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[Switters]

Hello, friends.

I'm ashamed to admit that as a huge Batman fan that I actually haven't read that much Batman outside of The Dark Knight Returns and Killing joke.

In an effort to remedy this I picked up The Long Halloween, only because I knew it to be an event book much like TDKR.

So, to you I ask, what are some of the best story lines, preferably in collected form, that you would recommend to a novice in bat lore?

Here is a picture of Bruce Wayne as the Batman for those who are unfamiliar.

 

[Dead]

Batman and Robin by Grant Morrison

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Gotham by Gaslight.

There's also a good one where Batman gets addicted to painkillers, but I can't remember the name :|

 

[- J - D -]

Batman Year One
Batman: Hush

Both very good.

My very favorite Batman graphic novels however are the Batman Black and White Collection 1 and 2. Short vignettes by different artists and authors collected.

 

[blainethemono]

The Black Mirror
Court of Owls vol. 1
Batman & Son
The Dark Knight Returns
Arkham Asylum
Year One
The Killing Joke

 

[Riptwo]

I really liked The Black Mirror from both an art and story perspective, and while I'm probably in the minority, I genuinely enjoyed both Hush and Heart of Hush.

 

[Veelk]

Whats happening now in Batman by Scott Snyder is pretty awesome. Joker story too.

 

[esai]

The nu52 court of the owls, return of Bruce Wayne, long Halloween.

 

[braves01]

Long Halloween is good.

 

[Draconian]

The Dark Knight Returns
Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
Hush
The Killing Joke

 

[Switters]

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there any particular order I should read them to get caught up?

 

[Ragus]

The Long Halloween/Killing Joke is a great start for a freshman. Later, go with TDKR, Year One, Arkham Asylum.

You can read those without any particular order.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

The Long Halloween by far.

The others are mostly overrated garbage outside of The Killing Joke. I'd especially steer clear of The Dark Knight Returns.

 

[sooperkool]

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there any particular order I should read them to get caught up?

Year One
The Long Halloween
Hush
Dark Victory
The Killing Joke
The Dark Knight Returns


This would be my order

 

[blainethemono]

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there any particular order I should read them to get caught up?

Court of Owls is the start of the new 52 Batman so you can just pretty much read that whenever. iirc its the first 6 issues, and they're up to #15 right now. The Black Mirror is also pretty standalone, but it's before new 52 when Dick Grayson was being Batman for a little bit. You dont really have to know anything else to enjoy it though

Batman & Son was the start of the Morrison Batman stuff I think. I never read that whole saga, but I liked B&S a lot

I really would recommend just jumping into Black Mirror because it's incredible. And then Court of Owls

 

[bronson]

Thanks for the suggestions. Is there any particular order I should read them to get caught up?

They're kind of all over the place, but:

Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
The Killing Joke
(anything else here)
Hush
Batman and Robin/Return of Bruce Wayne
The Black Mirror
Court of Owls


Really, most all of these are made to be easy for a first-time reader to get into. Stuff like Dark Knight Returns and Gotham by Gaslight are completely standalone (though there's a sequel to the former). Long Halloween and Dark Victory do go together as a pair, in that order.

 

[KeeSomething]

The Long Halloween by far.

The others are mostly overrated garbage outside of The Killing Joke. I'd especially steer clear of The Dark Knight Returns.

Agreed.

I do recommend the Knightfall arc. The art isn't the greatest, but it's great to see Batman being completely drained and then defeated. Batman & Son is decent, but I recommend reading Grant Morrison's first Batman & Robin book. Damian Wayne and Dick Grayson have awesome chemistry!

EDIT: I forgot Hush and Dark Victory.

 

[ViewtifulJC]

The Long Halloween by far.

The others are mostly overrated garbage outside of The Killing Joke. I'd especially steer clear of The Dark Knight Returns.

Maybe the most unintentionally funny post I've read all day

I can write essays about how shitty The Long Halloween is, once you look past the Tim Sale artwork and "ooh all of Batman's rogues!" sheen. Some people think Jeph Loeb lost it after his son died; mothafucka, he never had it.

 

[Ninjimbo]

Arkham Asylum: A Secret House on Secret Earth.

It's not really a Batman story since it focuses on Arkham itself, but man is it good.

 

[SCULLIBUNDO]

Maybe the most unintentionally funny post I've read all day

I can write essays about how shitty The Long Halloween is, once you look past the Tim Sale artwork and "ooh all of Batman's rogues!" sheen. Some people think Jeph Loeb lost it after his son died; mothafucka, he never had it.

The rogues gallery in TLH are largely unnecessary to me, so it's not that.

 

[Lazy vs Crazy]

You absolutely must read All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder.

 

[Switters]

They're kind of all over the place, but:

Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
The Killing Joke
(anything else here)
Hush
Batman and Robin/Return of Bruce Wayne
The Black Mirror
Court of Owls


Really, most all of these are made to be easy for a first-time reader to get into. Stuff like Dark Knight Returns and Gotham by Gaslight are completely standalone (though there's a sequel to the former). Long Halloween and Dark Victory do go together as a pair, in that order.

Thanks, Chuck! This really helps.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

Recently picked up Batman Earth One and it's not bad at all. A fun different take on Year One and Batman's origin.

Other than that, I would co-sign the usual suspects:
Year One
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
Dark Knight Returns
Killing Joke

Also Superman Red Son has Batman in it and is a great read.

I would also recommend getting a hold of the Black and White anthology. Full of great Batman shorts.

 

[Quick]

No Man's Land

 

[FUBAR McDangles]

I found Year One and Killing Joke both highly overrated. I didn't really enjoy either.

