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| Batman is more than just a super hero. He is the man who walks among gods. |
5 Must Read Batman Titles:
The Dark Knight Returns:
Writer: Frank Miller
Frank Miller makes Batman a badass again after the silliness of the silver age and the goofy television series made him out to be a colorful odd ball.
Batman is old, angry and mean, but he comes out of retirement because the world needs Batman, and so does Bruce Wayne.
Often considered the best Batman story ever.
Batman - Year One:
Writer: Frank Miller
Frank Miller again, I have not read it but everyone keeps telling me I should.
Writer: Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is fucking amazing. This is meant to be the final case of Batman, his greatest feat and a challenge so great it would change him forever. It involves betrayal, conspiracy, mass organized crime, Batman being betrayed, drugged, going crazy, and doing amazing things. It's a great read.
Writer: Neil Gaiman/Grant Morrison
After being destroyed by Darkseid in Final Crisis we learn that Bruce Wayne was not just killed but multi-killed. Darkseid banished Bruce Wayne through time to die over and over again endlessly until he could return to the world from whence he came as a time bomb, literally. Grant Morrison does an amazing job of building the mythology of Batman in these comics and Neil Gaiman does an excellent job showcasing what Batman means in literature as he witnesses an infinite number of his own funeral with each death as heroic as the last and all of them so very human. “I am just man; I do what I can to help my allies when everything they touch becomes legend.”
Batman – The Killing Joke:
All of Alan Moore’s best work was done under creative restraints by publishers, and not too surprisingly DC comics would not let him fuck up Batman. This story gives us more insight into the Joker than Batman, but Moore does a good job of only giving us the vaguest of hints as to who or what the Joker really is. This is also the story where Barbra Gordon is shot in the spine and paralyzed ending her career as Batgirl forever.
Batman: A Death in the Family:
Writer: Jim Sterling
“A Death in the Family” is the story of the death of Jason Todd. While a lot of the shock value of seeing Robin die has worn off with time it is still an interesting read just to see how it went down.
Something of a prelude to the Bane saga, Batman experiments with the Venom drug to help to fight crime. A little ham-fisted in the “say no to drugs” message but good reading regardless, also gives some context to the future Bane character.
“Knightfall” is much too long to really be enjoyable throughout, but still a very important story to the history of Batman. This is the story of Bane “breaking” Batman, which is kind of a big deal. Batman’s defeat and return are great, the entire second act where Bruce Wayne is replaced with the forgettable and ultra 90s John Paul Valley is painful to get through however.
Ra’s Al Ghul translates into “The Demon’s Head,” this is the story that introduces Ra’s and his daughter Talia. I have never read it but I know the gist of it and it does sound really cool. If you ever wanted to know more about Ra’s and Talia this would probably be the best place to look.
Writer: Mark Waid
While technically not a Batman title this is a great character story for Batman. Ra’s Al Ghul manages to hack into Batman’s computers and learns all his secrets, and Batman’s secrets go far beyond just Bruce Wayne. Al Ghul learns all about the rest of the Justice League including Batman’s contingency plans to defeat them if they ever turn against him. Mark Waid is a great author and his does a great job of showing both the cruel distrust Batman shows towards his friends as well as a somewhat justifiable paranoia. Also the plots Batman has hatched to defeat the super humans that are his friends are just so creative, this is the story that made people start saying that Batman could beat Galactus under the pen of Mark Waid.
5 other things where Batman is really important or awesome:
Kingdom Come:
“Justice” is a fully fledged Justice League story. This is a story that captures the heroics of the Silver age of the DC universe. Every great hero from that era comes out and does what they do best, save the world from the Legion of Doom. There are few comics in existence that show the heroes (and villains) as much respect as “Justice” this is what these characters are supposed to be, they may struggle but they are great people with amazing powers capable of doing the greatest of things. If you are at all interested in introducing yourself to the DC universe beyond Batman this would be a good place to start. Alex Ross’s artwork once again looks beautiful.
Writer: Grant Morrison
Curious how Batman ended up dead in “Batman – Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” and “Batman - The Return of Bruce Wayne” then read “Final Crisis.” “Final Crisis” was the last universe wide team up story DC produced. Morrison does an amazing job of making Jack Kirby’s New Gods of Apocalypse a little more coherent for the average reader but compromises none of the poetry. “There was a war in heaven and evil won, and it may sound strange but they are inside all of us.” All the heroes unite and it is awesome. Batman stands up to gods and it is awesome!
The Christopher Nolan Movies:
Writer: Frank Miller Frank Miller again, I have not read it but everyone keeps telling me I should.
Batman - RIP:
Writer: Grant Morrison Grant Morrison is fucking amazing. This is meant to be the final case of Batman, his greatest feat and a challenge so great it would change him forever. It involves betrayal, conspiracy, mass organized crime, Batman being betrayed, drugged, going crazy, and doing amazing things. It's a great read.
