This is my intro to Batman
Compare to
Start Reading
By Joshua Lapin-Bertone
Original Version
(Which I copy/ paste from below)
Proposed version
Recommended
Batman stories
For New DC Readers
- Night of The Stalker
Number 1 pick
From Michael Uslan
Executive Producer of ALL Batman film and TV
Bought rights from Warner Brothers in 1979
From his book
The Boy who Loved Batman
Night of the Stalker
from Detective Comics #439, which I read over Thanksgiving 1973,
I immediately pronounced to be the BEST Batman comic book story ever written, and since then, nothing has changed my mind.
I made Tim Burton read it when we were pitching him to direct.the 1989 Batman, and you’ll see its influence in the opening sequence of the film.
I bow before my comic book course guest lecturer Steve Engelhart, and Neal Adams and Sal Amendola, and Archie Goodwin, for this historic work- in which, by the way, there is NO dialogue.
Batman says nothing. He doesn’t have to. The emotional impact is intense.
Turok here
This is Batman
Strippled to his essense
There is no major villian
No idea of Gotham being corrupt
No Robin
Just the Dark Knight
Against some thugs
- To Kill a Legend
WHERE TO FIND IT:
Joshua Lapin-Bertone
THE STORY: The Phantom Stranger sends Batman and Robin to a parallel world where a young version of Bruce Wayne hasn’t lost his parents yet. Robin isn’t sure if they should interfere. After all, doesn’t this world need a Batman? But Bruce Wayne isn’t about to sit back and let his parents die again…or is he? “To Kill A Legend” celebrated Detective Comics 500th issue with a story that questioned what it means to be a hero. Writer Alan Brennert’s single-issue story is a favorite of many Batfans, who still ponder its implications to this very day.
FOR FANS OF: If you enjoy tales of alternate realities and/or philosophical questions then this story is for you. If this comic feels like an episode of The Twilight Zone, don’t be too surprised… Alan Brennert was a frequent writer for the show in its 1980s incarnation
Turok here
Most of these stories are
Either before Robin is introduced
Or after Robin was no longer featured
As Batman worked alone
This is a Batman and Robin story
Only Batman 1 in this list
Has Robin as a major character In Batman’s adventures
'Daughter of the Demon” writer Denny O’ Neil and atist Neal Adams redefined the Batman.
Joshua Lapin-Bertone
THE STORY: When Robin is kidnapped, Batman is approached by a man named Ra’s al Ghul, whose daughter Talia has also been kidnapped. (Batman had met Talia in Detective Comics #411’s “Into the Den of the Death-Dealers!”) The two men agree to work together to find their missing loved ones in a journey that takes the Dark Knight across the globe. This issue introduces the rivalry between Ra’s and the Caped Crusader. In the Bronze Age of comics, writer Denny O’ Neil and atist Neal Adams redefined the Batman from the campy figure in the 1966 Batman TV series into a dread avenger of the night. This story is one of the high points of their legendary run.
FOR FANS OF: Batman: The Animated Series patterned its tone after this issue’s era, drawing heavy inspiration from the stories of O’Neil and Adams, which featured a grimly determined Batman, but one who still possessed a sly sense of humor. When you read their classic stories, you’ll feel like you’re watching an episode of the show.
- Batman Englehart Rogers Run
Also called *Batman: Strange Apparitions
1979 Detective Comics 471 to 476 Batman by Steve Engleheart and Marshall Rogers
Joshua Lapin-Bertone
THE STORY: This classic run of Bronze Age Batman stories features the Dark Knight going up against mob boss Rupert Thorne, mad professor Hugo Strange, and the Clown Prince of Crime himself, The Joker. It also introduces Silver St. Cloud, setting up Bruce Wayne’s first truly adult romance. The team of writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers didn’t have a very long run on Detective Comics, but in their short time together they wound up producing some of Batman’s most memorable Bronze Age stories. This thrilling run of stories also features the work of famed writer Len Wein and celebrated artist Walt Simonson.
FOR FANS OF: This is another run of comics that Batman: The Animated Series fans will love. Many elements from this era, including mob boss Rupert Thorne, helped build the status quo for the TV favorite. And devotees won’t regret checking out the tales that inspired their favorite cartoon.
