Batman often has his hands full dealing with the criminal underworld in Gotham, but for a brief moment, Gotham City was actually the safest, happiest city in all of DC Comics.
Ever since Batman made his first appearance in Gotham City, many psychotic criminals have come out of hiding to challenge the Caped Crusader, such as the Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman. While Gotham is far from the safest city, Batman and his allies strive to protect their city from evildoers. However, one criminal enacted a plan that would simultaneously transform Gotham into a Utopia, and a Dystopian society in one fell swoop: Scarecrow.
Scarecrow, also known as Jonathan Crane, is a PhD who researched Fear and the human response to fear. Crane's obsession grew too far, and he eventually turned to crime, often dosing people with his "fear gas" in an effort to further his "research." One of Scarecrow's plots involved creating a gas that would not induce fear, but rather cause people to be happy and content with their lives. Crane developed a gas that would allow people to see what they wanted to see and allow even the unhappiest of people to finally become filled with joy. The result of this new chemical was "Gothtopia," the "Safest city in the U.S.A.," or so it would seem.
Batman would still be the protector of this new "Gothtopia," alongside his new crimefighting partner "Catbird," in reality a heroic Catwoman in a new identity. Batman himself wore a brand new uniform, one that was bright white costume as opposed to his usual Grey colors. This new and improved Batman would fight crime alongside Catbird in broad daylight as opposed to the nighttime. Other heroes, such as Batgirl and Batwing, took on newer identities Bluebelle and Flying Fox, each with new and more vibrant costumes. Crime in Gothtopia was down by 90%, and most of the worst criminals had official positions in Gotham, such as The Penguin as Mayor Cobblepot, or Black Mask as Commissioner Roman Sionis. While most citizens were happy and content in this new "utopia," there was an unusually high rate of suicide in Gothtopia, which baffled even Batman and Catbird. While all seemed perfect, the Bat-Family were unaware that this "vibrant" Gotham was all an illusion by Scarecrow, who was using this new city for more nefarious purposes. After an encounter with Poison Ivy, being affected by her chemicals, Batman was able to break free from Crane's drug, and began to undercover Scarecrow's real purpose for creating "Gothtopia."
After being captured by his "allies," who believed that Batman was slowly breaking down, the Caped Crusader was sent to Arkham Asylum where he learned that Scarecrow was the mastermind behind "Gothtopia." After breaking free from his cell, Batman freed Poison Ivy who, thanks to her abilities, remained unaffected by Crane's illusion. The two worked together on a cure and were able to ascertain Crane's motivations. Crane had actually developed an incredibly strong fear gas formula and wanted to test it on citizens who felt zero fear altogether. By creating an environment with no fear, and nothing but joy and contentment, this new gas would have a much stronger effect on anyone exposed to it, leading to suicide among some of Gotham's citizens. Crane would then extract from his victims a chemical that would allow him to produce more fear gas. Once Crane had experimented on enough citizens, and produced enough of his formula, he was planning on exposing the entire city to his gas. Batman, however, infused Crane's supply of fear gas with the antidote, allowing the Dark Knight and his allies to stop Scarecrow's plan, and defeat the villain.
Though Gotham was soon restored to normal, and it's citizens saved once again, it was interesting to see what a Utopian Gotham City would have looked like. While under the influence of Crane's gas, many heroes got to live happier lives and fulfill their deepest desires. Batgirl for example had not only a great relationship with her Father Commissioner Gordan in Gothtopia but with her brother James Jr. as well (who, when not exposed to Cranes gas, is a serial killer). Selina Kyle was also able to have a romantic relationship with Batman, as well as be his partner in fighting crime, with no conflicts about formerly being a thief. Even Batman was a more upbeat crime fighter, proving that he does enjoy being a hero, and without all the guilt and darkness Bruce would ultimately become a hero regardless. Though the storyline was short, it was interesting to examine the Bat-Families psyche's when they were allowed to have their secret hopes and aspirations come to pass. While Gotham is far from the Utopia it once was, with Batman and his allies constantly fighting crime, perhaps one day the dream can indeed become reality, and "Gothtopia" can exist legitimately."