20 best Batman comics to get to know your character

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Lifehacker has collected stories about the Dark Knight for those who are just starting to read about this hero, and for those who have already liked the cult stories.

Batman is one of the most popular comic book characters. Everyone knows the story of millionaire Bruce Wayne, whose parents were shot by a robber in an alley near the cinema. As Bruce grew up, he used all his knowledge, strength and money to fight crime, wearing a bat suit to intimidate.

But if everything is simple with the Batman films - there are only about a dozen of them - then understanding the history of comics is much more difficult. Many people have a question: where to start?

It may seem that the answer is obvious: you need to get to know the character from the very first issues. But in Batman's case, it's hardly worth doing. Firstly, comics about this hero have been published for almost 80 years, and it will take too long to read. Secondly, most of the old plots will seem too simple to the modern reader, and the graphics will be uninteresting. Thirdly, even among modern editions, a significant part are passing stories that are unlikely to attract a new reader. So, if you are not going to write a scientific paper on Batman, studying the entire huge archive is not at all necessary.

Moreover, over the past years, the hero's biography has been repeatedly rewritten together with the entire DC Comics universe, as well as in the form of separate branches. Therefore, for a start, it is better to choose a dozen of the generally recognized best works.

10 comics to start with

1. Batman: Year One

One of the best Batman comics and a great way to get to know the hero's story. It was written by the famous Frank Miller - the author of "Sin City", "300" and many other popular comics.

In the story, a young orphan millionaire Bruce Wayne returns to his native Gotham. He faces a thriving crime on the streets and decides to defend the city in the guise of a night avenger. In parallel, the first steps of Commissioner Jim Gordon are shown - he is transferred to Gotham, and he is trying to fight corruption in the government. You can even say that it is Gordon who is the main character of this comic. And Miller's main goal is to show all the gloom of life in Gotham, mired in crime.

Batman in a suit appears little here, more emphasis is placed on how Bruce Wayne comes up with an image - this, by the way, was copied quite accurately by Christopher Nolan in the movie “Batman. Start.

David Mazzukelli is named the artist of the “Year One” series. But, according to him, Miller did most of the work himself, he only had to finish the drawings. Moreover, the comic can be found in two versions: standard, where everything is drawn in pale colors, traditional for Miller, and a special edition with brighter colors. There is also a cartoon of the same name in 2011, where this story is almost frame-by-frame retold.

2. Killing joke

The work of the genius comic book writer Alan Moore. A very short but very atmospheric story about how Batman can sometimes be just as obsessed as those he hunts.

In the center - the confrontation between the hero and his eternal enemy Joker. And it is the famous clown who is trying to prove to Batman that it only takes one bad day for a person to turn into a psychopath. To this end, he kidnaps Commissioner Jim Gordon, and before that he shoots his daughter Barbara in the spine.

The comic is also important in that it tells the story of the Joker's origin, although he himself is not sure of his memories.

Tim Burton himself admitted his love for "The Killing Joke". And Jared Leto, before trying on the image of the Joker in "Suicide Squad", posted a photo in which he copied the character from the cover of the comic.

In 2016, the cartoon of the same name was released, in which the backstory of the love relationship between Batman and Barbara was added to the plot of "The Killing Joke". But to many comic book fans this part seemed superfluous, and they prefer to watch the cartoon from the middle.

3. The man who laughs

Chronologically, the events of this comic take place before the plot of "The Murderous Joke" and directly continue "Year One". However, the story of the origin of the Joker is again remembered here, so it is better to read them in that order.

Batman investigates the appearance of a new maniac in the city. He announces in advance on television the names of his victims - the rich from Gotham. But, despite all the efforts, not one of them can be saved, they all die with a frozen smile on their face. Batman tries to catch the criminal and realizes that this case is related to a man who once fell into chemical reagents at a factory.

Interestingly, in fact, this comic is a remake of the very first appearance of the Joker on the pages of DC Comics in 1940. Authors Ed Brubaker and Doug Monkey only modernized the plot and picture and connected it with the later events of the DC universe. And the name itself refers to the novel by Victor Hugo, or rather, to its main character, from which the Joker was once copied.

4. "The Long Halloween" and "Dark Victory"

Two detective stories from acclaimed author Jeff Loeb (now head of Marvel TV). These are two separate stories, but it is better to read them in a row, since they are both drawn by the same artist Tim Sale, and literally continue each other.

