fav all time batman story arc

dave · Post by **dave** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 8:39 pm

ok, don't everybody say dark knight returns-I know that one is a favorite already!...i was just rereading some of it (thanks to whoever qutoed that thebbes thebbes! sebben elebben has this for $2 or whatever quote...)

my favorite is (maybe)
batman 433-435

the silent issue is SO cool. really great storytelling. after reading these two i went back to read some others...and there are many that don't hold a candle to these two! so of the demon used to be one of my favorites, but after rereading that one, i realized that i enjoyed the are tremendously but the story was not great-and the guy got batman himself totally wrong!

i'm anxiously awaiting your replies...

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Tue Feb 08, 2005 11:48 pm

In run, there is no story that's as good, as well crafted, as beautifully drawn, and as perfectly told as Year One.

It is THE PERFECT Batman story. It's everything Batman always was, is, and will be...and nothing that he wasn't, isn't, and shouldn't EVER be.

In my opinion...and I've read HUNDRESDS (if not thousands) of Batman stories....it remains the pinnacle in the entire history of the Bat.

Of course, Batman #232, 244 are pretty amazing, as is #251...but then it was O'Neil/Adams, so.

Out run...you can't argue with Dark Knight, BUT.....the Cult is pretty damn good, too.

The whole Death in the Family to Intro of New Robin (#426-442 and extraneous) can't be beat as far as momentum, action, and cohesive storytelling.

The whole damn book just had HEAT for that year+.

Hush was fun....but....for me, it was predictable. And why the need to introduce a whole new 'villain'? Hush is just Long Halloween, sans the holidays.

Chuck · Post by **Chuck** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:26 am

YEAR ONE

what zeph said.

Daniel Jackson · Post by **Daniel Jackson** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 1:10 am

The saga with Bane made for some pretty good reading. I still cringe when I see the picture of Bane trying to snap Bruce in half over his knee.

tanord · Post by **tanord** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 1:28 am

The Killing Joke, the arc where he fought KGBeast to a standstill, and my favorite of them all, Knightfall. What a great story that included practically all of the villians. I also liked the arc where he fought Lock-Up. Lock-Up kicked Batman's *SQUEE*. I'm not sure if it was in comics but it was in the animated series.

dave · Post by **dave** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 6:00 am

i'm about to reread killing joke, bolland's are was terrif in that one...am reading the cult tpb currently. starlin's intro grated on me a bit though...the whole "religious guy is really the bad guy...it is SO overdone that it would be far more shocking to find a Bible-totin' and quotin' guy that WASN'T an ax murderer!

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 10:46 am

I was actually considering Killing Joke....

But then, it's not a *Batman* story, is it...?

It's the greatest JOKER story of all time.

X-O HoboJoe · Post by **X-O HoboJoe** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 10:56 am

Killing joke is, IMHO, one of the best done comics ever. The total package was and still is an industry standard.

Fav. Story-arc? The first Ra's Al Ghul O'neal/Adams books.

jordan silo · Post by **jordan silo** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 12:39 pm

My favorite Batman storyline of all time has to be Knightfall!

But there was Hush!

So shooot!!! That's a tough one between the two!

dino · Post by **dino** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 2:10 pm

Year one and long halloween

dave · Post by **dave** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 3:58 pm

i'm surprised so many enjoyed knightfall...i was not overly impressed-if you think about it-the same thing happens every month-batman fights a different villain in all 6 or 8 titles, and it never wears him out. having your back broken probably hurts (wuss), but i was not overly impressed-i remember thinking at the time that the savage dragon was going thru much more-he was fighting bad guys, and then his girl friend was murdered right before his very eyes...i thought they should have given bruce far more emotional abuse...just my little old opinion...

dave · Post by **dave** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 3:59 pm

btw zeph-i was expecting MORE from you...i was expecting to be surprised...what did you think of "the many deaths of the batman" by byrne?

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 4:29 pm

I mentioned Many Deaths! The whole RUN, with the possible exception of #430-432, of Bats from #426 (actually...Starlins whole run is VERY, VERY good, including Ten Nights of the Beast...I LOVE buying multiple copies of those books. I think I may have more duplicates of Bat books than anything else, but then...I digress.

) to #442 was just PHENOMENAL ....and I wish I'd been reading/collecting then. The first Batman issue I bought NEW off the shelf was #445. And by then, of course, my anus LCS were charging $5 EACH for 442, 440, $10 for 436 (!), $3+ for the rest, and...get this....$50 EACH for #426-429! EACH!

Ah well.

I've bought enough DITF sets for $10 total to not worry about it ever again.

GJB · Post by **GJB** » Wed Feb 09, 2005 7:42 pm

Year Two gets some props, although I really like The Cult and the Ten Nights of the Beast arc.

