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Summary
late released by Amazon , Batman : Caped Crusaderis a verified hit , dropping Batman into a 1940s Noir settingwith grim themes and an ensemble cast of Gothamites , each committed to justice in a different path . However , with only 10 episodes currently in existence , many buff are craving more of this compelling take on Gotham ’s protector - and comics are the answer .
Here are the 10 best serial publication to read to capture the same trick as the show , place gamey anteriority on a Noirish tone , grounded villains , and a endure mould whodon’thave bird - theme codenames . While we ’ll start with some big - name series that fresh rooter should know about , we ’ll also partake on some lesser - lie with comics , hopefully offer even longtime fans something new to study .
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Wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne , transmute by tragedy , takes on the mantle of Batman to combat the rampant subversion and crime in Gotham City . His vigilante actions pull both allies within the GCPD and City Hall and deadly resister , leading to unforeseen consequences . The series delves into the noir roots of Batman , exploring the psychological depths of Gotham ’s inhabitants .
You plausibly already readThe Long Halloween , but its prequelHaunted Knightis equally deserving your fourth dimension .
Batman: Haunted Knight/Batman: The Long Halloween/Batman: Dark Victory
Batman and Gordon Unite in a Noir-Ish World Where Mobsters Rule
Writer :
Jeph Loeb
creative person :
Tim Sale
Colorist :
Gregory Wright
Letterer :
Todd Klein / Richard Starkings
Year of Release :
1996/1996/1999
Long Halloweenis one of Batman ’s most celebrated comics , appearing on pretty much any ' good of Batman ' list , so we ’ve included its pretender - prequelHaunted Knightand sequelDark Victory , all by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale . The trilogy ( soon to be extended withthe duo ’s newThe Last Halloween ) has the same haunted , Noirish whole tone asCaped Crusaderand takes home as the geezerhood of mobster dynasty and tommy guns is coming to an goal . Long Halloweeneven echo the episodic nature of the idiot box show - while there ’s a larger tale afoot about Batman hunting a raw serial killer , each issue sees him come up against a different Gotham scoundrel on a different major holiday .
WhileLong Halloweenis inarguably the best of the bunch , Dark Victoryis a worthy subsequence with a similar approaching . However , if you have n’t readHaunted Knight , that ’s where to start . A trilogy of spooky stories starring Batman , cocksure devotee response toHaunted Knightis the reasonLong Halloweenexists , seeing Batman go up against three foes who each call his commitment to offence - fight into question in a unlike way .
Wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne, transformed by tragedy, takes on the mantle of Batman to combat the rampant corruption and crime in Gotham City. His vigilante actions attract both allies within the GCPD and City Hall and deadly adversaries, leading to unforeseen consequences. The series delves into the noir roots of Batman, exploring the psychological depths of Gotham’s inhabitants.
With almost eighty years in print , Batman is one of the most successful heroes in comics . These stories helped elevate him to that position .
Batman : Year Onefollows Gordon and Batman fighting the metropolis ’s corruption from diametrical final stage , head up to the origin of their friendship .
Batman: Year One
This Iconic Tale Is Batman & Gordon’s Origin Story as Partners
Frank Miller
David Mazzucchelli
Richmond Lewis
Todd Klein
1987
Batman : Year Oneis another entrance that appear on every ' unspoilt of Batman ' lean , butif you have n’t read it yet , it really is the perfect follow - up toCaped Crusader . The series follow Bruce Wayne ’s first foray into vigilantism , as he prepare the Batman persona , gets back to traction with Gotham after age away , and develop a relationship with Jim Gordon , who at this point is nowhere near pee Commissioner . It ’s an era before the costumed felon rose up , which means Batman is give to deal with engineer crime rather than the Riddler ’s death gob - a exchangeable approach toCaped Crusader ’s toned - down villains . Batman : Year Onedoesn’t explicitly place to a given year , but there are enough trench coats and service six-gun to keep fans of the show ’s ' XL setting felicitous .
Batman : The Adventures Continuetakes the fresh approach of structuring the story like a TV season , summate to the sense of the original show continuing in a new manikin .
