The Gotham by Gaslight version of the Justice League has been slowly assembled, and in the third issue of Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – A League for Justice they become – somehow – appropriately global.
The series so far – and the preceding series, The Kryptonian Age – has seen alternate versions of key figures of the DC Universe slowly come together, and it seems as if each issue invites another character to the fold, whether they be classic league members or compelling takes on weirder, more solo characters. As the League builds, outside forces conspire.
DC
Issue #3 plays with a good deal of both: Jay Garrick and Victor Stone more directly enter the narrative, but we spend some time with John Constantine and Ra’s al Ghul, get a quick peek at Catwoman, and discuss the Phantom Stranger. The universe – which once seemed small and isolated in its initial appearance – is proving to be vast and complex.
For all the gathered superpowers, this issue isn’t action-packed – the punch-em-ups and exploding steam-powered mecha suits were last issue. Rather, this issue splinters the narrative and begins gathering threads. Though the League is effectively complete, they’ve already set out on different paths. They depart Smallville and visits are made to Arabia and Buenes Aires. While Zod and Luthor plot, the League spends most of its time in transit.
This issue is a winding of gears, a setting up of dominos. More moving parts means more jumps in the story, but those parts – and these quick jumps in narrative and location – imply a much larger assembly in the works; just how big can A League for Justice grow, how wide can its story range, and how big will the final confrontation with Zod be? This issue answers none of those questions, but it sure does suggest that there’s a lot to expect as the story moves forward.