- Batman The Long Halloween
WHERE TO FIND IT: :
Batman: The Long Halloween #1-13
Joshua Lapin-Bertone
THE STORY: Set in the early days of Batman’s career, the Dark Knight teams up with Jim Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to stop the mysterious Holiday Killer. Nobody knows who this murderer is, but on each holiday they leave behind a new victim. The case becomes more complicated when Harvey Dent falls from grace and begins to transform into the villainous Two-Face. Writer Jeph Loeb tells an eerie whodunit, one perfectly complimented by the moody art of Tim Sale. Together, Loeb and Sale wound up telling one of the most unforgettable Batman sagas of the Modern Age.
FOR FANS OF: Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy borrowed some elements from this story, including Harvey Dent’s fall from grace and the intrigue from Carmine Falcone and Gotham’s crime families.
Two page Origin story
Notice it is two pages rather than 4 issues
Some characters, like Joker, should not have an origin story
Batman’s origin story first appeared in Detective Comics #33 (November, 1939), six issues after first appearance
So don’t have to start with origin.
This issue also contains
First appearance of Joker
Last time Batman kills somebody - a giant who he hangs from the Batplane
First appearance of Catwoman
Members are encouraged to read the entire book because these are great stories, especially for the 1940s
For
Other versions of
Batman’s Origin
See
“We Rank (Almost) Every Version of Batman’s Origin” We Rank (Almost) Every Version of Batman’s Origin
- Batman Year One
WHERE TO FIND IT:
Joshua Lapin-Bertone
THE STORY: Batman: Year One is a modern retelling of the Dark Knight’s origin, which has gone on to become one of the most celebrated comics in the medium. The story is about two men, Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon, and how their arrival in the corrupt city of Gotham shakes the underworld. Bruce seeks to eradicate crime by becoming a masked vigilante; Jim wants to clean up the crooked police department. The two men eventually realize their missions won’t succeed unless they put aside their differences and work together. This masterpiece was written by Frank Miller and brilliantly penciled by David Mazzucchelli.
FOR FANS OF: The 2005 Batman Begins film and Fox’s Gotham both took many of the best elements from Batman: Year One and brought them to live-action life.
Turok here
This story
Introduces
Gotham as almost a character
If Gotham was NOT
the way it was
There
Would be no need for a Batman
Also
Origins,
Year One
and Early Adventures
are good because they have the tension of the hero being inexperienced and making mistakes
But if your already know
The character
in their very experienced state
You can enjoy the contrast
As well as the early story
These stories
Include scenes
That are not needed
With the experienced version
Of the character
Leaving
Fewer pages
For action
And motivation
- Batman 2011 New 52 Coutt of Owls
WHERE TO FIND IT:
Joshua Lapin-Bertone
THE STORY: Batman knows Gotham like the back of his hand, and there aren’t many secrets the city can keep from him. So how can a secret society be operating for ages right under his nose? Who are the Court of Owls, and can they have more control over Gotham than Batman does? See the Dark Knight solve the mystery he didn’t even know existed in this blockbuster tale from writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo.
FOR FANS OF: Did you enjoy the “Court of Owls” saga in season 3 of Fox’s Gotham? Were you intrigued by their cameo in the Young Justice: Outsiders episode “True Heroes?” Are you a fan of conspiracy stories and secret societies? If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” then this is the story for you!
Bonuses
TRINITY
BATMAN SUPERMAN
WONDER WOMAN:
2003
Issues 1 3
Batman! Superman! Wonder Woman! Witness the first meeting of three of the greatest superheroes in comics as they battle a terrifying trifecta of villains, written and illustrated by
Eisner Award-winner Matt Wagner.
DETECTIVE COMICS (2016-) #934
Rise of the Batmen
Bat Family story arc
An unknown predator begins outdoing Batman, taking down dangerous threats with military
precision. It’s up to the Dark Knight and series costar Batwoman to rally and train the young heroes of Gotham City to end this mysterious threat!
Batman and Batwoman begin training Spoiler, Red Robin and Cassandra Cain, but is the villainous Clayface ready for redemption?
By James Tynion IV