10 Great Batman Comics to Check Out Before (or After) The Batman
The Matt Reeves/Robert Pattinson take on the Dark Knight clearly took inspiration from these compelling comic arcs.
by Joe George · Men's HealthAs anyone who's seen one of the film’s trailers already knows, The Batman promises a unique look at the Dark Knight.
For the character's thirteenth big-screen appearance (not counting cameos), director Matt Reeves offers a mystery grounded in the real world, in which the young Batman (Robert Pattinson) must follow clues to stop the Riddler (Paul Dano) from continuing a murder spree. Helping him along the way is the seemingly amoral Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), and Gotham City’s most honest cop, Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright). The secret behind the Riddler’s crusade not only forces Batman to face unsettling truths about his departed parents Thomas and Martha Wayne, but also brings him face to face with crime bosses Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and the Penguin (Colin Farrell).
Of course, nothing involving a character whose been around for nearly 100 years can be completely new. Since Batman’s first appearance in 1939’s Detective Comics #27, he’s been reinterpreted as everything from a cold-blooded killer to protect the rich to an upright paragon of righteousness, a dedicated loner to the head of a family.
These different interpretations have made Batman one of the world’s most enduring pop culture figures. That’s why you can have the gothic creature of the night in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman and the troubled rich kid in military gear in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. When Reeves and his collaborators embarked on their version of the World’s Greatest Detective, they could choose from a wide variety of Batmen.
But that breadth of options can be daunting for those who want more of the Reeves and Pattinson style of the character. For those who like their Caped Crusader gritty and real, here are some of the comics that inspired the new blockbuster film.
1. Batman: The Long Halloween
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Perhaps the biggest influence on the new movie, The Long Halloween is the most well-regarded of the collaborations between writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale. The thirteen-part story involves the emergence of a new killer dubbed Holiday, who every month kills a different person with connections to the Falcone crime family. Batman, Lieutenant Gordon, and District Attorney Harvey Dent make a pact to stop Holiday, a decision that has disastrous consequences.
The Long Halloween has everything you’d want from a Batman mystery, including appearances by the best of the hero’s rogues gallery (and also Calendar Man and Mad Hatter, in surprisingly large roles). But the comic’s real draw is the artwork. Sale’s spindly line work and splotchy blacks create an unnerving world for the characters, accentuated by Gregory Wright’s moody colors and Richard Starkings’s varied lettering. The result is a true noir masterpiece in the Batman tradition.
2. Batman: Year One (Batman #404-407)
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To be clear, The Batman takes place during the hero’s second year in the pointy ears, and there is a comic book story called “Batman: Year Two.” But the film takes nothing from that run (which is quite good) and draws inspiration instead from the origin story Batman: Year One. And with good reason; Batman: Year One is one of the all-time best Batman stories, one that redefined the character after decades of inconsistency.
Writer Frank Miller indulges his love of hard-boiled detective fiction in this tale of Bruce Wayne's return to Gotham City and the slow development of the Batman persona. But unlike other works, Miller never loses sight of the character's humanity, thanks in part to the masterful art by David Mazzucchelli. Mazzucchelli transforms Gotham City into a dizzying labyrinth of dingy, rainy corners and fills it with all-too-frail figures. Bathed in washed-out blues and greys by colorist Richmond Lewis and accentuated by idiosyncratic letters by Todd Klein, Batman: Year One is the original grounded take on the Dark Knight.
3. Dark Knight, Dark City (Batman #452-454)
The Riddler has never been one of Batman's top adversaries, which is why he's so open to interpretation. Moviegoers may recall Jim Carrey's manic version of Edward Nygma, which seemed to change in costume and tone in every scene. That version has roots in Frank Gorshin and John Astin’s goofier portrayals in the 1966 Batman series, but Paul Dano goes in a very different direction for The Batman. Dano plays the Riddler as a serial killer in the tradition of a Vincent Price monster or the Jigsaw Killer from the Saw movies, capturing his victims in elaborate death traps.
Although he sports army surplus gear instead of the villain’s usual dapper green suit coat and derby, Dano’s Riddler owes a great deal to the antagonist behind the 1990 arc “Dark Knight, Dark City.” Written by Peter Milligan and penciled by Kieron Dwyer (with inks by Dennis Janke, colors by Adrienne Roy, and letters by John Costanza), “Dark Knight, Dark City” involves the Riddler sending Batman on a macabre quest, unwittingly summoning a demon called Barbathos. In addition to serving as partial inspiration for Grant Morrison’s excellent run on the character, this three-issue arc offers an early look at the Riddler’s grisly potential.
4. Catwoman: Selina's Big Score
Batman’s main squeeze Selina Kyle aka Catwoman plays a major role in both The Long Halloween and Year One, but she’s a side character in those, only hinting at the depths she offers. To be sure, Catwoman is also a side character in The Batman, played by Zoë Kravitz. However, as the story unfolds and reveals her own personal connection to the mystery, she becomes one of the most compelling characters in the film.
