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Batman has been a dominant force in comics since his 1939 creation, but there's always a question of the best place for fans of his movies to start. Over the last nine decades, he's featured in everything from golden age serials to animated cult classics and billion-dollar masterpieces. However, it's no secret that the company would love to funnel its incredible theatrical and TV audience into new readers.
With projects like the Absolute Batman animated series, Matt Reeves' The Batman: Part II, and the DCU's Bruce Wayne debut on the horizon, it has a great opportunity. After James Gunn and Reeves tried to point viewers in the direction of some classic comics, there are plenty of stories that deserve the spotlight. From mysteries to origin stories, these are the crucial Dark Knight comics every DC movie fan needs to read.
Paul Dano's Riddler: Year One Expands Matt Reeves' The Batman
Riddler: Year One #1-6 (2022)
Alongside his portrayal of one of DC's most elusive villains in Matt Reeves' The Batman, Paul Dano released a prequel story when he partnered with Stevan Subic for Riddler: Year One. The story focuses on Edward Nashton's origin as a mentally unstable serial killer, as, using his work as a forensic accountant, he learns of corruption in Gotham. Haunted by his own past, he sets out to dispense his own warped sense of vigilante justice, setting him on a collision course with the Caped Crusader.
From the mind of Dano himself, as an expansion to his character's backstory, Riddler: Year One feels like the comic book intersection of David Fincher's Zodiac and Reeves' The Batman. Stylistically, Subic draws it like a twisted, surreal descent into the tortured psychology of Nashton, explaining his motivations ahead of his Dark Knight rivalry. Perhaps the best celebrity-written comic in recent memory, it stands alongside Danny DeVito's Penguin story with Dan Mora.
Batman: Knightfall Continues to Define Every Bane Story
Batman #491-500, Detective Comics #659-660, Showcase 93 #7-8, and Batman: Shadow of the Bat #17-18 (1993)
The 1990s saw the downfall and defeat of various DC heroes, a fate that befell Batman in the "Knightfall" arc. The story begins after Bane breaks several of Gotham's worst villains out of Arkham Asylum, forcing Bruce Wayne into action to round them up. Aided by the GCPD, he begins an epic manhunt across the city for menaces like Joker, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, and Firefly as they terrorize people.
The arc that inspired both Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises and the upcoming animated trilogy adaptation, this is the definitive Batman vs Bane story. Any and every movie, including a rumored team-up project with Deathstroke, will inevitably be pulled from the '93 saga for informing how the villain will be written and portrayed. As the last truly great new villain debut in Batman's world, "Knightfall" is both a showcase of the nemesis' strength and how far Wayne will go to save his city.
Batman: The Court of Owls Ushered In A Whole New Era of Gotham City
Batman #1-11 (2011)
The New 52 was hit or miss for old-school fans, but it was a ringing success in one key respect: Finding a new generation of Batman comic book readers. That began with Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's "The Court of Owls," which opens by introducing the titular secret society of wealthy Gothamites. When Bruce Wayne grows up to realize they're more than just a bedtime story, he sets out to rid his city of their corruption, forcing a showdown with the deadly Talon.
"The Court of Owls" broke into the mainstream in a way few stories of the 21st century have, joined only by "Hush" and Absolute Batman in that respect. Perhaps the most well-known arc of the 2010s, as well as something believed to play a role in Matt Reeves' The Batman: Part II, it's a brilliant place to start. Best of all is that, despite DC erasing its New 52 work, this still stands on its own two feet as a standalone saga that fits into current Gotham City perfectly.
Justice League Unlimited Is Just What DCU Fans Want
Justice League Unlimited (2025-Present)
In 2025, Mark Waid and Dan Mora translated their World's Finest success to the long-awaited Justice League Unlimited. Following a new roster of heroes that reflects the diversity and range of James Gunn's DCU, it sets the team on a path of cosmic adventure and Legion of Doom showdowns. With Batman and Superman leading an ensemble that includes Mister Terrific, Black Lightning, Captain Atom, and Star Sapphire, it's a window into the variety of the franchise.
Justice League Unlimited is one of the best runs on the team since the Dwayne McDuffie era, itself a good bridge for DCAU fans into the franchise. This iteration of the team offers a simpler approach to DC, one that doesn't require extensive knowledge of the universe, and tells readers who its key heroes and villains are. The definitive run by the franchise's flagship team, it's the single best starting point for the current era of the main universe for movie fans.