The first plot is more confusing. And here Batman often has to justify his title of the best detective, than the best fighter. A maniac appears in the city, killing exclusively on holidays, and he chooses victims among members of large mafia clans. Indeed, until the very end it is almost impossible to guess who the killer is.

In "Dark Victory" the maniac kills the policemen, leaving clues at the crime scene in the form of the child's game "gallows". The story is a little simpler here, but those who liked The Long Halloween will definitely appreciate the sequel.

It is in this comic that Attorney Harvey Dent is poured acid on his face, after which he becomes insane Two-Face. Here, the Grayson family of circus acrobats perishes, and Batman for the first time takes on an assistant - Dick Grayson, the first Robin.

Visually, these comics are very gothic. Batman's cloak often appears as a black blot on the floor. By the way, the performer of the role of Batman, Christian Bale, said that he tried to copy his image from these plots.

5. Death in the family

One of the rather old comics that looks rustic now. But to understand the depth of the character, he is simply necessary. Moreover, the old comics seem to many to be entirely light and positive.

First you need to consider that Batman had several partners with the common name Robin. The first is Dick Grayson, whose story begins in The Long Halloween. Later, he moved to another city and took the name Nightwing for himself - there is a separate series of comics about him, and now they are filming a series. After that, Batman found a new assistant - a homeless orphan Jason Todd. He became the second Robin. But the readers did not really like this character, and then the authors decided on a really cruel move. In the Death in the Family story arc, Joker locked Jason in a warehouse and beat him to death with a crowbar.

6. The fall of the knight

And one more important, though not very visually interesting plot. For those who have watched Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, the comic is definitely recommended reading. After all, it is here that Batman encounters an opponent Bane, superior in strength and cunning, and he breaks his back in a duel.

This story significantly changes the perception of Bruce Wayne. First, he loses the image of an invincible hero. And secondly, the authors show that Batman is not only Wayne, his costume can be transferred to another person. And the one who tried on the image of a bat was the warrior Azrael, who used completely different methods of fighting villains.

7. Batman: Quiet

Another piece by Jeff Loeb, and again a detective story. Although this time the plot is much less twisted.

In Gotham, the mysterious character Khash appears (the word hush in translation means "quietly"). He subdues all criminals and plays some very strange game. And his main target, of course, will be Batman.

What sets this comic apart from The Long Halloween is primarily its graphics. Here the famous Jim Lee acted as an artist, and it is impossible not to recognize his style. Firstly, he draws in detail a lot of little things: the background, details of clothing, vehicles and weapons. And secondly, he draws heroes in a very specific way. For this, critics often scold him, because all men in his comics have strong chins and clenched teeth, and women have large breasts. But fans love him for that.

In Batman: Quiet, Jim Lee was allowed to enjoy the portrayal of female characters - at least briefly, almost all the main characters in DC comics appear here, from Harley Quinn to Catwoman. And by the way, this is where the relationship between Batman and the Cat will reach a new level.

8. Arkham Asylum. House of Sorrow in Sorrowful Land

For those who still think comics are just stories about superheroes in pictures, you should definitely read the work of Grant Morrison and Dave McKean. Because it was not created to tell the reader something. It's just scary. The plot of "Arkham Asylum" is simple: the Joker organizes a riot in a psychiatric hospital, where he was once again hidden, and takes the staff hostage. He is ready to release the hospital staff on one condition - Batman must voluntarily surrender to him.

In parallel, the story of the man who built the clinic is revealed. He tried to cope with childhood traumas and even help others, but in the end he lost his mind.

It would seem that the authors are not telling anything new, but here the approach to the main character changes. Once in the hospital, Batman asks himself the question: what if this is the place for a person who dresses up in a bat costume? In addition, the authors have implemented their ideas in a very non-standard way. The comic features a collection of scary pictures, photographs, hard-to-read fonts and many hidden characters on every page.

All this plunges the viewer into the world of madness and nightmares. If left alone with this comic late at night, then reading will turn into watching a real horror movie, when every rustle scares.

