Essential Batman reading?

[karamazov80]

Fair enough. TKJ was certainly revolutionary ... I just think some have done it better since then. I like Miller better than Moore. Miller has an over-testosteroned style that I think works well for Batman.

SnakeDoc

Year One might be my favorite Batman story of all, though Miller's more recent stuff (Dark Knight Strikes Again, All Star Batman and Robin) has tainted my view of the Dark Knight Returns. Can't say why exactly, but I guess he took that style and interpretation of Batman to the logical extreme and made me question if the original stuff was really as awesome as it seemed when I was first exposed to it.

 

[SAB]

Eveyone else hated it but I loved The Dark Knight Strikes Again.
- garish fluro art, Batman as pop culture, virtual reality president, the thing was just bonkers

Happy they collected both Returns and Strikes Again into one enormous Absolute edition.

Looks great on the shelf next to Absolute V, Watchmen, Sandman I-IV (and more than a few other Absolutes....)

 

[SnakeDoctor]

I haven't read DK2 yet. I liked ASB&R, though.

SnakeDOc

 

[naeem1979]

You should check out legends of the dark knight: Prey
Also Arkham Asylum a serious house on serious earth

 

[filip629]

Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers run on Detective Comics in the mid 70's was a great read.

 

[EVILFACE]

Tec 27 > *

 

[Rackemup]

Gives you a little bit of everything, from Bob Kane through the 80's.

I was going to recommend that book as well. There are some rally great stories in there. I also would recommend (excluding some already said)

Batman A Death In the Family
Batman No 251
Batman Haunted Knight
The Joker: Devils Advocate
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Batman Ledgends of The Dark Knight: Faces
Batman No 397 The Triumph Of Two Face
Detective Comics No 604-607 The Mud Pack

 

[MANDO]

Year One is by far one of my favorites. Miller wrote a great batman in the '80s. And of course the Loeb/Sale Bat books (Long Halloween, etc.) that carry over that story so-to-speak.

Hush is great if you're really familiar w/ the Bat-mythos otherwise you're not going get a lot of it. That's part of what makes TKJ great is it appeals to even the most novel reader.

Speaking of Moore, though while not a Bat book, if you can get a hold of the '85 Superman annual it's a great one-shot and a must read. Bats is in it of course as well as JT Robin who winds up being the hero which was a rarity for Todd.

 

[Master Wayne]

I'm a little surprised no one has mentioned Gotham By Gaslight or The Man Who Laughs.
Arkham Asylum and Gothic are both pretty good as well.

Other than that, my favorites have been mentioned already. The Long Halloween and Year One are the very best, if you ask me.

 

[ZaCHw117]

Essentials for me are at least:
Year One
The Joker
The Killing Joke
The Long Halloween

 

[Grenouille]

Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers run on Detective Comics in the mid 70's was a great read.

A million times yes. It was collected in a tpb called Strange Apparitions. I'd also recommend the trade Tales of the Demon which covers some good Adams/O'Neil stuff with Ra's al Ghul.

I'd even recommend No Man's Land. I know it wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.

 

[Gipetto0812]

Plan on getting:

Dark Victory
Haunted Knight

definitely read those two. I read those right after Long Halloween and all 3 are in my top batman readings. An awesome set of Batman graphic novels IMO.

 

[sithlord13]

Year one
Dark knight returns
Batman 404-442
Inc year one night of the kgbeast death in the family and lonely place of dying

Bind justice tec 598 599 and 600

Batman annual 14 two face

Lotdk venom and shaman

The Hugo strange story on Gotham knights 6-9?

Just off the top of my head

 

[Lookin4Precious]

Having read all the "Classic Bat Books" I've recently been going back and older ones I missed and the newer releases.

I was disappointed with Venom. In the LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT collection, PREY and GOTHIC were the stand-outs for me (of what I've read from the series so far.

I'm currently obsessed with R.I.P. I was apprehensive because I'd heard so much crap about it, but man, it blew my socks off. Its so intelligent. So complex. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED.

 

[poomonk]

The Justic League story called "Tower of Babel" is a pretty good Batman story. Obviously it's centered around his interactions with the Justic League and not a solo story, but it's still damn good.

[ame="https://www.amazon.com/JLA-Book-7-Tower-Babel/dp/156389727X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313411184&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: JLA (Book 7): Tower of Babel (9781563897276): Mark Waid: Books[/ame]

 

[draekus]

"Essential" really differs from person to person. But I'd say read the ones you mentioned along with:

Azzarello's "The Joker"
Batman: The Black Glove
Batman: Batman and Son
Batman RIP
Final Crisis (not a batman book but part of Morrison's run)
Batman: The return of Bruce Wayne

 

[thenammagazine]

"Essential" really differs from person to person. But I'd say read the ones you mentioned along with:

Azzarello's "The Joker"
Batman: The Black Glove
Batman: Batman and Son
Batman RIP
Final Crisis (not a batman book but part of Morrison's run)
Batman: The return of Bruce Wayne

 

[poomonk]

"Essential" really differs from person to person. But I'd say read the ones you mentioned along with:

Azzarello's "The Joker"
Batman: The Black Glove
Batman: Batman and Son
Batman RIP
Final Crisis (not a batman book but part of Morrison's run)
Batman: The return of Bruce Wayne

I can't say I was big fan of the Morrison stuff (personally, I think he ruined Batman for a good long time), but the other books you mention are damn good. Nice list.

 

[BatFanatic]

Considering the way TDKR is shaping up...I'd highly recommend Knightquest!

If you can stomach the art through some of the issues (Breyfoggle- i'm not a fan). For me, it was a great story line, and you get to see an EXCEPTIONAL Batman costume design; one that would work well today when Bats faces the heavy artillery.

 

[jrice73]

My essentials:

Year One
The Long Halloween
Hush
The Dark Knight Returns
The Killing Joke
Son of the Demon
No Man's Land
Knightfall
The Cult