RSS
Home
Batman RIP: Top 5 Batman stories
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
The cover to Batman #251
Since Batman is supposedly biting the big one today, we here at the Trends, Lifestyles, and Too-Old-To-Still-Be-Reading-Comics Desk thought we should look back at the career of the Caped Crusader. He's been putting the fear into criminals (a cowardly, superstitious lot) since 1939, so that's a lot of stories. This is a purely subjective list, but if you read all these, you'll see what makes the character so resonant -- what keeps him punching for all this time.
The Top 5 Batman Stories:
5."Batman: Year One" -- This is a bit of a cheat, since it's a mini-series, rather than a single issue. But it's Frank Miller's best work on the character (and yes, that includes The Dark Knight Returns), despite a lackluster ending and touches like Catwoman being a hooker, rather than a jewel thief. But it still shows Batman struggling to become the Batman, and provides a much-needed expansion on his origin story. And Miller's voice, especially in Bruce Wayne's internal monologue, is worth the price of admission.
4. "Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker..." -- This story, by the underrated Len Wein, is greatest when it combines Batman's Silver Age past -- Batman, and everyone he loves, is strapped to a giant, exploding birthday cake -- with the dark, brooding hero who lives in the shadows. But more important, Batman is not just a bordeline psycho with a costume fetish. He's part of a family, and he willingly risks his own life to save them.
Plus, the story has this moment:
And that is just awesome.
3. "Half an Evil" -- The modern reappearance of Two-Face, done by maybe the best Batman team ever, Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams (with inks by Dick Giordano). It emphasizes Batman the detective, while it also shows Two-Face as truly split between good and evil. It even manages to make a giant, inflatable hot dog seem sinister.
2. "Resurrection Night" -- This anniversary issue just misses being the greatest Batman story ever by the barest of margins. Ra's al Ghul, Batman's longtime, immortal foe, decides to quit screwing around and releases every one of Batman's foes in one night. The idea is to prove to Batman his war on crime is hopeless. In other words, Batman fights everyone. But it suffers from a little too much grim-n-gritty, a little too much darkness. However, I give it bonus points for use of the giant penny, and the foreword by Stephen King, who explains why he's a Batman fan.
1. "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" -- This combines some of the best moments of Batman's career in a single story. The Joker, fresh out of Arkham, has decided to seek revenge on five former henchmen. Despite the fact that these guys are all lowlifes who tried to kill him at least once, Batman sets out to save them. This Batman has a sense of humor, but he's never comical. Adams' and Giordano's art created some of the most memorable poses Batman would ever take, which were later transferred to millions of T-shirts and other pieces of merch. But best of all, O'Neil summed up the twisted need of the Joker to prove he was smarter than Batman, explaining their Holmes-Moriarty relationship in one single panel:
I'm sure there are many, many stories I've missed. Feel free to add your own in comments.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