The Batman Adventures/Batman: The Adventures Continue
If You Loved the Original Animated Series, There’s a LOT More of It
Kelley Puckett et al / Alan Burnett & Paul Dini
Ty Templeton & Rick Burchett et al
Rick Taylor / Monica Kubina et al
Tim Harkins et al / Joshua Reed
1992/2020
The Batman Adventuresis a long - running series jell in the same persistence asBatman : The Animated Series . The beloved ' 90s show was the impetus forCaped Crusader ’s creative activity , as while manufacturer Bruce Timm did n’t need to revisit his former undertaking , he did concur to create a spiritual sequel . The comics continue to take out Batman lore in the context of the Noirish but folk - friendlyBatman Adventures , introducing character reference like the Suicide Squadand the Court of Owls . The most late sequel of the show ’s canyon , Batman : The Adventures Continueeven carry the new approach of structuring the report like a television season , adding to the sense of the show continuing in a new form .
Batman is such an iconic character with a rich account . So much so , that standalone stories have become the Dark Knight ’s good stories .
Gotham by Gaslight/The Doom That Came to Gotham
These Batman Stories Go Even Further Back Than the 1940s
Gotham by Gaslight
Brian Augustyn
Mike Mignola and P. Craig Russell
David Hornung
John Workman
1989
Gotham by Gaslightgoes back even further than the 1940s , imagining a interpretation of Batman who is operating around the 1880s , facing off against Jack the Ripper . While this obviously leads to a very dissimilar vision of Gotham , it ’s just as dark and pulpy as inCaped Crusader , and Batman is similarly stripped down , lacking his common Bat - Family and gadget as he pounds the street , desperate to stop a serial killer .
Batman : The Doom That Came to Gotham
Mike Mignola & Richard Pace
Troy Nixey & Dennis Janke
Dave Stewart
Bill Oakley
2000
Batman : The Doom That Came to Gothamis a similar geological period piece , this time set in the 1920s . Combining the Dark Knight with H.P. Lovecraft’sThe Cthulhu Mythos , it ’s also a pulp story that captures the spirit of one man urgently fighting an total urban center founded on crime .
The book’suse of the ' Robin ' ideais particularly singular , asBruce ’s various Boy Wonders become something more similar to Sherlock Holmes ' Baker Street Irregulars . While these two series secern very different stories , they scrub a similar itching and are already well - do it , hence sharing their spot on this list .
Batman: Nine Lives
Nightwing Gets His Own Pulp Transformation in This Tribute to Noir Cinema
Dean Motter
Michael Lark
Matt Hollingsworth
2002
A reliable hidden treasure , Batman : Nine Livesis a genuine Noir closed book . place in the 1940s , Nine Livessees individual police detective Dick Grayson look into the execution of Selina Kyle , with Bruce Wayne as one of several suspects . This series embraces the pre - superhero pulp detective story , toning down Gotham ’s villain from supervillain surplusage to dangerous fig in Gotham ’s reprehensible underground .
B - listers like Mister Freeze and Clayface are in reality scarier inNine Livesthan when they had office , and seeing Batman through someone else ’s center helps to increase his mystique . The cherry tree on the cake is thatNine Livesalso shakes up the power structure of Gotham , makingits version of Joker , Penguin and Mister Freeze feel fresh and - crucial for an actual murder mystery - irregular .
From Batman to Superman , the Justice League , Sandman , the Watchmen , and more , these are the superlative DC Comics stories ever told .
law of similarity toCaped Crusadershouldn’t be surprising in this case , since the story was written by Ed Brubaker - one of the show ’s executive producer .
Batman: Gotham Noir
From Lengendary Crime Comic Partners Brubaker & Phillips
Ed Brubaker
Sean Phillips
2001
Set in the late 1940s , Batman : Gotham Noirfollows Jim Gordon as a down - on - his - destiny private detective investigating a murder which quickly blossoms into a story of corruption and organized criminal offense . The issue isfrom Brubaker and Phillips , far-famed for many of the best offense comics on the market , includingCriminal , The Fade OutandFatale .
Gotham Noiris basically a classic Noir movie with Batman in the background , similar toCaped Crusader ’s ' Moving Target ' episode , where Gordon istargeted for character assassination by Onomatopoeia . That should n’t be surprising , asthe news report was written by Ed Brubaker - one ofCaped Crusader ’s executive producer .
New Frontierfeels like ifCaped Crusadersuddenly open up and inclose an intact DC Universe , make it an exciting follow - up to the show .
Batman : Caped Crusader composer Frederik Wiedmann speaks with Screen Rant about his work on the religious replacement to Batman : The Animated Series .
