The 20 greatest Batman stories ever

From his inception in "Detective Comics" issue 27, Batman has been a ubiquitous part of superhero lore, even though he was a crime fighter with no powers outside of above-average intelligence, an indomitable will and a limitless bank account. From movies to TV to video games and comics, Batman has captured the imaginations of fans everywhere for nearly eight decades. To celebrate our favorite Caped Crusader, we offer our list of the 20 best Batman stories ever.

Batman, having died, resurrected, crippled, healed and rebooted, finally did something he'd never done before: He popped the question in "Batman" issue 25. Bruce Wayne, having revealed his identity to anti-hero Catwoman years before, finally gave into his longtime crush on his former adversary by asking her to marry him after successfully getting her off the hook for a series of murders she was blamed for but did not commit. This moment led to a slight change of tone in Batman comics as his unending thirst for vengeance was now tempered by true love, something that would culminate into him being left at the altar a year later. Back to vengeance, we suppose...

The only entry on our list that doesn't feature Bruce Wayne is the series "Batman and Robin," featuring former Robin Dick Grayson finally filling in the cape and cowl in the wake of Bruce Wayne's assumed death at the hands of Darkseid. (He wasn't actually killed, but just forced back in time because...comics). Joining Dick was Batman's son and villain Ra's al Ghul's grandson, Damian Wayne, who took over as Robin. The series, by Grant Morrison, gave readers a fresh take on the Dynamic Duo as Dick provided a much lighter version of Batman, while Damian brought all the dark brooding inherited from his father to the role of the Boy Wonder.

A story arc taking place over nearly two years of "Batman," "Under the Hood" deals with the resurrection and return of Jason Todd, killed in 1998 by the Joker (and fans in real life, who voted for his death via a 1-900 number). In the arc, Batman comes face-to-face with a new iteration of the Red Hood, a criminal he'd fought years earlier and was revealed as "possibly" being the Joker. Readers are treated to a new origin story for Todd, as his resurrection by Ra's al Ghul and subsequent madness lead him on a journey to face his former mentor and exact the vengeance he was denied upon, being blown up all those years ago.

Tim Burton melded his dark, gothic style with the Dark Knight, giving viewers the first serious take on the character in 1989's "Batman." Starring Michael Keaton as the titular hero, he faced off against his No. 1 nemesis, the Joker, played by Jack Nicholson in a role that would set the tone for the Clown Prince of Crime for years to come. "Batman" came at a time when superhero films were often low-budget and not taken seriously. The massive box office success would not only spawn more sequels, but it would be the touchstone for an entirely new genre of film that thrives to this day.

As part of DC Comics' "New 52" initiative, rebooting all of its classic characters, Batman faced off against "The Court of Owls," a secret society of Gotham City's most elite and wealthiest citizens who kidnapped circus children to mold into assassins known as "Talons," guaranteeing their hold over the city. Batman's battle against the Court would culminate in him learning the darkest secret of the Wayne family — one that forces him to re-evaluate his crusade for vengeance altogether.

A graphic novel by Mike Barr and Jerry Ingram that was never meant to serve continuity, it has, over time, been used as a basis for new, in-continuity tales all focusing on one character: Damian Wayne, son of the Bat. "Son of the Demon," however, is a classic tale of Batman as a globetrotting action hero as he teams with enemy Ra's al Ghul to solve a murder while also falling for Ra's daughter Talia, who after their affair and marriage would later give birth to Damian in secret.

In 1988, editors at DC Comics chose to try something absolutely new when deciding the fate of a major character. Fans were allowed to call a 1-900 number to determine the fate of Jason Todd, the second Robin. The story itself followed the wake of Batman suspending Todd from serving as Robin due to his impulsive nature. This spurs Todd to take off in search of his true family, particularly his mother, which unbeknownst to him, places him squarely in the crosshairs of the Joker. Fans, over the course of 36 hours, narrowly decided to kill Robin, which took place in "Batman" issue 429 as Todd met his fate after being beaten and blown up by the Joker.

Some might find it controversial that "Batman Returns" would place higher on our list than the original film, but frankly, not only is it a better film than the original, but it takes the sort of chances in a comic book movie that proved to audiences that it wasn't just subject matter for kids. Featuring a grotesque take on longtime villain The Penguin, it also gave audiences a seductively stellar performance from Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, reimagined as a resurrected kitty with sadomasochistic tendencies. Throw in a bizarre performance from Christopher Walken as a Donald Trump clone of sorts, and you have a film that serves as one of the best Batman stories ever.

While not the first appearance of either Batman or Robin, the first issue of "Batman" is equally important as it serves as the initial telling of Batman's origin and the first ever Joker story. Presented as a far grimmer grinner, the first appearance of the Joker is not played for laughs, as the Hateful Harlequin goes on a specific killing spree with only the Dynamic Duo to stand in his way. Heath Ledger used this initial appearance as a foundation for the creation of his version of the Joker in 2009's "The Dark Knight."

