THE TOP 13 GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER -- RANKED

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Dan Greenfield
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THE TOP 13 GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER -- RANKED

Post by Dan Greenfield »

Hey, Batfolks:

In honor of Batman's 80th anniversary and Detective Comics #1000, we've convened a blue-ribbon panel at 13th Dimension to rank THE TOP 13 GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER -- in any medium.

BATMAN '66 has already made it onto the countdown, which you can find at the link:

https://13thdimension.com/the-top-13-gr ... er-ranked/

Check it out if you like!

-- Dan
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AndyFish
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Re: THE TOP 13 GREATEST BATMAN STORIES EVER -- RANKED

Post by AndyFish »

You had me until #9-- while Burton's Batman film is important because it's the first time since the Adam West show that we see a "serious" Batman the movie itself just doesn't hold up. The Prince music, Nicholson's way too over the top (although if you compare him to Jim Carrey's Riddler it's brilliant) portrayal of The Joker and the plot holes and confined Gotham City set making the action feel like it's all taking place on the same two city blocks. Couple that with Keaton not being able to turn his head in the suit and I just can't see placing it in the Top of anything Batman. I know it's got its fans here, and I was one at one time, but after seeing it again I just can't warm up to it.

13 Great Batman Stories-- non of which are included because of "importance" to the myth. They're just good stories;

13. Detective Comics 29 & 30 --it's a two parter of sorts with Batman taking on his first super villain, Dr Death.
12. Detective Comics 31 & 32 -- Batman Vs The Vampire-- firmly placed in the characters Horror Pulp roots.
11. Hi Diddle Riddle & Smack in the Middle -- Classic episodes from a classic show
10. Heart of Ice - BTAS - No question about it for me, the best version of Mr Freeze ever.
09. Detective Comics 400 - Man or Bat? Neal Adams doing what he did best. Man Bat is a great villain.
08. Batman #4 - The Joker's Crime Circus-- outright creepy, reprinted in the great oversized Batman Treasury with the red cover. Joker runs a Crime Circus and his hideout is an old dark house.
07. Batman #14- The Case Batman Failed to Solve-- Batman is at a Detective Convention with the Thin Man, Charlie Chan and a host of other of the world's greatest detectives (names are changed but that's who they are) and they have to use their crime detection skills to solve a murder.
06. The Purr-Fect Crime & Better Luck Next Time -- The Catwoman Debut episodes are the best episodes in the whole series.
05. Detective Comics 471-476 Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers were the best team to ever work on Batman. This run of stories, collected in TPB as Strange Something or Other-- is the definitive version of Batman to a lot of people. Their later work together was lacking something, but this original run was perfect.
04. Batman Year One - Batman's origin told as a crime movie.
03. Batman The Dark Knight Returns - Get the tomatoes out-- a lot of folks here hate it because they wrongly think Frank Miller turned Batman into a sociopath with this. He didn't. This Batman is a Batman who has retired but can't get away from his obsession with fighting crime. He cares about the people of the city. He cares about his new Robin. He's not against cracking a joke. DC Comics took only the darker Dirty Harry elements of the story and ran with it making him a cardboard cut out. This series is brilliant.
02. Batman #2 A direct sequel to the first Joker story-- Batman decides to kidnap the injured villain from the hospital and take him to a doctor who will operate on his brain and "cure" him. And you thought Frank Miller made him a psycho.
01. Batman #1 All four stories in this issue are tops. First appearance of The Joker and Catwoman and a Hugo Strange to boot.
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