Would you want to be a resident of Gotham City?

[Phantasm]

I would.:)

At first glance it looks like a formidable place to live, with insane people chasing each other on rooftops.Families and lives are destroyed on a daily basis. There is no such thing as 'justice' inherent in almost any aspect of the city.

And all the while I've been thinking about the good that living in such an environment can do to one. The tougher the surroundings, the stronger you turn out. Living there, I'd naturally have to adapt and in the process I will be prone to improving myself in the sense that I'll get to face all the harsh realities of life head on. Getting exposed to the worst situations at least leaves you with a state of mind where if anything 'bad' happens to you, you know you've been through worst.And get consolidation with the thought that it truely can't get any worse.

Then there's the whole Batman factor. lol, yes living in the place u are bound to come across the legend at least once!:anime:

[Anon190]

And all the while I've been thinking about the good that living in such an environment can do to one. The tougher the surroundings, the stronger you turn out. Living there, I'd naturally have to adapt and in the process I will be prone to improving myself in the sense that I'll get to face all the harsh realities of life head on. Getting exposed to the worst situations at least leaves you with a state of mind where if anything 'bad' happens to you, you know you've been through worst.And get consolidation with the thought that it truely can't get any worse.
Or, you could die. Y'know, from some random criminal mugging or something like that. Then you wouldn't have a chance to become stronger. Cause you'd be dead.

I'll take my Batman worship afar and live somewhere safe. Like Los Angeles. :D

[EinBebop]

"Decent people shouldn't live here. They'd be happier someplace else."
- The Joker

[Phantasm]

Yes, there is that risk of dying. It's like a jungle out there.But people do survive. They just have to strive to be 'the fittest'.

[TimTwoFace]

I would, simply because it would be an exciting and interesting and possibly entertaining experience.

Of course, we have to make one thing clear - is this the Gotham City of the 60's or the Gotham City of the present? :p

*DOES THE BAT-TUSI*

-Tim

[TRUE]

Hell No!

[matta2fatta]

i would but id want to be a villian

[Red X Unmasked]

At first glance it looks like a formidable place to live, with insane people chasing each other on rooftops.Families and lives are destroyed on a daily basis. There is no such thing as 'justice' inherent in almost any aspect of the city.

And all the while I've been thinking about the good that living in such an environment can do to one. The tougher the surroundings, the stronger you turn out. Living there, I'd naturally have to adapt and in the process I will be prone to improving myself in the sense that I'll get to face all the harsh realities of life head on. Getting exposed to the worst situations at least leaves you with a state of mind where if anything 'bad' happens to you, you know you've been through worst.And get consolidation with the thought that it truely can't get any worse.


There's already a place like that, and it's called "D.C." home of yours truely. ;)
But seriously, I'd probably live in Gotham just for the excitement and fun of it. I'd go around and tell people I'm friends with the Bat just for the fun of it.

[El Zorro]

I would and I do. Well, I live in NYC and I figure that's close enough, right? :)

After all, "Gotham" is actually just a nickname for NYC.

For those interested in such things I ran across these short pieces on-line regarding the origins of the name "Gotham"

From http://www.wordorigins.org/wordorg.htm
Gotham

This nickname for New York City comes from the name of a village in Nottinghamshire, England. Gotham is from the Old English gat (goat) + ham (homestead) or hamm (enclosure, pen).

Gotham has also been, since the mid-15th century, a term for a place with foolish inhabitants. Whether this usage actually stemmed from the real village, or was just a name randomly adopted for the purpose is not known.

Washington Irving was the first to apply the term to New York in his 1807 satirical work Salmagundi. He was relying on readers to recognize the tradition that Gotham was home to simpletons.


From: http://www.sacklunch.net/placenames/G/Gotham.html


Meaning of Place Name: Gotham

Gotham: At one time the term was applied to a parish of Nottingham, England. The people here were famed for their stupidity and simplicity, which obtained for them the satirical appellation of the "wise men of Gotham." Many nations have designated some particular locality as the paradise of fools; for example, Phrygia was the fools' home in Asia, Abdera of the Thracians, Boetia of the Greeks, Swabia of the Germans, etc. To Americans it is chiefly significant as a colloquial term for the city of New York. Thus appl

[Phantasm]

Yeah Gotham is, I think a fictional equivalent of NYC, particularly during those Boss Tweed days.

