Recommended?

[OmarBatGeek]

I'm starting to build up a decent sized Batman comic collection. I like to get mostly collected editions, since the individual issues get annoying. Here's a list of what I have so far:

The Killing Joke
Hush
The Best of Batman
Batman/Superman

And a handful of random individual issues that were just for fun when I found them at a second hand book store. I just put in an order for The Long Halloween and will be getting that in a week or two.

So my question is what to get next? I really like Jason Todd as a character and am considering Under the Red Hood. My hesitancy with that is that I own the animated movie based on that story arc and I'm afraid that the two will be too similar and I won't enjoy the comic as much as I would have if I'd never seen the movie first. I'm going to get Red Hood-The Lost Days at some point, as well as A Death in the Family. I'm also interested in the Battle for the Cowl stuff that's been going on, with Dick and Damian being Batman and Robin.

I'm a sucker for good art, almost more so than story. Hush was spectacular because the story was good, but Jim Lee did such an amazing job with the visual aspect of it I was awestruck. Plus the art was consistent for the entire book. I greatly dislike it when artists switch out all over the place when I'm reading a story. I find it distracts me more than anything.

Any input?

 

[Ponyboy]

The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Mad Love by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm
All Star Batman & Robin by Frank Miller
Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale

If you like Jason Todd then Death In The Family should still be available.

 

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

Year One
Joker
Batman: Black and White

 

[Knight Rise]

Batman: By Night

 

[Mee]

All Star Batman & Robin by Frank Miller

Warning, this is only good in a so bad it's good kind of way. It's hilarious, but as a must have Batman story...not so much. Plus it's not finished, and super delayed.

Definately get Dark Victory after Long Halloween, also Year One, Dark Knight Returns, Joker, Mad Love, those are all great.

Collections of Paul Dini's Detective Comics run are really good too. Heart of Hush, Private Casebook, look for the ones with Dustin Nguyen on art.

Also, Broken City by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso.

 

[QueenChaos]

Good suggestions here.
You might want Dark Victory to go along with your Long Halloween, as others have noted.

I will add -

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth - (and this is also very interesting artistically)

Batman RIP (might want to check out the pre-RIP stuff and the rest that ties into it for a better understanding, but it is satisfying read on it's own as well)