As a Batman fan, I've read a VERY small handful of his stories. I've read Hush, the Long Halloween, Killing Joke and anything DCAU-related. So as far as mainstream goes, I've barely scratched the surface. What else would one recommend I read?

 

I really like the Dark Knight Returns. Good story, plus the way Batman and Joker work off each other is just great.

 

Here's what I'd recommend for the essential Post Crisis Batman:

Batman Year One (First appearance of Batman, Harvey Dent, Catwoman, Carmine Falcone, and James Gordon)
Batman and the Monster Men (First appearance of Hugo Strange, Salvatore Maroni, and Julie Madison. Takes place during Year One)
Batman and the Mad Monk (Only appearance of Mad Monk. Direct sequel to Monster Men. Takes place during Year One)
Batman The Man Who Laughs (First appearance of The Joker. Direct sequel to Year One)
Batman Four of a Kind (First appearances of Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Riddler, and Man Bat)
Batman The Long Halloween (First appearance of Two Face. Probably one of the best stories after Year One and The Killing Joke)
Batman Dark Victory (Direct Sequel to The Long Halloween. First appearance of Robin)
Catwoman When In Rome (Takes place during Dark Victory. Follows Catwoman and Riddler)
Robin Year One (Self explanatory)
Batgirl Year One (First appearances of Batgirl and Killer Moth)
Batman Son of the Demon (First appearance of Ras al Ghul and Talia)
Batman Strange Apparitions (This is the run that inspired Batman The Animated Series. Includes the infamous Joker Fish story)
Batman The Killing Joke (Last appearance of Batgirl)
Nightwing Year One (Departure of Dick Grayson as Robin, First appearance of Jason Todd)
Batman A Death in the Family (Death of Jason Todd)
Batman Knightfall Trilogy (First appearance of Bane and Azarel. Breaking of the Batman)
Batman Arkham Asylum (...I really cant describe this one other then just read it)
Batman No Mans Land (Gotham Descends into Chaos. First appearance of Cassandra Cain)
Batman Hush (First appearance of Hush.)
Superman/Batman Public Enemies (Great story showing the parallels of the two flag characters of DC)
Batman War Games (Rise of Black Mask as Gotham's Head of Crime)
Batman Under the Hood (Return of Jason Todd)
Infinite Crisis (Batman coming to grips with his paranoia)
Batman Face the Face (Batman's return to Gotham a year after Infinite Crisis)
Paul Dini's Run on Detective Comics (Christmas with Robin and the Joker, Riddler reformed, new Scarface, Harley Quinn reformed, and more! Just read it)
Gotham Underground (Good story dealing with the modern crime that plagues Gotham before Final Crisis)
Batman and Son (Beginning of Grant Morrison's run. First appearances of Damien Wayne, Jezebel Jett, and the three Batmen replacements. These Morrison stories make sense after reading the entire run, which is almost over.)
Batman The Black Glove (Continuation of Morrison's run. Introduction to Club of Heroes, Club of Villains, and Dr. Hurt. Trust me, it makes sense)
Batman Heart of Hush (Return of Hush. There was another Hush story, but it was ass)
Batman RIP (More Morrison. What a story. What a story. IT MAKES SENSE DAMN IT. Currently in the main Batman title they are publishing a continuation of this story)
Final Crisis (More Morrison. Batman vs Darkseid)
Avoid Battle of the Cowl. It really sucks. Really this sets up the resurgence of a new Black Mask)
Streets of Gotham (More Dini writing about Gotham City)
Batman and Robin (Even more Morrison. It gets better. Trust me. Especially the later half of the run, seriously I cannot wait to see what happens next)
Return of Bruce Wayne (The finale of Morrisons run.)
And while it's not cannon, you have to read The Dark Knight Returns.

 

Year One
Resurrection of Ras Al Ghul
Batman & Son

 

Batman vs. Aliens
Batman and the Outsiders
Haunted Knight and Dark Victory are in the same vein as the Long Halloween and I thought they were fantastic.
No Man's Land is epic, but I preferred the novelization to the comic book tbh. Same with Knightfall.

 

Thanks for the input. I'll deffinately check out Year One and the Man who Laughs. And I'll probably read Batman and Son since there's two votes for that.

Don't know if I'll be able to track down all the ones Drill listed, though.  

 

Check your local library!

A bit of advice, read Batman and Son, The Black Glove, and RIP simultaneously in order to understand it. I'd also say to read the Batman and Robin issues too, but they all haven't come out in Graphic Novel form.

 

I like the Knightfall storyline, and I think it's been collected in trade format.

Seconded. One of my local library branches has a decent selection of Batman, Superman and Spiderman trades. And a smattering of other characters.

 

Knightfall.

 

You've definitely got to read something drawn by Neal Adams. That was the period when Batman shifted from campy sixties Adam West style antics to the dark knight we know today.

At his best, the art is on a par with Michalangelo or anything from the Renaissance.

Avoid the recolours he did a few years ago. Really tasteless and does the art no favours.

If you want to go back to the early comics, Batman #1 is pretty good. Better than the early Detective Comics stuff. It's the original Joker story.

And I definitely concur with Year One. That goes at the top of any must-read list.

 

My two favorite are:

-Batman Year One (If you liked Mask of the Phantasm and Batman Begins, you will like this)
-Gotham by Gaslight (Great Elseworlds story where Batman is tracking down Jack the Ripper in the late 1880's in London).

 

No kidding on that. I love me some Neal Adams, but coulden't bring myself to buy the second and third HCs of his Batman stuffs after seing the recolouring in the first.

 

Knightfall, definitely

 

That's quite a list... I might have to try and get some of those myself. There's so much Batman material out there that it's hard to pick and choose what's essential, but this looks like a good list.

Have any of the Alan Grant, John Wagner and Norm Breyfogle run on Detective Comics been collected into trades? I got into comics during that run, and I'd enjoy reading some of those again.

 

"Batman: The Cult" is EXTREMELY underrated. Batman, pushed to the physical and mental edge of exhaustion. Written by Jim Starlin (Silver Surfer, Infinity Gauntlet, etc), with some truly beautiful artwork by the legendary Bernie Wrightson.

 

I'm not a big fan of the character in the comics (loved BTAS and the Nolan films), but some stories I liked:

- Tales of the Multiverse, Batman: Vampire - Single TPB collecting the three Batman/Dracula Elseworlds comics.
- Knightfall
- The Dark Knight Returns
- The Long Hallowe'en
- JLA: New World Order

 

Batman & Dracula: Red Rain

Loved that one. Its follow ups (Bloodstorm & Crimson Mist) aren't too bad either.

 

Arkham Asylum: Living Hell.

To be fair, Batman isn't in it for very long, but it needs more love.

 

Knightfall and MUST READ Dark Knight Returns!

 

i really enjoyed arkaham asylum: a serious house on serious earth and, although its not really a batman story, brian azzarellos joker