I highly recommend the Long Halloween and Dark Victory. Both are very good, IMO.

Dark Knight Returns is an okay book. The first time I read it I thought it was phenomenal, but as I got into more books I found it not as good the 2nd or 3rd time I read it.

Aside from those five, I haven't really read much Batman. I read the first four issues of the new Batman and Robin series, and the first two of Black Night Batman. Otherwise, I have no experience with the character. Sorry OP. Hope you enjoy it all though!

 

[MG310]

Venom.


Pill popping Batman fights a shark.

 

[DrForester]

One where he beats Joker in a surfing competition.

 

[- J - D -]

Year One is decent as a Batman origin story.

Year One is essential as a Commissioner Jim Gordon origin story.

 

[Combichristoffersen]

Venom.


Pill popping Batman fights a shark.

I think that may be the story I was thinking of, although I thought it was painkillers he got hooked on.

 

[Ponn]

I picked up Absolute Long Halloween and was actually disappointed.

As far as suggestions

Batman Hush

Justice League Tower of Babel (it's a Batman story, Justice League Doom movie was loosely based off this but the comic was sooooo much better)

If you liked Dark Knight Rises they just re-released the Knightfall books, I would suggest getting Knightfall, you could skip Knightsquest but get Knightsend.

If you can find it there is a book called DC Universe by Alan Moore. It actually collects most of his stories he written for DC and my edition included quite a few Batman stories including The Killing Joke (supposedly missing some pages but seemed fine to me). I suggest this book because I was really floored by how good the stories were and how many great Justice League episodes were based off of these stories. Also that it was actually Alan Moore that laid the ground work for some of the best Green Lantern characters and stories like Mogo and Blackest Night.

Oh and if you are just looking for some fun Batman Vampire is a weird but awesome Multiverse take on Batman and Dracula.

 

[Red]

I'm hoping Death of the Family ends up as one of the better arcs.

 

[RealDeadOne]

Got a couple of images saved for this (yes, they're from 4chan's /co/)

Probably way more than you were looking for, but that covers just about every Batman story worth reading that I can think of plus more.

 

[Filthy Slug]

Check out Grant Morrison's entire run on Batman before Batman, Inc.
Then read Neil Gaiman's Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader.
Then read Batman, Inc. and let it all sink in, as you'll have just read the best ongoing Batman story out there.
And Mad Love. Oh, man--that's a must!

Also, the dude that suggested avoiding TDKR is absolutely absurd. TDKR and Year One are both fantastic Batman graphic novels and should be read by anybody with even an inkling of interest in Batman comics.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

batman vs predator for some fun, dont forget to have fun.

 

[B-Dubs]

Scott Snyder is doing some fun stuff. Grab the Court of Owls saga and catch up on the Joker stuff he's currently doing. Other than that odds are the best stuff has probably been mentioned.

 

[lingiii]

The Long Halloween for sure. It's well-contained and doesn't require you carry anything into it. A great primer on a wide swath of characters, too.

Started Knightfall myself, its really difficult. In the collected volumes, it ends up covering some dozen or so different serials all interspliced so you'll get crazy things like all of a sudden Catwoman is the primary character for 60 pages and then disappears from the arc entirely. Takes a TON of prior knowledge to appreciate.

 

[Imbarkus]

I keep putting off reading The Dark Knight Strikes Again.

Looks like I have little reason to hurry up with that...

 

[Shiv47]

For truly ridiculous, laugh-out loud absurdity, I would suggest this early 70s classic:

Written by Bob Haney, who was an out of touch with the kids 50-something, it tells the story of the future sons of Bats and Supes, who just wanna live their lives without their famous dads getting in the way, maaaaaan. The stories are cornball as hell, but it all gets tied up in the final issue, which features a hilariously fucked-up ending for something as frivolous as this.

 

[MisterHero]

lol Shiv. I'd like to know more about cheesy 50s-70s collections, if any exist.

No Man's Land

I heard Bruce Wayne: Murderer? is good

Group stories
Superman-Batman Public Enemies
S-B where they destroy all the Kryptonite on Earth (arc name?)
JLA Tower of Babel
JLA The Obsidian Age
Identity Crisis
Superman vs Emperor Joker

 

[ReiGun]

Batman always seems like the only hero with a definite "required reading" list. Always see the same stuff recommended in these threads.

 

[Shiv47]

lol Shiv. I'd like to know more about cheesy 50s-70s collections, if any exist.

I'm not a Bat-expert, that one happened to be recommended to me, and it lived up (or down) to expectations. That said, pretty much anything prior to the mid-70s is pretty much cheesy by default, DC was simply not with it, due in part to catering to kids and the effects of the 60s TV show. When Neal Adams and other guys started to do more gritty stuff in the 70s, the quality improved greatly, though (and correct if I am wrong Batfans), it really took until Miller and DKR to ignite "serious" Batman stories.

 

[Melchiah]

I can't believe no-one has mentioned Gotham Central.

 

[B-Dubs]

Batman always seems like the only hero with a definite "required reading" list. Always see the same stuff recommended in these threads.

Batman just seems to have the largest number of great stories.

 

[Hot Coldman]

The Dark Knight Returns and Year One are the most popular and beloved for a reason.

 

[ReiGun]

Batman just seems to have the largest number of great stories.

Either that, or Bats is just the only character people have sat down to make these kinds of lists for. Well, him and Superman.

 

[Dyno]

The last I read was Court of Owls part 1. Highly recommended. It's a definitive Batman story as well as being a modern take on one. It's also an antagonist that attacks Batman in a novel way that I never read before.

It's a shame there's only the one to read right now.

 

[Takamura-San]

Why does Batman has a Camel toe?