Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger for 1939’s Detective Comics #27, Batman has steadily grown into DC’s most successful hero, now dominating the sales charts. At any given time, the street-level antihero can be found in a variety of formats, from graphic novels and miniseries to ongoing titles.
With almost nine decades of history, Batman has been written into some of the industry’s greatest adventures, with visionary creators like Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams and more defining his modern mythos. While most of Batman’s iconic stories have been told in miniseries or multi-issue arc format, he has a long history of brilliant single-issue stories, too. Ranging from Silver Age crime capers to modern adventure stories, the Caped Crusader’s versatility can be seen in these short stories. In fact, some of his most underrated and character-defining stories can be found in single issue format.
11 The Incredible Adventures of Batman
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #101 by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra, Dan Brown, Digital Chameleon, and Willie Schubert
Legends of the Dark Knight was created to bring readers a long line of out-of-continuity Batman adventures, which explored some of the hero’s best case files. In issue #101, readers are shown an advanced future Gotham, where a police officer has stepped into the role of Batman to combat crime in an age of super-powered mutants. However, after his pursuit of a super villain, Argos Jax, turns violent, the hero is revealed to be a machine – one willing to kill his enemies.
a love letter to RoboCop and Isaac Asimov all in one
“The Incredible Adventures of Batman” blends the idea of artificial intelligence with Gotham City, serving as something of a love letter to RoboCop and Isaac Asimov all in one. The story hints at a possible future for Gotham, one policed by robots instead of Bats, and stands alone as an excellent done-in-one sci-fi/action tale.
10 The Thousand and One Trophies of Batman
Batman #256 by Edmond Hamilton, Bob Kane, and Charles Paris
Batman’s underground lair, the Batcave, is adorned with a variety of trophies from his years spent fighting crime in Gotham and abroad. Two of his most iconic pieces are the T-Rex and the giant coin, both of which may seem like complete mysteries to novice readers. However, both were actually given an origin story in the story “The Thousand and One Trophies of Batman” from Batman #256.
Batman #256 follows Batman and Robin in a series of adventures, as they travel to Dinosaur Island, take on a penny-themed criminal and go up against Catwoman. For any serious Batman collector, this issue is as prized a possession as there is when it comes to both the Bronze Age and the hero’s trophy gallery.
9 Batman #1
By Batman Creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger
While Detective Comics #27 was the story that introduced Batman to the world, it was actually in the pages of his first solo series where the world of Gotham and its villains was established. The issue pits the Dark Knight against a trio of his Golden Age foes, having him go up against the monster men of Hugo Strange and introducing Catwoman and the Joker in their own stories.
The issue pits the Dark Knight against a trio of his Golden Age foes
Batman #1 remains a pivotal issue in the Caped Crusader’s history, delivering his greatest love interest and most iconic nemesis in one fell swoop. The best of these comes in the debut of the Joker, who targets Gotham’s elite, murdering them so that he can steal their most valuable possessions. When the Clown Prince of Crime brazenly targets the mob, he proves himself the biggest criminal in town, and it all culminates in a showdown with Batman.
8 Everyday
Batman Annual #4 by Tom King, Mike Norton, Jorge Fornés, Dave Stewart, and Clayton Cowles
Tom King’s tenure on Batman has gone down as one of the more controversial runs in the hero’s modern history, especially due to the ruination of the Bat/Cat relationship. That said, the run is full of great stories, and “Everyday” stands out among the best. Told from Alfred Pennyworth’s perspective, the story follows the Dark Knight in a series of grandiose adventures. From a battle with a dragon in downtown Gotham to fending off ancient mummies, the story blends action, adventure and fantasy.
“Everyday” is basically a montage of Batman highlights, illustrating the lionized image Alfred had of his adoptive son. The story delivers non-stop action, reading like a relic of the Silver Age as the hero takes on a variety of fantastical threats, showing why he’s Gotham’s greatest detective – and giving readers an insight into the story from Pennyworth’s perspective.
7 The Deadshot Ricochet
Detective Comics #474 by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, Terry Austin, Jerry Serpe, and Ben Oda
DC has a long history of revitalizing its characters through dramatic redesigns, from Dick Grayson first becoming Nightwing to Aquaman’s rugged ’90s look. Few changes come close to Deadshot’s full reinvention in Detective Comics #474, where he makes his first appearance since the Silver Age. The story follows the villain as he hunts Batman, leading to a public shootout in a convention hall.
