The 10 Batman Stories You Should Read After Playing Arkham Asylum

UPDATE: In the spirit of our Batman: Arkham City coverage, I figured I would move this list back up into the feed.

ORIGINAL STORY When my Batman: Arkham Asylum review hit the Internet, my mailbox filled up with reader comments pertaining to my critique of the game’s story. Since I poked holes in the underdeveloped plot, most readers wanted to know what I thought made for a great Batman story.

Upon the release of the game, my mailbox filled up again – this time with questions relating to specific plot moments from the game. Why did Batman say, “This time I break you” to Bane? When was Batman first infected with venom? Who is Oracle?

As I answered these questions, I realized I was referencing my favorite Batman stories. Listed below are my 10 all-time favorite Batman tales. Many of these books can be viewed as prequels to Arkham Asylum, while others are stories all self-respecting Batman fans should read. And no, I do not feel any of the Batman films (even The Dark Knight) belong on this list.

1. The Dark Knight Returns
Written by: Frank Miller
Art by: Frank Miller

With The Dark Knight Returns, scribe Frank Miller looked deep into Batman’s future. What affect did the death of Jason Todd (the second Robin) have on Bruce Wayne? What would happen if Batman lost his faith in the world? For the time, comics didn’t explore dark emotional themes. Giving emotional scars to a character didn’t just create an interesting story; it changed the landscape of comics forever. This comic signaled a change from whimsical crime capers to darkly themed dramas.

Miller’s story follows Bruce Wayne’s return to the mantle of the bat, and the resurgence of his fallen foes. Batman’s turmoil is the centerpiece of this plot, but Miller also shows us he knows how to write action. A scene with Superman is, without question, my most beloved comic book moment.

If you do decide to read The Dark Knight, do not, and I repeat, DO NOT read the sequel, The Dark Knight Strikes Again. With this follow-up, Miller bookends his Batman career with the best and worst Batman stories.

2. Batman: Year One
Written by: Frank Miller
Art by: Dave Mazzucchelli

Once again, comic fans have Frank Miller to thank for Batman’s evolution as a comic book character. In Year One, Miller explores the relationship between Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. Both characters see Gotham City in different ways. Jim humanizes the city, whereas Bruce demonizes it. The relationship between Batman and Gordon is fully explored. You see how their friendship takes shape, and how their unified goal to protect the city is divided by faith and remorse. This story concludes with one of comic’s most memorable scenes with Batman revealing his true identity to Gordon.

3. The Killing Joke
Written by: Alan Moore
Art by: Brian Bolland

Could you ever see yourself sympathizing with the Joker? That’s exactly what this story makes you, and Batman, do. While many comic writers have explored different origin stories for the clown prince – a move that has added to the psychosis of the character –this is the introduction most comic fans, myself included, see the most truth in. This exciting page-turner shows Joker lashing out at the world, destroying lives we are led to believe are similar to his own. The Gordon family falls victim to Joker’s rampage. Intent to make Commissioner Gordon crack, Joker shoots and paralyzes his daughter, Barbara (who was Batgirl at the time). Barbara, not willing to give up, later dons the new guise of Oracle. Unable to do work in the field, Oracle helps Batman and other heroes on a technical end.

4. A Death in the Family
Written by: Jim Starlin
Art by: Jim Aparo

Comic fans did not like Jason Todd, the second Robin who replaced Dick Grayson. In a surprising move, DC Comics allowed readers to vote on Jason’s fate. Over 10,000 comic fans called and wrote in to DC, demanding that Jason be removed from sidekick duties. Rather than having him vanish off of the pages with no explanation, like most comics do, DC decided to kill him off. And who better to handle this gruesome task than the Joker. I expected the killing blow to be tame – Jason is a kid after all – but rather than using his trademark laughing gas, Joker chooses a crowbar to pummel his foe, and an explosion to finish the job.

5. Legends of the Dark Knight: Venom
Written by: Dennis O’Neil
Art by: Trevor Von Eeden

This little known story originally ran in The Legends of the Dark Knight, and wasn’t collected in trade until recently. Which is surprising since, in a roundabout way, it is the origin story of Bane – which conversely is the backbone of Rocksteady’s game plot. Unable to save a girl from drowning, Batman sees his humanity as a crutch, and decides to take the experimental drug, venom, to gain a physical edge. Of course, the drugs do more than give him the strength to save lives. For fans of the game, this is the story to read. You’ll understand why Batman wouldn’t let the venom affect him.

6. Knightfall
Written by: Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, Dennis O'Neil, Jo Duffy, Alan Grant
Art by: Barry Kitson, Bob Smith, Tom Grummett, Scott Hanna, Bret Blevins, Graham Nolan

The line “this time I break you” is in reference to this story. A plot to free all criminals from Arkham Asylum succeeds, and Batman finds himself working 24/7 to re-cage most of his villains. Weakened from this task, Batman’s confrontation with Gotham’s newest player, Bane, ends with his back being broken. With Batman down and out, Gotham becomes a playground for criminals. Watching the bat family react to this crisis is the allure behind this story.

7. The Long Halloween
Written by: Jeph Loeb
Art by: Tim Sale

Batman is a detective. Most writers seem to forget this when they pen their tales. In The Long Halloween, writer Jeph Loeb embraces this quality, transforming Batman into a modern day Sherlock Holmes. As the Dark Knight pieces together clues tied to a murder, Loeb pulls you deep into the criminal world, turning Batman’s colorful villains into believable characters that would fit right into The Godfather. Loeb also does a great job of creating an engaging mystery. It misdirects you at the right times to set up a shocking conclusion you never could see coming.

8. Batman: Arkham Asylum
Written by: Grant Morrison
Art by: Dave McKean

In its early stages, this book would appear to be a look at life inside Arkham Asylum. But as you see how the inmates interact, Grant Morrison fills your head with one question: Should Batman be locked up as well?

9. No Man's Land/Cataclysm
Written by: Greg Rucka and Devin Grayson
Art by: Dale Eaglesham and Greg Land

Back when DC Comics wasn’t afraid to tie all of its Batman books into a running story, readers were treated to two amazing stories: Cataclysm and No Man’s Land. In Cataclysm, an earthquake destroys a large portion of Gotham City. Deemed beyond repair, the government removes Gotham from the United States. In No Man’s Land, it is a city under martial law, a place where citizens and criminals fight for territory.

10. Hush
Written by: Jeph Loeb
Art by: Jim Lee
From panel to panel, Hush is a perfect storm of mystery and villainy. As he did with The Long Halloween, Jeph Loeb spins a compelling mystery – this time centered on Gotham’s newest face, Hush, a villain who knows everything about Batman’s secret identity.