Top 3 favorite Batman Graphic Novels

i could do the standard repetative version of including 3 out of 6 or so that everyone usually has in their 'top 3'
1. year one
2. the long halloween
3. the killing joke

but my alternate best three you wouldn't expect would probably be:

1. arkham asylum: living hell (discounting the last issue which was insane)
2. batman: strange apparitions
3. the batman of arkham

 

Year One, The Long Halloween, Hush.

 

It's a tough call. But if I was stuck on an island somewhere and could only have three Batman books with me I would want:

1. Year One
2. War On Crime (for the art, which is amazing)
3. Dark Knight Returns

Yeah, I'm a big Frank Miller fan. So sue me.

Honorable mention to: Tales of the Demon, Strange Apparitions.

Note: I think that the Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale stuff is a little bit overrated, and I haven't read The Man Who Laughs--I'll be buying the hardcover as soon as it comes out later this month, though.

 

My top three:

3.) Broken City
2.) Hush
1.) The Long Halloween/Dark Victory



Broken City: Is a great, compact, gritty detective tale that really captures Gotham City. It utilizes some great villains that are traditionally underrated (Penguin, Arnold Wesker, Killer Croc) and really does well to get into Batman's head and reveal a great part of his personality and his desire for the end of his crusade. It's really a great, great story.



Hush:Hush is really just the opposite. It is much more "glamorous", in a sense. The art is much cleaner, crisper and more pretty to look at. It utilizes almost all of Batman's most famous rogues but each issue brings something special to the table...even the ones that are more compact in scale, (Batman 614 where Batman brutally beats the Joker in an alley is an example of that). It is a good, solid mystery. It's always good to see Loeb use all the characters. His relationship with Bruce and Selina, Bruce and Tim Drake, Superman, etc are all great. Jim Lee's art is spectacular as always. This was the book that got me back into the Batman books and is awesome to go back and read.



Long Halloween/Dark Victory: I regard this as one story. It is a part one and part two of the freaks' take over of Gotham City. Again, Loeb really knows the Batman character. His take on Harvey Dent and his transformation is amazing, and his character of Gordon and he and Batman's relationship is captured really well here. The two mysteries work excellently in contrast (Gangsters being killed then Cops being killed) throughout. Not only that, but finding out who the killers were and the shock value at the end of each story was excellent. Tim Sale's art is amazing and his take on each of the villains (especially Two-Face) is great. The origin of Robin was done very well as was the relationship with Batman and Catwoman. An A+ story.

-R

 

I havent read much so....

1. The Dark Knight Returns
2. The Long Haloween
3. Batman Year One

IMO , The Dark Knight Returns is an overall amazing, powerful, great,awesome story, I really want to see a live action movie of this so badly. It's worth reading over and over again.

 

1. Batman Ego
2. Gotham Central: Unresolved Targets
3. The Man Who Laughs

 

Year One, Dark Knight Returns, The Man Who Laughs

 

The Long Halloween
Hush
The Man Who Laughs

And I just have to mention Dark Victory as well.

 

1. The Long Halloween
2. The Killing Joke
3. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth

 

I really liked the story with this one. Though it was a bad follow up to Hush--

Spoiler

Cause they both ended with the revelation that a boy tried to kill/did kill his parents.

But I just couldn't get into Risso's art. Especially the way he did Killer Croc. I understand trying something different, but that was bad different.

 

I actually prefer his take of Killer Croc as opposed to Jim Lee's more, reptilian version. Risso's Croc was more of a man than a mindless animal. Yet, he was still monstrous. He really based it in reality.

If you go by continuity then, no it isn't a good follow up to Hush. Croc isn't mutated and is a street pimp, Joker is in Arkham, there are all kinds of continuity errors, but as a stand alone story, or if you put it in a context of a different, earlier/later time period, it is great.

-R

 

1. Long halloween/ Dark Victory

A back to basics batman novel putting him where he belongs as a normal man fighting Mob Bosses and the rise of the freaks not with 20 sidekicks,superman,and other JL allies. look and feel i think BB should have been, a realistc world slightly twisted

2. Knightfall

A true bat epic fully concentrated to gotham again as an already tired batman pushing himself to solve the riddle of Bane and his release of arkhams finest. Great to see batman getting more and more worn down putting arkhams inmates back in and the rescueing of the major from scarecrow and Joker and the final confrontation with bane, with bats half dead from exuastion truely shows his will to survive against all odds.

3. Dark Knight Returns

a great what if? type story the inner monolouge from bruce isprobably the best written in a batbook he has really got lost in the monster of batman at this point. The cameo by superman as the guy who follows anyone in authority is great.

 

1) The Man Who Laughs
2) Year One
3) The Long Halloween

 

1) Under The Hood Vol. 1 + 2

2) Hush Vol. 1 +2

3) A Death In The Family

All 3 actually gave the Batman some emotion.

 

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If we count the soon to be TPB in April, 2008 of Joker's new contemporary origin from Batman Confidential, yes I think its better than TKJ, much stronger story and characterization in my opinion of both Batman and the GRIN reaper ... then I have to remake my list ... and I'll just do you a favor and make it my top ten.

1) The Man Who Laughs
2) Batman Confidential: Lovers and Madmen
3) Batman: Year One
4) The Long Halloween / Dark Victory
5) The Killing Joke
6) The Dark Knight Returns
7) Monster Men / Mad Monk
8) Gotham By Gaslight
9) Batman: War on Crime
10) Batman: Knightfall

 

Top 3
1-Batman: The Long Halloween
2-Batman: Hush
3-Batman: Dark Victory

Next
4-Batman: Year One
5-The Dark Knight Returns
6-Arkaham Asylum

 

1. Year One
2. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
3. The Killing Joke

 

1. Dark Victory
2. Year One
3. The Long Halloween

I really need to branch out, those are the only ones I've read. I listed them in re-readability order.

 

I don't wanna' sound like I'm jumping on the band wagon, but I really like the Loeb/Sale trilogy. Haunted Knight, Long Halloween, and Dark Victory.

But, it's hard for me to just pick three 'cause I really like Year One. They're almost the essentials, well they are really. A must have for all Bat Fans.

All the other Graphic novels for Batman I've read have been collected editions like, The Batman Chronicles and stuff like Batman in the 70's. All good stuff.

 

I have to get this one. I always forget about it. I love his art. So sad he's gone.

 

Year One, Long Halloween, and The Killing Joke.

I desperately want to read Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth but I can't find a copy any where.

 

That's my baby right there. I love her dearly. I've read it so many times I almost know it by heart. I remember reading the Dutch translation when I was...11. And then some years later, reading the original. It was like washing a dirty rock to find a diamond hidden underneath. Good stuff.

As for the rest of the top 3.....Yeah, TLH, DV, Y1. More of the usual. Other great ones are Monster Men, Faces and Blades. I haven't read a Batman comic in quite a while though. Must get to it again soon.