10 Best Batman Comics Of The 21st Century (So Far)

With more than 80 years of history, Batman has become one of comics most popular characters and he has a massive catalog of stories to back that up. Over the decades, the Dark Knight has done just about everything and some of his adventures have led to some truly great comics that not only thrill readers but have had long-reaching impact on not just the character, but comics as well.

But while Batman has some great stories in his overall history, the 21st century in particular has been a great one for the hero to date. The Batman stories of the 2000s are on an entirely different level, exploring not only the character’s roots, but his psychology, and his larger family as well. Here are 10 of the best Batman stories of this century to date — and some of these might just be among the greatest Batman stories of all time.

10) Absolute Batman

Absolute Batman may be new, but the book is already making a huge mark on Batman — and DC. The story is set in an alternative universe (the Absolute Universe) where everything is influenced by “Darkseid energy” and thus, things are flipped with the superheroes being underdogs and everything much more grim. What this means for Batman is that he isn’t wealthy, his gadgets and tech are much more home-grown, and even his family dynamics are different, with it being just his father who is murdered when he’s a child, a traumatizing experience for Bruce that, while he grows up with his mother, still leaves him deeply scarred.

Written by Scotty Snyder with art by Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman definitely offers a different perspective on Batman. While it could be argued the story falls into some of the same tropes as many Batman stories, there’s a different emotional core to Absolute Batman than what we’ve seen in the main continuity. Bruce’s personal life is much expanded on in terms of his friends — and how those relationships factor into the war he wages is heartbreaking and unique. It’s an incredible story (so far) and easily will end up one of the best of the 21st century.

9) Batman: Cold Days

Tom King’s run on Batman is, for many fans, a bit of a mixed bag, but one of the truly great stories to come out of it is the “Cold Days” arc. “Cold Days” sees Bruce Wayne selected for jury duty on a case involving Mr. Freeze. Part of Mr. Freeze’s defense is that he should have his charges dismissed because Batman used excessive force against him, even for Batman. While sitting on the jury, Bruce has to confront his own actions as Batman and question pretty much everything.

Given that the story takes place in the wake of being left at the altar by Selina Kyle, it’s a rare moment where Bruce — and Batman — are shown as vulnerable and fallible and actually has to sit with what that means. There’s also a really great part of the story where Bruce even questions is faith and the whole story sits as a beautiful examination of the man and the mask.

8) Batman: The Court of Owls

Another entry from Scott Snyder, Batman: The Court of Owls introduced what might be one of the best changes to the overall Batman (and Gotham City) lore in the character’s 80+ years of existence. After a series of brutal murders happen in Gotham, Batman realizes that the crimes may be much deeper than they seem and uncovers a dark conspiracy that goes back into the history of Gotham itself.

The story sees Batman discover that the Court of Owls, a powerful cabal of the wealthy that secretly control Gotham, is actually real and has far-reaching implications. The story establishes a new mythos for Batman as the Court of Owls has some direct connections to the Wayne family. It’s a fascinating story that’s very well written and will reframe everything you think you know about Batman.

7) Batman: Hush

“Hush” might be one of the most famous Batman comics of the 21st century and while it has its weaknesses, it is famous for a reason. It’s a great Batman story. Written by Jeph Loeb with art by Jim Lee, the story sees the worst of Gotham’s criminals causing major chaos in the city and for Batman as part of an elaborate scheme masterminded by the mysterious Hush to destroy the Dark Knight. As Batman works to solve the mystery, he comes to discover that the mysterious figure is much closer to him than he ever could have imagined — Hush is actually his childhood friend Thomas Elliot

Hush is a masterpiece of a long-form mystery, unfolding carefully and brilliantly as the story continues. It pushes Batman to his limits and is just a really well-executed and deeply personal story for the hero. The ending is a little lackluster, but the impact the story as a whole has on Batman and his mythos will never be beaten.

6) Paul Dini’s Detective Comics Run

Rather than one story or arc, Paul Dini’s full Detective Comics run from the mid-2000s makes the list in its entirety. While Dini is best known for his work on Batman: The Animated Series, his Detective Comics run is honestly pretty great. Rather than being a longer arc, Dini’s run is largely a series of one-shot, completely contained stories. It’s a bit of a throwback to how older comics stories were structured and it makes for a really great reader experience — you don’t have to try to keep track of previous events or things going on to get a larger picture. You can just enjoy each story for what it is.

And they’re good stories. There’s a lot to Dini’s run that feels very much in the same general vein of his work on Batman: The Animated Series, but for a more mature audience. The result is a set of very satisfying stories that are truly some of the best of the century to date.

