In which age do we find the most fascinating Batman tales?

[Norrin_Radd]

I would have to go with issues of Batman and Detective from the Neal Adams time period. Mostly stand alone tales too, so you don't have to read all of them. I would start on Detective at about #395 and read up to the Marshall Rogers stuff in the 470s. On Batman start with #219 and read up to about #260.

 

Are these arcs available in collected volumes?

I'd love to have these ...

Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Volumes 1-3 reprint the issues with Adams interior art. Although some aren't happy with the re-coloring.

[seank]

I would have to go with issues of Batman and Detective from the Neal Adams time period. Mostly stand alone tales too, so you don't have to read all of them. I would start on Detective at about #395 and read up to the Marshall Rogers stuff in the 470s. On Batman start with #219 and read up to about #260.

 

Are these arcs available in collected volumes?

I'd love to have these ...

Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Volumes 1-3 reprint the issues with Adams interior art. Although some aren't happy with the re-coloring.

 

The Englehart/Rodgers stories aren't available in hardcover, AFAIK, but they are available in an inexpensive softcover. At $12.95 full cover, it's an incredible bargain.

 

Perusing the DC site, I also recommend this book. Sure it's from the cartoon, but the Batman/Gotham/and Robin Adventures books are generally good reading with one story per issue.

[Ken Aldred]

I would have to go with issues of Batman and Detective from the Neal Adams time period. Mostly stand alone tales too, so you don't have to read all of them. I would start on Detective at about #395 and read up to the Marshall Rogers stuff in the 470s. On Batman start with #219 and read up to about #260.

 

Are these arcs available in collected volumes?

I'd love to have these ...

 

- Batman Illustrated By Neal Adams HCs- Adams also superimposed a lot of additional detail on the original art and this, together with the new digital colouring, some liked and some didn't.

 

- Batman: Strange Apparitions TP will give you most of the Rogers issues.

 

 

[Boozad]

Anything Nolan and Dixon worked on on 'Tec.

That's Detective #644-#738. What were the best issues?

 

Bloody good question Dave. I haven't read them since they came out, that's set me a mission to go back and find out (thumbs u

[RockMyAmadeus]

I must agree...plus,it's what I bought off the spinner as a kid...

The answers to this question would probably depend on the age of each person when purchased off of a spinner rack.

 

So, like everything you read as a kid is great.

 

And everything you read later on is dreg ...

 

Since I did not read comics as a kid, and didn't consciously start buying comics until well into my Senior year of high school, I have a different perspective. Comics weren't part of my worldview growing up, so I'm not encumbered by nostalgic memories of my youth that might color my analysis of them (though I certainly have that problem in other areas, as my Poseidon Adventure experience demonstrates.)

 

I came to comics having read all the classics that one reads in high school, and quite a few beyond. LOTR, all of Steinbeck, Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, all of Jack London, the Oz books...all read before I flipped open the pages of a comic (to my knowledge, Rom #47 possibly excepted.)

 

I was taught to read analytically, so when I first read these books as an adult, that's how I approached them (as I approach all my reading.) Whether that gives my analyses more weight is up to the reader to decide.

[RockMyAmadeus]

Copper, without a doubt.

 

care to share the issue numbers? thanks.

 

Yeah exactly: Issue #'s please. Thats what I'm gonna do after this thread. I am going to call my woe to Milehigh Chucky so I can get those select books in NM

 

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which is nearly universally acclaimed as the best Batman story ever told.

 

The Killing Joke. Superb in every way, even if some (including Moore) didn't like the ending. Personally, I see it as a perfect ending as the Joker's utter lunacy even infects Batmans.

 

Batman #404-407: The perfect origin story.

 

Detective #575-578 ain't half bad, either.

 

Detective #598-600 is very good.

 

Batman #417-420, 426-429 (though the story is weak at times, the third and fourth parts are superb.)

 

Batman #433-435, 436-442

 

Batman #400 is excellent, and an excellent send off for Pre-Crisis Batman.

 

Much of the Moench run of the early 80's is actually quite good. Continued stories are done to great effect through Batman and Detective.

 

Gotham by Gaslight is an excellent start to the "Elseworlds" series.

 

Vengeance of Bane is not bad, as is Sword of Azrael not too bad. The first few story arcs (#1-20) of Legends of the Dark Knight are VERY good.

 

Swamp Thing #52-53 is out of this world excellent. Annual #4 is not so bad, either.

 

Batman Annual #11's Clayface story is great. Justice League #5, also a stellar Batman tale (with a little help from Guy Gardner.)

