Because of that fact, it takes a lot for me to like a Batman comic. Honestly I haven't read a whole lot of them. Not nearly as many, I'd presume, as most avid comic readers anyway. You can't read as many comic books as I have, however, without making your way through a few issues dealing with the Dark Knight. So with that in mind here is a list, in no particular order, of seven Batman comics that I, as someone who is not a big fan of Batman, can still wholeheartedly recommend to Bat-fans and haters alike.
Batman Year One
(originally published as Batman #404-407)
This is probably the most obvious choice on my list. I think that a lot of people respect Batman Year One, but as classic Bat-stories go I feel that it's way overshadowed by The Dark Knight Returns. This story is simple and innocent without being too overly dark or brooding, which is why it's my preferred Frank Miller Batman title. At the same time however, it's not some light-hearted superhero-ey romp. It's got a very serious tone, and is perhaps the most "realistic" take on Batman that I've ever read. Batman himself comes off very human in this story, which I like because he is, in fact, a human. It's a stupid fanboy-ish thing to do, but when major Bat-enthusiasts start claiming that just because he's smart Batman can beat any single character he's pitted against, I get annoyed. The reason for this being that when some degree of logic is applied to the debate, it's easy to see that there's no way Bats could really take on someone like Superman, no matter how many glowing green pebbles he possesses. Therein lies the charm of Batman Year One. Bats has trouble shaking a squad of mortal SWAT guys, which is a situation that I can actually buy his cunning wit and resourcefulness getting him out of.
Batman: Broken Nose
(originally published in Batman: Gotham Knights #3)
I came really close to putting Batman Year 100 on the list instead of this story. It's easy to imagine why, considering that Batman Year 100 is probably about 160 pages and Broken Nose is only 8, but while I've only read Year 100 once (though I do have fond memories of it), I've read Broken Nose at least a dozen times since I first acquired it in my copy of Batman Black & White Volume 2 about 6 years ago. This was back before I really knew who Paul Pope was, and before my artistic preferences had broadened enough to allow him access into my mind as an artist whose work will forever pique my interest. Still, something about this 8 page story grabbed my attention immediately upon reading it for the first time: Batman's costume. To this day Paul Pope's "warm-up suit" design for Bats, consisting of a sweat-suit, wrestling boots, and a realistic-looking leather cowl is my favorite Bat-costume design yet to make an appearance on the printed page. Lee Bermejo's design is a close second, but doesn't top this one.
Batman: The Scottish Connection
Some people love Frank Quitely's art and some people hate it. I belong to the former group rather than the latter. After I discovered Quitely's work on The Authority and New X-Men I embarked upon a quest which spanned from eBay to Midtown Comics in NYC in order to find every one of his works which I could get my hands on. It was at the aforementioned comic store right down the street from Times Square that I first wrapped my fingers around this piece of funny-book gold. I love the art of course, but the story matches Quitely's nuanced art on a rather comedic level that makes me grin just thinking about it. Bruce Wayne wears a kilt! I'm sure that most would consider Scottish Connection a throw-away Bat-tale, but it's one of my favorites because it's a quick, light-hearted read with several great action beats accompanied by Quitely's equally impressive art, rife with his trademark attention to spacial relations, layout, and detail, and a truly interesting main villain.
Batman/Aliens
This could very well be the first Batman comic I ever read. It's fairly well known to those with whom I'm acquainted that I began my comic book reading career with Dark Horse Comics' Aliens and Predator books, those which crossed over with Batman and Superman being no exception. With that in mind, the selection of this particular title for inclusion on this list isn't entirely based upon nostalgia (though that's surely a part of the equation). In addition to possibly introducing me to the 22 page adventures of Bruce Wayne's caped alter ego, Batman/Aliens also introduced me to the art of horror comic legend Berni Wrightson. Of course at the time I didn't know that Wrightson was a big deal in the world of comic books, I just knew that he drew an awesome alien and that was enough for me. Aliens aside, this series introduces the reader to a likable, interesting cast of characters in no time flat and then instantly begins killing them off, giving Batman all the motivation he needs to do what he does best. Since he's not being pitted against an enemy whose actions and reasoning he can understand however, Bats is not only forced to be extra inventive with his means of dealing with his foes, but he's also depicted as a realistic human who fears for his own life, which is something that I don't think we see enough of in the average issue of Batman.
Batman: Snow
(originally published as Batman: Legends Of The Dark Knight #192-196)
As with 90% of the Batman comics I've read, I initially picked this one up for the artwork. Seth Fisher (who unfortunately died a few years ago just as he was making a name for himself in the industry with this series and Fantastic Four/Iron Man: Big In Japan for Marvel) brings a level of detail and technical knowledge to Snow that can only be described as some sort of amalgamation of the artistic stylings of Frank Quitely, Geoff Darrow, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Story-wise, Snow purports to re-tell the origin story of Batman's enemy Mr. Freeze, focusing more on his plights and those of a cast of well developed supporting characters rather than Batman himself. Considering that, as stated above, I'm not really an admirer of the character of Batman, it's no surprise that I'm much more interested to spend time with the fascinating characters surrounding the caped crusader than to read yet another series of deep and depressing musings of the Dark Knight's inner monologue. Combine Fisher's beautiful artwork with the story of a rag-tag gang of amateur detectives enrolled by Batman in his personal war on crime, and toss in a gun that shoots ice beams, and you've got a Batman comic that this non-fan can actually enjoy.
Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet
This book is honestly more about Robin than Batman, but Bats plays an integral part, so I'll let it slide. The basic premise here is that, having trained Robin to the best of his abilities, Batman has one final test to judge whether his ward is ready to join the fight for justice in Gotham full-time. Batman has Alfred drop Robin off at an undisclosed location in the city and gives him a bit of a head start, and if he can evade Bats for the entire night and make it until dawn without being tracked down by his master, he'll have proven himself worthy of the title of "Robin". Of course things don't go as planned, and while Robin technically fails his test, he nabs some bad guys in the process, making for an acceptably happy ending. Yet again, I first gave this book a second glance for it's wonderful artwork (in this case by Lee Weeks), but what really drew me in was the quaint coming of age story of Robin on his first real crime-fighting mission. There are no superpowers to be found in this prestige format one-shot as Robin goes toe to toe with some trigger happy mobsters, which is always a welcome deviation from the "mortal versus super-freak" genre that Batman books usually find themselves filed under.
Batman Annual #14
Like The Gauntlet, Batman Annual #14 isn't technically about Batman, but rather one of his supporting characters. In this case the story focuses on Two-Face and takes a stab at re-telling his origin. What I like about stories like Batman: Snow and this one is that while I know the origins behind most of Batman's foes, an involved re-telling of their first brushes with crime can often lend more character to these tired archetypes. In this over-sized issue we see Harvey Dent go on a quest for revenge upon those responsible for ruining his life (and his complexion) rather than just going stark raving mad and deciding to become an eccentric crime boss. The story is very personal, takes place on a small scale, and provides Batman with an opportunity to flex his much-lauded detective skills, rather than just be the tireless, musclebound savior of Gotham City. Of course another reason that I like this particular issue, and the initial inspiration behind my tracking it down and picking it up, is the artwork by Chris Sprouse circa 1990.
Much of the research for this post was done at The Comic Book Database.
Nice list, I love it when it's not cliche at all. I might put together a list of my favourite DD storys/moments. Great work, man.
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