These Are the 7 Best Grant Morrison Batman Stories

Grant Morrison recently announced their return to the Big Two and then revealed they were returning for a Batman project. This is great news for fans of both Batman and Morrison; one of Morrison’s first major DC projects was Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, they wrote Batman in their blockbuster JLA run in the ’90s, and was the one of the main stewards of the Batman comics from 2007 to 2013, writing Batman, Batman and Robin, and Batman Inc. Vol. 1 and 2. Morrison’s Batman comics are some of the best Batman comics of all time, stories that redefined Batman for the modern day while never forgetting what came before. Morrison’s Batman run has three distinct stages, beginning with Batman fighting the Black Hand, then dealing with Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne taking over as Batman and Robin, and finally Bruce Wayne returning and spreading Batman throughout the world. There are few writers out there with the kind of grip on Batman and his mythos that Morrison has, so whether they’re writing Batman or any of his supporting characters, it’s sure to be a treat.

Looking back over Morrison’s six years of writing Batman, there are definitely some stories that stand out more than others. Morrison is a master at telling brilliant superhero stories that go to places no one else will, and their Batman run is full of those moments. Right now is the best time to go through Morrison’s best Batman stories, with these seven stories being especially good.

Batman #666

Batman #666 came during the first phase of Morrison’s run. Morrison was beginning to tease where the story was going, and Batman #666 was a part of that. Batman #666, with artist Andy Kubert, took place in the future. Damian Wayne had grown to become Batman and he was dealing with the threat of the Devil Batman, one of three Batmen created by the Gotham police department back before he was born. This being Damian, he was a much more violent Batman, killing multiple enemies on the road to his enemy, someone even his father couldn’t find. Morrison has always excelled at flash forward stories — JLA‘s “Rock of Ages” and New X-Men‘s “Here Comes Tomorrow” are perfect examples, so read those too — and Batman #666 is one of the best.The art by Andy Kubert is especially good. Kubert’s time on Batman represents some of the best work of his long, illustrious career, and Batman #666 is one of his best. This is a great one-shot story, perfect for anyone who wants to see a very different Batman take on a different threat.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

Batman “died” in Final Crisis, being thrown back in time to caveman days by Darkseid. Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, with artists Chris Sprouse, Frazier Irving, Yanick Paquette, Georges Jeanty, Ryan Sook, and Lee Garbett, picked up where Final Crisis left us, as Batman’s Bat tribe is attacked by Vandal Savage. However, that’s just the beginning, as Batman starts to shift forward through time, becoming a witch hunter, a pirate, a detective, and a masked gunfighter, always showing up around Gotham’s environs. Meanwhile, in the present, Tim Drake, not believing that Bruce was dead, tries to figure out a way to find him. Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne is six different stories in one, each with a different art style, all building towards an insane ending that only Grant Morrison could give you. It’s a super fun Batman story, with brilliant art and a mindbending revenge plot that will leave readers breathless with anticipation for what’s going to happen next. It’s peak Morrison and peak Batman.

Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn

Dick Grayson’s time as Batman is one of Morrison’s greatest achievements, and the first six issues of Batman and Robin are a perfect snapshot into this brilliant era. Now, technically, the first six issues of Batman and Robin, with art by Frank Quitely and Phillip Tan, are two three issue stories. The first pitting the new Dynamic Duo against Professor Pyg and his circus of criminal oddities, the second seeing Jason Todd return as a new kind of Red Hood, in one of Jason Todd’s best post-resurrection stories, all as a new assassin named the Flamingo stalks Gotham City. Pyg and Flamingo were both teased in Batman #666, and it was awesome to see them here. These six issue are collected as Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn, giving Batman fans two great stories of Batman goodness. Dick and Damian make an excellent Dynamic Duo, and this story shows why Morrison’s Batman and Robin is a highlight of Morrison’s tenure as Batman’s scribe.

Batman #667-669

Morrison was known for bringing old Batman ideas into the present day, and the best example of that came form Batman #667-669. This three issue story re-established the Club of Heroes, a group of Batmen from all over Europe and beyond. The Club is called back together to investigate the murder of one of their own, as more of them die every minute. This story introduced the Black Glove, an organization that would become more important as Morrison’s first arc came to a close with Final Crisis and “Batman R.I.P.”. The story is a whodunit with a familiar setting — a group of detectives gathered together at the home of the deceased, hunting for clues as one of their own hunts them, with a Morrison twist. Morrison and artist J.H. Williams give readers an exciting whodunit, Williams’s brilliant page layouts perfectly complimenting Morrison’s script. It was either include this or “Batman and Son” and I chose this. “Batman and Son” is an important story, introducing Damian Wayne, but this story is a better Batman story, a masterpiece of atmosphere, plot, and characterization.

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“Gothic”

Batman has always been big business for DC, with multiple Batman titles being published starring Batman as early as 1940. In 1989, DC began publishing Batman: Legend of the Dark Knight, an anthology book from rotating teams of writers and artists telling Batman stories. Morrison, fresh off the success of Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, was tapped to contribute to the series with legendary artist Klaus Janson for a tale called “Gothic”, which ran in Batman: Legend of the Dark Knight #6-10. Batman is tasked by the mob bosses of the city to hunt down a killer that’s targeting them, taking Batman into a mystery that involves one of the darker corners of Gotham’s past, based on the opera Don Giovanni. “Gothic” is a brilliant little tale, with Morrison and Janson’s considerable skills gelling together to make a Batman story that fans have loved for decades

“Batman R.I.P.”

“Batman R.I.P.” is the end of the first phase of Morrison’s Batman run. The Black Glove, their threat growing in the shadows since Morrison took over Batman, finally strikes, and their first blow is basically fatal. They cut Batman off from all support, destroy his mind, and inject him full of a potent combo of crystal meth and heroin, making him believe that he’s just a street bum with delusions of the grandeur. The Joker, in his most brutal form, enters the mix and suddenly Batman has to fall back on a failsafe that he never even remembered he created. “Batman R.I.P.” is everything good about Morrison’s writing Batman. Awesome villains, insane situations, and a story that is Batman to its core no matter how insane it is. Morrison and artist Tony S. Daniel deliver a Batman story for the ages, one that tops many best of all time Batman lists.

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

Morrison had arrived at DC at the right time. 1989’s Batman was being released and DC wanted as much disparate Batman material as possible. The publisher got Morrison, popular because of Animal Man, and artist Dave McKean, future The Sandman cover artist who had made a splash at DC with Black Orchid, for a Batman story. They gave DC one of the greatest Batman stories ever — Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. This story took a common Batman trope — the prisoners taking control of Arkham Asylum, taking hostages, and daring Batman to enter — and turn it on its ear by connecting it to the curse of Arkhams, the family who started the asylum to deal with their wealthy yet insane members. Arkham Asylum is hallucinogenic psychological horror, a twisted story bathed in the occult with art unlike anything anyone had seen in a Batman story before. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth is amazing, and if you can find a copy with the original trade dress and hardcover, get it. There’s something about reading it the way it was originally meant to be read that makes it an even better experience, as McKean designed the book and dust jacket.