When a mystery as old as Gotham City itself surfaces, Batman assembles a team of his greatest detectives to investigate this startling new enigma. As clues are discovered and the mystery deepens, the team soon finds itself on a journey that explores different eras in Gotham's history!

Murder, mayhem and the building of an empire! Batman tries to find the source of the attacks before the killer can strike again. But with the reveal of the fourth family of Gotham City and an old case from the early days of the city, is Batman playing right into the villain's hands?

It's Batman and Red Robin versus the Architect as the villain tears through Gotham City's first families! Plus, who is Nicholas Anders? The team continues to investigate the mysterious man from turn-of-the twentieth-century Gotham, but what they find may change everything they know about the city itself!

Batman, Red Robin, Robin and Blackbat are all thrown into a race against time as the Architect's true plan is revealed! But what does that mean for Oswald Cobblepot and Tommy Elliot? And just how does the first supervillain of Gotham City factor into the Architect's plot to destroy the first families?

It's Batman vs. The Architect! The downfall of a major Gotham family! The betrayal of Damian Wayne! It's all here in this final issue, plus the untold fate of Gotham City's first supervillain!

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Batman stands today as one of the most recognizable characters in pop culture, and along with the Batcave and the Batmobile, Gotham City itself stands as one of the most identifiable aspects of Batman lore. This trade explores not only the history of the city but its dark secrets and deadly denizens as well, giving readers a whole scale look at world of Batman. Writer Scott Snyder (AMERICAN VAMPIRE) teams with Kyle Higgins to pen the story, which features various members of the Batman family uniting to solve a mystery that travels through multiple eras of Gotham City. When a mystery as old as Gotham City itself surfaces, Batman assembles a team of his greatest detectives – including Red Robin, Owlman, I-Ching and others – to investigate this startling new enigma. As clues are discovered and the mystery deepens, Batman's team soon finds itself on a journey that explores different eras in Gotham's history and touches upon notable Gotham families including the Waynes, Kanes, and Elliotts. This miniseries spins out of recent events in the Batman titles and sets the stage for several exciting storylines in 2011. This volume collects all five issues of the BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM miniseries and also includes BATMAN ANNUAL #28 and DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #12.