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Best Batman Books Per Villain?
- Thread starter NipplesAndToes23
- Start date
I'll also throw out there for Firefly
Detective Comics #689 and #690 (these were actually the first Batman comics I ever read as a kid). Both are available on Comixology.
Batgirl: Year One
Also in agreement about Paul Dini's Detective Comics run (which includes Heart of Hush). Alot of those issues (including Streets of Gotham, which was a separate series) feel like Batman TAS.
Detective Comics #689 and #690 (these were actually the first Batman comics I ever read as a kid). Both are available on Comixology.
Batgirl: Year One
Also in agreement about Paul Dini's Detective Comics run (which includes Heart of Hush). Alot of those issues (including Streets of Gotham, which was a separate series) feel like Batman TAS.
Disagree on the bases his episode in batman beyond was fantastic as well.
TetraxShards
Member
One of the best in the entire series.
"Remember, there might be some momentary discomfort."
Poodlestrike
Banned
Bane has had... 3 stories, I would say. Knightfall Volume 1, Secret Six, and the recent I Am Gotham/Suicide/Bane trio. All others are fundamentally just "Knightfall but different," like Batman: Europa turned out to be. God what a disappointment that was.
Freeze is a little narrower. He was the baddy in the first arc of Gotham Central, which is definitely worth reading.
Freeze is a little narrower. He was the baddy in the first arc of Gotham Central, which is definitely worth reading.
BKatastrophe
Member
Batman Beyond 2.0. I forget the issues, but in the first trade there's an arc focusing on Man-Bat. It's very good and incredibly dark and depressing.
Apt description of Arkham War.
Well....Heart of Ice was probably aping this Batman and Outsiders story. The whole dying wife in a cryogenic freeze tank thing....yeah it started here
TheRedSnifit
Member
Well....Heart of Ice was probably aping this Batman and Outsiders story. The whole dying wife in a cryogenic freeze tank thing....yeah it started here
I suspect that most (the sole exception that I know of being The Batman's, which draws from the '60s show) post-TAS Freeze stories are drawing their influence from "Heart of Ice," not "The Coming of the Cryonics Man."
My complaint isn't about their originality, but that they frankly aren't very good.
ForsakenLotus
Member
Mr. Freeze - Legend of the Dark Knight #192-196 (Snow)
Also,All Star Batman #6 is a great single issue about Mr. Freeze. It's slightly connected to the first six issue story arc and is the beginning of another story arc, but it can be read as a one shot.
I wouldn't recommend the earlier Snyder Freeze mostly because the type of character and backstory established in that continuity isn't a great one for Freeze. The issue is solid, but I would read something older or very new.
EDIT: Also, a really fun and creepy Scarecrow story is Shadow of the Bat #16,17 and 18. It's technically apart of the Knightfall mega event, but I'm pretty sure it's very self contained. The covers are amazing.
As for Killer Croc, though it's completely separate from DC continuity Batman Earth One: Vol. 2 has my favorite Killer Croc story. It's definitely nothing like the typical incarnation though.
For Clayface, Detective Comics #604-607 is pretty solid, it's called Mud Pack. Although I love the idea of what they are doing currently in Detective Comics with Clayface, there hasn't been as much of a focus as I'd like.
Also,All Star Batman #6 is a great single issue about Mr. Freeze. It's slightly connected to the first six issue story arc and is the beginning of another story arc, but it can be read as a one shot.
I wouldn't recommend the earlier Snyder Freeze mostly because the type of character and backstory established in that continuity isn't a great one for Freeze. The issue is solid, but I would read something older or very new.
EDIT: Also, a really fun and creepy Scarecrow story is Shadow of the Bat #16,17 and 18. It's technically apart of the Knightfall mega event, but I'm pretty sure it's very self contained. The covers are amazing.
As for Killer Croc, though it's completely separate from DC continuity Batman Earth One: Vol. 2 has my favorite Killer Croc story. It's definitely nothing like the typical incarnation though.
For Clayface, Detective Comics #604-607 is pretty solid, it's called Mud Pack. Although I love the idea of what they are doing currently in Detective Comics with Clayface, there hasn't been as much of a focus as I'd like.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
My books haven't came in the library yet, but I did find Batwoman: Elegy and enjoyed that a lot.
I forgot, is there any notable comic with The Mad Hatter in it?
I forgot, is there any notable comic with The Mad Hatter in it?
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Almost done with Batman: Heart of Hush. Hush is fucking insane. At 10 years old he tried to kill his parents and when he snapped and beat a boy with a row paddle at camp for calling him a mama's boy he thought it was a scheme that Bruce and his mom concocted. Why is Batman surrounded by crazy people?
