Writer Doug Moench and illustrator Kelley Jones, the team behind Batman & Dracula: Red Rain, re-team for another Elseworlds Batman tale. But whereas Red Rain was a creepy, fresh transposition, the creators’ latest attempt lacks both cohesion and a compelling story engine.

Haunted Gotham combines the Gothic Eastern European village with skyscrapers and zeppelins, never quite materializing as a world. It’s a kind of Hellgate, where demons and zombies rule, opposed only by the now-defunct Secret College, previously run by Bruce Wayne’s murdered parents. Now, Bruce must become Batman to do battle with a patchwork Joker who has raised an army of the undead.

While Red Rain effectively painted Batman into a horror story, featuring atmospheric artwork and intelligent, well-crafted writing with parallels to the real world, Haunted Gotham offers little that is compelling.



Batman: Haunted Gotham is currently available.