Batman Best Graphic Novels???

[jolldan]

I've always been a fan of batman movies but never really tried the books. Well I'm about fifteen pages in to my first and I've already changed my mind.

I wanted to know from any die hard fans the best books to get. I currently have

The Killing Joke
Batman The Dark Knight Returns
Batman Year One

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

NOT The Long Halloween. Do NOT listen to people that list this as a great piece of comics literature. It is a shallow, indulgent, nonsensical mess that deceives readers with Tim Sale's gorgeous art. It fails to see the tragedy of Dent's fall, the nuances of his rebirth into Two-Face, nor the hopes that Gotham pins upon him.

Rather, read Batman Annual 14, which Loeb blatantly ripped off along with The Godfather. It focuses solely upon Harvey, with none of the Holiday killer stuff that takes away from what should have been thematic and emotional moments in TLH, and gives what remains one of the most layered and tortured portrayals of Two-Face.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

If you want a sort of Magnum opus of Batman, I'd recommend a recent run by Grant Morrison (considered by many to be one of the greatest modern superhero writers), it touches upon every major character/aspect/theme and era of Batman throughout his entire 75 year history. However, it's long and broken into quite a few arcs. I'd say, if possible, get the first three, they'll give you a good taste of his writing style.

Batman & Son
The Black Glove
Batman RIP
Final Crisis- Batman: Last Rites
Final Crisis #1, 2, 6, 7
Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn
Batman & Robin: Batman vs Robin
Batman & Robin: Batman Must Die!
The Return of Bruce Wayne
Batman Inc: Vol 1
Batman Inc: Leviathan Strikes #1
Batman Inc: Demon Star
Batman Inc: Gotham's Most Wanted

 

[Hush]

I love TLH and Hush.

 

[Gee]

Dark Victory (sequel to TLH) can be added to the list.

 

[titansupes]

I've always been a fan of batman movies but never really tried the books. Well I'm about fifteen pages in to my first and I've already changed my mind.

I wanted to know from any die hard fans the best books to get. I currently have

The Killing Joke
Batman The Dark Knight Returns
Batman Year One

I believe you'll want to take a look at this amazing and comprehensive thread on ComicBookResources.com:

http://forums.comicbookresources.co...s-Current-Titles-Top-Trades-and-Recent-Events

The "Best of" is the 6th post down, and everything is updated each month.