10. Death in the Family
To me, Dick Grayson will forever be solidified in my mind as the best Robin. Don't get me wrong, his development into Nightwing was awesome, however he was the orignal and there will never be an equal. I think a majority of loyal Batman readers would agree with this as the moment Jason Todd replaced him, he was not well recieved at all. His arrogance, his temper, his 'rogue attitude' was the attitude someone should have had under the most brooding and domineering superhero of all time. DC execs listened to fans when they said they wanted him gone by creating the vote to kill him. Although I didn't necassarily agree with the way they went about it (via the vote, they should have just been bold and done it themselves), I thought the execution (pardon the pun) was awesome on the part of Jim Starlin. To have the Joker kill off Jason Todd was amazing, as it only adds to one of the best rivalries of all time. It gave Batman that much more resentment to his nemesis and only added gas to the fire in Batman's hate towards the Prince of Crime.
9. The Dark Knight Returns
On every list I have ever seen in regards to the best Batman comics of all time, this is usually if not number one, in the top three. Yes, it is a well written graphic novel. but no, I do not believe it is the best or even in the top five. For a number of reasons. First off, the art work. I am an extremely visual person, and whilst yes the story is obviously the most important part, it's called a GRAPHIC novel for a reason. The art in The Dark Knight Returns does not match the same strength as the story. As the story progresses Batman's cowl slowly resembles catwomans more and more as his horns grow smaller and smaller, not to mention at first glance in the conversation between commissioner Gordon and Bruce at the beginning I have no idea who is who. Robin is a girl (I'm not sexist but I'm sorry she adds absolutely nothing to this story) and the joker looks like Jay Leno fell into the chemical vat. I admit I found myself really pumped when he first makes his return, but after his return I kept thinking my godddd this couldn't drag on anymore. Was there really a need for it to become so political? Year one was great, a fantastic beginning to the dark knight. This however was more Frank Miller saying 'hey this is my view of the world in a time of Political turmoil within the U.s during the cold war. Moreover, the absolute worst part of this story is the ending. Yes I understand it's supposed to be Batman's final hoorah as a 50 something year old etc. etc. but ending the Batman Joker saga? That's murder. See my number one choice, you will understand. The only reason I enjoyed it so much was seeing superman get the absolute tar kicked out of him at the end.
8. Blind Justice
Blind Justice has it's flaws, it's not an overwhelmingly known Batman Graphic Novel, but something about it leaves it standing out in my mind. The Ending. The storyline is interesting as it offers a more Bruce Wayne focused timeline, as we rarely get to see Batman's other half, however again it's nothing incredible. Having said that, the way it wraps up leaves you not only inspired but just reassures you why Batman is so damn badass. Also, it is the first and one of the only times you will ever see henri Ducard (all you people who watch Batman but don't read, Liam Neeson in Batman Begins) in a comic.
7. Hush
Hush will go down in my books as the best drawn comic book of all time, yet it offers a compelling story, introducing a new reoccuring character. Jim Lee is a master, and the only way to describe his artwork is beautiful. But, my favourite part of this series is Batman's relationship getting real with Catwoman. Their ongoing forbidden romance is a great arch in the history of the dark knight, and to see it finally come together, then fall apart was awesome. I loved that although he's cold, broodish and harsh; He still feels love, and with the hottest character in the DC universe.
6. Death and the Maidens
The basis of the Batman franchise comes from the death of his parents, and this story is awesome in the it ties Batman's present with his past. Moreover, it is a major milestone in the storlyline of one of Batman's greatest foes. In the novel, Ra's al Ghul comes to Batman dying, and looking for the lazarus pit on earth. In return for the pit, he offers Batman a potion that will allow him to speak with his dead parents. I was skeptical when I first heard this concept, I was extreeemely skeptical. But writer greg rucker did an exceptional job in the first interaction Bruce Wayne has with his parents since he watched them murdered before his eyes. The encounter is not what you would think, which I liked. Moreover, the ending begins a new chapter Batman's gallery of villains as we get to see the history and the end of one of his greatest foe's.
5. Bruce Wayne: Fugitive Pt. 1
I have always enjoyed this series, aka Bruce Wayne murderer, then fugitive 1, 2, and 3. Yet, number one was the best of this series. The main concept in this series is Batman's struggle with identity, as Bruce Wayne is framed for murder. In turn, he completely vanquishes Bruce Wayne from his life and vows only to be Batman for the rest of his life. What makes this series so brilliant is your skepticism of if he actually did kill, as even those closest to him are unsure if the dark knight finally lost his cool. Once you figure out he did not do it, all you want to do is get to the end to figure out who did it and how. The first part of this series is the moment he realizes the importance of his secret identity in his life and vows to fight until he figures out who framed him. The people responsible for this epiphany are not who you would think, but it leaves you cheering at the end anxiously awaiting the final two chapters.
4. Batman R.I.P
This is the one graphic novel I did not want to read, but in the end was glad I did. In the previous 3 volumes (batman and son, resurrection of Ra's al ghul and the black glove) I wanted nothing more then to slap grant morrisson across the face saying what the eff is the matter with you. They were sooooo incredibly poor in quality and ridculous, and the introduction of Batman's kid Damien was THE stupidest development in the history of the character. Having said that, the final chapter was brilliant. The writing is awesome, enforcing how effing badass, strong and unpredictable the greatest superhero of all time is, and the epilogue is true to character with alfred writing a sort of eulogy to his best friend. The novel is the final chapter with Bruce Wayne as Batman before his disappearance in Final Crisis. Having said that, I knew he would be back as DC made the announcement Bruce Wayne will be returning this april.
3. Knightfall: Broken Bat
In the wake of the Death of Superman, this was Batman's response. The story introduces Bane, a supercharged whacked out supervillain hellbent on bringing down the caped crusader. What's brilliant is the way he does it. This novel brings forth the entire rogue gallery of Batman's most notorious villains, with Bane's plan being to ware down the Dark Knight, then defeat him when he is at his weakest. What I love the most about this story is seeing the human side of Batman. Prior to this, he is seen as the dominant almost indestructable monster who never rests and spends night after night patrolling the city with next to no sleep. In this novel, we see his exhaustion the impact his heroic ways have on him, moreover solidifying that although he is a hero, he still is only human. The ending is obviously quite tragic, however we all know what was soon to come......him bouncing back and causing a world of hurt.
2. The Long Halloween
This graphic novel has THE best drawn version of Batman I have ever seen. His horns are massive, he's jacked to shit and he lulls in darkness for a majority of the book leaving us only to see his terrifying Bat silhouette. On top of that, one of my favourite things about this story is the two-face/Harvey dent tie-in. The book documents how Dent becomes one of Batman's best villains, and why the relationship between the two is so sentimental and tragic. Moreover, we get to see another extended rogue gallery of villains and the end provides an awesome twist with a non-traditional villain.
1. Th
e Killing JokeThis graphic novel does not have one word to describe it. It is beyond words how amazing it is. This novel is the best interpretation EVER of what is the GREATEST battle between hero and villain. There is nothing bad about this graphic novel, it is perfect. Alan Moore captures the insanity of the joker by crippling a major character in the Batman universe and trying to ruin Batman's greatest ally in Commissoner Gordon. But what makes this so brilliant is Moore's commentary that regardless of the Joker's actions, in the end no matter what the joker does, regardless of how bad, nothing changes, and it will only begin alll over again somewhere in the distant future. BRILLIANT!!! BRILLIANT!!!! BRILLIANT!!!! EFF YOU FRANK MILLER!!!
stay tuned for the worst ever. Grazi
