Gotham City

Gotham City is a fictional city appearing in DC Comics, and is best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Detective Comics #48 (February 1941); before then, Batman's adventures happened in either New York City or an unnamed city. Gotham is known to be architecturally modeled after New York or Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but with more exaggerated vices. The name Gotham is an old nickname of New York.

Related Topics:
Fictional city - DC Comics - Batman - Detective Comics - February - 1941 - New York City - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - Gotham

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In terms of how Gotham City's atmosphere is usually depicted, it has been said by some that, metaphorically, Metropolis (home to Superman) is "New York during the day," and Gotham is "New York at night." This comparison is helped by the fact that Metropolis is more often seen during the day, and Gotham more at night. Longtime Batman writer and editor Dennis O'Neil has also said figuratively that Metropolis is New York above 14th St., and that Gotham City is New York below 14th St. Within the comics themselves, however, New York, Metropolis and Gotham City all exist as separate cities.

Related Topics:
Metropolis - Superman - Dennis O'Neil

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Gotham City's atmosphere took on a lighter tone in the comics of the 1950s and part of the 1960s, similar to the tone of Batman stories of that era; by the early 1970s, however, Gotham's tone (and the Batman stories themselves) had become grittier.

Related Topics:
1950s - 1960s - 1970s

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