8, 2019
É engraçado para não dizer irônico, que TUDO que existe recentemente do Batman é publicado no Brasil. Até uma coleção de histórias do Batman em preto e branco (que é mais chic) está sendo lançada. Mas Portões de Gotham ficou de fora dessa brincadeira e, mesmo tendo sido super elogiada lá fora e, sem trocadilhos, abriu as portas para Scott Snyder e Kyle Higgins em suas passagens pelo Batman e Asa Noturna em Os Novos 52, até então nunca foi publicada pela Dona Panini. Talvez porque o Batman da história fosse Dick Grayson e não Bruce Wayne? Não sei. Mas eis que a junção Eaglemoss/Planeta DeAgostini traz essa minissérie para o Brasil na sua recém inciada coleção "DC Comics: A Lenda do Batman". Eu sempre quis ler a minissérie (em papel, claro) e agora pude lê-la. O visual da mini traz bastante do vitoriano e do steampunk. É bastante interessante a hist��ria que fala sobre gentrificação, manipulação do poder e da cidade em favor, é claro, daqueles que os dominam e como aqueles que ficam em seu caminho são botados para os cantos, sofrendo com seu ostracismo. Mas não é um quadrinho tão fácil. Ele não deixa exatamente claro quem é o vilão da história: se é o redivivo Arquiteto ou se são as poderosas famílias de Gotham, em que os Wayne estão envolvidos. Um porém da minissérie é que a edição 4 não tem a arte de Trevor McCarthy, mas de Graham Nolan e Dustin Guyen. Ao final da história temos um bônus com a origem do Acrobata Noturno, um parisiense muçulmano que pratica parkour e é recrutado pelo Batman. No final, Gates of Gotham, ou ainda, Portões de Gotham é uma HQ que trabalha com a cidade como protagonista, seguindo uma leva do estilo de Frank Miller e Will Eisner.
July 24, 2022
Adorei o desenvolvimento da história em relação aos personagens. O Dick tendo que lidar com a questão de assumir o manto de Batman tentando se provar um Batman tão bom quanto Bruce, diante da pressão e da simbologia do morcego que ele carrega; Tim sempre sensato e investigador tendo diante dele um novo Robin que assumiu seu lugar e longe do seu mentor; Cass retornando a Gotham após uma falha na China que ela se culpa; e o Damian sendo o Robin e a todo momento querendo se provar para todos. A interação deles é mto boa.
Em relação a história, ela é bem bacana e com tom de mistério por trás de tudo. A Batfamily precisa lidar com uma série de explosões que ocorrem em locais específicos em Gotham que traz consigo uma carga do passado, pois envolve as família tradicionais que construíram a cidade.
Em relação a história, ela é bem bacana e com tom de mistério por trás de tudo. A Batfamily precisa lidar com uma série de explosões que ocorrem em locais específicos em Gotham que traz consigo uma carga do passado, pois envolve as família tradicionais que construíram a cidade.
October 16, 2021
One of the stories (along with a run in Detective Comics) that got Scott Snyder his celebrated Batman assignment, Gates of Gotham is very much a prelude to the later Court of Owls, an attempt to flesh out a history that in superhero comics usually is well beside the point. And usually because the writers are just not interested. In this case it probably would have been better to stick with that tradition. Snyder works alongside Kyle Higgins (who wrote Nightwing as a companion to the early Snyder Batman) and even a third writing collaborator, Ryan Parrott. I don’t know. I would’ve considered that a red flag, right there. But Snyder proved incredibly popular with readers, so I guess it just didn’t matter. But I still don’t see the quality actually being there.
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