The story is so essential to Batman’s character that it was the main inspiration for The Dark Knight Rises movie, further expanding its popularity and cementing it as a classic. In these tales from the start of the 1950s, the Penguin commits a series of crimes inspired by state birds and Catwoman becomes empress of the underworld! Batman's challenge is two-fold: Stop the vamps from taking over the city and resist the urge to break his "one rule" and feed on another human being. I don’t know how helpful this response will be four months later, but you most certainly *don’t* have to read everything to understand what’s going on. With over 80 years of publication history, Batman has amassed a dense catalog of lore and stories under DC Comics.

Classics like Mad Love and Batgirl: Year One are must-read stories set in the world of Batman, but you won't find them on this list. This was King getting his Bat-legs under him, and it was controversial at the time… but as a part of his over-all vision, it’s well done. The volume roughly covers mid-1956 to mid-1958, which means if sales keep the series going, it will take a few editions before we hit 1964 and the New Look.It’s an amazing achievement, and frequently hailed with Watchmen as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time (personally, I have it 9th). Special credit to Loeb for making one of the dumbest characters ever created, Calendar Man, appear interesting and necessary.

But as it turns out, the best part of this massive crossover didn’t involve The Flash himself, but rather Batman. His deconstruction of the classic monster stretched the creative boundaries of the medium and became one of the most spectacular series in comic book history. The Rebirth Era begins with a one shot that sets up a couple important plot points for Rebirth including the Batfamily.Even for a comic book fan like me, one who spends an inordinate amount of time fixated on the Complete Marvel Universe, reading Batman is almost always a good decision. The collection then spins into Swamp Thing's life, featuring his encounters with the Floronic Man, Jason Blood, and Anton Arcane, to name a few! Aquaman, Aquaman and the Others, Batgirl, Batman, Batman and Robin, Batman/Superman, Batwing, Batwoman, Birds of Prey, Booster Gold, Catwoman, Constantine the Hellblazer, Detective Comics, Earth 2, The Flash, Grayson, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Lantern: New Guardians, Harley Quinn, Infinity Man and the Forever People, Justice League, Justice League Dark, Justice League United, New Suicide Squad, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Red Lanterns, Sinestro, Star-Spangled War Stories Featuring G. Written and illustrated by several creatives, this arc featured the Venom-enhanced Bane famously "breaking the Bat" and forcing Bruce to give up the mantle temporarily.

Each book takes a look at one narrative element and examines how it interacts with Batman, starting with “I am Gotham. Swamp Thing Noir begins with Moore's first Swamp Thing issue — a haunting reimagining of the origins of Swamp Thing. Batman hands over the mantle to Jean-Paul Valley, aka Azreal, who soon loses his mind and starts killing criminals.

Commissioner Gordon isn’t happy with it, but over the course of the story they form a bond not unlike the one with Bruce in Batman: Year One. Usually these are stories from Batman's past, but Hush is a modern tale that uses some of the same clever gimmicks as The Long Halloween. I list it here primarily because it’s the mid-way point for the entire DC Universe in the 2000’s, and because Gotham Central, Book 4 features an Infinite Crisis tie-in. Starting with the six-issueMan of Steelminiseries, Byrne fundamentally changed Superman's origins and propelled him into the present, including iconic encounters with Lex Luthor, Metallo, Darkseid–and The Joker! To my knowledge this is the only story to ever suggest that, like Bruce Wayne, the Joker had to practice to perfect his art.