What would happen if Batman were prowling around in the 1880s? Why, he’d take on Jack the Ripper, of course! Yes indeed, in this 1989 DC comic, the Dark Knight encounters the devilish Jack who, for some reason, has journeyed to Gotham. Gotham by Gaslight is considered by most to be the first “Elseworlds” comic–a series where popular characters are put into strange times and realities. You can purchase the 112-page compilation (shown above) of Gotham by Gaslight and its sequel Master of the Future on Amazon for around $10US.

Last year, toy company “DC Direct” came out with this fantastic action figure in the image of this anachronistic avenger. A gentleman by the name of Poe has a nice written review of the figure here, in which (among other things) he makes a rather good point about this Batman’s physique. His seemingly chubby build is in fact quite accurate to what a “he-man” would have looked like in the 1800s. It’s only with today’s exercise techniques that the chiseled body of the modern Batman would be even remotely possible…

There’s also this figure that I simply couldn’t not post. He’s actually from a WWII-era Elseworlds, but come on; goggles!

Dear me, can it get any better than Steampunk and Batman? Heavens, I’m a nerd… *chuckles*