Essential Batman Reading

Very soon we shall all be under the Bat fervour as Chris Nolan's 3rd & final film in the Batman trilogy 'The Dark Knight Rises' nears release. The trilogy, which is undoubtedly the most 'faithful' & gritty portrayal of the Batman universe owes a lot to the comic books that it originated from & in hindsight is really an amalgamation of all the elements that have eternalized the Batman mythos over the years.

Here then are my picks for what I believe are the definitive Batman comic books that've helped create & seamlessly imprint the gothic, gloomy, beastly & yet all the more heroic image of the Dark Knight in our minds & imaginations for a lifetime. These are books that I believe even a non-comic book or a non-superhero fan should read because simply put they're storytelling at its purest. I've given them numbers just for the sake of chronology, all the five books listed here can in my opinion vie for the 'Best Batman Comic' title.

1. The Long Halloween

Writer: Jeph Loeb

Art: Tim Sale

Personally my favourite Batman comic book of all time, The Long Halloween is equal parts murder mystery & intense mob drama (It takes a lot of cues & pays equal number of homages to The Godfather). Setting up the gang war between the two crime families of Sal Maroni & Carmine Falcone as the backdrop, it deals with a mysterious serial killer who seems to have invaded Gotham city & leaves the caped crusader to get to the bottom of it.

Brilliantly paced & magnificently drawn (the comic maintains an eery dark feel with occasional bursts of colour) TLH is full of enchanting twists & turns including a final clincher which fanboys debate about till today.

TLH also serves as an origin story for Two-Face & is notable for exploring themes about family, loneliness & the trustworthy relationship that Batman forms with Commissioner Gordon & Harvey Dent.

[Also check out other Loeb/Sale collaborations 'Batman: Dark Victory' which is a direct sequel to TLH & 'Batman: Haunted Knight']

2. Year One

Writer: Frank Miller
Art: David Mazzucchelli

If there's one book that can be accredited for giving Batman the tenebrous image that he maintains today it has to be Frank Miller's Year One. The revamped Batman origin story that delved into the emotional innards of Bruce Wayne & made the Batman story more 'real'. This authenticity is achieved by portraying a loathsome picture of Gotham city whose streets are overflowing with crime, filth & corruption. One instantly feels while reading that if there's one city which needs a hero to clean it up, it's this one.

Of course a city so far deep in muck does not need a goody-two shoes hero to bring the guilty to justice, it needs a hero who shall strike fear in the hearts of criminals & Miller builds an audacious masterpiece to give Batman the story he deserves.




3. The Killing Joke

Writer: Alan Moore
Art: Brian Bollard

Written by the "God of comic book writers" Alan Moore, The Killing Joke takes the madness & chaos of Batman's greatest foe The Joker to a whole new level. No other comic book has probably taken his lunacy to such extremes. In TKJ the Joker is depicted as a killer, a sick tormentor & a possible child molester. This sociopathic behaviour is contrasted by giving us glimpses from his (possible) tragic backstory.

TKJ digs into the constant tug-of-war between "sanity" & "insanity" of the good guys & bad guys & tosses up the question of whether the two would interchange places if given just the right push?

The Killing Joke is the Joker at his psychopathic best. No wonder it served as an inspiration for Heath Ledger to base his on screen Joker upon for The Dark Knight.




4. The Dark Knight Returns

Story & Art: Frank Miller

Often considered as the best comic book ever written, this is Frank Miller's pièce de rèsistance. Set in a dystopian future 10 years since Batman retired, we meet a Bruce Wayne who's pushing 50. The state of affairs of the already corrupt & notorious Gotham city are multiplied 5-folds in this bleak future. The inherent cacophony & pandemonium forces Bruce to don the costume one more time. This time though the stakes are much much higher & he faces more than what he bargained for.

Incorporating path breaking, unique methods of story telling Miller weaves a tale unlike any other, with layers upon layers of subtext & an unforgettable ending (yup, a Batman vs. Superman bout).

Keeping all the fantastical elements of a superhero story intact Miller infuses them with dirty politics & an ominous atmosphere which makes for a deadly cocktail giving birth to phenomenal fiction. 

[At least the first half of  'The Dark Knight Rises' will be heavily inspired by this book as it deals with Batman coming out of an 8 year hiatus & the trailers also show a few sequences directly taken from the book]

5. Arkham Asylum

Writer: Grant Morrison
Art: Dave McKean

Just like Moore anything written by Grant Morrison in the comics medium is also pure gold, & this one especially is right up there among his best works. The inmates of Arkham have taken over the facility & threaten to kill the staff until Batman agrees to meet with them. Arkham Asylum features the who's who of Batman villains & takes you through the minds of each of these criminally insane.

Among all the Batman graphic novels this is probably the most "psychological" & mind bending. Do not expect a 'good-will-triumph-over-evil' feel good story when you pick this one up. 

The real hero of this book though is undoubtedly artist Dave Mckean. One can feel the scruffy walls of Arkham on their fingertips as clearly as you can see the raw scars on the Joker's face. Each panel can be framed & displayed as brilliant work of abstract art.

Also worth Reading :-

Knightfall:- One of the more famous story arcs in the mainstream Batman continuity, the first half of Knightfall deals with the ferocious Bane wreaking havoc on Gotham & breaking Batman's back as well as his spirit, It is highly expected that TDKR will be heavily influenced by this book.

Hush:- Known primarily for the uber cool artwork by Jim Lee, this nifty little comic book is a joyride. It's everything you'd expect from a big budget blockbuster captured within the panels of a comic book. There's a LOT happening in each issue with a bevy of Batman villains showing up & making him confront his past. Oh yeah, & there's also the smokin' siren Catwoman heating up the proceedings.

Gotham Central:- This is a slightly different comic book as compared to other Batman comics as in it almost relegates the Bat to a secondary character status. GC is a first rate police procedural series but sadly it's also criminally underrated & does not have a huge fan following. I though, very very highly recommend it. It takes a look at Gotham city's crimes & misdemeanors from a side of the law we're not very used to seeing it from. The side of the cops.





Of course these are all my choices. There are plenty more Batman comics that are absolutely magnificent. Do leave a comment & tell me what according to you are the best Batman comics of all time. Till then, happy reading.