Matt Reeves' highly-anticipated DC Comics is taking the opportunity to promote the source material that inspired it. Of course, the usual suspects include acclaimed classics like Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween as well as Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's seminal Year One.
With more fans likely to flock toward the Dark Knight's vast catalog, there are several other noteworthy comic books to read that weren't direct influences on the movie. These various comics all encapsulate different key elements that make Batman such a compelling character 80-plus years later, ranging from the gritty crime-noir atmosphere to his sleuthing prowess.
The Black Mirror
While Bruce Wayne is the original holder of the Batman mantle, many fans see Dick Grayson -- the original Robin -- as the most compatible heir to the cape and cowl. Scott Snyder -- the writer behind some of the best Batman comic arcs of the 2010s -- slid Grayson into the role during Bruce's absence in The Black Mirror for an intensely gritty crime-noir saga. This story was expertly punctuated by artists Jock and sco Francavilla's gloomily-stylized artwork.
Batman has to tackle a variety of gruesome cases, including an underground cult of villain worshippers, where some end up intersecting when Commissioner Gordon's estranged son James Gordon Jr. makes an unexpected return to Gotham City. The Batman has been praised for its handling of the detective-thriller subgenre, and it echoes The Black Mirror's grim plot and foreboding atmosphere.
The Detective
More recently in DC Comics' Infinite Frontier brand-wide relaunch, veteran writer Tom Taylor teamed up with artist Andy Kubert for a globetrotting mystery caper in The Detective. It feels like a new rendition of Frank Miller's landmark The Dark Knight Returns, but Taylor does irably well in making the story his respective slice of the superhero's mythos.
Fans see an older, battle-hardened Bruce Wayne take on a case involving a new supervillain targeting everyone the Caped Crusader has ever saved. The Batman features a second-year version of the hero amid an engrossing mystery, but this veteran tale should make fans feel at home. The Detective is a solid mix of grit with a swashbuckling tone. There are several acclaimed Batman writers, but Taylor is a worthy shoutout in the modern industry.
The Cult
One of the more "hidden gems" of Batman comics buried beneath the pile of mainstream classics is writer Jim Starlin and artist Bernie Wrightson's The Cult. Starlin was the writer for the iconic A Death in the Family in the mid-late '90s, but this late '80s endeavor was a gripping, yet bleaker case for the World's Greatest Detective to solve.
The Cult is the first introduction of religious fanatic Deacon Blackfire, with the story revolving around the cult leader exploiting Gotham's downtrodden to indoctrinate them into his ideology. Like with Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, Deacon Blackfire amasses this following in the depths of the city's sewers. In of tone, this could be another good fit for fans of The Batman in how this comic explores a facet of Gotham City's exploitative and deep-rooted corruption.
White Knight
DC Black Label ended up providing some of the best Batman comics of the last decade, with the imprint giving writers and artists the freedom to create their tailored canon away from the baggage of mainline continuity. Perhaps the most well-received of these series was writer/artist Sean Murphy's White Knight maxiseries, as it creatively flipped conventional canon on its head.
The first entry shows fans a Dark Knight slipping further and further into unhinged madness, behaving more erratic and violently from grappling with Alfred Pennyworth's terminal illness -- arguably Batman's most vital relationship. At the same time, it gives a more sympathetic version of the Joker in the process while blurring the lines of both their moralities. Though this Batman is also entering middle-age, his brutality and struggle to regain his humanity is reminiscent of Robert Pattinson's somber iteration.
The Imposter
Batman's had many grueling cases in the comics, but one of the more surprising ones was with The Imposter's core premise. Writer Mattson Tomlin and artist Andrea Sorrentino wrote this miniseries under DC Black Label as well, with a clever plot similar to Daredevil season 3.
This world's Caped Crusader is also operating within a grounded, realistic version of Gotham City and is dealing with an imposter trying to slander his name. The fake Batman is going around murdering his targets and allowing himself to be caught on record doing it, with Tomlin taking clear inspiration from Pattinson's take on the traumatized hero.
Curse Of The White Knight
Sean Murphy's latest mainline entry of the maxiseries -- Curse of the White Knight -- capitalizes on what made its predecessor so exciting. It continues to make a fascinating story by toying with classic milestone comic arcs from the mainline continuity, including some shocking ramifications that will affect Bruce's character growth. However, Murphy doesn't forget to showcase some stunning action sequences in doing so.
Curse serves as an alternate take on Knightfall, making Jean-Paul Valley the main villain opposite Batman. His new origin story is also sympathetic and effectively fleshed out, though, perhaps the biggest change and revelation to the story was the truth behind the Wayne family legacy. It'll likely satisfy fans of the movie, as The Batman places Bruce and his lineage amid Riddler's bloody mystery.
The Killing Joke
Writer Alan Moore and artist Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke stand in the pantheon of Batman's most influential comic books. For the likes of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, it served as a key inspiration in Heath Ledger's timeless portrayal of the Joker. It won't take fans long to get through it, as The Killing Joke is a compelling, tightly-written 46-page one-shot.
And though the Joker isn't the antagonist of The Batman, it's a must-read comic to get a glimpse inside the sadistic mind of the Clown Prince of Crime. On the other end of one of the medium's most iconic dynamics, it also works as an interesting look into Batman's psyche and how he refuses to bend to Joker's violently nihilistic worldview.