Batman: The Long Halloween Has Inspired Numerous DC Movies
Batman: The Long Halloween #1-13 (1996-1997)
In 1996, Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale brought years of noir-inspired comics to their peak when they crafted Batman: The Long Halloween. A 13-part saga, it follows the hero's investigation into the serial killer known as Holiday, who murders Gotham gangsters on public holidays. What follows is a dark venture into the city's mob underbelly as the hero goes up against deadly foes, both old and new.
From Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy to Matt Reeves' The Batman and even an animated adaptation, The Long Halloween serves as the foundation of most post-1997 Bruce Wayne movies. This is especially true when it comes to aspects of his earlier career, the treatment of pre-Two-Face Harvey Dent, and the city's mob scene. A story that works as a complementary piece to Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's "Year One," it grips readers with the best mystery of its decade.
Batman: The Killing Joke Shaped the Joker's On-Screen Depiction
Batman: The Killing Joke (1988)
Just as Frank Miller wrapped up his treatment of Bruce Wayne, Alan Moore was tapped to continue the dark approach with Batman: The Killing Joke. Joining forces with artist legend Brian Bolland, he gave fans the story of The Joker's latest terror spree in Gotham, targeting the Gordons to psychologically break the Caped Crusader. As he tortures his way through some of the city's most upstanding heroes, Bruce Wayne is pushed to the limits of his moral code.
Along with its sequel, Batman: Three Jokers (Geoff Johns & Jason Fabok), it redefined the Clown Prince of Crime not as a campy trickster, but the horrific murderer he is. In fact, cited by Tim Burton as part of the inspiration behind his treatment of the characters, it's a great starting point for fans of old-school DC movies.
Batman '89 Continues Tim Burton's Gothic Vision For Gotham
Batman '89 #1-6 (2021)
In 1989, Tim Burton basically revived Batman as a powerhouse when he cast Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne opposite Jack Nicholson as The Joker. 31 years after his movie proved to be a runaway success, DC officially continued that continuity with a sequel comic, Batman '89 (Sam Hamm & Joe Quinones). Set in the aftermath of Batman Returns, it follows the Caped Crusader as he gets caught up in civil unrest that sets the stage for his friend Harvey Dent's turn to villainy.
Doing justice to a continuity derailed by the Joel Schumacher sequels to Burton's Keaton series, Hamm and Quinones' comics are must-reads for any self-respecting '90s superhero fan. Made alongside Robert Venditti and Wilfredo Torres' Superman '78, the miniseries Batman '89 is the follow-up to a fan-favorite Dark Knight that deserved so much better.
Batman: The Adventures Continue Expands the DCAU
Batman: The Adventures Continue #1-8 (2020-Present)
In 2020, DC revived its Animated Universe through a comic book series, Batman: The Adventures Continue (Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, and Ty Templeton). Illustrated with a style that perfectly matches Batman: The Animated Series, it parallels the core DCU, bringing figures like Azrael and Deathstroke into the fold. Each season plays out like a major arc from the show, giving cartoon fans just what they want.
For people who loved the DCAU, especially classic movies like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, this season-based title is the perfect bridge to comics. The series bridges the gap between one of the most iconic Saturday-morning cartoons of all time and the franchise that inspired it. Instead of expecting people to have a broad wealth of knowledge of the universe, it picks up where the series left off and guides readers through everything they've missed since.
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Defined Old Man Bruce Wayne
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1-4
Frank Miller and Klaus Janson changed DC as fans knew it when they unleashed the thrill of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns in 1986. Telling the story of an aged Caped Crusader coming out of retirement to save his city from a horrific gang, it cuts to the heart of who and what Bruce Wayne is. Joined by a brand-new Robin, this standalone adventure sets out to remind readers of the character's appeal.
The Dark Knight Returns is a character study that builds up Bruce Wayne as the greatest street-level hero in comics. Almost every major depiction of him over the last 40 years owes something to Miller's version, from the inspiration behind Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises to a phenomenal animated adaptation. A Batman tale that's perfect from start to finish, it's been creating new DC fans for decades.
Batman #1 Birthed the Gotham City People Love Today
Batman #1 (1940)
Bruce Wayne first emerged as a staple of DC Comics when he debuted in Bob Kane and Bill Finger's Detective Comics #27 in 1939. However, it wasn't until the pages of Batman #1 a year later that the creative duo truly established the Gotham City people know and love today. Introducing The Joker and Catwoman, it unknowingly set up both his greatest rivalry and his strongest (and most complicated) love interest.
A Golden Age comic drawn in an outdated style, it might not appeal to everyone, but this story is as essential to the modern superhero phenomenon as it gets. It's less a tie-in to anything happening in comics today, and more a classical piece of history for the medium. When it comes to really appreciating the DC universe on the silver screen, Batman #1 is an all-star classic comic fans can buy in facsimile reprints.