[Fone Bone]

THAT armpit? No.

[Batman Fan]

OH YEAH:D Never a dull moment!

[AdamYJ]

No way! It's so dark and gloomy, even in the daytime. Also, no one ever seems to be happy there.

If I were to live in a fictitious DC Universe city, it would probably be someplace like Gateway City, Central City, Happy Harbor or maybe even Opal City. Not sure about Metropolis. I definitely wouldn't want to live in Coast City though. Or maybe I should say, I wouldn't want to "have lived" in Coast City, especially around 1994.

[charles At NC]

I might for a while,but I would't Forget to pack my glock!

Metropolis would be nicer

[Karkull]

My favorite reference to this subject comes from "Fortunes," which appeared in Batman: Black and White, Volume 2. In it Batman teams up with an Islamic private detective who had this to say: "We [he and his wife] moved to Gotham, hoping to find a better life [...] Gotham is slightly safer than Algeria. Slightly..."

[BeastBoyWonder]

There's already a place like that, and it's called "D.C." home of yours truely. ;)
But seriously, I'd probably live in Gotham just for the excitement and fun of it. I'd go around and tell people I'm friends with the Bat just for the fun of it.

Damn right, its really sad that our nation's capitol has one of the hardest ghettos in this country. Its an intimidating place.

Anyway, I wouldn't live in Gotham. I don't want to die slow, but I don't want to die for no reason either.

[Anthonynotes]

>>I would.

At first glance it looks like a formidable place to live, with insane people chasing each other on rooftops.Families and lives are destroyed on a daily basis. There is no such thing as 'justice' inherent in almost any aspect of the city.

And all the while I've been thinking about the good that living in such an environment can do to one. The tougher the surroundings, the stronger you turn out. Living there, I'd naturally have to adapt and in the process I will be prone to improving myself in the sense that I'll get to face all the harsh realities of life head on. Getting exposed to the worst situations at least leaves you with a state of mind where if anything 'bad' happens to you, you know you've been through worst.And get consolidation with the thought that it truely can't get any worse.
<<

Uh-huh. Guessing Iraq's citizens/the denizens of the worst inner-city American neighborhoods don't think living in such environments are doing them much "good"... but I digress...

As for the question: between it being Gotham (I've never even been to New York) and being more a Superman fan than a Batman one, I'd rather live in Metropolis. Or maybe Central City. Though (given my assumption that Gotham's not too far away from Metropolis), I'd probably take a "field trip" to Gotham at some point... :-)

-B.

[Eddie G.]

Gotham was NYC, in our modern world (Thanks to Rudy) you can hardly call New York the hell hole of crime that Gotham is. Frankly I'd rather live in Metropolis or Wonder Woman's island of birth.

[randomguy]

or Wonder Woman's island of birth.
And I think we all have a pretty good idea of why that is...

[charles At NC]

Gotham was NYC, in our modern world (Thanks to Rudy) you can hardly call New York the hell hole of crime that Gotham is. Frankly I'd rather live in Metropolis or Wonder Woman's island of birth.
but sadly men are not allowed on amazon island:sad:

[Mynd Hed]

Not me-- the sky is never blue, even in the daytime! There's got to be some SERIOUSLY nasty stuff in the air to get that effect. (-:

[Anthonynotes]

but sadly men are not allowed on amazon island:sad:

Actually, its name was "Themyscira" or "Paradise Island". Don't know if the Animated version has the "no men allowed" rule the pre-Crisis comics had or not...

RE: Gotham's sky color:

Well, at least the version of Gotham presumably discussed here doesn't have a *green* colored sky... besides, the Bat-Signal's gotta be projecting itself on *something* (air pollution, whatever)... ;-)

-B.

[BonyT]

Um, no. I think I'm with Anon190 on this one.
... Except maybe for the "living in L.A." part. :D


***BonyT's brain: But wait -- if we lived in L.A., maybe you could get Lakers season tickets!!
***BonyT: Oh, [i]yeah -- Hey, that's executive-level thinkin', brain! 'Bout time you made yourself useful around here!
[/INTERNAL MONOLOGUE]

Hmm ... you got Lakers season tics, Anon? I imagine they go a little cheaper these days, don't they?

