The 25 Greatest Batman Graphic Novels!!!

[souloffire]

Man I'm so excited. My shipment of books just arrived from Buy.com (that place is incredibly cheap! I got a heck of a steal compared to other retailers)
I got the Year One hardcover and The Long Halloween. I thought those two would go well together being as they are about Bat's early carreer and they were both an influence on Batman Begins.
As a companion set, and since the Supes movie is coming out, I included Superman: The Man of Steel vol 1 (which is as close to a Year One volume as you will get for Supes I think), and Superman: For All Seasons which is by the same writer/artist team as The Long Halloween. I think all of those books should compliment each other well.
I didn't realize TLH was such a big volume. I haven't read any of them so I'm pretty stoked. I had also included two hardcovers of The Punisher and the second volume of Preacher which I think I will dig into first. Feel like a kid in a candy store. I think I have a lot of fun reading ahead of me.

You got alot of reading to do my friend. Let us know what you think of em'.

 

[co2]

Well, Just finished Year One. I have to be honest. It was a bit disapointing. Not that it was bad...just, it didn't do a thing for me. I found Gordon's story more interesting than Batman's. But I have never really been a fan of Miller's noirish style of writing. I can see how it work's well for Sin City or even Daredevil being that he requires first person monologues since he is all about the senses. But it's not my cup o' tea I guess. And I thought the art was a bit of a let down.
Oh well, I'm going to start on The Long Halloween next.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Year One is great. Realistic with no supervillains. Real life pimps, thugs and the corrupt police. Batman's not perfect. He makes big mistakes. He's constantly learning from his mistakes.

 

[co2]

Year One is great. Realistic with no supervillains. Real life pimps, thugs and the corrupt police. Batman's not perfect. He makes big mistakes. He's constantly learning from his mistakes.

That I like. I prefer realism. I don't read most comics because I'm not into the over-the-top quality of most. That's actually why I liked following Gordon's storyline more than Batman's.
Miller's writing just doesn't do much for me. It feels disconnected from the illustrations at times. And he seems to have a hard time with dialogue. I guess that is why he does inner monologues all of the time.
That's just my feelings though.

 

[ToddIsDead]

Well, Just finished Year One. I have to be honest. It was a bit disapointing. Not that it was bad...just, it didn't do a thing for me. I found Gordon's story more interesting than Batman's. But I have never really been a fan of Miller's noirish style of writing. I can see how it work's well for Sin City or even Daredevil being that he requires first person monologues since he is all about the senses. But it's not my cup o' tea I guess. And I thought the art was a bit of a let down.
Oh well, I'm going to start on The Long Halloween next.

That's funny, because I thought Mazzuchelli's art was fantastic. Perfectly complemented the story. He's one of my favorite artists.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[Sandman138]

That I like. I prefer realism. I don't read most comics because I'm not into the over-the-top quality of most. That's actually why I liked following Gordon's storyline more than Batman's.
Miller's writing just doesn't do much for me. It feels disconnected from the illustrations at times. And he seems to have a hard time with dialogue. I guess that is why he does inner monologues all of the time.
That's just my feelings though.

His dialouge is fine. He's one of the few writers who doesn't fill his dialouge with exposition. His internal monolouges get to be a bit much, but the up side is that they also tend to work in synergy with the illustrations. He doesn't use the juxtaposition of words and images in a redundent manner like a good deal of writers. Not that he's perfect, but I like him more than a good deal of Batman writers. And if I hear that Year One is a "Gordon story" one more ****ing time I will snap. Year One is much more literary in its approach. It focuses on a thematic shared between Gordon and Batman. You understand each character better through the comparison put forth. Neither one is the main character.

All that being said, Arkham Asylum is still the best Batman graphic novel.

 

[theMan-Bat]

All that being said, Arkham Asylum is still the best Batman graphic novel.

That's right!

 

[ToddIsDead]

I'll third that. Arkham Asylum was so good.

 

[souloffire]

I still say Year One is not only the best Batman story but one of the best comic books period.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Year One is definitely one of the best comics.

 

[co2]

And if I hear that Year One is a "Gordon story" one more ****ing time I will snap. Year One is much more literary in its approach. It focuses on a thematic shared between Gordon and Batman. You understand each character better through the comparison put forth. Neither one is the main character.

All that being said, Arkham Asylum is still the best Batman graphic novel.

You are right that neither is the main character That's why I said I liked following Gordon's storyline in the book rather than Batman's, not that his was the main focus.

I will be re-reading Arkham soon too and post my thoughts.

 

[Two-Face]

The Long Halloween excellent read.

 

[union_jak]

I'm trying to sort out my Batman graphic novel collection, I've only just begun, but I'm spending away my money so I can try and make a decent collection.

I currently have

Year One (being delivered)
The Long Halloween (being delivered)
Year Two
Dark Victory
Haunted Knight
Batgirl Year One (being delivered)
The Killing Joke
Arkham Asylum
Cataclysm
No Man's Land Vols 1-5
Dark Knight Returns
Dark Knight Strikes Back (being delivered)

...as well as a couple of Catwoman books.

If I want to have a nice collection on my shelf what ones am I missing above all else? I want to get Nightwing Year One, Robin Year One and the Hush books, any more major ones?

 

[union_jak]

Ok, don't worry, I found the 'Batman comics recommendation thread', which is very helpful.
I want to buy the stories that are in continuity, no Elseworlds or ancient tales from the Sixties, but this thread'll help!

