SHH!ers, I need your help...

[Epouvantail]

I am writing my senior thesis on the Batman mythos, examining it from a literary standpoint. I'm an English major, obviously. And while I have been a fan of Batman for as long as I can remember and am well-versed in the fandom, I want YOUR opinions what are the most vital texts in the series. You guys would know best, after all.

Please give me your suggestions and well-written reasons as to why that specific text is so important. There are obvious answers, such as the first issue and The Dark Knight Returns, but if those are the defining comics for you, I would like to hear it anyway.

 

[Patch]

Death in the Family
Killing Joke
The Long Halloween
TDK - of course

*I liked Hush, and the graphic novel Joker, but, I am sure others here will trash that idea.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

You could use Year One as a good example of how Batman mythology can retroactively rebuild itself from the ground up in a way not only pleasing to both old and new fans but also socially and culturally relevant to the times in which it is written.

 

[The Guard]

It's all relatively vital to the character and his mythology. Does your project have to use specific texts, or can you write about the character as a literary figure/idea/concept, period?

Because I wrote mine on Batman in relation to the hero quest, and got an A with like 20 pluses.

 

[Epouvantail]

It's all relatively vital to the character and his mythology. Does your project have to use specific texts, or can you write about the character as a literary figure/idea/concept, period?

Because I wrote mine on Batman in relation to the hero quest, and got an A with like 20 pluses.

I'm writing on him in relation to the concept of The Gothic. I can basically use anything I want. I'm focusing on the whole Batman mythology, so it's going to be a 25+ page paper.

 

[Joker]

The first volume of the Batman Chronicles is also a great, and historically relevant, place to start with it all. The Man Who Laughs and Year One are also good companions to it, as they demonstrate how the same time frame/stories have been updated for a more modern, adult audience.

Killing Joke is also a must, as it's the defining Batman/Joker story. A Death In The Family is a good companion piece to it as well, although the only great parts of it are the Joker/Jason Todd scenes, the rest being ridiculous fluff.

The Long Halloween is great as well, for some of the same reasons as Year One and Man Who Laughs. It's also nice to remember Jeph Loeb as he was when he wrote it, as opposed to as he is now, the man who is single handedly destroying the entire Ultimate Universe.

 

[Jorriss]

A Death in the Family, not the most well written piece but it's certainly one of the most pivotal moments of the Mythos, and I don't think Todd's return changes the impact it had.

I'd also add Batman War on Crime. Continuity or not, that story epitomizes who Batman is.

 

[Jorriss]

A Death in the Family, not the most well written piece but it's certainly one of the most pivotal moments of the Mythos, and I don't think Todd's return changes the impact it had.

I'd also add Batman War on Crime. Continuity or not, that story epitomizes who Batman is.

 

[Cobblepot]

I'm writing on him in relation to the concept of The Gothic. I can basically use anything I want. I'm focusing on the whole Batman mythology, so it's going to be a 25+ page paper.

Then this book can not be overlooked:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=5957620

And perhaps Knightfall?

 

[Epouvantail]

Then this book can not be overlooked:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/index.html?curid=5957620

And perhaps Knightfall?

I saw that the other day on Amazon and couldn't believe that there was a book actually called Batman: Gothic. It went to the top of my list.

 

[CaptainClown]

I would probably focus on Arkham Asylum if you want to focus on the gothic aspect.

 

[Rasputin911]

If you don't wanna get bogged down and in over your head, i'd stick with the original Kane/Finger stories, Year One, TKJ, and TDKR. Include Arkham Asylum as an example of an especially "Gothic" tale

Don't listen to people who say to include the long halloween, knightfall, death in the family, or any of that. They may be pushed by editors as "important" or "landmark" stories in the mythos, but their mostly garbage that don't appeal to anyone outside the fanboy base

Year One, TKJ, and TDKR have gotten actual literary acclaim (rolling stone, time, NYT, etc), so you should stick with them if this is a literary essay

 

[ironman29758]

Arkham Asylum A serious house on serious earth or original bob kane/bill finger stories. good luck!

 

[Mister J]

Just to cite something different, I'd look at A Lonely Place of Dying. It gets at Bruce's primal struggles. The Batman character touches on a number of themes, redemption being one that doesn't seem to get as much run as vengeance, justice, discipline, etc. That story strongly ties into why Robin has such an importance for Batman, for reasons that are external, as well as internal. Batman is a dark character, born out of tragedy, but not a character devoid of compassion, humanity or hope. There's a delicate balance that he walks to avoid going someplace he doesn't want to and Lonely Place served as a good vehicle to illustrate some of those points to me.

Naturally, the story is a bit predicated on Robin, but there's certainly some insight to Bruce's there. It could possibly serve as a tangential piece to what you're looking to accomplish overall.