[Spectre]

No way. Gotham's an exciting place to visit, but stay there too long and you could wind up dead. Part of me sometimes wonders why the city's still as big as it is, given that there's a psychopath or two on the loose every other day.

No, I think I'll live in Blüdhaven. Nice town, or so I've heard. ;)

[Harley Quinn]

Absolutely. T'would be exciting.

[90'sCartoonMan]

Gotham: At one time the term was applied to a parish of Nottingham, England. The people here were famed for their stupidity and simplicity, which obtained for them the satirical appellation of the "wise men of Gotham." Many nations have designated some particular locality as the paradise of fools; for example, Phrygia was the fools' home in Asia, Abdera of the Thracians, Boetia of the Greeks, Swabia of the Germans, etc. To Americans it is chiefly significant as a colloquial term for the city of New York. Thus appl Thanks for the insight, Zorro, but why does that definition stop there? Oh well.

Weird how both Gotham and Metropolis are based on New York. Out of the two, I'd live in Metropolis (I'd probably pick that out of all the DCU cities...Keystone may be cool, but what happens if all the Iron Heights inmates escape?).

I'd only like to go to Gotham if I could meet Poison Ivy. Otherwise, I'll wait 50 years to live in the city.

[El Zorro]

Thanks for the insight, Zorro, but why does that definition stop there? Oh well.
I don't write em, I just post em ;)




Weird how both Gotham and Metropolis are based on New York.
I always used to joke that Metropolis is NYC during the day, Gotham City is NYC at night. The occurred to me when I realised that when watching 'The New Batman/Superman Adventures' I could generally tell wether a given episode was a Batman or a Superman episode in the first 5 seconds based on if it was a daytime scene or a night time scene.

[charles At NC]

I'd only like to go to Gotham if I could meet Poison Ivy. Otherwise, I'll wait 50 years to live in the city.
Take a number:D

[BonyT]

I always used to joke that Metropolis is NYC during the day, Gotham City is NYC at night. The occurred to me when I realised that when watching 'The New Batman/Superman Adventures' I could generally tell wether a given episode was a Batman or a Superman episode in the first 5 seconds based on if it was a daytime scene or a night time scene.Reminds me of a line from Batman: Year One in which Bruce is going out to save Gordon's kidnapped baby daughter. He dresses up simply in a black outfit wearing a motorcycle helmet. Alfred asks whether he should fetch the Batman costume, and Bruce replies, "Never during the day, Alfred."

The relation of both Batman & Superman to NYC is interesting, though. When the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve came out, the filmmakers' Metropolis was unmistakably New York, right down to the inclusion of scenes of the Statue of Liberty. And back in '39, Kane & Finger definitely had New York in mind for Gotham (indeed choosing the name "Gotham," as has already been pointed out in the thread, because it was a nickname for NYC); yet by the time the Batman feature films rolled around, Burton clearly intended Gotham to be distinct, notably in the architecture, from New York or any other existing city (although Gotham's mayor provided a link to real-world New York city).

Gotham seems to have, over time, taken on somewhat more of a mythic quality than Metropolis; Gotham has become THE quintessential crime city, a city just barely still clinging precariously on the edge of the abyss, primed to spiral in headlong at but a nudge from just one more madman, and only the Batman can hold the city back from descent into chaos.

[El Zorro]

Reminds me of a line from Batman: Year One in which Bruce is going out to save Gordon's kidnapped baby daughter.

I hate to be nitpicky.. that's not true, I love being nitpicky.. but it was Gordon's infant son, James, Jr.



He dresses up simply in a black outfit wearing a motorcycle helmet. Alfred asks whether he should fetch the Batman costume, and Bruce replies, "Never during the day, Alfred."

The relation of both Batman & Superman to NYC is interesting, though. When the Superman movies with Christopher Reeve came out, the filmmakers' Metropolis was unmistakably New York, right down to the inclusion of scenes of the Statue of Liberty. And back in '39, Kane & Finger definitely had New York in mind for Gotham (indeed choosing the name "Gotham," as has already been pointed out in the thread, because it was a nickname for NYC); yet by the time the Batman feature films rolled around, Burton clearly intended Gotham to be distinct, notably in the architecture, from New York or any other existing city (although Gotham's mayor provided a link to real-world New York city).
To me this detracted from the feel of Burton's Batman. In Superman Richard Donner made Metropolis feel like a real city. Even with fantastic things happening all around, you always felt like it was rooted in the real world. Burton's Gothom, on the other hand, always felt like a set to me, it didn't feel at all like a real city.