 

Dark Knight over Metropolis, in Superman #44, Adventures of Superman #467, and Action #654, which introduces the "Bats can stop Supes because he has the kryptonite ring" element to the Superman mythos is very good.

 

Detective Comics #613 is one of my favorite Batman stories ever written.

 

Action Comics Annual #1, featuring stellar art by Art Adams, is an outstanding World's Finest tale.

 

It's actually really difficult to come up with a BAD Bats story from about 1982-1991. For this reason alone, I consider Copper superior to Bronze.

 

Did Bronze have stories that were just as good as (almost) the best of Copper? Yes, indeed. Bats #227 is good, the Ra's storyline is excellent, B&B #79-86 is all stellar, Detective #395, 400, and 404 are standout, and Bats #251 is probably the greatest Joker story ever told from 1940-1988. But notice the artist. And there are a lot of really, really weak stories in between, plus the concept of "continued stories" hadn't quite caught on (though they were certainly moving in that direction.)

 

The Rogers run on 'Tec is the one exception, but notice it comes in the late Bronze age, as we move towards Copper, and you can start to see the influence of the New X-Men on these other books.

 

The Silver Age has some faint sparks, but it's mostly unreadable drek, suited only for the 5-10 year old range. Trying to read through Detective #357, for example, is like trying to read "See Spot Run." Bleagh.

 

There are some Golden Age classics, most notably pre-Robin, but they don't hold a candle, artistically (and I don't mean "the drawings"), to what would come later.

[Mr. 10%]

Copper, without a doubt.

 

care to share the issue numbers? thanks.

 

Yeah exactly: Issue #'s please. Thats what I'm gonna do after this thread. I am going to call my woe to Milehigh Chucky so I can get those select books in NM

 

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which is nearly universally acclaimed as the best Batman story ever told.

 

The Killing Joke. Superb in every way, even if some (including Moore) didn't like the ending. Personally, I see it as a perfect ending as the Joker's utter lunacy even infects Batmans.

 

Batman #404-407: The perfect origin story.

 

Detective #575-578 ain't half bad, either.

 

Detective #598-600 is very good.

 

Batman #417-420, 426-429 (though the story is weak at times, the third and fourth parts are superb.)

 

Batman #433-435, 436-442

 

Batman #400 is excellent, and an excellent send off for Pre-Crisis Batman.

 

Much of the Moench run of the early 80's is actually quite good. Continued stories are done to great effect through Batman and Detective.

 

Gotham by Gaslight is an excellent start to the "Elseworlds" series.

 

Vengeance of Bane is not bad, as is Sword of Azrael not too bad. The first few story arcs (#1-20) of Legends of the Dark Knight are VERY good.

 

Swamp Thing #52-53 is out of this world excellent. Annual #4 is not so bad, either.

 

Batman Annual #11's Clayface story is great. Justice League #5, also a stellar Batman tale (with a little help from Guy Gardner.)

 

Dark Knight over Metropolis, in Superman #44, Adventures of Superman #467, and Action #654, which introduces the "Bats can stop Supes because he has the kryptonite ring" element to the Superman mythos is very good.

 

Detective Comics #613 is one of my favorite Batman stories ever written.

 

Action Comics Annual #1, featuring stellar art by Art Adams, is an outstanding World's Finest tale.

 

It's actually really difficult to come up with a BAD Bats story from about 1982-1991. For this reason alone, I consider Copper superior to Bronze.

 

Did Bronze have stories that were just as good as (almost) the best of Copper? Yes, indeed. Bats #227 is good, the Ra's storyline is excellent, B&B #79-86 is all stellar, Detective #395, 400, and 404 are standout, and Bats #251 is probably the greatest Joker story ever told from 1940-1988. But notice the artist. And there are a lot of really, really weak stories in between, plus the concept of "continued stories" hadn't quite caught on (though they were certainly moving in that direction.)

 

The Rogers run on 'Tec is the one exception, but notice it comes in the late Bronze age, as we move towards Copper, and you can start to see the influence of the New X-Men on these other books.

 

The Silver Age has some faint sparks, but it's mostly unreadable drek, suited only for the 5-10 year old range. Trying to read through Detective #357, for example, is like trying to read "See Spot Run." Bleagh.

 

There are some Golden Age classics, most notably pre-Robin, but they don't hold a candle, artistically (and I don't mean "the drawings"), to what would come later.

 

 

 

Wow - thats one large chunk of info.

Impressive overview you've got there. It sure is going to take me some time to digest all these references .... (thumbs u

[Dale Roberts]

Copper, without a doubt.

 

care to share the issue numbers? thanks.

