How Gotham Knights: Gilded City Sets the Stage for the Video Game – IGN First
Like the Arkham series before it, Gotham Knights is a game that draws from many corners of the Batman franchise to create its own cohesive universe. This is a game that puts the spotlight on the court of Dark his Knight’s former sidekick and the shadowy Owl. But the game doesn’t simply borrow from existing Batman mythos. It also makes some key additions of its own. And one of those additions is the focus of the Gotham Knights prequel comic book, Gilded City.
Written by Evan Narcisse (Rise of the Black Panther) and drawn by ABEL (Harley Quinn), Batman: Gotham Knights – Gilded City is a story that takes place both in the immediate lead-up to the game and in Gotham City’s distant past. . And it all depends on a new DC hero, his 19th-century freedom fighter known as The Runaway.
IGN has exclusive access to preview the first two issues of this limited series. Check out the slideshow gallery below for a glimpse of the cover, interior art, and the first two in-game DLC items included. We then go into more detail on how the comic sets the stage for the game.
Gotham Knights Intrigue: Gilded City
The plot of the Gotham Knights game is kept secret leading up to its release, but some important details are known.The game begins after the sudden deaths of Batman and Commissioner Gordon. After that twin tragedy, Nightwing, Batgirl’s Red Hood, and Robin must team up to restore order in Gotham and unravel a massive conspiracy involving the Court of Owls.
Gilded City is a direct prequel to the game, one set before the deaths of Batman and Gordon. Narcisse is well versed in game plots and has worked as a consultant for Gotham Knights and other superheroes such as Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Avengers. But his ultimate goal here is to tell a story that stands on two legs. Narcisse emphasized to his IGN that the comic is “more thematically linked than causal.” Gilded City isn’t so much about filling major story gaps in this version of Gotham as it is about helping establish the relationship between his City and Batman and his sidekicks.
That approach makes sense, given that one such relationship appears to be one of the biggest differences between Gotham Knights and the traditional DC Universe. This version of Dick Grayson is openly hostile to his adoptive father, rather than a carefree acrobat who has escaped the Dark Knight’s shadow. The two characters might even clash over the course of the story, if the cover of Gilded City #2 is any indication.
“
In short, Gilded City explores why the bonds between Batman and his partner began to fray, and why this version of the Caped Crusader was unable to save those relationships. Obsession is starting to overshadow everything else
“While the Dark Knight is still in his prime, we see the Dark Knight who must also face the consequences of the relationship of single-mindedly pursuing his mission,” teases Narcisse.
As for the threats Batman faces in the comics, it remains to be seen how closely related conflicts with the game’s major villains, such as the aforementioned Court of Owls and villains like the Penguin and Mr. Freeze, are. As the first issue opens, the Bat-Family faces a new crime. There, ordinary Gotham citizens seem maddened by an unknown contagion.
Who are the fugitives?
While the comics help set the stage for the game’s story mode, Batman’s greatest contribution to the mythos actually occurs much earlier in the DC timeline. The series introduces a new character named Runaway, who lived in Gotham decades before the Civil War.
The heroes’ secret identities are shrouded in mystery once the series begins, but their codenames, costumes, and mission are all about running away slaves protecting African-Americans fleeing north to the relative safety of The Runaway. indicates that there is Whoever they are, The Runaways are presented as heroes who lived in Gotham long before Batman and are not part of the Wayne family’s centuries-old legacy of the city.
“Like many characters, Runaway started out of necessity for a story,” Narcisse told IGN. I didn’t want it to be a bloodline character, which led me to think about co-creating a character who came from almost the exact opposite situation as mine.Bruce Wayne’s: Intergenerational Wealth and Socioeconomic Privilege These ideas have permeated and made heroes much closer to various kinds of injustice.
Narcisse alludes to some important connections between the two storylines, despite their nearly 200-year separation. This comic reveals what Bruce Wayne knows about The Runaway’s exploits, and perhaps whether that legendary vigilante act inspired the creation of Batman.
But there is also a more practical connection between the two storylines. The Runaway sees him clash with the Court of Owls incarnate in the 19th century, foretelling a major battle in 2022.
“The threat of viral behavior that Batman and the Bat-Family are dealing with is directly related to 19th-century runaways,” Narcisse says. Because of that, they definitely oppose any attempt to thwart the masked vigilantes’ evil plans.”
Gotham Knights: Exclusive DLC for Gilded City
Like previous video game-themed DC comics like Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point, Gilded City will include several exclusive DLCs for use in the Gotham Knights games. Each issue contains codes for different cosmetic items. These one-time-use codes will be included in the print edition in question and will also be available to DC Universe Infinite subscribers, but will not be included in in-store digital purchases like Comixology.
The first of these cosmetics is Batcycle’s new skin. This will transform the vehicle into pure white.
Note: Not final art.
The second is a skin that converts Nightwing’s Escrima stick into an old-fashioned rifle barrel.
DC hasn’t revealed which DLC will be included in the remaining four issues, but these cosmetics should provide players with additional incentive to pick up the prequel series.
Batman: Gotham Knights – Guilded City #1 releases on October 25th, the same day as the game.
For more on Gotham Knights, check out this video of two different versions of Red Hood playing together. Also, see the full reveal of his 28 superhero suits in the game. If you want to see everything we’ve revealed so far from Gotham Knights, check out the IGN First hub.
Jesse is IGN’s Gentle Staff Writer. Allow him to lend you a machete to your intellectual bush. Follow @jschedeen on Twitter.
