Batman has been DC Comics‘ cash cow for 86 years now. The character once played second fiddle to Superman, but as the years went on and comics changed, that would change as well. The Dark Knight has taken comics to some places that no one ever thought they’d go, bringing a darkness and maturity to the medium, and he has starred in some of the best stories of all time. Nowadays, a lot of fans complain about how many Batman stories there are. While there’s something to that, fans haven’t stopped buying them. The reason for that is simple: despite the complaints, fans love to read stories starring the character.
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There are some groundbreaking stories with the Caped Crusader. The greatest creators in the history of the comic medium have worked on the character, and that’s paid off immensely for DC. These are the ten best Batman stories in DC history, books that deserve their flowers.
10) Batman and Robin (Vol. 1) #1-3
Grant Morrison’s run on Batman is a three act masterpiece, telling the most perfect Batman story ever. The second act is all about Dick Grayson taking up the mantle of Batman, and training Bruce’s son Damian as Robin after the hero’s “death” in Final Crisis. Batman and Robin (Vol. 1) #1-3, by Morrison and Frank Quitely, were reader’s first glimpse of the new Dynamic Duo as they face off against new villain Professor Pyg. Morrison and Quitely are a perfect team, and this three-issue story shows off why. There’s some great action, wonderful character building, and an energy that only these two creators can bring to a book.
9) Batman (Vol. 1) #667-669
Grant Morrison’s run writing Batman is full of great stories, but one of the most underrated of their many years writing the Caped Crusader is Batman (Vol. 1) #667-669, by Morrison and JH Williams III. This story saw Batman and Tim Drake visiting with the Club of Heroes, vigilantes from around the world who were inspired by Batman. However, when members of the group start dying, the greatest detectives in the world have to work together to figure out who has done the deed. This is a perfect detective story, with wonderful twists and turns. Williams’s art is outstanding; his ability at coming up with memorable page layouts is on full display and his gritty style fits the story beautifully.
8) “Endgame”
The New 52 rebooted DC for a new era, and it gave readers one of the most beloved Batman runs of all time. Batman (Vol. 2) was, in the opinion of many fans, the best title of the five year era, with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo handing in some amazing tales starring the Dark Knight. A lot of people love “Court of Owls”, but for me the best of them is easily “Endgame”. The Joker returns and enacts a plan to destroy Batman, leading to one of the best fights between the two characters. This story doesn’t get as much credit as it deserves and it’s easily the best part of one of the 21sy century’s best runs on the Caped Crusader.
7) Arkham Asylum: A Serious Art on Serious Earth
Grant Morrison was given their first chance writing Batman with 1989’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, with artist Dave McKean. Gotham’s greatest protector is called to Arkham Asylum when the inmates take control of it, with their only request that he join them. What follows is one of the darkest Batman stories ever, which is saying something. This is perfect psychological horror starring DC’s greatest vigilante and his rogues gallery. McKean’s art is amazing, and he helped design the physical hardcover of the first edition (which is why I’ve only owned first editions of it; the design of the book is part of the story). This is everything a Batman story can be when creators are willing to go in new directions.
6) “I Am Suicide”
Tom King’s run on Batman has a very mixed reputation, with many Bat-fans not loving it. However, I’ve always felt that it is much better than it gets credit for and the best example of that is “I Am Suicide” by King and Mikel Janin. Batman needs to get his hands on the Psycho-Pirate, to save his new trainee heroine Gotham Girl, who is being held by Bane. The Dark Knight brings together his own Suicide Squad to attack Santa Prisca’s most dangerous prison, leading to some of the best action of the entire series. This story digs into Batman’s psyche, with shocking results that make a lot of sense despite their surprises, with King revealing more about the hero than most creators do in their entire run. Janin’s art is fantastic, and really brings this story to life, especially when Batman is moving through the prison on his own, with unique page layouts and scenes that have to be seen to be believed.
5) “Year Two”
“Year Two” isn’t as beloved as its predecessor, but it definitely deserves to be talked about in the same breath. The story, by Mike W. Barr, Alan Davis, and Todd McFarlane, pits the newly minted hero against one of Gotham’s oldest protectors, a murderous vigilante named the Reaper. This is peak Batman in every way. It’s all about the Dark Knight figuring out what kind of hero he wants to be, and it’s outstanding. Barr does a fantastic job of laying out the story, and Davis and McFarlane’s art is top-notch. Their styles are both very different, but both of them hit the rights notes and bring the story to life wonderfully. “Year Two” is way better than it gets credit for, a pitch-perfect story from the Caped Crusader’s second year.
4) “Year One”
“Year One” brought the origin of Batman into the modern day and it has always been praised, and for good reason. Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli takes readers back to the days when Bruce Wayne returned to Gotham after years of training, while Lt. Jim Gordon gets his first taste of the GCPD. Letting Miller redefine the origin of Batman was a great idea, as he brings his signature hard-boiled noir stylings to the book with predicatively great results. Mazzucchelli’s art is a gem. His line work and detail are outstanding and play a huge role in making the story into the legend it has become.
3) The Dark Knight Returns
Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns has sometimes been considered one of the greatest comics ever. While I don’t think it exactly deserves that appellation (although it is very, very good), it is one of the greatest Batman stories ever and hugely important to the comic medium. Everyone knows the story of TDKR by now — dark future, old Batman, final battles with Two-Face, Joker, and Superman — and it’s a story that basically ever fan of Batman has experienced. Miller, working with inker Klaus Janson and colorist Lynn Varley, is able to give readers amazing visuals that will stay with readers forever, and the writing is obviously amazing. The Dark Knight Returns has everything that you could want and then some.
2) “Batman R.I.P.”
The first act of Grant Morrison’s Batman run set up the death of the character, introducing the Black Glove, a group of criminals from around the world led by the mysterious Dr. Hurt. All of this led to “Batman R.I.P.”, by Morrison and Tony S. Daniel, when the Black Glove makes their final attack against the Caped Crusader. This story goes to 11 right away and never slows down from there. It’s great mindbending Morrison goodness, but it is also a pretty awesome superhero story that will change the way you look at the character and how far he’ll go to win. By the time the Joker shows up as the Thin White Duke (an homage to David Bowie’s character era of the same name), you’ve gotten some of the wildest, most imaginative Batman ever. Morrison and Daniel gave readers a story that they’ll never forget and for years it was the greatest Batman story ever, until the next one came along and dethroned it.
1) “Gotham Nocturne”
Batman has starred in some underrated stories, and one of them is, bar none, the greatest Batman story ever. “Gotham Nocturne”, by Ram V, Si Spurrier, Dan Watters, Rafeal Albuquerque, Ivan Reis, Liam Sharpe, Hayden Sherman, Dani, Caspar Wijngaard, Dexter Soy, Stefano Raffaelle, Eduardo Pansica, Riccardo Federici, and many more takes readers on a journey through some Gotham starring the best heroes and villain in the city. It ran through Detective Comics #1062-1089, and tells the story of a family called the Orghams, who was integral to the history of Gotham, returning to city to “fix” it with only Batman and a disparate group of vigilantes and criminals standing in their way. This story is an epic in every sense of the word, and will blow your mind. V’s main story is full of twists and turns; this is basically every kind of Batman story that you can imagine rolled into 27-chapter story and the back-up stories flesh the whole thing out perfectly. This is a long but rewarding story that will change the way you look at Batman forever.
What’s your favorite Batman comic? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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