5) Bruce Wayne: Murderer? and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive

This is a two-for one addition to the list and might be one of the truly most underappreciated Batman stories of the last several years. “Bruce Wayne: Murderer?” sees Bruce find his girlfriend, Vesper Fairchild, dead in his home right as the police show up. They promptly arrest him and he’s charged with murder. Things get complicated when it’s discovered that Vesper knew Batman’s real identity and Bruce doesn’t really have a good alibi. Unable to stand being in jail where he has to be Bruce rather than Batman (and unable to solve his own crime), he escapes and decides to never be Bruce Wayne again. “Fugitive” follows up on that, with the investigation continuing. Batman eventually solves the crime and determines who is behind it and why, clearing Bruce Wayne’s name.

The story is a fascinating deep dive into the psychology of Bruce Wayne and Batman and serves as an exploration of the question of which one is the mask, Bruce or Batman. The story also gets into Bat-Family dynamics as they are tested with the possibility that Bruce really did kill someone. It’s a darker Batman story, but a fantastic one that pushes the idea of Batman to the limit and might make you think about the character a little differently.

4) Batman: The Black Mirror

Another Scott Snyder Batman story on this list? Yes, but “Black Mirror” is a classic — and it’s not about Bruce Wayne’s Batman. The story follows Dick Grayson as Batman (Bruce is doing Batman Incorporated) and sees him dealing with a string of gruesome crimes. The story also sees the return of James Gordon Jr. The story also involves the Joker and there’s really not much more I can describe without giving away a lot of the great twists and turns in the tale. It also features art by Jock and Francesco Francavilla so it’s not only a good story but it’s visually stunning as well.

“The Black Mirror” is an intriguing examination of who life can take people down different paths — specifically Dick Grayson and James Gordon Jr. It’s also a great example of a writer picking up a stray piece of plot that had been largely forgotten for decades (specifically James Jr.) and turning it into something that is much larger, more nuanced, and brilliantly tragic. It’s also just nice to get a Batman story about someone other than Bruce Wayne.

3) Batman R.I.P.

Grant Morrison is a comics legend for a reason and one of those reasons is their ability to take the most bonkers-sounding idea and turn it into a bizarre and brilliant masterpiece. That leads us to Batman R.I.P. which might just be the Batman story to make the best use of the character’s long history, but in the most unexpected ways possible. When the Black Glove organization targets Batman and his allies, Batman ends up drugged, Alfred beaten up, and when Bruce eventually comes to, he has no memory and is confused with no real sense of reality. After psychologically snapping, the “Batman of Zur-En-Arrh” makes his appearance, taking advice from none other than Bat-Mite.

While trying to describe the story sounds like a wild word salad, in Morrison’s hands it’s a twisty and brilliant tale. It’s a deeply psychological tale that only Morrison can tell, taking the idea of Batman being prepared for anything and dialing it up as far as it will go to deliver a Batman story that’s like nothing else in his canon.

2) Batman: Dark Patterns

Another very recent series, Batman: Dark Patterns just concluded with issue #12, but it’s already one of the best Batman stories of the 21st century and is an outstanding example of a detective-focused story. Written by Dan Watters with art by Hayden Sherman, the series is comprised of f four, self-contained mysteries that are set in Batman’s early days in Gotham.

Dark Patterns is the rare Batman story that is less about Batman being Batman and more about the detective work. It’s gritty without being grim and very much has a ‘70s vibe to it broadly, giving the whole series a classic feel while also being something completely new. This is a Batman who is deeply challenged at times and has to rely not on his gadgets but his mind to deal with threats, letting him shine in ways that feel much more grounded. If you’re a fan of Matt Reeves’ The Batman, Dark Patterns might just end up being your favorite comic.

1) Batman & Robin: Year One

From writer Mark Waid and artist Chris Samnee, Batman & Robin: Year One gives readers a fresh, modern retelling of the early days of Bruce and Dick teaming up as the Dynamic Duo and it’s not only possibly the best use of the Year One brand period, but it’s also the rare truly great series where it’s not a solo Batman story.

The story pulls back a lot of layers to those early Batman and Robin years, humanizing both Batman and Bruce as there are struggles both in the cape and out as he tries to be a leader and a father at the same time. The threats they face are as heightened as ever, but the dynamic of the two characters is brighter somehow, all while never shrugging off the question of if it’s a good idea for Batman to have a child sidekick. It’s the ultimate Batman and Robin story — and one of the best Batman stories of the century thus far.

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