i got dkr last month and i finished it 2 weeks a go,the ppl that go 2 my comics store say its the best batman novel so i bought it and i agree its a great read
Yeah, DKR and Year One are required reading for anyone who reads comics, and Batman fans in particular. Here are some favorites of mine.
Birth of the Demon The origin of Ra's al Ghul. I think this is currently out of print, but it's not tough to find, and it's pretty cheap. Well-worth hunting down. Beautiful painted art by Norm Breyfogle.
The Ten Nights of the Beast Set during the final years of the Soviet Union, Batman faces one of his most deadly adversaries ever, a ruthless man with intelligence and physical prowess to match the Dark Knight himself. The character of the KGBeast has since been ruined almost beyond repair, but in his introductory story, he's easily one of the greatest threats Batman has ever faced. Great Jim Aparo art, and excellent covers by Mike Zeck. A true classic, and very underrated. I think it's also out of print, but I've seen it online for around $5, and it's definitely worth it.
The Joker: Devil's Advocate The Joker is finally deemed sane to stand trial, and is given the death penalty. What should be occasion for the Batcave's first-ever kegger becomes a huge problem when Batman discovers that the Joker is actually innocent. Batman must reluctantly work to save the life of his most bitter enemy in order to ensure that the true murderer doesn't escape justice.
Strange Apparitions THIS is how Batman should be done. The legendary team of Englehart, Rogers, and Austin deliver what many consider to be the definitive run on a Batman book. In less than a dozen issues, they deliver some of the most memorable comics in history. The team recently reunited for the excellent "Dark Detective" miniseries, and this TPB is pretty much an essential companion to that series.
Batman in the Seventies, Batman in the Eighties Both these compilations reprint some fantastic stories. If you must choose only one, go with the '70s collection. This is probably my favorite era of Batman's long and varied history, when the Batman books were really firing on all cylinders. Both volumes contain some shining gems that have lost none of their luster with the passage of years, and are worth every penny.
Thrillkiller This reprints the Elseworlds miniseries by Howard Chaykin, with gorgeous painted art by Dan Brereton. Batgirl and Robin patrol the streets of Gotham, purging the city of its criminal element. GCPD Detective Bruce Wayne is intrigued by this duo, but so is the Joker and her new sidekick. Even if this story was terrible-- and it's not, it kicks monster ass-- this book would be worth buying for the art alone.
Black & White There are 2 volumes in this series. The first reprints the miniseries of the same name, and the second reprints the backup stories from the monthly "Gotham Knights" title. Highlights are far too numerous to list, and contributors include some the absolute giants of the industry. Any time somebody like Joe Kubert supplies the story and art, you know it's gonna be great.
Gotham By Gaslight Jack the Ripper comes to turn-of-the-century Gotham. The first Elseworlds story. Awesome Mignola art.
The Cult Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson deliver the goods with this tale of Batman's battle with the enigmatic Deacon Blackfire, whose cult threatens to destroy everything the Dark Knight has sworn to protect.
The Chalice When the Holy Grail surfaces in Gotham, Batman must use everything at his disposal to keep it out of the clutches of Ra's al Ghul. Incredible art by John Van Fleet.
Arkham Asylum Grant Morrison and Dave McKean give us a disturbing tour of Arkham, as Batman must deal with virtually all of his enemies when a mass escape occurs.
The Long Halloween / Dark Victory Before the misfire of "Hush," Loeb did Batman justice in these two tales set during the Dark Knight's early years. The first volume is easily the better of the two, but both are worth picking up. Tim Sale's art is beyond reproach, and the mysteries in both volumes are done pretty well. The biggest attraction in TLH, for me anyway, is seeing Harvey Dent's transition into Two-Face really fleshed out. Loeb also puts mob boss Carmine Falcone-- introduced in Miller's Year One-- to excellent use here, showing the true power in Gotham passing from old school criminals like Falcone into the hands of psychologically damaged freaks like the Joker.
From that list, the darkest ones are Thrillkiller, Gotham By Gaslight, The Cult, Arkham Asylum, and The Long Halloween. You can't really go wrong with any of those, though.
Arkham Asylum Grant Morrison and Dave McKean give us a disturbing tour of Arkham, as Batman must deal with virtually all of his enemies when a mass escape occurs.
Certainly the darkest Batman story I'VE ever read. Dark Knight Returns and HUSH are also both dark and fantastic, particularly DKR.
Marge: Homer, I've got someone here who can help! Homer: Batman? Marge: No, a scientist! Homer: Batman's a scientist. Marge: It's not BATMAN!!
BATMAN: Yesterday, Today, & Beyond, all of it's sub-sites, or hosted sites are in no way associated, or affiliated with DC Comics, Time Warner or any of it's divisions.
Items cataloged in merchandise sections are not for sale. The downloading of video game ROMs is for backup and testing purposes only. If you do not own the actual game, the ROM is to be deleted from your hard drive within 24 hours.
Any money that may be made from Amazon Associates, advertisements, or affiliate programs will be contributed to the maintaining of this website, to provide the fans with the best that we can offer.