“The Deadshot Ricochet” stands out as one of the most successful character reinventions in comics history, giving the villain a brilliant new design and building him up as a master assassin. The story is one big, epic fight, one that had ramifications for Bruce Wayne’s personal life and gave him a reinvented deadly foe.
6 The Night Batman Sold His Soul
The Brave and the Bold #108 by Bob Haney, Jim Aparo, and Tatjana Wood
The Brave and the Bold follows Batman as he teams up with a variety of DC’s greatest heroes, from Wonder Woman and Superman to Doctor Fate and Etrigan. One of the most harrowing of his crossovers came when he joined Sgt. Rock, who insisted that Adolf Hitler was still alive and that he’d been hunting him. As they work together, readers are shown flashbacks of the hardened soldier’s time in World War II.
In keeping with the best Brave and the Bold stories, “The Night Batman Sold His Soul” really belongs to Batman’s partner, as Sgt Rock’s Ahab-like hunt for his enemy dominates the narrative. Leaving readers to ponder the nature of cyclical violence and evil, the story makes for a great war-themed tale.
5 The Impossible Escape
The Brave and the Bold #112 by Bob Haney and Jim Aparo
In “The Impossible Escape,” Batman and Mister Miracle each make their way to an ancient tomb in the Egyptian desert, the former to pursue leads in an investigation, the latter taking a job to explore it. The resting place of the ancient King Atun, Miracle is shocked when a possessed Bruce Wayne appears in pharaoh’s garb, claiming to be Atun himself.
“The Impossible Escape” reads like a blend of Indiana Jones and the superhero genre, as Batman and Mister Miracle hunt for the truth of Atun’s final resting place. With a fantastic and unexpected conclusion, the story is everything that a good adventure in a superhero universe should be.
4 Night of the Reaper
Batman #237 by Bernie Wrightson, Harlan Ellison, Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, and John Costanza
Batman #237 follows the Dark Knight and Robin as they attend a famous Halloween parade, crowded with people in various costumes, including those of fellow DC heroes. After spotting a mysterious Grim Reaper figure, the dynamic duo find a murder victim dressed as Robin, leading to the Reaper as the primary suspect. Confronting him, Batman learns that the suspect is actually a Holocaust survivor who has made it his mission to hunt and kill Nazis who escaped justice.
“Night of the Reaper” stands as a heartbreaking tragedy, one that uses a murder mystery to lead Batman into a tale of injustice. The story contrasts the Caped Crusader’s commitment to justice against the Reaper’s quest for vengeance, exploring the cost of wrath and revenge.
3 The Laughing Fish
Detective Comics #475 by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, Terry Austin, and Ben Oda
Widely seen as one of the most bizarre yet influential Joker stories of its era, “The Laughing Fish” follows the villain in perhaps his most absurd scheme to date. Here, he poisons Gotham’s fish market with his toxin, “Jokerizing” the fish, and attempts to trademark the creatures for bearing his signature likeness. However, when he’s denied by the patent office, he declares his intentions to begin murdering city officials who deny him – beginning with the patent clerk.
“The Laughing Fish” quickly became one of many standout issues from Steve Englehart’s run on Detective Comics, thanks to its iconic cover and creative plot. The story reminds everyone of the Clown Prince of Crime’s unmatched absurdities in a tale that could only be told about Batman’s harebrained nemesis.
2 The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge
Batman #251 by Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, and Tom Ziuko
After their Golden Age rivalry, the meetings between Batman and the Joker declined throughout the Silver Age, when the hero was cast in more whimsical and creative adventures. In Batman #251, the villain makes his first appearance in almost five years, a hiatus unthinkable for contemporary DC. The story follows the villain as he escapes from custody and, after learning of a betrayal by one of his henchmen, sets about murdering them all, ensuring he gets the right culprit.
“The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” reintroduced readers to a version of the Joker more formidable than he’d been since his debut, overcoming his wacky Silver Age persona. As great as the story of Batman #1 may have been, the modern formula of a good Bat vs Clown comic can be traced back to this iconic O’Neil/Adams comic.
1 Key Background
- Alan Moore originally wrote The Killing Joke as a standalone narrative, with no intention of it impacting the main canon.
- In the single-issue Batman: The Cape and Cowl Death Trap plot deconstructed the idea of the costume as an untouchable symbol, showing that Batman’s true power lay in his intelligence and resolve.
- The single-issue story To Kill a Legend, was designed to explore the emotional weight of Bruce’s origin and whether the tragedy was necessary for his transformation into Batman.
