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January 17, 2010 10:49 AM

Can anyone point to resources (online or in print) of fictional city maps, such as maps of Metropolis, Gotham City, Central City, etc.?

One of my favorite aspects of superhero comics is the extended universe narrative of the various interlocked series. I did not read DC Comics as a kid, preferring to read stuff like GIJoe, Alien Legion and West Coast Avengers (odd mix, I know). Now as an adult, I am going back and rediscovering the 70s/80s eras of various DC characters, with the Flash being a particular new favorite. One thing that I find interesting about DC was their penchant for creating a city that reflected in various ways the main character. Central City has a blue collar Midwestern feel that fits the Flash, Metropolis has a sci-fi utopian feel that fits Superman, etc. As an artist/designer, I also really like schematics, so the cutaway for the GI Joe base (The PIT) in one of my earliest issues of Joe was really cool...

If anyone could point to maps of various fictional cities, I would be quite grateful. They do not at all have to be from superhero comics - those were just the best examples I could think of. They could be from classic literature, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, video games and so on.

Also, if someone has an example that is an issue of a comic, but they can't find an online example, by all means please say which issue you are referring to! I am an inveterate scrounger through quarter bins, so I can just add it to my list!

Thanks in advance!

posted by Slothrop to media & arts (12 answers total)

There is Lanhkmar, fictional city from Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser novels.

At one point it was turned into a D7D campaign world, and it was quite detailed. There is a fan based site here.

For reference, here is a wikipedia list of fictional city-states
posted by ian1977 at 10:58 AM on January 17, 2010

Oh! And of course, Springfield.

Here is a fan made interactive map of Springfield. I'm sure there are tons more out there.
posted by ian1977 at 11:19 AM on January 17, 2010

Atlas of the DC Universe
posted by kimota at 11:49 AM on January 17, 2010

I know this isn't really what you're asking for, but if you're interested in fictional maps you might also lime to see illustrations of some fictional flags.

As for maps, here is a random blog entry containing maps of Smallville, Gotham, and others.
posted by Captain Cardanthian! at 12:01 PM on January 17, 2010

From fantasy land, here is a whole collection of maps from Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, with some gorgeous city maps included.
posted by Wulfhere at 12:07 PM on January 17, 2010

The Streets of Ankh-Morpork.
posted by scruss at 12:07 PM on January 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

Also, love it or hate it, World of Warcraft has some gorgeously drawn in-game city maps. City maps linked at the bottom of the page here.
posted by Wulfhere at 12:13 PM on January 17, 2010

Grand Theft Auto games tend to come with maps of the city they take place in. I know for a fact that GTA 4 includes one.

Just ask friends who own the games to scan them. They're very popular, and rentals and purchasing are really expensive if you just want to see the map.

Many games do include maps as well, especially "Open World Games," as they can help with gameplay. They will almost certainly have a map in game as well, although that's probably not what you want.

If a game has a good fan following, it's likely that the fans will also make their own interactive, useful maps. Here's one for the post-appocalyptic Washington DC in Fallout 3. An interactive one made in flash.

Video games will probably have the best maps of all fiction, because they need to be functional. The player needs to find a way around the city. I don't know if that makes them more or less interesting for you.
posted by mccarty.tim at 2:33 PM on January 17, 2010

Jeremiah Post's book An Atlas of Fantasy has quite a few. There are a few of Lovecraft's cities online.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:12 PM on January 17, 2010

One thing that I find interesting about DC was their penchant for creating a city that reflected in various ways the main character.

You may or may not know, then, that Frank Miller has said that "Metropolis is New York in the daytime; Gotham City is New York at night."
posted by ricochet biscuit at 5:19 PM on January 17, 2010

Thanks everyone for your various suggestions. One thing I have been considering is perhaps collecting these resources together as part of an assignment in one of my art or design classes that I teach. Thanks again!
posted by Slothrop at 10:25 AM on January 18, 2010

Also, A Guide to Marvel's Manhattan.
posted by kimota at 7:58 AM on January 25, 2010