With the sequel and various spinoffs regarding Matt Reeves' The Batman in the works, it's safe to say that the Caped Crusader's stories have a place in the mainstream, and the comics, in particular, have provided some of the character's darkest tales. Batman has always been known as one of the more gritty superheroes, often tackling street-level crime-noir adventures and cases.
Decades' worth of DC comic book history has bolstered that fact, with many blending various genres and themes to tell uniquely grim stories. Fans on Reddit have discussed what they thought were some of the most tonally noteworthy in this regard, ranging from classics like The Killing Joke to lesser-known favorites like Dark Knight, Dark City.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious House
Grant Morrison is regarded by the DC fan base as one of the greatest modern comic book writers, with Batman being one of the characters that they've contributed to the most. When the '80s crescendo of more serious comic book storytelling hit its peak, his and artist Dave McKean's Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth proved to be a hauntingly surreal experience.
Redditor jimjam343 agreed with another 's mentioning of it, saying that it's "basically a horror graphic novel with Batman in it." Arkham Asylum delves into gruesome psychological and body horror elements -- with the help of McKean's terrifyingly vivid art -- diving headlong into the damaged psyche of the hero's rogues' gallery -- and the Dark Knight himself.
The Cult
While Deacon Blackfire had the potential to be a more compelling villain in Batman: Arkham Knight, the comic book miniseries by Jim Starlin, Bernie Wrightson, and Bill Wray in which he debuted used him to his grimly manipulative potential. Redditor Poorly-Drawn-Beagle thought that The Cult was "pretty messed up," with the series exploring the grimy ugliness of religious fanaticism.
The story sees Batman kidnapped by Blackfire underground with his army of Gotham's downtrodden effectively brainwashed into hyperviolence. What's especially dark about The Cult is how it shows the bloody aftermath of what cultish fanaticism does to the mind.
Dark Knight, Dark City
The Batman received praise for simultaneously venerating the hero's source material and feeling like a fresh adaptation, with its iteration of the Riddler being one such highlight. He was given a more traumatized and delusional angle that went well with the movie's dark neo-noir tone, but Dark Knight, Dark City is probably the bleakest the supervillain's been portrayed on the page.
Redditor jinx_me34 thought it was "Possibly the darkest Riddler has ever been written. He does some truly horrific things." Writer Peter Milligan crafts a foreboding story that sees the raging narcissist descend to some sadistic new lows in his attempt to defeat the World's Greatest Detective, even restoring to heinous supernatural means.
Gothic
Even outside of Arkham Asylum and their well-known and beloved 7-year-long odyssey with the character that started in the mid-'00s, Grant Morrison has written some dark Batman tales with strange supernatural twists. Redditor haytil felt it was one of "the most horror-inspired comics."
Gothic (illustrated by Klaus Janson) takes place early in the Dark Knight's career, not long after the events of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's Year One, with a group of mobsters desperate for Batman's help against a mysterious figure targeting them one by one. The story takes some bleak supernatural, occult, and religious turns, with a connecting revelation at its core.
The Black Mirror
Writer Scott Snyder is known for putting together one of the most consistently high-quality contemporary Batman runs alongside artist Greg Capullo, but he enjoyed an excellent run on Detective Comics just before that brand-wide reboot. The Black Mirror sees Dick Grayson in the mantle of Batman to fill in for Bruce Wayne, with Gotham's new Dark Knight tackling a series of gruesome cases along the way.
Redditor Hard_Corsair gave The Black Mirror a shout, saying "I have to give it to Black Mirror. The antagonist is trying to taint baby formula with a drug that will cause them to grow up to be murderous psychopaths." The story arc is presented as uniquely dark cases, with some of them brutally tying Batman, Barbara Gordon, and Commissioner Gordon together in an increasingly intimate conflict.
Night Cries
One of the darker Batman comics in a real-world, gun-punching way is Archie Goodwin and Scott Hampton's Night Cries. This series delves into the street-level and underground crime world, specifically shedding light on child trafficking. Redditor King_Mecha said that the subject matter makes it "without a doubt the darkest Batman story I've ever read."
It's always a delicate balancing act when it comes to writing stories about such sensitive and horrific real-world issues. However, Goodwin's writing (and Hampton's artwork) were largely well-received for tackling this cruel side of the world with nuance while also fitting into the realm of crime that Batman directly fights against as a street hero and detective.
Venom
Though it's not overtly dark in the conventional sense as other Batman comics, it's the way commentary is made within the story arc and the implications behind them are executed that make Venom a brutal tale the more one reads into it. Redditor ThatMatthewKid cites as much, saying "the way it tackles its subject matter stuck with me." Written by the late and great Dennis O'Neil alongside several talented artists, Venom opens up in a thoroughly bleak fashion, with Batman failing to save a drowning girl because he wasn't physically strong enough.
This haunts the Dark Knight down to his core, constantly reminded of his perceived failure to her, and starts taking the notorious strength-enhancing drug Venom to compensate for his shortcomings. Even crueler, the man who sells Batman the drugs is the little girl's father -- effectively sacrificing his daughter just to get Batman addicted to Venom.
Broken City
In a similarly grounded detective case, Broken City features Batman taking on a murder mystery that leads to some deep self-reflection. Written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso, Batman is on the hunt for the murderer of a young boy's parents, all the while being stalked by a pair of killers himself.
Redditor Glass_Chance9800 thought it was a worthwhile read "but one that doesn't get mentioned a lot." The Dark Detective pores over clues that point to a heinous outcome, resulting in a story that shows even Batman is subject to biases and imperfections for all his crimefighting strengths.
The Killing Joke
One of the most acclaimed and influential Batman comics of all time -- as well as the most iconic Joker story -- Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke is also one of the most harrowing tales in the hero's packed catalog. Redditor SirDurante felt it was quite the definitive choice as far as "dark" goes, saying "considering the subject material... I don't know of anything more sick and twisted than that."
The Killing Joke infamously sees the Clown Prince of Crime cripple Barbara Gordon and torture Commissioner Gordon, all in a nihilistic attempt to prove that no one is fundamentally sane. The subject matter combined with the visuals makes this a horrific one-shot that stays with the reader.
Death Of Innocents
PSA comics can be a double-edged sword, in a sense, as they run the risk of either undercutting the sensitive subject matter being discussed or the protagonist of the story attempting to address it. However, Dennis O'Neil, Joe Staton, Bill Sienkiewicz, and Ian Laughlin's Death of Innocents managed to drive the issue of landmines home in a suitable fashion for a Batman story.
Redditor John-Zero shared that sentiment, but ultimately applauded the writer, saying "Only Denny O'Neil had the courage" to opt for the angle where the hero fails the save the day (so to speak). In Death of Innocents, Bruce Wayne discovers one of his Wayne Enterprises employees sees his daughter go missing in a war-torn country abroad, leading him to travel as Batman to rescue her amid a civil war.
