This Batman guy, he's in comic books as well!

by oni

So yeah, thanks to The Dark Knight I am now a complete Batnerd and have been getting into several Batman comics of late. After Batman Begins, I already read Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, but I decided I wanted more. I scoured the internets, looking for whichever books people say Batnoobs should read first, and I ended up with the following:

The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
The Killing Joke
A Death In The Family
Knightfall: Part One
Hush
Arkham Asylum

And just for kicks, I'm going to write mini-reviews on all of them! Except Arkham Asylum, because I haven't read it yet.

The Long Halloween

Set shortly after Batman's origin story as it is told in Year One, The Long Halloween centers around Batman trying to find a murderer who kills on holidays. Harvey Dent, before becoming Two-Face, tries to help Batman and Jim Gordon catch the killer. This book has a very noir-ish vibe going on, with very sombre colors and imagery. Harvey Dent is presented pretty well here, you can tell The Dark Knight's Dent has at least some origin in this book. I feel the story goes on for a bit too long. Every chapter has one murder in it, and usually also an appearance by one of Batman's many enemies, and I couldn't help but feel they were in it for the sake of it, as sort of obligatory fan service more than anything else. Sometimes they are suspects for the murders, but oftentimes they just cause a little chaos and escape/get caught by the Batman. Nonetheless an enjoyable tale, and the origin of Two-Face makes it a worthwhile read for those getting into the world of Batman.

Dark Victory

The direct sequel to The Long Halloween, it follows in much the same vein as Dark Victory. A little too samey, in fact. The story once again focuses on killings commited on holidays, and the tone of the book is practically identical. It's a bit briefer, but I couldn't help but feel it followed the Long Halloween's formula a little too strictly. Harvey Dent is once again a central character, this time as Two-Face, and eventually, Dick Grayson, Robin, makes his debut in this continuity as well, but he doesn't add all that much to the story. The only insights we get into Bruce's character are once again just some musings on loneliness and trust. Not bad, but not essential by any means.

The Killing Joke

Let's get this out of the way: You NEED to read this book. It's written by Alan Moore, he of Watchmen fame, and it shows. It's a very brief one-shot graphic novel, but its brevity as a virtue. It tells a tight, fast-moving tale, while at the same time deeply examining the personality of the Joker and his relationship with Batman. The art is very good as well, very different from the noir-ish look of the last two books. Probably the primary inspiration for Nolan's Joker. Absolutely essential.

A Death in the Family

Once again a Joker-centric book. This time he crosses a line never crossed before: He kills the second Robin, Jason Todd. It takes place after The Killing Joke, so Batman already has it in for the Joker well and good. The art style, for me, is a bit of step back from TKJ, it's a bit more old-school, for lack of a better description. It's worth reading, because Jason's death is a very significant factor in who Bruce Wayne is today.

Knightfall: Part One - Broken Bat

Another significant event in this book: Batman is utterly defeated, for the first time ever, broken by a man named Bane. If you've seen Batman & Robin, but don't have any other experience with Bane, forget everything you know about him. He isn't a dumb, strong oaf. Much like the Batman, Bane studies his opponents, learns to think like them, before fighting them. Bane frees all the inmates in Arkham Asylum and watches as Batman deals with them one by one, being weakened after each encounter. I really enjoyed this book. Every chapter deals with another of Batman's rogue gallery, and fighting them all brings out a lot of his character, his mortality, why he does what he does, the rage he feels for some of his foes (Joker, in particular). It doesn't feel as much like a string of encounters with villains for the sake of it like in The Long Halloween, each of his foes brings out something different in Bruce. Very much a worthwhile read.

Hush

The most recent book on my list, Hush was published in 2003. It features a much more modern comic book look, with computer coloring and bold shapes, whilst still feeling like a Batman book. Sort of like in Knightfall, someone has set Batman's enemies against him for a specific reason, a mysterious, bandaged man in a raincoat. At the center of this book, more than in any of the other ones, is the character of Bruce Wayne/Batman, and his blossoming relationship with Catwoman. The story is definitely very character driven. Also much like in Knightfall, Batman's villains once again act largely as catalysts to bring out different elements of his character, and I think more than any of the other books, this one made me appreciate just how complex and enigmatic a character Batman really is. He is interesting, not because he is an everyman, like Peter Parker, but because he is the exact opposite. Stinking rich, with a terrible trauma in his childhood, and a terrible burden and feeling of guilt. His relationship with Catwoman, as Batman, is a new thing for him; he's making himself more vulnerable than he has ever been before. To say more, I feel, would be spoiling, but I consider this book absolutely essential, up there with The Killing Joke. Essential.

So, wow, that turned out longer than expected! If you read all that, mad props to you. If you have any other reading recommendations for me related to Batman, feel free to comment.