Joker is the Joker. Harley Quinn has reverse transference syndrome, Killer Croc is a cannibal, The Riddler is a narcissist, Mr.Zsasz is a classic sociopath serial killer, Maxie Zeus think he's the actual Greek God, The Mad Hatter think he's in a Lewis Carrol book, Two-Face has Dissociate Identity Disorder, Hugo Strange is crazy, Dollmaker dresses up like he's 4 and grafts weapons onto children, and I don't know what Scarface's problem is. Half of his rogues gallery is insane.
Joker is the Joker. Harley Quinn has reverse transference syndrome, Killer Croc is a cannibal, The Riddler is a narcissist, Mr.Zsasz is a classic sociopath serial killer, Maxie Zeus think he's the actual Greek God, The Mad Hatter think he's in a Lewis Carrol book, Two-Face has Dissociate Identity Disorder, Hugo Strange is crazy, Dollmaker dresses up like he's 4 and grafts weapons onto children, and I don't know what Scarface's problem is. Half of his rogues gallery is insane.
Memento Mori
Member
Very fond of Heart of Hush- it has one of my all-time favourite
panels.
Bruce and Selina
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Don't know why you put Bruce and Selina in spoilers, but I finished reading Batman: Heart of Hush.
Who was the Batman that Hush shot and killed in the hospital? I was pretty confused for a while.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Finished reading Batman: Night of Owls, Scoot Snyder Mr. Freeze. I read some of Eternal too, but I felt there was too much stuff going on in it and was getting bored of it. I did like the parts where the villains were working together. Night of the Owls was okay. I think the Talons would be more threatening if they didn't speak like in the movie and I was quite enjoying Mr. Freeze's storyline until it was revealed that Nora wasn't his wife and some woman from the 1940s that he was obsessed with and then there was some weird thing where he killed his mom by pushing her wheelchair into freezing water. That one tuff of hair. on his head looks stupid too.
Well, that's rather the point.
Everyone in the Batman books, including the heroes, suffers from some sort of trauma and/or mental illness. The only thing I can think of is the first half of Robin: Year One. The latter half features Two-Face as the villain.
Sgt. Kabukiman
Banned
^^^ I'm glad I started a chain of discussion about Kite Man!
I kinda like Snyder's version of Freeze.
Freeze was also pretty terriffying in Gotham Central and City of Crime but he was just a secondary player.
I forgot to mention Jekyll & Hyde for Two-Face. Nobody ever talks about it but it's great and I absolutely adore Jae Lee's art. This mini really explores the character in depth. But it it shockingly violent at times.
I kinda like Snyder's version of Freeze.
Freeze was also pretty terriffying in Gotham Central and City of Crime but he was just a secondary player.
I forgot to mention Jekyll & Hyde for Two-Face. Nobody ever talks about it but it's great and I absolutely adore Jae Lee's art. This mini really explores the character in depth. But it it shockingly violent at times.
thecosmicfly
Banned
Heh.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
Well, that's rather the point.
The only thing I can think of is the first half of Robin: Year One. The latter half features Two-Face as the villain.
I don't think any of the heroes are crazy.
Guardian Devil by Kevin Smith?
Comrade Crunch
Member
Since all of the big villains are taken, i'll throw in James Gordon Jr.
Black Mirror is his best appearance, and also one of the best all around Batman stories.
Black Mirror is his best appearance, and also one of the best all around Batman stories.
Well, the words crazy and insane definitely have negative connotations, but I mean mental illness and the fallout from trauma in general. Bruce, Dick, Barbara, Jason, Cass, Tim, Damian, Selina, etc. all have had incredibly traumatic events in their lives that have sometimes led to things like depression, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, etc. The difference is that they still try to help others instead of hurting them.
Or of course there are those who are like "Batman is just as crazy as his villains!" which I don't agree with either.
Nightwing123
Member
As a huge Batman fan this thread is making me want to reread some of my favorite Batman comics/stories and I am loving all this random Kite Man talk Hell Yeah (I really did enjoyed Batman Rebirth #27)
shawnbuddy
Member
For The Riddler it's actually Dark Knight, Dark City.
Peter Milligan is the most underrated writer in comics. His best works, especially Enigma, are hands done better than anything by Morrison or Moore.
Peter Milligan is the most underrated writer in comics. His best works, especially Enigma, are hands done better than anything by Morrison or Moore.
I will vouch for this.
Spike Spiegel
Member
You should probably warn everyone to wear protective gloves when reading that one.