5 Batman Events You Probably Haven’t Read But Definitely Should

Batman is DC’s biggest hero, without question. The Dark Knight has almost always been the hero that DC pushed the most, constantly letting him battle more and more villains than ever before. As of right now, Batman is the most-published superhero of them all, having more starring roles under his utility belt than all of his spandex-clad compatriots. Given that he’s been in so many comics, it’s only natural that he has a massive backlog of stories and events that are downright spectacular. Some of his most popular stories are often called must-reads. Heck, some have left such an impact that their titles have become an entire genre of stories, particularly for origins. Some are so instrumental that they’ve left a noticeable impact on comic books as a whole. “Year One,” The Dark Knight Returns, The Long Halloween, and Killing Joke are among some of the biggest, most-beloved comic books under the sun.

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However, just because these are the most popular stories doesn’t mean that they are the only Batman comics worth reading. In fact, there are tons of comics and storylines that deserve attention just as much as the biggest names, but are often overlooked for one reason or another. Today, we’re remedying that by looking at five of Batman’s underrated comic events and going over why you should definitely be reading them. By event, we’re specifically referring to big crossover comics, meaning that these are storylines that take place over numerous books. Crossovers like “Knightfall” would count, but not massive, sprawling stories in single books like “Gotham Nocturne.” These events didn’t really begin until the mid ‘90s, so the stories we talk about will take place during or after that period. Now, without further ado, let’s delve into the Dark Knight’s lesser-known comics and talk about exactly why these events deserve to be remembered..

5) “Troika”

Everyone knows about “Knightfall” and its other parts, being the story that introduced Bane and broke Batman’s back, but its direct follow-up is a whole lot less appreciated. Redonning the cowl and fashioning a new costume, Bruce has to learn how to take being Batman to the next level as Gotham comes under nuclear threat from a trio of villains. On top of escalating his efforts to protect Gotham, Batman has to come face-to-face with KGBeast, who is a villain that has always pushed Batman to his breaking point and back. It’s a tense, tight story that shows exactly what that then-new era of Batman was in store for. The part of this story that makes it all worth it is Bruce’s reaction to his new life. Alfred quit during “Knightfall,” so Bruce is forced to handle the chores around Wayne Manor by himself. Alfred has been an essential part of Batman’s operations since darn near his introduction, and watching Bruce grapple with the reality he finds himself in, entirely out of his element, is really entertaining. We so rarely see Batman in a situation he can’t get under control quickly, but he was forced to do a whole lot of growing as both Batman and Bruce Wayne at the same time, which was awesome.

4) “Contagion”

Batman is known as the man with the contingency plan for every threat and supervillain that he can imagine, but not even he can prepare for everything. Case in point, “Contagion” saw Gotham City come under siege from a threat that nearly brought it to its knees, which not even Batman could stand against: weaponized Ebola. The Order of St. Dumas, the evil order of crazed crusaders who trained Azrael, created an especially viral and deadly strain of the disease and unleashed it on Gotham, which forced Batman and all of his allies to work together to come up with countermeasures. This is a threat that took Batman entirely out of his element, forcing him to use his detective skills in a way that he never had before, and likely never will again. What’s especially cool is that, while this event is centered around the Bat-Family, it’s not Bruce who brings it home, but Azrael. Giving him the focus in such a massive story is awesome to see, even if Batman is the driving force most of the time.

3) “Cataclysm”

Speaking of threats that Batman can’t fight or prepare for, while diseases have cures and vaccines, nothing can stop an earthquake. This story saw a massive earthquake ravage Gotham City, ripping it apart and leaving even the Batcave in ruins. This story was the setup for the iconic and legendary “No Man’s Land” saga, leaving Gotham in desolation and disrepair, all of its facilities in ruins. While the main event was incredible, this lead-up unfairly gets overlooked, which is a shame, given how much it does with the concept of the Batman Family dealing with an earthquake. Instead of a villain, the entire Family dealt with the fallout of a very real disaster, with even Batman being a victim of it for a large portion of this story. Even with “Contagion,” Batman’s skills transferred in detective work, but here he was forced to go on a full rescue operation, with every hero operating just on saving civilians for the entire time.

2) “Officer Down”

Jim Gordon is an often unsung hero of Gotham, being just as important to Batman’s mission as Robin or Alfred. No story proved that better than “Officer Down,” which saw Gordon get shot, and the entire GCPD and Bat-Family scramble to keep him healthy and safe. This comic is filled with the best kind of drama, including Catwoman being implicated as the assailant. The real star, of course, is the emotional turmoil. The entire Bat-Family is in shambles with Gordon’s condition, but Batman is even worse off than Oracle, going berserk and nearly killing thugs he was fighting when he learned the news. Batman breaks down from grief and fear, and we really get to see just how important Gordon’s friendship is to him. It all culminates in Gordon’s decision to retire, which was a monumental status quo shift that changed everything for how the heroes operated in Gotham City.

1) “Night of the Monster Men”

All of the stories we’ve covered so far are crossovers from around the late ’90s or early 2000s, but this final entry is the newest story on our list. This event saw Hugo Strange use an enhanced Venom formula to create a new version of his Monster Men, now coming in sizes that can range to kaiju level and with the ability to infect others. The entire Bat-Family had to unite to not only stop Strange, but unravel the mystery of what he was saying with his monsters. Strange, after all, is just as much a psychiatrist as he is a villain, and watching the team slowly piece together what his twisted message said was psychological detective work at its finest. On top of diving into the psychological world of Batman’s original archnemesis, this story also gave us the Bat-Family piloting Wayne skyscrapers like tower defense turrets, which is worth the price of admission alone. It’s big, bombastic, and as crazy and depressing as every Batman story should be.

Which underrated Batman crossover event is your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!