Batman Graphic Novels Every Fan Should Read

Batman: Year One, by Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli
Following the success of his Daredevil run at Marvel and The Dark Knight Returns, D.C. gave writer Frank Miller the reins to re-envision Batman’s origin story for a modern audience, and the result was the masterpiece Batman: Year One. With the distinctive art style of David Mazzucchelli, Year One defied expectations by focusing not just on Bruce Wayne’s return to Gotham City, but also future commissioner Jim Gordon’s own efforts to clean up the streets, elevating him beyond a secondary character designed to prop up the Bat. The atmosphere dark and gritty, the dialogue natural, Year One is THE place to begin your Batman binge!

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, by Neil Gaiman & Various Artists 
Batman’s a master martial artist and the world’s greatest detective, but sometimes that isn’t enough to guarantee the bad guy won’t have a lucky day. Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? is your invitation to the Dark Knight’s wake, written by Neil Gaiman with art by Andy Kubert. Friends and enemies who left their mark on Batman transcend time to say their piece, each one strangely claiming to have seen him meet different, contradictory ends. Aside from containing a Batman yarn every bit as surreal as it is tenderly bittersweet, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? includes Gaiman’s earlier stories from Secret Origins and Batman Black and White.

Batman: The Black Mirror, by Scott Snyder, Jock, & Francesco Francavilla
Considered a semi-sequel to the events of Year One by fans, Batman: The Black Mirror was a kingmaker for those creatively involved, receiving acclaim for artists Jock and Francesco Francavilla’s artwork and promoting writer Scott Snyder to D.C.’s chief Batman architect. Set during ex-Robin Dick Grayson’s tenure as the Bat, The Black Mirror exposes Gotham City’s disturbing underbelly, infested by villain-obsessed socialites and evil James Gordon, Jr.—Jim Gordon’s infant son from Year One, all grown up and clinically psychotic. If you want a Batman story thematically in step with director Christopher Nolan’s films, we can’t recommend The Black Mirror any more highly.

Gotham Central Book 1: In the Line of Duty, by Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, & Michael Lark 
Our parents and teachers reminded us that the real heroes are the men and women of law enforcement, saving the day without the aid of super powers. But when you’re a part of the Gotham City Police Department, how does one react in the face of, say, Mr. Freeze? Gotham Central shows an aspect of the city typically sidelined in other Batman series: what goes down after the police arrive to bring in villains freshly trounced by the Dark Knight. Yet worse than any costumed malcontent are the insecurities and dramas the GCPD staff contend with every day. Writers Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker tackle these sensitive issues in a relatable and thought-provoking manner. Gotham Central is, fantastical trappings notwithstanding, one of the most human series you’ll ever read.

Batman Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, by Grant Morrison & Dave McKean 
Fan-favorite master of the absurd Grant Morrison lets the inmates rule the madhouse in Batman Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. Revolting and taking the Arkham staff hostage on April Fool’s Day, the Joker and his deranged associates publicly announce their ultimatum: give them Batman or innocents die. Batman enters the institution alone, taking readers on a nightmarish tour made all the more terrifying by Sandman cover artist Dave McKean’s imagery. A sharp deviation from the hammy villains we’re accustomed to, Scarecrow, Two-Face, and the rest are shown as the mentally fractured men that they are, engaging in unsettling activities and conversation. This particular edition of Arkham Asylum is the one to own, as it includes Morrison’s original annotated script and an afterword from Vertigo Comics’ executive editor, Karen Berger.

Batwoman: Elegy, by Greg Rucka & J.H. Williams III 
Breaking barriers and the noses of no-goodniks, writer Greg Rucka and artist J.H. Williams III’s re-invigorated Batwoman was met with unanimous praise, and now you can see exactly why in Batwoman: Elegy. During her brief takeover of the Detective Comics title from issues #854-860, fans were introduced to Kate Kane, a former cadet and an open lesbian. Expelled from military training because of her orientation, Kate eventually dragged herself out from destructive self-pity by becoming a crime fighter, administering justice on her own terms as Batwoman. While the negative sort might argue that she’s simply a female Batman clone, Rucka and Williams III’s approach to the character makes her a hero in her own right: strong, confident, and defiant of narrow-minded stigma.

Batman Noir: The Long Halloween, by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale 
Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween stands as essential reading alongside The Dark Knight Returns, and now it has been published in a new, all black-and-white “Noir” edition, creating an entirely different experience for readers new and old. During Batman’s early days as a crime fighter, a mysterious killer known only as Holiday is running rings around our hero and Jim Gordon, murdering his victims on each major holiday (hence the name). It’s a year-long chase through the seasons, featuring run-ins with the Dark Knight’s familiar gallery of rogues, who provide cryptic information or, as they are wont to do, impede his progress.

Absolute Batman: Haunted Knight, by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale 
Batman seems to attract the weird, creepy, and inexplicable, as seen in this graphic novel’s collected one-shots: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #1, Batman: Madness #1, and Batman: Ghosts #1, featuring an assemblage of the hero’s more chilling nemeses… and a ghostly intervention à la A Christmas Carol. Thrown in as an additional Halloween treat is Catwoman: When in Rome, collecting all six issues of the feline thief’s miniseries.

Batman: Death of the Family Book and Joker Mask Set, by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo 
Batman must face a ghost from the past: the Joker! This is the must-own edition of Snyder and Capullo’s second groundbreaking arc, wherein the Clown Prince of Crime—wearing his severed face as a grotesque flesh mask—seeks to enact revenge on the Dark Knight’s family of sidekicks. Death of the Family‘s imagery is as hauntingly visceral as its writing, leading Batman down dark corridors, and brought to terrifying life thanks to this set’s included Joker mask.

Batman Eternal, Vol. 1, by Various Writers & Artists
Kicking off an event destined to rock the New 52’s Batman family of books to their very foundation, Batman Eternal, Vol. 1 proves that even the mightiest of heroes can fall. Wrongfully arrested and declared guilty of manslaughter after a disastrous subway accident, Commissioner Jim Gordon is incarcerated, and Batman and his allies are working tirelessly to clear his name. With corruption infecting the GCPD in Gordon’s absence, Carmine “The Roman” Falcone makes a bid for criminal supremacy, openly starting a turf war with the Penguin. With his hands full, Batman is blind to the true mastermind orchestrating everything. Written and illustrated by a rotation of top D.C. talent including Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, and Jason Fabok, Batman Eternal, Vol. 1 will be talked about for years to come.

Batman 75th Anniversary Box Set, by Various Writers & Artists 
Can’t choose just one Batman graphic novel? An understandable dilemma, and that’s why we shift your attention to the Batman 75th Anniversary Box Set, a mini smörgåsbord of defining stories: Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee’s Batman: Hush, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman: The Court of Owls, and—the one book that brings it home—Frank Miller’s superb The Dark Knight Returns. With an affordable set like this, you have no excuse to hold off from immersing yourself in Batman’s world!
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