[BonyT]

I hate to be nitpicky.. that's not true, I love being nitpicky.. but it was Gordon's infant son, James, Jr.Ah! Right you are. ("Little James, strong lungs.") Successful nitpick accomplished! ;)



To me this detracted from the feel of Burton's Batman. In Superman Richard Donner made Metropolis feel like a real city. Even with fantastic things happening all around, you always felt like it was rooted in the real world. Burton's Gothom, on the other hand, always felt like a set to me, it didn't feel at all like a real city.I'm no fan of any of the 4 big-budget Batman films so far, for many reasons (although I am hopeful about Batman Begins). But I must say, I do see a value in Gotham being more emblamatic of the darkest possibilities for society, rather than being linked to a specific real-world city. Somehow, Gotham would seem too "small" to me if it seemed to reflect a particular actual city.

But I do agree with you that the linkage to real-world New York actually helped Superman, a fantastic (in this case meaning filled with fantasy, with unrealistic elements) story, be a little more grounded & accessible to the audience. ... It may be that Superman stories, necessarily dependent as they are on the unreal & impossible, need that kind of grounding in a way that the Batman stories don't (with their more "real-world" set of parameters) in order for us to be able to connect with them. So perhaps Metropolis really needs to be more linked with real-world New York, and Gotham can afford to slip somewhat into the realm of the mythic.

[El Zorro]

Ah! Right you are. ("Little James, strong lungs.") Successful nitpick accomplished! ;)


I'm no fan of any of the 4 big-budget Batman films so far, for many reasons (although I am hopeful about Batman Begins). But I must say, I do see a value in Gotham being more emblamatic of the darkest possibilities for society, rather than being linked to a specific real-world city. Somehow, Gotham would seem too "small" to me if it seemed to reflect a particular actual city.
Well, I don't think it would have to be linked to any particular city. One can create a fictional city and still have it feel as though it is a real place. I'm not saying I wanted Gotham City to be NYC, but rather that I just wanted it to feel like a genuine location. I don't know that I'm articulating this properly, but it wouldn't be the first time :)

[BonyT]

Well, I don't think it would have to be linked to any particular city. One can create a fictional city and still have it feel as though it is a real place. I'm not saying I wanted Gotham City to be NYC, but rather that I just wanted it to feel like a genuine location. I don't know that I'm articulating this properly, but it wouldn't be the first time :)No, I think maybe I follow what you're saying. It's certainly true that the Batman films, which got progressively worse, also featured progressively more absurd Gothams. And I agree with you: The city can definitely still take on broader, emblamatic dimensions without taking on unrealistic actual architectural dimensions. :)

[Anthonynotes]

I don't write em, I just post em ;)


I always used to joke that Metropolis is NYC during the day, Gotham City is NYC at night. The occurred to me when I realised that when watching 'The New Batman/Superman Adventures' I could generally tell wether a given episode was a Batman or a Superman episode in the first 5 seconds based on if it was a daytime scene or a night time scene.


IIRC, the quote "Metropolis is NYC by day, Gotham City is NYC by night" was said by Frank Miller, regarding the overall nature of the two cities/one of those "where are they located?" questions.

I view both as NYC analogues, even though NYC exists in their world---Metropolis being the nicer aspects of urban life, while Gotham reflects the lesser sides of urban American life (but apparently not being *too* far gone, since it still pulls in conventions/expensive museums and jewelry stores/industry and stuff).

The way I saw Gotham City drawn in a Englehart comic story of the late 70's (the "Laughing Fish" and Deadshot stories) made Gotham feel like a "real" city to me...

[AdamYJ]

Gotham seems to have, over time, taken on somewhat more of a mythic quality than Metropolis; Gotham has become THE quintessential crime city, a city just barely still clinging precariously on the edge of the abyss, primed to spiral in headlong at but a nudge from just one more madman, and only the Batman can hold the city back from descent into chaos.
I don't know if that's quite true. In my mind, Metropolis has the same mythic quality, only going in the opposite direction.