 

[Two-Face]

I'm slowly building my Batman graphic novels collection:

Batman Begins graphic novel with other tales of the Dark Knight.
Batman: The Long Halloween (will be delivered)

Like I said I'm building slowly

 

[chaz jin]

the night wing manga is in production by7 charles mcarter and anime.
also scarlet spider manga is in production.

 

[co2]

Well, I just finished Long Halloween and I really liked it...up until the very end.
Loeb and Sale are great collaborators. I think Loeb's writing is complimented well by Sale's art because they are both kinda quirky. I think that is why I liked it better than Hush because, Lee's art is incredible....but I feel like Sale's art is a better match for Loeb's style. It was like reading a Tim Burton movie. And the mystery kept me interested. I thought that was definitely the best part of it. And the way it looked like it was ending, I was very pleased with because I thought it was not only a surprise, but it made sense. It was an "Ah-ha" ending. But then at the very end, it implied something that didn't make a lot of sense. I'll just say the very end left me a bit irritated and is the only thing that is keeping me from loving this book. (I won't spoil it in this thread. If you have read it, go check the thread titled "Question about ending of TLH")

 

[Frosty81]

I just picked up the Year One hardcover last weekend and finished it earlier this week. Now I am re-reading TLH; Year One flows nicely into it. After this I will re-read Dark Victory. I hope DC doesn't wait too long to release the graphic novel for the Monster Men story. From what I've seen here it looks great.

- Chris

 

[co2]

Well, I finished The Killing Joke, and I have to say...that was really impressive. It was much shorter than anything I have read so far, but man did it pack a punch. I can see a heavy influence on the batman film. Pretty much my favorite so far.

 

[Two-Face]

I haven't read Batman:The Man Who Laughs but I been told that it's very good since it's sequel to Batman: Year One.

 

[co2]

I have finished my Batman reading. I have read a total 5 graphic novels...four of which are in the top 5 of that list. I'll go ahead and give my ranking and comments.

5. Hush -Didn't care for it at all. Lee's art is great and I like Lobe, but personally I didn't feel that it was a good fit. It felt very disjointed as far as story telling goes.

4. Year One -It was good. I can see how it is so revered for reshaping the direction of Batman. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of the art and Miller's over-reliance on inner monologue. But I did like the fact that Gordon was as important as Bruce in the story. I actually found Gordon more interesting.

now it gets tough for me to decide.

3. The Long Halloween -Was a really good read. I most of all enjoyed the mystery (though I still have a problem with the conclusion). I think this is a better pairing of artist and writer. Lobe and Sale compliment one another so well. The combination of those two made reading TLH feel like I was watching a Tim Burton Batman film.

2. Arkham Asylum -Very impressive. That was about as moody as a book can be. I'm usually not a fan of non- traditional style art work, but it served the story so well. I had a really errie feeling reading it..so mission accomplished...I do feel like it humanized Batman a little more than it should have. (I can't see Batman asking Gordon "what's up?") But overall, it was a difficult choice between this and what is in slot #1.

1. The Killing Joke- This short story had as much punch as a Mike Tyson knockout. Really well written, twisted, excellent art...I can't really find a flaw. I can see some of the influences on the original Batman film. And like the movie, Joker was entertaining to watch, but he was still very frightening. I love the cover and how it could be a missing panel from the story (It's Barbara Gordon's perspective... right after being shot!).

So that's it...was some fun stuff, I'm glad I read it for the most part.
I'm going to move on to a couple of Supes books now and see how I feel about those.

 

[trustyside-kick]

Ima post my top whatever when I get some more books. I am supposed to be getting some in the mail and I downloaded some from BitLord.

 

[General_Grievous]

Everyone has suggested some great reads, and as I am reading/re-reading certain titles in my Bat-collection, then this would probably be my top 5 -

1) Batman: Year One - simply because it serves as a definitive origin of Batman and the world he lives in. I like the idea of seeing the story through a normal man's eyes (Gordons) and the pages are full of thick slabs of colour - the murky greys to the gritty creams and browns, they all soak the page

2) Batman: The Long Halloween - a great murder-mystery plot that you can't second-guess, plus it takes place in "Year One" territory. Tim Sale's unique art style adds new cartoonish quality to the characters, whilst keeping the tone dark and always feeling intelligent.

3) Batman : Dark Victory - a nice sequel to TLH and a logical retelling of the Robin origin and why Bruce takes Dick Grayson under his wing. Revelations about Selina Kyle and the new killer on the loose all make it a compelling read.

4) The Dark Knight Returns - I actually love this book more for it's impact than it's story, sure it's a must-have read, but without this adult and sensitive graphic novel, Batman most certainly wouldn't have been the character he is today. The story actually flows quite smoothly and is easy to get into, which I found surprising as I expected it to be more...heavy.

5) Batman: Hush - one of the greatest Batman arcs, in my opinion, and proof that the franchise is still well-loved. Jim Lee's art is glorious and when he's teamed with Loeb, he doesn't fail. Nice to see Loeb working out of his comfort zone by not sticking with Tim Sale. I like seeing confident Batman, on top of his game, with his gadgets and abilities fully-honed, when compared to his sloppier "Year One" antics.

But there are so many great Batman stories out there that my list is certainly no indication of how far and wide the Batman mythos spreads. I shall certainly be adding to my collection and I will be reading Batman's adventures on into the future.

 

[trustyside-kick]

I liked your top 5 list, only I would put Year One as number five, bump TLH to 1st, have DV follow it and bump Hush to third place, DKR to number 4 then. But that is just me.

 

[General_Grievous]

I liked your top 5 list, only I would put Year One as number five, bump TLH to 1st, have DV follow it and bump Hush to third place, DKR to number 4 then. But that is just me.

It's my list and I'm stickin' to it.