Batman from Gotham in the light of gas lamps
Batman already had a ton of different versions and incarnations. My special attention was drawn to the version of the Bat from the Gotham series in the light of gas lamps. The year is 1889 and Bruce Wayne is traveling around Europe. Eventually, he goes to Vienna, where Dr. Freud becomes his mentor. Batman is still tormented by dreams about the murder of his parents and decides to return to Gotham. On the spot, it turns out that women are starting to die, and people suspect Batman. It soon becomes clear that Kuba the Ripper has arrived in the city. Even though the comic is set in the late 19th century, we still feel at home. The Whitechapel Killer is a perfect match for Batman’s enemy. Brian Augustyn efficiently mixed reality with fiction. The killer’s modus operandi remained the same, and added Jack the Ripper’s confusion in the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne. The whole series focuses on solving a criminal puzzle, which for me is a huge plus and reminds us that Batman is primarily a detective. – Paweł Grzelczyk
Batman among the Nazis
If Batman had appeared in the Third Reich, which side would he be on. Nazi law and justice or opponents of Adolf Hitler’s dictatorship? Well, in comics we can get to know two faces of this ruthless bat.
The Berlin Batman is a short comic story, created by Paul Pope and published in 1998. The author decided to model the comic book hero on an authentic figure from the first half of the 20th century, an Austrian merchant of Jewish origin – Ludwig von Missesie. Batman is presented as the Jewish counterpart of Bruce Wayne – Baruch Wane. Rather than a fashionable playboy, Baruch is a wealthy man who is interested in contemporary art trends, including cubism. He begins the fight against the system on the day his parents are murdered by the Nazis. As the years went by, it got worse and worse, the persecution of his brethren was increasing, until the Jews were exterminated. In this situation, Baruch decides to administer justice, even at the expense of opposing the despotic power.
In turn, on Earth X, Batman is a Leatherwing part of the New Reichsmen, fighting alongside Overman to maintain the thousand-year-old Third Reich. Not much is known about this character, however, like his original counterpart, he uses a lot of tricks, gadgets and exercises to fight evil. With evil from the point of view of the Third Reich. – Bartosz Stuła