Batman - Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader/The Return of Bruce Wayne:
Writer: Neil Gaiman/Grant Morrison After being destroyed by Darkseid in Final Crisis we learn that Bruce Wayne was not just killed but multi-killed. Darkseid banished Bruce Wayne through time to die over and over again endlessly until he could return to the world from whence he came as a time bomb, literally. Grant Morrison does an amazing job of building the mythology of Batman in these comics and Neil Gaiman does an excellent job showcasing what Batman means in literature as he witnesses an infinite number of his own funeral with each death as heroic as the last and all of them so very human. “I am just man; I do what I can to help my allies when everything they touch becomes legend.”
Batman – The Killing Joke:
Writer: Alan Moore
All of Alan Moore’s best work was done under creative restraints by publishers, and not too surprisingly DC comics would not let him fuck up Batman. This story gives us more insight into the Joker than Batman, but Moore does a good job of only giving us the vaguest of hints as to who or what the Joker really is. This is also the story where Barbra Gordon is shot in the spine and paralyzed ending her career as Batgirl forever.
5 Historically Important Batman stories:
Batman: A Death in the Family:
Writer: Jim Sterling “A Death in the Family” is the story of the death of Jason Todd. While a lot of the shock value of seeing Robin die has worn off with time it is still an interesting read just to see how it went down.
Batman - Venom:
Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Something of a prelude to the Bane saga, Batman experiments with the Venom drug to help to fight crime. A little ham-fisted in the “say no to drugs” message but good reading regardless, also gives some context to the future Bane character.
Batman - Knightfall:
Writer: Various
“Knightfall” is much too long to really be enjoyable throughout, but still a very important story to the history of Batman. This is the story of Bane “breaking” Batman, which is kind of a big deal. Batman’s defeat and return are great, the entire second act where Bruce Wayne is replaced with the forgettable and ultra 90s John Paul Valley is painful to get through however.
Batman – Tales of the Demon:
Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Justice League of America – Tower of Babel:
Writer: Mark WaidWhile technically not a Batman title this is a great character story for Batman. Ra’s Al Ghul manages to hack into Batman’s computers and learns all his secrets, and Batman’s secrets go far beyond just Bruce Wayne. Al Ghul learns all about the rest of the Justice League including Batman’s contingency plans to defeat them if they ever turn against him. Mark Waid is a great author and his does a great job of showing both the cruel distrust Batman shows towards his friends as well as a somewhat justifiable paranoia. Also the plots Batman has hatched to defeat the super humans that are his friends are just so creative, this is the story that made people start saying that Batman could beat Galactus under the pen of Mark Waid.
5 other things where Batman is really important or awesome:
Kingdom Come:
Writer: Mark Waid & Alex Ross
Possibly the best story to ever be told in comic books, while that may seem like a bold claim, and admittedly it is, I need to somehow find the right words to convey just how great of a title “Kingdom Come” is, and declaring it as a possible best ever is the best way to do that. While more of a Superman story, Batman is a major player. Superman struggles to understand his leadership role in the future when the next generation of super humans number in the thousands and no longer have a clear direction. Batman is jaded and haggard and practically crippled from his years of fighting super villains, he is the human voice to Superman’s god like voice. “Kingdom Come” is a great story, amazing art, and my personal favorite.
Justice:
Possibly the best story to ever be told in comic books, while that may seem like a bold claim, and admittedly it is, I need to somehow find the right words to convey just how great of a title “Kingdom Come” is, and declaring it as a possible best ever is the best way to do that. While more of a Superman story, Batman is a major player. Superman struggles to understand his leadership role in the future when the next generation of super humans number in the thousands and no longer have a clear direction. Batman is jaded and haggard and practically crippled from his years of fighting super villains, he is the human voice to Superman’s god like voice. “Kingdom Come” is a great story, amazing art, and my personal favorite.
Justice:
Writer: Jim Krueger & Alex Ross
“Justice” is a fully fledged Justice League story. This is a story that captures the heroics of the Silver age of the DC universe. Every great hero from that era comes out and does what they do best, save the world from the Legion of Doom. There are few comics in existence that show the heroes (and villains) as much respect as “Justice” this is what these characters are supposed to be, they may struggle but they are great people with amazing powers capable of doing the greatest of things. If you are at all interested in introducing yourself to the DC universe beyond Batman this would be a good place to start. Alex Ross’s artwork once again looks beautiful.
Final Crisis:
Writer: Grant Morrison Curious how Batman ended up dead in “Batman – Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader” and “Batman - The Return of Bruce Wayne” then read “Final Crisis.” “Final Crisis” was the last universe wide team up story DC produced. Morrison does an amazing job of making Jack Kirby’s New Gods of Apocalypse a little more coherent for the average reader but compromises none of the poetry. “There was a war in heaven and evil won, and it may sound strange but they are inside all of us.” All the heroes unite and it is awesome. Batman stands up to gods and it is awesome!
Everything Bruce Tim ever made:
Bruce Tim is the man responsible for the 1990s cartoon adaptation of Batman, Superman and the Justice League (unlimited). If you haven’t already watched the entire Batman series do it, it may well be the best Batman ever. If you want something more, watch the three seasons of Superman and the four seasons of Justice League, they are awesome!
The Christopher Nolan Movies:
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| This is a really cool fan made movie poster I found online at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/rorschachsrants/news/?a=61698 |
Duh!
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