Since 1939, Batman has stood as one of DC’s darkest heroes, which has intensified since Frank Miller took on the character. With the company assigning some of their star creative team to the hero, each writer has put their own spin on the character. While some creators try and give The Dark Knight a light touch, others have made a point of outdoing each other by seeing how they can write a story.
Batman may be thought of as one of the darkest heroes in DC, but that wasn’t always the case. Before the Bronze Age, the Caped Crusader was a relatively light figure, whose adventures were closer to The Adam West Show than to modern stories. In the 1970s, however, he returned to his Dark Golden Age roots and the company hasn’t looked back since. As a result, he starred in some of the darkest comic book stories of all time.
10 Legend of the Dark Knight: Venom
Dennis O’Neill, Russell Brown and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
of 1989 Legend of the Dark Knight It was intended to give stellar creative teams the freedom to tell great Batman stories outside of continuity. One of the most famous stories in the series is “Venom”, a five-part story that focuses on Bun’s super serum to help the hero fight crime. However, he becomes more aggressive the more he uses it, threatening criminals with death and alienating Alfred.
“Venom” is a vivid exploration of drug addiction, from how it affects the user to its impact on loved ones and the difficulties of recovery. The story pushes Batman to his psychological limits, prompting the protagonist Alfred to lock him in the Batcave for an entire month to overcome his addiction.
9 Batman: Death of the Innocent
Dennis O’Neill, Joe Staton and Bill Sienkiewicz
The death of the innocent Follows Batman as he travels to the fictional, war-torn country of Kravia to rescue the orphaned daughter of a Wayne Enterprises employee killed by a landmine. There, the danger of hidden explosive devices becomes devastatingly personal to the Caped Crusader as he navigates the country in search of the girl. Throughout the story, it shows that its title is quite literal.
The death of the innocent was created for one sole purpose: to spread awareness about the dangers of landmines. After conflicts such as the Bosnian War, the threat of stray explosives became very real, and efforts by the United Nations were underway to rid countries of the threat. In this PSA-style graphic novel, readers are shown the raw, heartbreaking reality of what people in conflict zones have to live with — and conclude with a direct appeal to the reader.
8 Black Mirror
Scott Snyder, Jock and Francesco Francavilla
The story that put Scott Snyder on the map for DC fans, follows Dick Grayson as Batman after “The Black Mirror.” The final crisis (Grant Morrison and JG Jones). In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s death, the city descends into a darker place than before and investigates a villain named Dick the Dealer, who sells classic artifacts from Gotham’s villains to wealthy citizens.
“The Black Mirror” explores how Dick Grayson will fill his adoptive father’s shoes as well as the return of James Gordon Jr., whose gruesome past alternates between a comeback. The story paved the way for Snyder and Capullo’s legendary run on Batman, and answered readers’ long-standing questions about how the original Robin would react to losing Bruce Wayne.
7 death in the family
Jim Starlin, Jim Apparo, Mike DiCarlo and Mike Mignola
“Death in the Family” opens with the Joker taking Jason Todd hostage and infamously nearly beating him to death with a crowbar — and letting an explosion finish the job. With revenge in his heart, Batman sets out to find the Clown Prince of Crime and bring him to justice. For the modern era, the story stands out as one of the few canonical stories that suggested Bruce turned to lethal force, which he thankfully did not pursue.
“Death in the Family” is notable in DC history for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the readers themselves voted to kill Todd. Combined with the story centering around the murder of a child and Batman being pushed to the edge, it broke boundaries for its time and raised enough stakes for ’80s comics.
6 Batman Who Laughs One Shot
James Tynion IV and Riley Rossmo
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo Dark Knights Metal The event follows the arrival of a small group of Nightmare Batman variants from the Dark Multiverse, in their battle against reality for Barbatos. As the main story is told, readers are also given a quest into the origins of the various villainous Batmans. The crown jewel of these tie-ins Batman Who laughs.
