Today is Batman Day.
It’s a new holiday DC Comics has been promoting for the last few years, a celebration of the Dark Knight on the anniversary of his first publication.
As a character, Batman has been vitally important to me over the years. He’s my favorite comic book character and has been for as long as I can remember. Sometimes our relationship is better at times, other times its worse. It’s been pretty schizophrenic lately, erring on amazing on one side with the work of Scott Snyder and equally awful on the other with Zack Snyder.
But no matter how filmmakers might try to ruin the good name of Batman, I still find that I love him.
My relationship with the caped crusader has obviously changed over the years, as much as the caped crusader himself has changed. From the beginnings, it was re-runs of the campy 60s show starring Adam West. Then it turned into comics and I found a love for Robin in Jason Todd and Tim Drake. I felt like both Batman and I had a new lease on life when Bane broke his back during the Knightfall; I was older and gravitated toward more philosophical conundrums of the character. Then that segued into the Doug Moench/Kelly Jones era of the character, which might have been my favorite because they kept Batman serious but also fun. That gave way to the Brubaker years, which gave me the mystery stories I craved, then Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee gave Batman a shot in the arm with “Hush.” Since then, the single brightest spot in Batman has been Scott Snyder.
While we’re revering the idea of Batman, who is, what he means, what he represents, let’s not forget the artists and creatives, starting with Bob Kane and Bill Finger and taking us all the way to Scott Snyder and John Romita, Jr., who made the character real for all those years. We wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Neal Adams or Frank Miller. And I wonder if we’d still even be talking about Batman today if it weren’t for Tim Burton.
Here are a few recommendations I’ll give you, a heads up on the Batman stories I’ll be reading today. You could do worse, I’m sure.
“The Long Halloween” Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale Imagine “The Godfather” if it were sent during Bruce Wayne’s second year as Batman. This is what you get with Loeb and Sale’s cinematic smorgasbord.
“Batman: Venom” Dennis O’Neil, Trevor Von Eeden, and others This was the book I read that I knew Batman was a real person and could be subject to the same fears and doubts that we all had.
“Knightfall” Volumes 1-3 Various This story is one of the most epic Batman stories that’s ever been told. Though Christopher Nolan tried and failed to capture the beauty, complexity, and theme of it, this story still soars. Sure, it still feels a bit 90s, especially since we’re used to more modern storytelling, but this is still awesome.
“Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive” Various Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker and the rest of the Bat-family creative team spun one of the most compelling yarns in the history of Batman. They explore deep, personal issues and raised so many ideas about who Batman is, that it’s a long-forgotten standout.
And my personal favorite Batman story:
“A Death in the Family” Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo This was when I realized anything was possible in the Batman mythos and some things couldn’t be fixed. I realized how fragile life was and how we needed to work hard to enjoy the things we had when we had them.
There’s a lot of great modern stuff, too. This is just my list of nostalgia; the Bat books I turn to when I want to feel like I’m going home. And what better day to head back to Wayne Manor than on Batman’s birthday? Happy Birthday, Bats.