Few other fictional cities have entered the consciousness of the public mind like Gotham City, Batman’s dark and dreary crime-scape. While big screen treatments tend to represent it more or less as New York City, 70 years of comics have shown a number of interpretations of Gotham, some of which reflect contemporaneous anxieties.
READ MORE: Watch: Explore The Cinematic Evolution Of Batman
Here to help us understand that nuanced evolution of the Bat’s hometown is The Nerdwriter’s new video “The Evolution Of Batman’s Gotham City.” Following the comics and adaptations, the 7-minute video essay traces Batman’s mean streets through many incarnations, from the hellish to the silly, from the comic to the “dark-deco,” and ultimately, to Christopher Nolan’s ultra-realist take. Nolan shows just how fragile order and society are.
The video is an intriguing look at the malleable space of a fictional world over the course of 70 years. Got a couple minutes to spare? Check out the video, and weigh in on your favorite Gotham City incarnation in the comments below.