What do residents of the DC Universe think of Gotham City?

[Skipper]

Well, if anything, Gotham's villains have always showed a preference for murdering rich people. Remember, it's a place where the sum of money you invest in your personal protection is totally irrelevant. And I don't know if you read the most recent Joker War, but it has been a real nightmare/warzone for its citizens. Realistically, should be thousands of refuges escaping from the city, like the poor people from Libya to Europe. It don't even make sense that any important company want to keep open a branch there. Gotham at this point is like Beiurut in the worst days of civil war. The only difference is the citizens of Gotham do not have to embark on dangerous boats that risk sinking to escape, all they have to do to save themselves is take a train (obviously if the Joker does not poison all passengers with his gas first).

 

[DEWLine]

They tried that with the "No Man's Land" Executive Order. And that took about a year to backfire politically. It set up the Luthor Presidency, right?

 

[JD]

Agents of DEWLine Real Estate™ can also be found in Bludhaven, Ivy Town, Calvin City, Charlton Point, and Civic City.

I know Bludhaven is Nightwing's home town and Ivy City is from The Atom, but I don't know those last three. What are they from?

 

[DEWLine]

Calvin City is home to Al Pratt, the original Atom from the 1940's.
Charlton Point is from the Son of Vulcan mini-series, taking its name from Charlton Comics, which used to publish the original version of the character before DC bought that up along with Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, etc..
Civic City is a really obscure fictional suburb of Philadelphia from a Justice Society story of the 1940's.

 

[Samurai8472]

In a place like Gotham they can disappear into the chaos.

They always have that scene where the villains are lurking in a part of Gotham underside while Batman is tinkering in the batcave


MEANWHILE! In the old district of Gotham.....

*Unlicensed Plastic Surgery*

*Unlicensed surgery here*

*Antiques shop*

 

[FormerLurker]

I imagine much of the rest of the DC United States views Gotham as some kind of themed resort like Westworld.

 

[JD]

Calvin City is home to Al Pratt, the original Atom from the 1940's.
Charlton Point is from the Son of Vulcan mini-series, taking its name from Charlton Comics, which used to publish the original version of the character before DC bought that up along with Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, etc..
Civic City is a really obscure fictional suburb of Philadelphia from a Justice Society story of the 1940's.

Sounds like that was a pretty deep cut reference, so I don't feel so bad about not knowing them.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Sounds like that was a pretty deep cut reference, so I don't feel so bad about not knowing them.

I didn't recognize "Charlton Point" myself. OTOH, as a JSA fan, Calvin City and Civic City are very familiar.

 

[dupersuper]

In the comics, up until the nineties at least, Gotham wasn't any more dangerous or dark than other cities. The modern day conception of Gotham as an extremely dark place began sometime after the Zero Hour.

The Gotham pre-Zero Hour was often portrayed as plenty dark. See: Batman Year One, Dark Knight Returns, Batman '89, the Dave Gibbons Worlds Finest, many of the regular Batbooks of the 80s, 90s Batman cartoon...

At least it's not Metropolis with all the giant robots and death rays.

Yeah, but outside of the Snyder films, little to no body count. Give me a big robot and some property damage over Jokers latest blood-soaked, multi-issue spanning master plan any day.

 

[theenglish]

The Gotham pre-Zero Hour was often portrayed as plenty dark. See: Batman Year One, Dark Knight Returns, Batman '89, the Dave Gibbons Worlds Finest, many of the regular Batbooks of the 80s, 90s Batman cartoon...

Year One is more of a mafia story and has a Jersey vibe to it, which is about as dark as Gotham got back then in the regular books. Returns is an alternate take on Batman and was never meant to be a template for how Batman should be. I'm not familiar with 89 or World's Finest of the era.

 

[DEWLine]

Except that by its financial success, it became the template.

 

[Aragorn]

I'm not familiar with 89 or World's Finest of the era.

I think Batman '89 refers to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton movie. Because there's also an upcoming Batman '89 comic series that follows up Batman Returns using the likenesses of Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer and Billy Dee Williams, and ignores Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Civic City

 

[Skipper]

You know what? Probably New York in the Marvel Universe is worse. The 99% of superheroes and supervillains of the MU resides here, and every time Galactus tries to consume the Earth he begins in the Big Apple

 

[Nerys Myk]

You know what? Probably New York in the Marvel Universe is worse. The 99% of superheroes and supervillains of the MU resides here, and every time Galactus tries to consume the Earth he begins in the Big Apple

That’s their fault for naming it after a fruit

 

[Skipper]

That’s their fault for naming it after a fruit

I remember they tried to address the lack of superheroes in other cities during The Initiative, but then the Skrulls arrived so...

 

[theenglish]

I think Batman '89 refers to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton movie. Because there's also an upcoming Batman '89 comic series that follows up Batman Returns using the likenesses of Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer and Billy Dee Williams, and ignores Batman Forever and Batman & Robin.

That makes sense. I actually think Burton's films along with Year One and DKR were responsible for the current Gotham we are discussing here.

 

[theenglish]

You know what? Probably New York in the Marvel Universe is worse. The 99% of superheroes and supervillains of the MU resides here, and every time Galactus tries to consume the Earth he begins in the Big Apple

Galactus just goes there for the pizza and to take in a show.

 

[Sci]

Galactus just goes there for the pizza and to take in a show.

His best night in town was when he went to the East Village in January and stopped at a 2 Bros. Pizza for a giant slice, sat on the narrow wall bench in the back corner while he slurped it up, and then went to the Kraine Theatre beneath the KGB Bar to watch the New York Neo-Futurists perform Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind for base $14 plus the roll of the dice. When the Neos got to the appropriate sketch, he was invited onstage to dance and freeze with them as part of the show.

Really he's just upset he's never been able to have as much fun in New York since.

 

[Skipper]

You are joking about pizza but...

(He's Firelord, a Galactus' herald)