Batman in Graphic Novels

6   9.3  

Frank Miller's seminal masterpiece that redefined Batman for this generation. Gritty and grim, it traces the origins of Batman, told largely from the viewpoint of Gordon, who is still a lowly cop right now. The story and overall feel of the book was hugely influential on the movie 'Batman Begins'.

Abhi's rating:

46   8.7  

Uses the characters from Year One and creates a twelve part murder / detective mystery. It's not the most engrossing or innovative detective story but it is set in the Batman universe. The art is excellent and the characters are well crafted.

Abhi's rating:

2   8  

A series by Frank Miller that stands outside of the regular continuity. It traces the story of Robin's introduction into the Batman universe. After the first couple of chapters, it becomes clear that Miller is attempting something complete different from a traditional Batman story. The story is filled with dark comedy and portrays a Batman who is a caricature of himself - darkly violent, almost unhinged and without any perceptible sense of morality. One of his dialogues sums it up quite nicely - "I am the goddamn Batman".

Abhi's rating:

1   10  

An Elseworlds series that isn't part of the Batman canon. It's a detective story set during the lifetime of the author Edgar Allan Poe and written with him as the narrator. It's got a strong gothic feel to it and the artwork is just brilliant.

The series was never actually published as a trade paperback and is only available as five parts.

Abhi's rating:

8   9.7  

A classic one-shot by legendary author Alan Moore. It's pretty obvious that this is where the writers of "The Dark Knight" took inspiration for The Joker's character. The Joker tries to turn Gordon insane by putting him through psychological torture, while we follow the Joker's own descent into insanity through flashbacks.

Abhi's rating:

21   6.8  

Jason Todd, the second Robin in the current Batman continuity is led into a trap while trying to find his birth mother and then murdered. The storyline is shocking but not among the best Batman stories ever produced.

Abhi's rating:

8   8.3  

Knightfall is one of the most ambitious Batman stories ever attempted. This book collects the first and arguably the best part of this story - the breaking of the Batman by Bane (the symbolism of the name is pretty obvious). The story begins with Bane engineering the breakout of all the insane criminals that are housed in Arkham Asylum. All of Batman's nemeses - The Joker, Scarecrow, Killer Croc and others - are let loose on the streets of Gotham all at once. This is Bane's clever and twisted strategy to break the Batman.

Full review here.

Abhi's rating:

1   7  

Azrael takes over as Batman's replacement after the events of Broken Bat while Bruce Wayne looks for a cure.

Abhi's rating:

4   7  

Bruce Wayne comes back as Batman after a confrontation with Azrael, his replacement. This trade paperback does not cover the entire story of Bruce Wayne's rehabilitation. Also, it feels more like a collection of individual comic book issues than a cohesive story like the first two parts.

9   8.2  

This short lived (30 issues) Batman comic was excellent, start to finish. Set in the Gotham City Police Department (GCPD), it follows the cops as they solve cases and tackle crime in the city. Of course, Batman makes a regular appearance but the focus is definitely not on him, it's on the cops.

The entire series was collected into five volumes, this is Vol. 1.

8   8.2  

Vol. 2 of Gotham Central.

6   8  

Vol. 3 of Gotham Central.

4   7.5  

Vol. 4 of Gotham Central.

3   8.5  

Vol. 5 of Gotham Central.

4   7.3  

The start of Grant Morrison's run on Batman and can be considered the first book of the Batman:RIP storyline. We encounter a boy, Damian, who claims to be Batman's son by Talia, Ras Al Ghul's daughter. Conflict arises between Batman's adopted son, Robin and Damian about who is the rightful heir to the Batman.

Abhi's rating:

3   7  

Batman gets involved with the conflicts in his new "family" i.e. Ras Al Ghul, Talia and Damian. The weakest of the four books in the Batman:RIP storyline.

Abhi's rating:

1   7  

The penultimate book in the Batman:RIP storyline by Grant Morrison. The first third is a meaningless storyline but the rest of the book is a fascinating insight into the mind of the Batman. Any book that explores the twisted mind of Batman is always interesting.

Abhi's rating:

2   7.5  

Grant Morrison concludes the Batman:RIP storyline with this fourth TPB of his run on Batman. The ending was bittersweet, a teeny bit disappointing as well as satisfying at the same time. A part of me was wishing that Grant Morrison would go through and completely destroy the Batman origin mythology, but honestly, that will never happen. I'm glad I didn't read these issues individually, they would probably have made little sense.

Abhi's rating:

121   8.8  

A classic one-shot by Frank Miller, and his third entry in this list. He sure knows how to write a good Batman story. An aging and retired Bruce Wayne returns as Batman to tackle new threats to Gotham City. This is the only book that shows Batman at any kind of advanced age.

Abhi's rating: