As one of the most popular heroes in all of comics, Batman has countless stories for almost a century. When you pick up a new Batman book, you never know what’s going to become the next “classic” or just a personal favorite and with there being seemingly endless Batman books the past few years, there have been no shortage of stories to explore. With Matt Fraction’s Batman #1 starting a new era for the Dark Knight, we wanted to take a look at five more recent Batman stories that are primed to become the next modern classics for the hero, must-read books every fan will want to know.
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From horror-toned tales to sequels, these stories have already made a mark on Batman and will only grow more powerful and beloved in the years to come. It is, however, worth noting that Absolute Batman did not make this list; the stories here are perhaps less blockbusters and more just high-quality works every Batman fan should know.
5) Batman and Robin: Memento
In the past couple of years Phillip Kennedy Johnson has risen in the ranks as not only a great superhero writer but a horror one as well. From his work on The Incredible Hulk, Green Lantern: War Journal, and now Batman and Robin, Johnson has done it all. While the former were body horror and cosmic zombies, his story “Memento” deals with curses, ghosts, and legacy in one magnificent read. The return of a supposed copycat killer from Bruce Wayne’s youth sets off an incredible journey for ten issues that takes Batman and Robin into complicated new territory via echoes of the past.
Bruce hallucinating visions of the dead returning to torment him, tackling the trauma of wanting to be a better father to Damian, and solving the one case that evaded him, “Memento” has it all. With the Memento killer creeping around in skinwalker fashion along with his rhythmic speaking, he haunts Bruce, Damian, and the reader alike. Did we mention this is partly takes place in the abandoned city under Gotham? For a perfect ghost story, check this one out.
4) Batman: The Long Halloween: The Last Halloween
Based off the title alone you know exactly why we’re here. This story is end of the Batman trilogy started by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale with The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. The Last Halloween finishes off Loeb and Sale vision for the early years of Batman, bringing that era to a close with the perfect blend of nostalgia and storytelling. With a new artists every issue to honor the late Sale, this already feels overlooked compared to the prior two in this trilogy. If you look past the initial artist being gone with new artists emulating his style, however, you get not only a great story but a fantastic tribute as well
Following in suit with the other two, a mystery is afoot for the Dark Knight. Someone is trying to kill his enemies with the same gun the killer Holiday used in the Long Halloween. With the original assailant out of the picture, the mystery twists and turns again in a way to honor both stories that came before it with a new twist. Some will say that this story too little too late, and call it a cash grab but it’s much more than that. Loeb still has it as the writer and gives a much needed round of closure for the two stories before it.
3) Gotham Nocturne
While this is Ram V’s entire run on Detective Comics as a whole, Gotham Nocturne is one massive story rolled into a single narrative over 27 issues with an intermission arc. Gotham Nocturne tells the story of the rise and fall of a new batch of villains through the lens of a symphony. Told in three acts, it deconstructs Batman through his life with new and old foes returning all over the place.
The most experimental Batman story in recent memory, Gotham Nocturne goes for something new and different from what’s come before. It was decently received by fans at the time but as a monthly read it may have left some fans confused. However, when taken as a complete collection, the story is one of the better ones in recent Detective Comics. Reading the whole thing together in an oversized collected format is something needed for this run and will surely become a classic.
2) Batman: Superheavy and Batman: Bloom
A story in two parts, Superheavy and Bloom by Scott Snyder has gone under the radar since release. From the brief stint where Jim Gordon became Batman funded by the GCPD, The stories deal with Gordon taking on a new threat in Mr. Bloom, who first appears as a drug dealer but is later revealed to be something much worse. Gordon has hands full during his time as Batman dealing with him and while most fans don’t like it when anyone other than Bruce is under the cowl, this era may go down for fans the way the Dick Grayson era did for other fans back in the day.
The story has been loved more by fans over the years as the tail end of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s generational run on Batman concluded, and this is the perfect ending. It’s something different yet refreshing to give old school readers something to amaze over while they still have the classic stuff. Run to check out Superheavy and Bloom as soon as you can, if you haven’t read it, please do you won’t be disappointed.
1) Batman: Dark Patterns
The undisputed classic in the making, Batman: Dark Patterns, already is the next classic Batman story. Four separate cases of the supernatural with a young Batman in year three, Dark Patterns shows you how dark it can get in Gotham and how supernatural the place can be at times. From the grotesque Wound Man to the eerie “Voice in the Tower” story, Dark Patterns does it all from rising stars Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman.
This is the most overt horror story on this list and it is also the most current. A story that hooks you in right from the get go, Dark Patterns already felt like a classic from the very first issue. This is everything that works in Batman comics and should be the blueprint going forward.
What Batman story do you think will be a classic in the future? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comments.
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