Something evil lurks in the shadows, a greater horror than any Batman has ever faced. After decades of facing a plethora of horrors on screen, Batman finally finds himself locked in battle against H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos. Christopher Berkley and Sam Liu direct this adaptation of Mike Mignola, Richard Pace and Troy Nixey’s comic, with a script by Jace Ricci. It’s DC’s latest foray into the horror genre, and it’s a fascinating effort to take Batman into new territory.
The story does a terrific job of mixing the towering mythos of Lovecraft with the legendary canon of Batman. In traditional Elseworlds style, characters and setting are reimagined, while the core tenets of the Batman lore remain intact. There’s a thrill that comes with meeting every new character, as we get to see what new interpretation the creators have spun up. Going into particulars would spoil the fun, but it’s enough to say the Al Ghul family and Harvey Dent serve pivotal roles. If anyone is unchanged, it’s jolly old Alfred, who is every bit what one would expect.
In terms of plot, the stakes are high, and well laid out. The tone is suitably grim; there’s not much levity to be found outside of the occasional joke. Much care and effort has gone into making sure the story feels like true horror, but the art doesn’t do a lot to distance itself from the traditional DC animated style. The animation is fluid and looks adequate, but I was hoping for some stronger compositions and a moodier atmosphere. The action is cool, but it isn’t particularly scary for a horror story. Having said that, it’s important to note that the monster design is truly gruesome, and the violence is straining hard against the PG-13 rating.
A strong point is the voice work, which is excellent. David Giuntoli reprises his role from Soul of the Dragon. Batman is firm, but not as confident as we’d usually expect from the dark knight. He’s out of his depth in the supernatural affairs, consumed with self-doubt. It’s a reflective and interesting Batman performance, Giuntoli really sinks his teeth in. Christopher Gorham and Emily O’Brien are the supporting standouts as Oliver Queen and Talia al Ghul, heroic and sinister in equal parts. It’s also nice to hear horror veteran Jeffrey Coombs in the small but key part of Kirk Langstrom. There’s even a blink-and-you’ll-miss it reference to his classic Lovecraftian horror film Re-Animator in one scene.
Overall, it’s easy to say that Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham is successful animated entertainment. It’s not quite as scary as it could be, but it’s very effective in creating a new vision of the Batman world. It’s unique, well made and engaging, with great performances and a fascinating story. The marriage of Lovecraft and DC will prove to be really quite fun for fans of both universes, and may lead DC fans who are unfamiliar with Lovecraft to read more into it. DC’s latest adventure into the world of horror is definitely a success.