Something about Bats taking up arms and teaming with his parents killer to bring in the reaper. Plus those covers are four of the best IMO.

screamingdc · Post by **screamingdc** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 8:41 pm

i thought they later changed it so Joe Chill wasn't actually his parent's killer.

personally, i prefer the Long Halloween. i'm still trying to wrap my head around that ending.

jedimarley · Post by **jedimarley** » Thu Feb 10, 2005 8:48 pm

Death in the family.
Kill the Boy Wounder

Rai-fan · Post by **Rai-fan** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 7:51 am

While I love everything that was Batman 426-455 (the 453-455 Mignola Riddler-as-psycho back-alley-tracheotomy thing was scary!), I have to give a shout-out to Batman 430-432. One of those had Batman struggling to take down a sniper; another involved him burglaring FBI headquarters--each had him dealing with Jason's loss.

Also, there's this one-shot issue called "Trash" from Detective 613 or so, about a garbage man who infringes on mob territory for the sake of his son.

Finally, Sword of Azrael, although I wish the later Azrael-as-Bats thing never happened.

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:06 pm

GJB wrote:Year Two gets some props, although I really like The Cult and the Ten Nights of the Beast arc.

Something about Bats taking up arms and teaming with his parents killer to bring in the reaper. Plus those covers are four of the best IMO.

Mmmmmm...Orangey......

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:08 pm

Rai-fan wrote:
Also, there's this one-shot issue called "Trash" from Detective 613 or so, about a garbage man who infringes on mob territory for the sake of his son.
.

Holy COW! That's one of my favorite Bats stories, EVER! It's also the very FIRST Detective that I picked up new off the shelf.

It's GREAT!

Plus, Norm Breyfogle pretty much defined Batman in my formative collecting years.

skiw · Post by **skiw** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 1:57 pm

The best Batman stories/arc hands down are the 1st few Ras Al Ghul issues by O'Neil & Adams. It all starts with Talia in Detective #411 (or the 1st League of Assassins in Tec #405), then runs through Bats #232, 235, 240, 243 and 244. I highly recommend picking up the Neal Adams HCs for these and more great Bronze Age Batman stories - this is the period when they turned him from a campy hero to the real Dark Knight!

Two other favorites are the Batman Son of the Demon and Bride of the Demon TPBs/HCs. If you have not read them yet I would definitely check them out.

In my opinion, the Demon should be Batman's main foe not the Joker. He is definitely underutilized as a major villain in the DC universe.

Cheers,
Skiw

Unblessed · Post by **Unblessed** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:05 pm

I just started a Batman/Detective Comics sub last year sometime...

What would be the best years/issues to get? Since issue 620, I'm mostly current. Is there a list out there with all these great story lines and such? Thanks!!!

~The Unblessed Soul

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:10 pm

Unblessed wrote:I just started a Batman/Detective Comics sub last year sometime...

What would be the best years/issues to get? Since issue 620, I'm mostly current. Is there a list out there with all these great story lines and such? Thanks!!!

~The Unblessed Soul

Skiw's list for Neal Adams, to which I would add #251, natch.

Batman #357-368, Detective #524-535 (Jason Todd Intro) decent for the period.

Batman #400 (fun!)

Batman #404-407 (Year One)

Batman #408-410 ('new' origin Jason Todd)

Detective #575-578 (Year Two)

Batman #417-420 (Ten Nights of the Beast)

Detective #598-600 (50th Anniversay, one KILLLLLER arc, cheap as HELL!)

Batman #426-442 (my favs Death in the Family, Many Deaths, Year 3, Lonely Place of Dying)

Detective 604-607 (The Mudpack)

Batman #455-457 is fun.

Batman #488-500 (Knightfall)

Detective 655-666 (same)

Batman #501-515ish (Knightquest, Knightsend)

Detective #667-675 ish (same)

Batman #558?-575-ish (Cataclysm, No Man's Land)

Batman #608-619 Hush

Long Halloween #1-13 (mini)

rest as noted.

There's also the Plague storyline (Detective #698-700?)

And the Contagion, which ran through ALL the books, starting with Shadow of the Bat #48.

Unblessed · Post by **Unblessed** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:13 pm

ZHW, what would I do without your obsessive compulsive comicbook/forum disorder?

~The Unblessed Soul

ZephyrWasHOT!! · Post by **ZephyrWasHOT!!** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:14 pm

Unblessed wrote:ZHW, what would I do without your obsessive compulsive comicbook/forum disorder?

~The Unblessed Soul

Die a slow, horrid, painful, writhing death.

Rai-fan · Post by **Rai-fan** » Fri Feb 11, 2005 2:56 pm

Hey Zeph,

My 'Tec 613 ("Trash" issue)'s signed & personalized to me by Breyfogle. Just 'cause it was my favorite...

My classic (but cheap) Batman collection would definitely be 417-457; back to 400 if you could afford it.

Other than what Zeph said, this extended 1987-90-ish run includes a McFarlane issue (or at least cover) & such fun post-"Lonely Place/Dying" stories as the Crimesmith, (443-445) NYKDemon (sequel to 10 Nights/Beast) 446-449, & the post-Death/Family return of the Joker (450-451).

Jim Aparo is my generation's Neal Adams.

As for older books, what was the number of the 70s Neal Adams issue called "One Bullet Too Many?" It featured Dick Grayson leaving for college, & Bruce Wayne shutting down the batcave & moving to a skyscraper in downtown Gotham...