 

Yeah exactly: Issue #'s please. Thats what I'm gonna do after this thread. I am going to call my woe to Milehigh Chucky so I can get those select books in NM

 

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which is nearly universally acclaimed as the best Batman story ever told.

 

The Killing Joke. Superb in every way, even if some (including Moore) didn't like the ending. Personally, I see it as a perfect ending as the Joker's utter lunacy even infects Batmans.

 

Batman #404-407: The perfect origin story.

 

Detective #575-578 ain't half bad, either.

 

Detective #598-600 is very good.

 

Batman #417-420, 426-429 (though the story is weak at times, the third and fourth parts are superb.)

 

Batman #433-435, 436-442

 

Batman #400 is excellent, and an excellent send off for Pre-Crisis Batman.

 

Much of the Moench run of the early 80's is actually quite good. Continued stories are done to great effect through Batman and Detective.

 

Gotham by Gaslight is an excellent start to the "Elseworlds" series.

 

Vengeance of Bane is not bad, as is Sword of Azrael not too bad. The first few story arcs (#1-20) of Legends of the Dark Knight are VERY good.

 

Swamp Thing #52-53 is out of this world excellent. Annual #4 is not so bad, either.

 

Batman Annual #11's Clayface story is great. Justice League #5, also a stellar Batman tale (with a little help from Guy Gardner.)

 

Dark Knight over Metropolis, in Superman #44, Adventures of Superman #467, and Action #654, which introduces the "Bats can stop Supes because he has the kryptonite ring" element to the Superman mythos is very good.

 

Detective Comics #613 is one of my favorite Batman stories ever written.

 

Action Comics Annual #1, featuring stellar art by Art Adams, is an outstanding World's Finest tale.

 

It's actually really difficult to come up with a BAD Bats story from about 1982-1991. For this reason alone, I consider Copper superior to Bronze.

 

Did Bronze have stories that were just as good as (almost) the best of Copper? Yes, indeed. Bats #227 is good, the Ra's storyline is excellent, B&B #79-86 is all stellar, Detective #395, 400, and 404 are standout, and Bats #251 is probably the greatest Joker story ever told from 1940-1988. But notice the artist. And there are a lot of really, really weak stories in between, plus the concept of "continued stories" hadn't quite caught on (though they were certainly moving in that direction.)

 

The Rogers run on 'Tec is the one exception, but notice it comes in the late Bronze age, as we move towards Copper, and you can start to see the influence of the New X-Men on these other books.

 

The Silver Age has some faint sparks, but it's mostly unreadable drek, suited only for the 5-10 year old range. Trying to read through Detective #357, for example, is like trying to read "See Spot Run." Bleagh.

 

There are some Golden Age classics, most notably pre-Robin, but they don't hold a candle, artistically (and I don't mean "the drawings"), to what would come later.

 

Actually, some of the best Batman stories written in any time period were the Demon series hardcover books. Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon (features GREAT Adamsesque art by Tom Grindberg,

 

and Birth of the Demon. I would also HIGHLY recommend the Detective Comics Annual #4 from the Armageddon storyline in which different timelines presented different scenarios for the DC Heroes. Again, this features art by Tom Grindberg and it looks just like Neal Adams.

 

[Dale Roberts]

Copper, without a doubt.

 

care to share the issue numbers? thanks.

 

Yeah exactly: Issue #'s please. Thats what I'm gonna do after this thread. I am going to call my woe to Milehigh Chucky so I can get those select books in NM

 

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, which is nearly universally acclaimed as the best Batman story ever told.

 

The Killing Joke. Superb in every way, even if some (including Moore) didn't like the ending. Personally, I see it as a perfect ending as the Joker's utter lunacy even infects Batmans.

 

Batman #404-407: The perfect origin story.

 

Detective #575-578 ain't half bad, either.

 

Detective #598-600 is very good.

 

Batman #417-420, 426-429 (though the story is weak at times, the third and fourth parts are superb.)

 

Batman #433-435, 436-442

 

Batman #400 is excellent, and an excellent send off for Pre-Crisis Batman.

 

Much of the Moench run of the early 80's is actually quite good. Continued stories are done to great effect through Batman and Detective.

 

Gotham by Gaslight is an excellent start to the "Elseworlds" series.

 

Vengeance of Bane is not bad, as is Sword of Azrael not too bad. The first few story arcs (#1-20) of Legends of the Dark Knight are VERY good.

 

Swamp Thing #52-53 is out of this world excellent. Annual #4 is not so bad, either.

 

Batman Annual #11's Clayface story is great. Justice League #5, also a stellar Batman tale (with a little help from Guy Gardner.)

