Mr Ackbar Reads Batman comics

I loved all of the Loeb-Sale Batman collaborations (The Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Haunted Knight), was mixed on Alan Moore’s The Killing Joke (but it’s still interesting and has a well-done, apparently oft-debated ending) and Jeph Loeb’s Hush, and just plain disliked one I recently read called Batman: Gothic (which has so many lovely ideas and doesn’t execute any of them well). I’m far from an expert, but I’d highly recommend those three Loeb-Sale comics.

Full disclosure; I'm not an expert on Batman but, I do have a few credible recommendations for you.

The Dark Knight Returns is my absolute favorite Batman story. Don't buy into the Superman-is-a-puppet narrative. That's a mean-spirited, revisionist critique that doesn't fully recognize what Miller was trying to do with the character. The Man of Steel of TDKR only kowtows to the corrupt government to spare his friends from certain death. Kal-El has lost faith in humanity. He shifts his concern from people to the planet on which they live and the star which provides him with life-sustaining energies. TDKR is poetic, brutal and uncompromising.

Also by Frank Miller and the incomparable David Mazzucchelli is Batman Year One. This is my second favorite Batman story. The art and plotting are both immaculate (in comparison to TDKR where Miller's pencils can seem jarring and grotesque to the uninitiated). This is a book that turns Batman naysayers into fans. Year One has the best portrayal of Jim Gordan as a fully realized person in any Batman story (instead of just a supporting character who frequently needs Batman's help).

Grant Morrison's Batman Incorporated is primarily looked at by critics as minor work in the full scope of his long run on Batman (which gave us the likes of fan favorite, Damian Wayne). I've gained a greater appreciation of this particular arc over time because of its wild audacity and ambitious scope. Essentially, Batman franchises his crime-fighting methodology by drafting and training a group of superheroes who answer to him and operate on a global scale. I didn't realize just how tired I was of Batman's Gotham settings until I read ...Incorporated. This isn't seminal work but, it's a damn fine read.

Batman Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank is something you might want to hold off on until you have a firm grasp on what I call "Batman Standard." Earth One is a bold retelling of the Dark Knight's origins which deconstructs the man and the legend. Batman is no longer a supernatural force of nature or the embodiment of fear and righteous retribution. On Earth One, Batman is just a fallible man.

Often overlooked if not altogether forgotten is Jim Starlin and the late, great Bernie Wrightson's, Batman: The Cult. It's a master class in psychological terror. The Dark Knight is brought to his knees by Deacon Blackfire and his band of homeless followers. The story weaves between reality and psychedelic nightmare with eerie ease. Bill Wray does a superb job of creating a sophisticating atmosphere with his unrelenting use of dark and mid-tone grays and muddy, rust-tinged reds. Everything looks and feels like it might be covered in a layer of soot and mud - very appropriate for a story set in the sewers of Gotham.

I've got more if you need them but, I think this is a diverse and relatively well-rounded sampling. Note that I've steered clear of Hush, Court of Owls and the Long Halloween as those usually top every fan's list and, don't bear repeating here.

The Killing Joke, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth, Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Gotham by Gaslight and Batman: Dark Victory are all also worth pursuing.

The Bazooka Joe comics on Bazooka bubblegum wrappers are free.

The Long Halloween is one of my period favorites. Definitely recommend you check that out.

Brian Azzarello's Joker is quite good, though that's more of a Joker story.

I have mixed feelings on Origins. I’m in the purist camp that wanted Wolverine’s origin to remain hazy an fractured. When Marvel decided it was time for a definitive origin story, I was mildly disappointed. What is Wolverine if not someone who is forever chasing his past?

That said, the first half of Origins is excellent. The second half feels a bit rushed and leaves too many unanswered questions, IMO.

Mine is likely a minority opinion though, as most comic book fans consider it to be a grail. It’s worth reading but, I wouldn’t put it in a top five list of must reads. And I’m not a huge fan of the art work.

The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told

The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told

Man-Bat graphic novel

The Killing Joke

Dark Knight, Dark City

Alan Moore/Norm Breyfogle run on Detective Comics from the early 90's -- anything you can find.