9. Return of the dark knight

And again, Frank Miller, a lover of hard stories. In contrast to the comic "Year One", this is a plot about an elderly Batman who plans to retire. Bruce Wayne is in his 50s and has been away from Gotham for a long time. During this time, the government has banned all superheroes, and Superman is now following the president's orders. Wayne enters into a fight with a gang of mutants, but then he will have to confront Superman himself in an unequal battle.

Fans of fine drawing of characters with this comic will have a hard time, because Miller illustrated it himself, and he does everything roughly and sweepingly. But the plot compensates for the simplicity of the drawing many times over. Here, each character is presented ambiguously, and it is impossible to make out who is still a hero and who is a villain.

According to the plot of the comic, the cartoon of the same name was shot, accurately conveying the content. And he was also taken as a basis by Zack Snyder when he shot the film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Although the director turned many themes upside down, the middle-aged Bruce Wayne and the fight in the iron suit came straight from Miller's story.

10. Batman Earth-1

For those tired of the endless repetitions of Batman's origin story, DC has an outlet - Earth-1. This is, one might say, a parallel world, where the heroes are more like real people.

The creators of this comic about Batman decided to tell a little differently about the hero's youth. Yes, his parents also die, but the motive for turning young Bruce Wayne into Batman is not revenge, but rather guilt. And the butler Albert plays an equally important role. Here he does not just serve and help Bruce - the former military man turns into his main mentor. It seems that this is the story that the authors of the series "Gotham" were guided by.

Earth-1 is a great way to see more believable and down-to-earth heroes. The beginner Batman here with might and main breaks down his favorite gadgets, he falls, loses and is afraid. Everything is like in life.

10 more comics for those who are already hooked

Those who read the main comics and like them can be mistaken for more complex stories.

11. A lonely place to die

After the death of Jason Todd, Batman has a new Robin - Tim Drake. And this is the only case when the boy himself found Bruce Wayne, figuring out who is hiding under the mask of a bat. But, like all Batman's partners, tragic events take place in the life of young Tim.

12. Under the red cap

The return of Jason Todd was hinted at in the comic "Batman: Quiet!", But then it turned out to be a hoax. But in the series "Under the Red Cap" he really came back to life. True, in a different way: now Todd acts as an anti-hero - a kind of reflection of Batman's cruelty.

13. Gotham in gas light

If you are tired of watching the same characters, be sure to read this comic. What if Batman doesn't live in our time, but in the Victorian era? And who, if not him, should calculate the world's first maniac - Jack the Ripper? In addition to the unusual idea and surroundings, this plot is also interesting because of the complete departure from the canons. This means that anyone can be the killer.

14. Flashpoint: Batman. Vengeance knight

In the DC universe, global incidents regularly occur that restart the stories of all heroes. One of these events was "Flashpoint" - a plot where Flash returned to the past and saved his mother from murder, thereby changing the course of history. And in a parallel world in an alley, not Bruce Wayne's parents were killed, but the boy himself. As a result, his father, Thomas Wayne, became Batman, much more aggressive than his son. But what happened to the mother, it is better to learn from the comic.

15. Injustice: Gods Among Us

In this comic, Batman is just one of many characters. But for those who have already familiarized themselves with the game of the same name, it will be useful to know the background of events. The Joker tricks Superman into killing the pregnant Lois Lane. After that, the Man of Steel goes crazy and decides to build his ideal world without crime. Over time, he turns into a real tyrant. And then some of the former colleagues, including Batman, go into resistance, trying to overthrow the power of Superman.

16. Court of Owls

It would seem that Batman brought order to the streets of Gotham and eradicated all crime. But then he finds out that his city has long been secretly ruled by some "Owls". And now the Dark Knight will have to face them.

17. Noel

One of the weirdest ideas is to combine the classic "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, where the spirits of Christmas came to the gloomy old man Scrooge, with characters from the comics about Batman. However, as it turned out, it might look very interesting.

18. Gothic

Another work by Grant Morrison that addresses hidden fears. Here Batman will have to confront not so much various enemies as his childhood memories. You can familiarize yourself with interesting facts from the hero's youth.

19. Cult

Where else can you see Batman who has fallen under the influence of a dangerous cult. The dark knight even goes so far as to pick up a firearm. Although, it would seem, the founder of this cult, like the main character, wants to cleanse the city of crime.

20. Black and white

And finally - more elegant than meaningful comics. Four short yet truly gripping stories from Batman's life, rendered in black and white.