I have been re-reading some old Batman issues I own and I came across this issue and I for got how good it was. I love how it adds an extra layer of guilt to Batman’s origin.
Detective Comics ('37) #826 by Paul Dini is a personal favorite. #0 and #703 of the same series (both by Chuck Dixon) are also very good for gimmicky event tie-ins.
Batman ('40) #251 by Denny O’Neil is another classic.
Shifting away from Batman a little (but not too much), Nightwing ('96) #51 (also by Dixon) and Birds of Prey ('99) #8 (Dixon strikes again - what can I say, the guy does a good oneshot) also come to mind.
Outside the Bat-Family, Wonder Woman ('87) #20 is excellent. There are probably other good non-Bat-ones that I’ve read but I’m drawing a blank at the moment. I’ll edit as I think of things.
I need community help. Mine is a Batman title about Batman & Robin (Grayson) I thought was called The Boys. I can’t find it on google & it’s in my 1st notebook I can’t find. It was all about Bats showing him the ropes thru the years. I know it had boys in the title.
I think part of it is that it didn’t have much in the way of long-term consequences. Most of the stories are pretty self-contained. Which I actually like. Dini doesn’t need to break anything to engage you, he can be interesting with just the status quo, which also makes disruptions more meaningful by comparison.
My choice is The Brave and The Bold (1955) #197, which I just read for the first time last week. Maybe the best single issue I’ve read so far. A fantastic, emotionally charged story of the Earth-Two Batman and Catwoman, as they battle Scarecrow, deal with their personal histories, and face down their own fears and demons, ultimately making a fateful decision that will change both of their lives forever. Excellent characterization, art, story, and dialogue: everything that makes comics great. And there are two panels in particular that I will never forget. Highly recommended. Read it if you haven’t already.
Is it the Secret Origins issue from N52? I seem to remember one with a Robin/Batman origin thing, but I remember it being with Damian… Either way, that’s where I’d look first.
It was a one shot I believe Detective Comics but that could be way off. I remember Grayson using Bats’ training in flashbacks & real time. They were on top of a train & he was reverting back to his earlier training. It was all about their relationship thru the years. I’m 99.9% sure it had Boys in the title.
It was all Grayson & Bats flashing back since when he became his ward. You know what? It might’ve had Damian in it like @Batwing52 said. I should know more for it being my favorite pick, lol. I found it on a list of best one-shots probably a year ago on here. I loved it & I swore it was called The Boys, but it might’ve had more in the title then just that? I tried to google it & cant find it. I’ll have to find my 1st notebook, it’s in there somewhere.
Hmm… it probably was Detective Comics… I found that issue I was talking about and it was nothing like you were describing. Ergo, I was wrong. If you say it might’ve had Damian in it, it could’ve been from Tomasi and Gleason’s Batman and Robin. That run was really good and had a bunch of one-shots. I haven’t read it in a while though so my memory is a bit fuzzy.