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What are the must-read Batman books?

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  • CB Team

I just got hit with a huge box of Batman books and started sifting through them, and it really reminded me how deep his catalog is. I’ve got random issues and volumes from a bunch of different runs, including some where I only have book 2 or 3, and now I’m trying to figure out which ones are worth tracking down and completing.

So I’m curious, what do you consider the must-read Batman stories?

Classic runs, standalone graphic novels, underrated arcs, or even more recent stuff that surprised you. And on the flip side, are there any runs you’d say aren’t really worth finishing?

If someone wanted to build a strong Batman reading list, what would you put at the top?

Jiro Kuwata's Batman depicts a rarely seen but vastly entertaining side of Banan and Robin.

  • Author
  • CB Team
11 hours ago, MAG said:

Jiro Kuwata's Batman depicts a rarely seen but vastly entertaining side of Banan and Robin.

Cool! I'll check that one out. I picked up a few more titles and got Batman: The Long Halloween. I've heard good things about it.

  • CB Team

The two support beams for Batman still are Frank Miller's Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, which are basically mandatory.

The Killing Joke has a similar place in the canon, but I would argue that it's been sullied by everything after it trying to pick up the baton and run with it.

I think Grant Morrison's Batman run, starting with Batman into Batman and Robin and then Batman Incorporated, is the most singularly influential modern run on the character.

The court of owls series i think was my favorite batman although long Halloween and hush are pretty damn good but knightfall with bane breaking batman s back is what got me into the hobby 33 years ago or so that serieswill be my favorite because of the fact it blew my 12 year old brain... if you want a super cheap series that's underrated the Batman Venom was really good and it gives you a glimpse of how bane got so strong

  • Author
  • CB Team
3 hours ago, saperry said:

The two support beams for Batman still are Frank Miller's Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, which are basically mandatory.

The Killing Joke has a similar place in the canon, but I would argue that it's been sullied by everything after it trying to pick up the baton and run with it.

I think Grant Morrison's Batman run, starting with Batman into Batman and Robin and then Batman Incorporated, is the most singularly influential modern run on the character.

I'll check, but I think I have The Dark Knight Returns and I thought I saw Year One in the box too. I'll check out some of Grant Morrison's run also.

  • Author
  • CB Team

Appreciate all the suggestions so far. To give a little more context, here’s what I already have sitting on my shelf that I haven’t read yet. Some are random books within series, but I'll start putting them together over time. Curious what you’d prioritize or save for later:

  1. Batman: The Long Halloween

  2. Batman: The Court of Owls 1

  3. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

  4. Batman and Robin Eternal

  5. Batman Eternal 2

  6. Batman The Wedding 7

  7. Batman and Robin: The Big Burn 5

  8. Batman Detective Comics: Blood of Heroes 8

  9. Batman Detective Comics: Icarus

  10. Batman and Robin: Dark Knight vs. White Knight

  11. Arkham Asylum: Living Hell

  12. Batman RIP

  13. Batman Earth One

  14. Batman Zero Year 4 and 5

  15. Batman and Robin Must Die!

  • CB Team
14 hours ago, FantasticJerome said:

Appreciate all the suggestions so far. To give a little more context, here’s what I already have sitting on my shelf that I haven’t read yet. Some are random books within series, but I'll start putting them together over time. Curious what you’d prioritize or save for later:

  1. Batman: The Long Halloween

  2. Batman: The Court of Owls 1

  3. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

  4. Batman and Robin Eternal

  5. Batman Eternal 2

  6. Batman The Wedding 7

  7. Batman and Robin: The Big Burn 5

  8. Batman Detective Comics: Blood of Heroes 8

  9. Batman Detective Comics: Icarus

  10. Batman and Robin: Dark Knight vs. White Knight

  11. Arkham Asylum: Living Hell

  12. Batman RIP

  13. Batman Earth One

  14. Batman Zero Year 4 and 5

  15. Batman and Robin Must Die!

I think these are pretty good starting points for modern Bat-reading (Eternal in my view wasn't that great, but YMMV). Hush, White Knight and Gotham by Gaslight are a couple of others worth getting too.

  • Author
  • CB Team
6 hours ago, saperry said:

I think these are pretty good starting points for modern Bat-reading (Eternal in my view wasn't that great, but YMMV). Hush, White Knight and Gotham by Gaslight are a couple of others worth getting too.

Thanks for the recommendations! I wrote them all down and will start getting them. I've seen Hush in the smaller books, which is cool because they're easy to carry.

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