#5: Batman Face the Face. I recently read this story and fell in love with it. It's not one of the best known runs but it was really good. It takes place a year after the events of Geoff John's Infinite Crisis series. Face the Face was written by James Robinson and was drawn by a bunch of different guys that were really good. Batman and Robin have not been in Gotham for about a year while trying to deal with the events of the crisis, while they were away Batman left a newly reformed Harvey Dent in control of the city. Harvey had his face restored back and with it his broken psyche seemed to be healed as well.
The reason I liked this story so much was the way Harvey really took up the mantel of Gotham's protector in Batmans absence. The main arch of the story is based on the idea that someone is framing Two Face for murder and when Batman returns he loses his faith in Harvey's innocence and drives him to return to being Two Face once again. There are a few wacky old school Batman villains that help push the story along and it will make you turn to Wikipedia for help. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Batman and is looking for something to fill the void between any other Bat title.
The reason I liked this story so much was the way Harvey really took up the mantel of Gotham's protector in Batmans absence. The main arch of the story is based on the idea that someone is framing Two Face for murder and when Batman returns he loses his faith in Harvey's innocence and drives him to return to being Two Face once again. There are a few wacky old school Batman villains that help push the story along and it will make you turn to Wikipedia for help. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Batman and is looking for something to fill the void between any other Bat title.
#4: Batman year 100 written and drawn by Paul Pope. I have seen this around for many years but never really had the urge to read it. Recently I had the chance and I took it and man was I made at myself for passing it up. The art is a little rough for people who are really into the "pretty" art styles because it is very sketchy in look but it really fits the writing. This is a future story where Batman is just a myth and people have not seen him in years. They refer to him as just as myth to stop dope dealers and gun runners. This book does an amazing job of pulling in long time Bat-fans by giving us just bits and pieces of the Batman we know and love. There is a Robin, an oracle, and even a Commissioner Gordon. They are not exactly as they used to be but they are there. It doesn't flow like a regular Batman story and it almost feels like it's just the first and last part of a long running Batman narrative that we have all been apart of since 1939. If you love Batman you should read this, don't be like me give it a try!
#3: Batman Year One by Frank Miller. If you ever felt like you wanted Commissioner Gordon to be more bad ass you should read this story. Not only is it an amazing origin story for Batman it is an even better origin for Gordon. The art is just perfect for the story and if you are a true Batman fan you know that Frank Miller knows Batman better than any other writer of the title. Since you probably think you know how it all began I beg you to read this so you can have better understanding of why people will always push Frank Miller Batman on you.
#2: Batman Court of Owls/City of Owls by Scott Snyder. I know this is the newest Batman title to date but that doesn't mean it's not one of the best. If you have been worried about getting back into comics after a long wait you should start up again with this book. You should go out right now and pick up. I'll wait....OK now that you have read it lets slobber all over it. Greg Capullo's art is so good it almost jumps off the page and pulls you into the story. Scott Snyder does an amazing job of switching gears and proving how good a writer he is. Just before getting the chance to reinvent the current Batman after the DC universe reboot he got the chance to write Dick Grayson as Batman. His work with that is also one of the best stories I have ever read. He just has a way of adding new things to the Batman Mythos that just make sense and he makes it look easy for a world that has been around for so long. The creation of the Court of Owls is something that will live forever and has sparked so much readership and a whole new fan base for comics. I could sit here all day and tell you how awesome Scott Snyder is and don't get me wrong I want to but I have to get to the number one on my list. Please if you like comics at all read this book.
#1: Batman The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. On almost every list out there you will find this at the top. I almost wanted to leave it off the list because it just IS the best Batman story ever written but I wanted to weigh in on why I feel it is. First off Frank Miller has inspired me so much and I owe my love of comics and of Batman solely to him. The main reason I love this book so much is that Miller writes Batman the way we all know and love now. He was the first to do the major inner monolog type writing style for Batman. There are many scenes of Batman sitting on rooftops thinking about all the things that hurt on his body after 50 years of being Batman. The things he says and does in this book are so far away from what Batman was at the time and it shaped what Batman is today. This book also hits on all things we love about Batman. We get a Two Face story about not being able to change who we are, a Robin story introducing a girl in the role of a sidekick, we get to see Batman and Joker go head to head with a shocking conclusion, and best of all we get to finally see who would win in a fight Batman or Superman. There is nothing at all wrong with this book. Some have said that it is too thick and there so much writing that it is hard to get through and to them I say, Fuck Off. This is what a true graphic novel is all about, if you have ever read older titles like Watchmen you know how dense a book can get. When the day is done I see these funny pages as real novels. They carry just as much or even more than authors such as Dickens and I am glad that people still think there is a stigma against comics. I get to share it with my friends and know how great and stunning these books really are.
Well that's my top five but I have to do some honorable mentions: Batman Incorporated The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder, Batman The long Halloween by, Jeph Loeb, Batman RIP by Grant Morrison, and Batman The Killing Joke by Alan Moore.
Well that's my top five but I have to do some honorable mentions: Batman Incorporated The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder, Batman The long Halloween by, Jeph Loeb, Batman RIP by Grant Morrison, and Batman The Killing Joke by Alan Moore.