mainly, rogues' gallery does it for me.
after that, general mysteries.
last would be "larger than life/cosmic" threats. leave that for the justice league.
Pure detective story in which Batman solves a mystery
Batman taking on 'ordinary' street crime or the Mob
Clash between Batman and an iconic Rogue's Gallery member
Batman as a superhero fighting larger-than-life threats (alien, supernatural, technological etc.)
Character pieces about Batman or a supporting cast member
mainly, rogues' gallery does it for me.
after that, general mysteries.
last would be "larger than life/cosmic" threats. leave that for the justice league.
Voted for "detective stories," "regular street crime," and "character studies."
I really dislike Batman taking on these giant, sci-fi threats. It *can* be fun, and it *can* be done well, and I *have* enjoyed some of those tales but.....I prefer Batman as a grounded pulp/detective hero, and when you transition him into fighting alien invasions and omega anti-gods I think you lose a lot of what makes Batman interesting.
I don't have a problem with stories where Bruce fights one of his classic, iconic rogues either, but when he cycles through the same five or six guys all the time it gets boring as hell, and at this point I could do with a few more mob bosses and a few less Joker stories.
"We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another, as if we were one single tribe."
~ Black Panther.
I really wish we had more mystery style stories like Long Halloween or even what Rucka & Brubaker were doing.
I don't know how Loeb did it but when he was at his apex he was able to spin some amazing yarns about our baby boy Bruce.
King tried to do it but never came close to Loeb and Snyder completely ignored it for bombast.
Morrison's run was something else entirely because it was all of the above, in the beginning it was a weird mystery that slowly evolved into a proper "larger than life super hero" story.
I think Morrison's Batman was an effort to unify all the different interpretations of the character into one 'ultimate' version. His Batman could be a detective solving mysteries, a crime-fighter taking on his Rogue's Gallery, a superhero who could take down Gods, and in a cheeky meta way, a literal brand in-universe
Most other creators have tended to focus on some kinds of stories than others.
King, to the extent that I've read his run, I think leans towards the superhero side, but he wants to stay close to the mystery aspect as well. Snyder focused on the noir and horror influences in the early part of his run, but with Zero Year and Endgame leaned more explicitly into the superhero side.
But if you go back to the first year of Kane and Finger's work on Batman, you'll see the blueprint for how multifaceted Batman is as a character and franchise laid out. I think they told pretty much every type of Batman story in those first 12 or so issues - a straight detective story, Batman taking on organzized crime, Batman saving the city from a would-be dictator with a death-ray, fighting the early 'super-villains' like Dr. Death and the Mad Monk etc. There's noir, there's horror, there's sci-fi, and there's the clear imprint of the then nascent superhero genre.
I totally agree about Morrison, King tried to do to mysteries especially with his mini arcs as well as superhero stories involving Riddler and Joker but they were okay at best.
I feel like, we as fans, should not have to go so far back in history to see Batman as a pulpy hero. I honestly thought that with Black Label we would see more of a variety of stories but it's more of the same but more eXXXTREME (guitar shred in the background).
Who knows maybe after Tynion we'll get a writer who likes noir stories
74 people have now voted,* Pure detective story = 49 votes
* Clash with iconic Rogue's Gallery member = 35 votes
* Character pieces w/Batman or supporting cast = 31 votes
* 'ordinary' street crime or the Mob = 28 votes
* superhero fighting larger-than-life threats = 7 votes
Story first, the story should be top quality - and Batman is supposed to be a detective, so let him be a detective. Character drives plot, and I love me some character drama, show Bruce's personality and some family interactions to keep thing interesting. Last of all, a good story is only as good as your villain. Add an interesting villain, show their motivations, make them interesting, and make things between them and Batman and family get personal, I want story stakes (not the meat kind thank you)!
Pure detective story in which Batman solves a mystery - with the mystery tied to either an 'ordinary' street crime/ the Mob or an iconic Rogue's Gallery member.
The reason we don't get detective stories to read is because they are tougher to write well than superhero stories. For a great detective story, you want elements such as (1) a compelling mystery (2) that isn't easy/obvious to solve (3) with a few clues layered in for the reader to pick up on as the story progresses, (4) Batman shown to be an excellent detective as he pieces together the clues, and finally (5) a resolution that is thoroughly satisfying and brings a smile to your face.
There are basically zero current writers capable of delivering a great detective story. Thus, we get superhero stories.
Yeah so I’m one of those rare people who actually voted Batman vs larger then life threats, and the reason I voted for that is because here’s the thing for me, Batman exists in the dc universe not just Gotham. I mean come on he’s considered one of the best superheroes in the dc universe and of the justice league and he’s just a man in a bat suit.
So I like when he gets his hands on weird weapons and handles strange tech. That’s just me personally.
"It's fun and it's cool, so that's all that matters. It's what comics are for, Duh."
Words to live by.
I voted for everything but larger than life. My favorite Bat baddie is the Penguin, so he clicks the first 3 boxes in a story alone
Pure detective story in which Batman solves a mystery (Penguin when written correctly is an eccentric criminal mastermind, we know he did x, but Batman has to find a way to solve and prove Oswald did x)
Batman taking on 'ordinary' street crime or the Mob (While eccentric, Penguin is known as criminal who has mob connections, hell his first appearance had him take control of a gang when they underestimated him)
Clash between Batman and an iconic Rogue's Gallery member (Penguin is practically #2)
Is this conversation making anyone else wish for a new Batman game? Yeah, I know there's that Gotham Knights thing coming-out but I don't care, I want to play as Batman not one of his kids.