When you hear the word "Gotham," many probably think of Gotham City, which served as Batman's home and first appeared in comics in the 1940s. Gotham City, whose atmosphere and appearance were influenced by the infrastructure of New York, got its name from a store called 'Gotham Jewellers'.The recent TV series Gotham locates Batman's early genesis in the famous Cortlandt Alley in Chinatown, where the young Bruce Wayne witnessed the death of his parents. The term "Gotham City" is forever associated with the Batman comic universe.In fact, the nickname goes back to the naming of the city of Gotham, and it had the advantage of being a simple, simplified city with a rather vague connotation that illustrated the city's status as the center of the DC-Comics universe, rather than a city with its own history in real life.
Brooklyn bridge, NYC |
It was New York's 42nd Street that would later become a strong influence on Gotham City, and for storytelling purposes, Batman's city had to be brutal. By reintroducing Dark Ages into a modernized setting, it became a new interpretation of Batman and the city.
Much of 42nd Street in the rejuvenated graphic novel of Batman, and Gotham City remains an important part of the Batman myth, whether it's the city that created the Bat and its villain, the Joker, or Gotham itself.
Gotham City |
As we have seen, the story of Batman is as much a story about New York City as Batman and Joker is about Gotham.
Joker's first speech |
The Joker appeared as 'Arthur Fleck', who gave a speech about society on a comedy talk show, and proved successful when he became the first villain to become the most famous villain in New York's history and one of the most popular in the world.
Crime Alley was the place where Bruce Wayne witnessed the murder of his parents:
Other prominent infrastructure of Gotham include its first police department- Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) which has been inspired by the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) |
Even though Gotham City was plagued by crime in its early years, it was never to be the dystopia of corruption that it would become. It had a police department, a city council and a mayor. The city's status as an independent metropolis meant that this was just your typical metropolis.
Even when the city was finally called Gotham City in Batman #4, early editions described it as a city that was cursed, loved by others, and that could be considered a great success and tragedy all at the same time.
The power of the traditional mafia families diminished as they began to lose ground to the Penguin and other supervillains that appeared in the wake of Batman.
The first recurring Batman villain was The 'Joker', a member of one of Gotham City's most notorious crime families. He was featured in the first issue of Batman #1 and appeared in a flashback in which he was a merciless serial killer with a broad grin. His biggest enemy was not Batman, but Harley Quinn.
Joker 😈 |
Although the Dark Knight was certainly one of the most famous crime fighters in the world, people are surprised to learn that he was not the first hero to defend Gotham. The Golden Age of Gotham was lived by Alan Scott, the son of a prominent New York businessman. He settled in Gotham and tried to rid the city of crime with the help of his father, and slipped into the role of Batman as his protector.
Eventually, the Batman family would grow to include crime fighters like Catwoman, Gotham City's next best crime fighter. The term Gotham, was chosen not from the telephone book, but from "Gotham City," the name of the city in New York City in the USA.
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