Batman Who laughs Bruce Wayne explores the creation of the villain as he is contaminated by the Joker’s poison after his death. As the chemicals begin to take hold, they twist the caped crusader’s mind, causing him to shoot and kill the entire bat-family. To make things worse, he uses black kryptonite to drive Superman and John Kent insane, causing them to kill Lois and die from the effects.
5 Death of the family
Scott Schneider, Greg Capullo, Gail Simone, Ed Benes, Peter J. Tomasi, Eddie Barrows, Daniel Sumper, Tom DeFalco and more
The New 52 went down as the darkest tonal shift in DC history, which was especially true for Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. batman In the episode “Death of the Family”, the Joker returns to Gotham City, where he targets the entire Bat-family, believing that the sidekicks are holding Batman back. From the gruesome reveal of the villain’s face being surgically reattached, giving him a terrifying appearance, the story is a great representation of Snyder’s horror style.
“The Death of the Family” follows the Joker as he takes over Arkham Asylum and begins mentally torturing Batman’s various associates. From Alfred to Batgirl, the story makes it clear that no one is safe and takes the villain’s obsession with Batman to a whole new level. The story effectively combines classic story elements, viz Arkham Asylum and “death in the family” and takes them to extremes.
4 Arkham Asylum: A Serious House in a Serious World
Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
As the epicenter of Gotham City’s war on crime, Arkham Asylum has been the focus of some of Batman’s best stories. In A Serious House on a Serious Earth, the Joker leads a rebellion at the Asylum, taking its staff hostage and forcing the Caped Crusader to respond. What follows is a terrifying exploration of the building and its patients as the protagonist struggles to bring things under control.
A serious house in a serious world Morrison’s psychological plot is turned into a surrealist horror story by Dave McKean, bringing readers one of the best creative pairings ever. The story itself shows how terrifying Gotham’s villains are, especially when they’re all trapped inside the same building while the inmates literally take refuge.
3 Batman is cursed
Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo
Batman Damned begins with an injured Batman that the Joker may die, and the idea quickly spreads that the hero himself is responsible. To learn the truth about the events he has blacked out from his memory, the Caped Crusader joins John Constantine, who guides him in his exploration of the supernatural side of Gotham. As their journey continues, Bruce begins to question his own sanity and guilt.
Batman is cursed On the perfect note that Black Label imprinted on DC Comics, its creative team turned to a wonderful exploration of the character’s psychological and spiritual side. Leaving readers on a completely ambiguous note, the three-issue miniseries stands as one of the best collaborations between Azzarello and Bermejo, replete with the infamous “Bat-Wang” panel.
2 Batman: The Cult
Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson
Batman: The Cult Follows the protagonist’s investigation into a murder led by the fanatical Deacon Blackfire in Gotham City. While on the trail of the cult, The Dark Knight is captured and brainwashed, then conditioned to help them kill the city’s homeless population. Thanks to a stroke of luck, Wayne manages to get away from the killers and begins to regain his senses. Alongside Robin, he returns to try to bring down the cult.
Batman: The Cult Explores the effects of psychological trauma on the protagonist as he is forced to cope with PTSD and memories of what he did for religion. The miniseries explores the character at his most vulnerable and shows that, despite his reputation today, The Dark Knight is still human.
1 Batman: The Killing Joke
Alan Moore and Brian Boland
Batman: The Killing Joke Explores the Joker’s origins as a former failed comedian who becomes a villain after being exposed to a chemical. In the present day, the Clown Prince of Crime tries to drive Batman over his edge by targeting those closest to him in hopes of breaking his adversary’s moral code.
The Killing Joke A book so dark that even Alan Moore regrets writing it, lamenting its impact on the industry as younger writers try to copy his success. From Barbara Gordon’s sexual assault to Jim’s psychological torture, the comic has drawn Batman into his darkest story ever. While it stands as a fan favorite, it’s also responsible for making the Bat-books increasingly awful. Readers should also note that the story received a long-sought sequel by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. Batman: The Three Jokers.