While Gotham is the crime city teetering on the abyss, Metropolis is the ultimate face of urban progress as best humans can make it. The city is bright, clean, unparalleled in its level of modernity. Almost futuristic. It's the kind of place where non-polluting monorails run on regular schedules and interestingly shaped buildings make up the skyline (including a certain one that looks like an "L" from the sky). It's a city that still seems to glow at night because of all the people with their lights on doing things, as opposed to Gotham which actually seems to succumb to near-absolute darkness each night. It's where high tech meets everyday living without overcoming it too much. Of course, maybe I see it this way because this is how Metropolis always looked in the Superman cartoons on Kids' WB.

Pretty much all the cities of the DCU have a basis on real cities with certain exaggerations. Gateway City is a historic, artistic seaport city like San Francisco, Newport or Boston (mostly San Francisco). Keystone City is a utilitarian, industrial city like Detroit. Coast City was most likely Los Angeles before it was wiped out, with some other West Coast cities mixed in for flavor.

[Ferquin]

I don't write em, I just post em ;)


I always used to joke that Metropolis is NYC during the day, Gotham City is NYC at night. The occurred to me when I realised that when watching 'The New Batman/Superman Adventures' I could generally tell wether a given episode was a Batman or a Superman episode in the first 5 seconds based on if it was a daytime scene or a night time scene.Heh. I noticed that too. I also notice that Metropolis seems to be more modern and technologically advanced and has tall, retro-futuristic looking buildings as opposed to Gotham's "dark deco" and retro ambience (black & white TVs, c. 1940s autos and fashions).

Actually, I see Metropolis as being more like... Chicago. It's got tall buildings and isnt' too far removed from the American heartland where Smallville would theoretically exist. At the same time, Metropolis seems to enjoy its own amount of strife, but from a more sci-fi aspect (i.e. villains from space) as opposed to the violent psychopaths that live in Gotham.

But I digress. I would not want to live in Gotham. Insurance alone must be a real pain.

Hmm... Maybe Smallville.

[90'sCartoonMan]

While Gotham is the crime city teetering on the abyss, Metropolis is the ultimate face of urban progress as best humans can make it. The city is bright, clean, unparalleled in its level of modernity. Almost futuristic. It's the kind of place where non-polluting monorails run on regular schedules and interestingly shaped buildings make up the skyline (including a certain one that looks like an "L" from the sky). It's a city that still seems to glow at night because of all the people with their lights on doing things, as opposed to Gotham which actually seems to succumb to near-absolute darkness each night.
Couldn't have said it better myself. The residents of Gotham keep it dark at night to hide their secrets. Here's what R. Kelly had to say about Gotham:

I'm lookin over the skyline of the city How loud, quiet nights in the mist of crime How next door to happiness lives sorrow And signals of solution in the sky

[1] - A city of justice, a city of love A city of peace, for everyone of us We all need it, can't live without it Gotham City, oh, yeah

How sleeping awake because of fear (ohh, yeah) How children are drowning in their tears How we need a place where we can go A land where everyone will have a hero (even me) [repeat 1, 1]

Yet in the middle of stormy weather We won't stumble and we won't fall I know a place that all of us shelter [rpt 1...]

What do people think of his take on the city?

I own a DVD of some of the old Fleischer Superman cartoons. Weird seeing him live in New York.

[90'sCartoonMan]

Pretty much all the cities of the DCU have a basis on real cities with certain exaggerations. Gateway City is a historic, artistic seaport city like San Francisco, Newport or Boston (mostly San Francisco). Keystone City is a utilitarian, industrial city like Detroit. Coast City was most likely Los Angeles before it was wiped out, with some other West Coast cities mixed in for flavor.
Oh yeah, and another thing, let us not forget St. Roch, which is CLEARLY New Orleans.

[katfairy]

Hey, someone else who thinks of Metropolis as Chicago! Cool! I've never been able to figure out why I've always thought of it that way, but that's how it is.

As for living in Gotham- no. Not on a bet. But then, I hate living in cities; I'm not even that keen on visiting them. I'm a hick, and proud of it. Of course, if I had the option of meeting Batman (Bruce or Terry), I'd probably consider dropping in for a short stay... :D