A story arc taking place over the course of 16 months, "Knightfall" shows readers a Batman at the end of his rope. Exhausted mentally and physically, Batman is tested to his limits as new adversary, Bane, releases all the inmates of Arkham Asylum, and the Caped Crusader is the only one who can stop them all. This culminates in a final showdown between a weakened Batman and Bane, who proceeds to shatter Batman's spine. Once broken, Bruce Wayne passes the mantle not to Dick Grayson, but to the holy vigilante, Azrael, who takes over, presenting Gotham with a darker and even more ruthless version of the Dark Knight who threatens to destroy the legacy of Batman altogether.

A sequel to writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale's "The Long Halloween," "Dark Victory" takes place at a pivotal point a few years into Batman's career. It's during this time that Batman finds himself investigating a number of murders of Gotham City police officers at the hands of "The Hangman," a mysterious character who is tied to Batman's past. It's also during this time that he comes to the aid of an orphaned boy named Dick Grayson, and the two form a bond that would lead to the creation of Robin, the Boy Wonder.

While not just a Batman story, it is focused solely on Batman's actions. "Tower of Babel" deals with Batman's supposed betrayal of the rest of the Justice League, all of whom fall to traps that highlight their weaknesses. Also, they discover that he's been keeping secret files on them for years, and after they are stolen by Ra's al Ghul, who uses them to incapacitate the League, Batman is forced to make an even graver decision to save all involved. The arc doubles down on Batman's perceived paranoia, with a shock ending that leaves readers in suspense as the Justice League votes on whether to keep him as a member.

Jeph Loeb's first teaming with Tim Sale on a Batman title since "Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight" came during "The Long Halloween," a 13-issue miniseries taking place during Batman's early years of crime fighting, facing off against Holiday, a criminal who struck only during...well...a holiday. In many ways, "The Long Halloween" is a direct continuation of Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One," showing readers Batman's transition from fighting the mob to a different sort of criminal: the supervillain.

Writer Jeph Loeb created an epic year-long arc featuring one of Batman's most formidable foes in the form of Hush, a shadowy figure hell-bent on sabotaging the Caped Crusader from a distance, using every tool at his disposal to do so. The arc is renowned for providing a number of shock twists, including the surprise "resurrection" of the first Robin to die in Batman's service: Jason Todd. Among the other surprises is the near consummation of the relationship between Batman and longtime adversary Catwoman, something that would later play out when Batman finally proposed 15 years later.

Before "The Dark Knight" hit theaters in 2009, "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" reigned in the minds of many as the best theatrical adaptation of Batman to date. An original story created by the producers of the wildly successful "Batman: The Animated Series," the film is set both in the present and the past as we see a glimpse of Bruce Wayne's history, including a love interest who slipped through his fingers, but unbeknownst to him, threatens his future as well. Hailed by fans and critics, the film, due to a rushed schedule, was initially a box office bomb but has since become a cult classic that fans still rally around 25 years later.

After the rousing success of 1986's seminal, "The Dark Knight Returns," DC Comics went back to the Frank Miller well, asking him to duplicate his formula not for another futuristic Bat-tale, but rather for one about the past. In the course of four issues, readers were treated to the definitive retelling of Batman's origin as well as that of Commissioner Gordon and a few other important Gotham characters. Christopher Nolan used much of "Year One" in his "Dark Knight" trilogy.

The second film in director Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy, "The Dark Knight" pits his version of Batman against a Joker (Heath Ledger, who posthumously won an Oscar for his work) unlike any we've seen, as he wages a war, similar in many ways to "The Killing Joke," as his efforts to sway good men like Batman (Christian Bale), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) into something worse. He succeeds, transforming Dent into Two-Face and pushing Gotham into chaos. It's an epic film that is more crime saga than superhero film, but seminal nonetheless. 

A one-off graphic novel written by Alan Moore, "The Killing Joke" manages to be Batman's most controversial tale, as his greatest nemesis, the Joker, fully goes off the rails in an attempt to show how "one bad day" can change even a good man. This is juxtaposed by an assumed origin story for the Joker, one he himself says could be unreliable. Because of the violence visited on Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, shot through the stomach and paralyzed by the Joker, many involved, including Moore and artist Brian Bolland have discounted and disavowed their work; however, the fact remains that "The Killing Joke" remains a hallmark of Batman storytelling to this day.

The 14th episode of "Batman: The Animated Series" is an all-timer, not just in the expert delivery of the story, but also in the way it recreates what was largely a laughable B-level Batman villain, transforming him into a tragic figure whose new origin rivals that of Bruce Wayne himself. "Heart of Ice" depicts Mr. Freeze (voiced by Michael Ansara) as a victim whose goal of curing his wife of an insidious disease is thwarted by corporate greed, transforming him into a frozen machine of vengeance bent on continuing his work no matter who falls as a result. This episode turned an already good animated show into an iconic one.

This is the rock upon which not only Batman, but the modern age of superheroes, is built (for better or worse). Frank Miller's epic tale of an aged Batman returning to a Gotham City overrun by even worse gangs and criminals than the ones he dealt with in the past serves as one part satire (awash in '80s culture) and another part denouement on the idea of comic book heroism itself. Fans at the time had never been exposed to such naked cynicism in comics, and the result changed the industry forever and likely solidified Batman as the greatest of all superheroes (even though he still doesn't have powers).