 

Dark Knight over Metropolis, in Superman #44, Adventures of Superman #467, and Action #654, which introduces the "Bats can stop Supes because he has the kryptonite ring" element to the Superman mythos is very good.

 

Detective Comics #613 is one of my favorite Batman stories ever written.

 

Action Comics Annual #1, featuring stellar art by Art Adams, is an outstanding World's Finest tale.

 

It's actually really difficult to come up with a BAD Bats story from about 1982-1991. For this reason alone, I consider Copper superior to Bronze.

 

Did Bronze have stories that were just as good as (almost) the best of Copper? Yes, indeed. Bats #227 is good, the Ra's storyline is excellent, B&B #79-86 is all stellar, Detective #395, 400, and 404 are standout, and Bats #251 is probably the greatest Joker story ever told from 1940-1988. But notice the artist. And there are a lot of really, really weak stories in between, plus the concept of "continued stories" hadn't quite caught on (though they were certainly moving in that direction.)

 

The Rogers run on 'Tec is the one exception, but notice it comes in the late Bronze age, as we move towards Copper, and you can start to see the influence of the New X-Men on these other books.

 

The Silver Age has some faint sparks, but it's mostly unreadable drek, suited only for the 5-10 year old range. Trying to read through Detective #357, for example, is like trying to read "See Spot Run." Bleagh.

 

There are some Golden Age classics, most notably pre-Robin, but they don't hold a candle, artistically (and I don't mean "the drawings"), to what would come later.

 

Dark Knight Returns is great, but who hasn't read it.

 

Killing Joke - If the Joker's lunacy had finally infected Batman, Bats would have laughed right along with him and then reached over, and snapped his neck.

 

 

[Dale Roberts]

I would also recommend the Untold Legend of the Batman 3 issue mini series from the late 1970s and also the Hugo Strange storyline in Detective right around 450.

[Mac Man]

Copper Batman

 

Cue nostalgia factor please!

[jimjum12]

I truely can't say.....although it would probably be the Adams stuff. A very close second would be the often overlooked Don Newton run....man, those were good. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(a friend of jesus) (thumbs u

[RockMyAmadeus]

 

Actually, some of the best Batman stories written in any time period were the Demon series hardcover books. Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon (features GREAT Adamsesque art by Tom Grindberg,

 

and Birth of the Demon. I would also HIGHLY recommend the Detective Comics Annual #4 from the Armageddon storyline in which different timelines presented different scenarios for the DC Heroes. Again, this features art by Tom Grindberg and it looks just like Neal Adams.

 

 

Also excellent examples...

[HouseofComics.Com]

Even though I still like Batman silver, it's my least favorite. I do like Detective 355 quite a bit though. A good mystery for kids and great action.

[Swharr-migration]

The 1970s were probably Batman's best overall decade. At the start we had O'Neil and Adams bringing Batman back to his dark roots. At the end we had Englehart and Rodgers giving us the definitive Detective run. After that, it's probably the mid-1980s with Dark Knight Returns, Killing Joke, and Year One.

 

There's some good modern stuff, but separating the wheat from the chaff is tough given how much guano DC shoves out to the newstand every week.

 

 

Those were good. With Austin right?

[Norrin_Radd]

Dark Knight Returns is great, but who hasn't read it.

 

But I may remedy that soon.

[Zonker]

One often-overlooked run is post-Adams but pre-Rogers: the 7 issues of Detective edited by Archie Goodwin, #437-443. The justifiably praised Manhunter backup stories get most of the attention, but the Batman stories in the front of the book are some of the best-- and most unusual-- of the 1970s.

 

- Jim Aparo artwork on a couple

- Steve Englehart's first Batman -script

- Howard Chaykin's only Batman story (as an artist)

- One of a handful of Alex Toth Batman stories

- The award-winning Batman/Manhunter crossover, by Goodwin & Walt Simonson

 

[Larryw7]

 

Killing Joke - If the Joker's lunacy had finally infected Batman, Bats would have laughed right along with him and then reached over, and snapped his neck.

 

 

Which is actually one way to interpret those last panels.

 

 

I do agree that DKR is a great story, but it led to a lot of inferior imitations, and led to the almost soulless Batman of the nineties. I prefer Batman as determined, and obsessed, but still hanging on to sanity. That's why I prefer the O'Neil/Adams stuff to Miller, and also the Nolan Batman films to Burton's(where Batman is a killer).

[Larryw7]

 

Double post

[Larryw7]

Even though I still like Batman silver, it's my least favorite. I do like Detective 355 quite a bit though. A good mystery for kids and great action.

 

I decided to limit my run of 'Tec from 327 on(with select GA issues when I can afford them). The repetition of the sci-fi stories from the late fifties is boring.