The Dark Knight - Ten of Batman's Most Important Stories in Comics

Batman is back, and he's bigger and better than ever. The new series of films featuring the caped crusader himself has seen countless new fans flock to his adventures in print, but with the world of comics being such a daunting prospect to a newcomer, it is easy to get stuck on what to read first. There are many decades worth of Batman reading to be enjoyed, but what are the moist important stories? What has had a lasting impact on the character and his mythos outside of the medium of the big screen? Here we take a look at ten essential titles in the Batman pantheon

THE KILLING JOKE

Widely considered to be the finest Batman story ever created, The Killing Joke was written by comics legend Alan Moore and featured art from Brian Bolland. Offering a possible origin for the character of the Joker, it is highly regarded as pone of the finest graphic novels ever published, and also was the basis for some of the storyline in The Dark Knight.

KNIGHTFALL VOLUMES 1-3

This notorious three volume tale tells the story of Batman's protégé, Azrael, taking over the mantle of Batman when Bruce Wayne's back is broken by the murderous Bane. Azrael, as a new batman, goes too far and ends up insane, leaving it up to Bruce to work himself back to health and face him down in a clash of the batmen. A classic.

HUSH VOLUMES 1 AND 2

A very strong mystery story involving the enigmatic killer Hush, this two-book story was one of the biggest hits in recent years for DC comics. Hush is intent on Sabotaging Batman's reputation. A thrilling story, told with style.

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

A classic of 1980s Batman, and one of the Milestones in modern comics history. The Joker succeeds in killing Robin, who dies in Batman's arms, and thus the chase is on for vengeance. But will batman actually take the Joker's life?

ARKHAM ASYLUM

An extremely disturbing piece of graphic literature, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth was written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by the renowned Dave McKean. Telling the stories of the inmates of the titular asylum as they take the place over and stage a siege, it has been a strong seller ever since its release in 1989.

THE LONG HALLOWEEN

By Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, The Long Halloween features the Falcone character that was seen in the film Batman Begins, and follows his story to its comics conclusion. It also covers the transition of Batman's foes from mobsters and gangsters to actual supervillains in detail.

DARK VICTORY

From comics luminaries Jeph Loeb and Time Sale comes this 14 issue tale (Brought together into a much loved graphic novel), is the sequel to The Long Halloween. Featuring Two-face, this is a noir-ish murder mystery following Batman on the trail of a serial killer who is offing police officers in Gotham.

WAR GAMES

This is an epic story told over three volumes, which crossed over the whole family of Batman related DC comics titles. A tale of batman trying to end a vicious gang war, it one of the most hard-hitting Batman stories of recent years.

BRUCE WAYNE: MURDERER?

When Bruce discovers the dead body of his girlfriend, Vesper Fairchild, in Wayne Manor, the police arrive and charge him with her murder! The other Batman characters are unable to work out the mystery, and thus Bruce breaks out of jail and vows to just live as Batman until the case is solved.

BRUCE WAYNE: FUGITIVE

The story that began with Bruce Wayne: Murderer concludes with a frantic tale of Batman and his colleagues piecing the facts together and discovering a conspiracy to discredit him forever as a murderer, with a surprising culprit behind the whole thing...

These are amongst the most seminal works of the Batman's adventures in comics, and are a must for the bookshelf of any fan of the character or the medium. Captured in these pages is the essence of one of the most recognizable icons in all of popular culture. With more feature films on the way in this new series, there seems to be no stopping the Dark Knight in his battle against crime. This is a good thing, as we always need a hero, even one with so many troubles.