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In each movie the city of Gotham has evolved...For the first time in Batman Begins it is not just part of the scenery/atmosphere. But I was wondering from which models had Gotham been designed (both in the Comics and in the movies).
It seems obvious to me that NYC is one of the "biological parents", but I was wondering if Chicago could also qualify...

Finally, what do you think of the evolution of Gotham as a character strictly speeking in the various comics, animated series, movies... ?

I only made a few posts here AGES ago, so don't shoot me

I heard somewhere that they mixed different architectural styles and threw them into Gotham City to make it appear ugly.
Was that for Batman Begins?

For the inspiration of Gotham City the creator Bob Kane got the idea from cities like Chicago and Pittsburgh. Over the years writters shaped Gotham city to resemble New York. But originally Gotham city is a darker and more sinester reflection of Metropolis (which is Superman's turf) Both cities have certain similarities but it is believe that both cities started equally the same (Economy). Over time Gotham became more corrupt and more criminal than Metropolis. The city of Gotham wasn't totally lost do to contributions and good will of Thomas Wayne and his Multi-million dollar corporation.

Historically (in the comics) when the depression occur both Metropolis and Gotham were thrown into poverty. I don't know exactly how Metropolis manage to pull itself out of the depression but Gotham didn't recover. Around that time the murder of Thomas Wayne and his wife took place. And as you see in Batman Begins the greedy CEO's took over the business and complete discarded most of Thomas foundations to the poor. Causing an even bigger catastrophe for the economy of Gotham.

Because of the many writters in the comics and the movies, and the tv shows there hasn't been a perfect picture of Gotham city. For me the best illustration of Gotham city can be seen in Detective Comics (which is the title I'm subscribe to. ) and a more corrupted and darker illustration of Gotham can be seen in Legends of the Dark Knight. Which in a timeline is connected to Batman: Year One by Miller.

Well, don't take me word for word this is pretty much my opinion. Fans will have different responses so I hope my helps in some way.

Thanks

Originally posted by WindDancer
For the inspiration of Gotham City the creator Bob Kane got the idea from cities like Chicago and Pittsburgh. Over the years writters shaped Gotham city to resemble New York. But originally Gotham city is a darker and more sinester reflection of Metropolis (which is Superman's turf) Both cities have certain similarities but it is believe that both cities started equally the same (Economy). Over time Gotham became more corrupt and more criminal than Metropolis. The city of Gotham wasn't totally lost do to contributions and good will of Thomas Wayne and his Multi-million dollar corporation.

Historically (in the comics) when the depression occur both Metropolis and Gotham were thrown into poverty. I don't know exactly how Metropolis manage to pull itself out of the depression but Gotham didn't recover. Around that time the murder of Thomas Wayne and his wife took place. And as you see in Batman Begins the greedy CEO's took over the business and complete discarded most of Thomas foundations to the poor. Causing an even bigger catastrophe for the economy of Gotham.

Because of the many writters in the comics and the movies, and the tv shows there hasn't been a perfect picture of Gotham city. For me the best illustration of Gotham city can be seen in Detective Comics (which is the title I'm subscribe to. ) and a more corrupted and darker illustration of Gotham can be seen in Legends of the Dark Knight. Which in a timeline is connected to Batman: Year One by Miller.

Well, don't take me word for word this is pretty much my opinion. Fans will have different responses so I hope my helps in some way.

^ what he said

the scenery in begins sucked. everything was brown. everything. and arkam looked like crap. and the stupid train thing.

Glad to help.

I should also mention that the events in No Man's Land changed Gotham in many ways. If you get a chance pick up the saga and read it. It was indeed a tragic event in the history of Gotham. The magnitude of the disaster was just as devastating as Coast City (Green Lantern's turf).

The one and the only Batman's Home. Best Villains Ever and great adventure. Neat!

Gotham is truly a crime city... rape, theft, muggings, drugs, prostitution and then just psychopaths too. You just hardly ever read the comics where Bats just battles the rapists and muggers etc.
But it also has the psychos, they started taking over around the events of The Long halloween and the city became a hell of a lot... different. Less of the petty crime thanks to batman's presence but major crimes, SPECIAL crimes, were taking over.
Metropolis, on the other hand, is a bright hi tech town threatened by a bunch of monstrous freaks... a bit of a "whatever, it's a 10 foot tall ape, I'm shaking with fear, its the 16th monster this week" kind of thing! Technically, Metropolis is a cheerful town while Gotham is a dark reflection and Bludhaven WAS worse than Gotham, though without so many maniacs... just a dirty, corrupt town where the cops are some of the worst bad guys! i hope that's a good insight...