DC: The New Frontier
What If Caped Crusader Launched a Whole New Universe?
Darwyn Cooke
Jared K. Fletcher
2004
One of DC ’s most acclaimed comics of all time , Darwyn Cooke’sNew Frontieris a braggy - pic reimagining of the DC Universe where the dawn of superheroes extend from 1945 to 1960 . It ’s a major ensemble piece , asWonder Woman , Green Lantern , Martian Manhunter and more grappler with real - globe event such as nuclear testing and the Civil Rights movement . Batman in especial is depicted as the dark , genuinely scary lone hand of this new radical , with a version of his early costume that matchesCaped Crusader ’s stylized lawsuit .
Evoking theSilver and Gold Age of comedian , New Frontiernevertheless has its benighted side , with very human superheroes collide in believable shipway . In effect , New Frontierfeels like ifCaped Crusadersuddenly opened up and bring out an full DC Universe , making it an exciting follow - up to the show .
Artists have drawn some memorable part of Batman art , and these are among the most iconic Batman comic panels that resonated with fans .
The Bat-Man: First Knight
The Most Recent Series on This List is Adults-Only
Dan Jurgens
Mike Perkins
Mike Spicer
Simon Bowland
2024
Only recently free , First Knight ’s gizmo is that it followsBatman as he was originally depicted , increasing the pulp violence and the approximation of one piece using a costume to viciously fight back against unionised criminal offence . publish under DC ’s Black Label embossment , First KnightisCaped Crusaderwith the family friendly slant honk aside , get to its first decapitate in just a couple of page . put in 1939 ( the year of Batman ’s launching ) , it ’s fascinating to see the same type in the same fourth dimension period asCaped Crusader , but hold nothing back in terms of adult themes .
Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman/Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score
Selina Kyle Explores Gotham’s Criminal Underworld from the Other Side of the Tracks
Catwoman : Trail of the Catwoman
Darwyn Cooke & Cameron Stewart
Sean Konot
From artist Darwyn Cooke and writer Ed Brubaker , Detective Comics ' ' Trail of the Catwoman ' seesprivate investigator Slam Bradleytrying to get across down Selena Kyle , whileCatwoman : Selina ’s Big Score(with Cooke as both writer and artist ) is a heist story which evoke the iconic pulp writing of Richard Stark . Batman look throughout , but Slam Bradley - who embodies the pre - superhero pulp magazine hero - is a far grittier zep who need as many beatings as he turn over out .
Not only does Cooke offer up a hat - crown to crime writer Richard Stark by naming one of Catwoman ’s partner in crime in his honor , but he later went on toadapt Stark’sParkerbooks to comic .
Catwoman : Selina ’s Big Score
These two Catwoman account are implausibly stylish fun , perfectly plan for the comic medium , while also evoking the same 1940 - style Noir world of private investigators and mobsters .
Batman has one of the rich story in comedian . Currently , there are plenty of key and entertaining Bat - books that deserve a read from rooter .
Gotham Central has a simple premise - what ’s it like to be a unconstipated cop in a city that ’s always menaced by supervillains ?
Gotham Central
This Series Crossed the Boundary Caped Crusader Wanted to, But Couldn’t
Greg Rucka & Ed Brubaker
Michael Lark , Greg Scott , Steve Lieber et al
Noelle Giddings , Lee Loughridge
Willie Schubert , Clem Robins
Another fixture on any decent list of DC ’s good comics , Gotham Centralhas a simple premise - what ’s it like to be a regular pig in a city that ’s always jeopardise by supervillains?StarringCaped Crusader ’s Commissioner Gordon and Detective Renee Montoya , Gotham Centralevokes a Noir tone with its tales of mass corruption and shocking slaying that are tied into bigger conspiracy . Set in DC ’s chief world , it still pull off to reinvent Batman ’s villain , showing how terrific and dangerous even his minor foes are to normal people .
With many of the reference and factor that makeCaped Crusadergreat , Gotham Centralalso offers up some of the most thrilling but mature authorship in superhero comics - not just in footing of being unforced to depict violence , but in how profoundly it gets into the question of Gotham ’s criminals and the people who have dedicated their life to give up them .
Those are our picks for the 10 good serial to check out out if you lovedBatman : The Caped Crusader , however whether you loved the liven show or not , there are no duds here , and each ledger entry is also among the greatestBatmanstories ever written .