For that reason, the filmmakers must have drawn partly on what many consider to be the best solo Catwoman story, Selina’s Big Score by the late, great Darwyn Cooke. Cooke’s Jack Kirby-by-way-of-Bruce Timm line work and Matt Hollingsworth’s flashy colors suggest a bright, breezy crime caper. But by bringing in a bevy of characters, including long-standing DC Comics tough guy Slam Bradley, Cooke imbues an otherwise poppy adventure with a great deal of depth. As double- and triple-crosses commence, Selena reveals herself to be a principled defender of the down-trodden, not just a sleek cat-burglar.
5. “Venom” (Legends of the Dark Knight #16 -20)
Stories about the origins of Batman must always deal with the question of moderation. While most creators portray the adult Batman as measured and in control, aware of the way his actions affect others, the early Batman must still learn how to balance his anger with his passion. This question drives Pattinson's take in The Batman, as the new hero strives to be more than just an instrument of vengeance.
In “Venom,” long-standing Batman writer Dennis O’Neill explores this issue by presenting the caped crusader with one of his most troubling failures. After he lacked the strength to save a young girl from drowning, Batman accepts a new drug designed to boost his strength. The drug works, but it also makes Batman angrier and more dangerous, turning him into the monsters he tries to fight. As a drug-abuse allegory, “Venom” is a bit choppy, despite the great artwork by Trevor von Eeden, Russell Braun, and José Luis García-López. But as a look into Batman’s moral character, and the beginnings of the supervillain Bane, “Venom” is essential.
6. “The Penguin!” (Detective Comics 58-59)
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For the most part, Reeves offers a more realistic take on the world of Batman, grounding the characters in roles that we recognize from our own everyday reality. The one member of the cast who breaks that reality is Oz Cobblepot, aka the Penguin, a captain under mob boss Carmine Falcone (John Turturro).
Played by Colin Farrell in stage make-up and a fat suit, the Penguin is a loud and brash character, whose over-the-top performance stands out in a relatively downbeat film. For that reason, the best Penguin comics to read in preparation for the movie aren’t the more modern takes, such as the dark Penguin: Pain and Prejudice. Rather, Farrell’s take on the character comes more from early stories, such as his first two appearances in Detective Comics #58 and 59. Writer Bill Finger crafts fun capers for the newest member of Batman’s rogues gallery, and artist Bob Kane proudly cribs from Dick Tracy creator Chester Gould for his design of the grotesque Penguin.
7. Batman: No Man’s Land
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As with any good mystery, the setting of Gotham City plays a key role in The Batman. The City provides not just a place filled with shadow from which Batman can attack, but also a home for the downtrodden and a refuge for the rich and oppressive. It is a city full of evil that needs to be destroyed and good that needs to be cultivated.
Few Batman stories have so thoroughly investigated the heart of Gotham like the year-long 1999 cross-over event "No Man's Land." After an earthquake ravishes Gotham, the United States government finally gives up on the beleaguered city and declares it condemned. Those who stay, out of opportunity or necessity, find themselves caught in a gang war between the various villains. Even worse, Batman seems to have disappeared, leaving Gotham to protect itself. The epic story not only exposes all the horror and hope of Gotham City but also rethinks Batman's place in it.
8. “E. Nygma, Consulting Detective” (Detective Comics #822)
Without question, Paul Dini is one of the most important Batman writers. His work on Batman: The Animated Series crystalized a take on the character that honored both his origins in superhero comics for kids and his roots in pulp and noir. So while his run on Detective Comics often gets overlooked by Grant Morrison’s high-concept work on Batman, which was published at the same time, it contains real gems that deserve attention.
For the creators of The Batman, one of the most important aspects of Dini’s run was its use of the Riddler. No longer content with being a bad guy, the Riddler becomes a consulting detective for the Gotham Police Department and finds himself working alongside–or as a rival to–Batman himself. Riddler may not do anything particularly nasty during this storyline, but he does get under Batman’s skin, which may be the most brilliant move of all.
9. Batman/Catwoman
To put it mildly, fans were displeased when Batman #50 ended not with the wedding of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle, but with her abandoning the Caped Crusader at the behest of the hulking villain Bane. But despite protestations from readers, writer Tom King remained adamant that the broken engagement was just part of a larger story.
King and artist Clay Mann finally got the chance to complete that story in their current ongoing series Batman/Catwoman. Set after Bane’s meddling, the series returns the couple to their flirting state while also dealing with the fallout of their previous relationship. Batman/Catwoman captures what all stories about the duo, including The Batman, want to emulate–a high-wire act balancing sexual tension, deep antagonism, and genuine respect.
10. Batman: Earth One
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Intended to be a counter to Marvel’s Ultimate line, which provided fresh and continuity-free takes on established characters, DC’s Earth One series seems to have had little impact. So it is a surprise to find so many key elements from the book incorporated into The Batman, including Batman’s growling, “I’m vengeance!” But the most important element that Reeves and co-writer Peter Craig pull from the series is a different take on Alfred Pennyworth.
Played by Andy Serkis, Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler has a more rugged feeling than those portrayed by older actors, Michael Caine and Michael Gough. This gruff Alfred walks with a cane and sports visible scars, talking about the need to “protect” the Waynes. That approach comes directly from Earth One by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, in which Alfred is an old military buddy of Thomas Wayne with a dark past. Initially hired by Thomas to serve as a bodyguard during his mayoral run, Alfred becomes Bruce's guardian and then trainer as the boy begins his tenure as Batman.