Gerry Conway and Doug Moench’s pre-Crisis runs are seminal reads every Batfamily fan should pick up, and dissect for all of the nuances they brought to the franchise. Especially Conway. He “Marvelized” Batman a long time before Crisis happened.
Frank Millar
Jim Starlin
Bob Kane/Bill Finger
Judd Winick
Ed Brubaker
Gerry Conway
Paul Dini
Chuck Dixon
Gardner Fox
Peter Tomasi
Jeph Leob
Grant Morrison
Scott Snyder
Dennis O'neil
Other
Gerry Conway and Doug Moench’s pre-Crisis runs are seminal reads every Batfamily fan should pick up, and dissect for all of the nuances they brought to the franchise. Especially Conway. He “Marvelized” Batman a long time before Crisis happened.
Dixon followed by O'Neil. Brubaker is possibly my favorite comic writer of all time, but his Batman run was very "meh"
Last Read: Aquaman & The Flash: Voidsong
Monthly Pull List: Alan Scott: The Green Lantern, Birds of Prey, Daredevil, Geiger, Green Arrow, Justice Ducks, Justice Society of America, Negaduck, Nightwing, Phantom Road, Shazam!, Suicide Squad: Dream Team, Thundercats, Titans
No Peter Milligan on the list?
Man, choosing one singular Batman writer is almost impossible. I'd say Grant Morrison just because of how much I love their run on the character. Bruce Wayne's odyssey of the soul. Frank Miller's DKR and YEAR ONE are both absolute masterpieces though, untouchable. Neal Adams/Denny O'Neil too. Peter Milligan's DARK KNIGHT, DARK CITY. A lot of real late 80s-super early 90s straight up gems that I'm not thinking of at the moment.
I've read so much Batman that an easier question would be 'least favourite'. I love so much!
I have to default to Morrison though, if there must be a big ole bold font 'Number 1'.
Last edited by Flash Gordon; 11-20-2020 at 02:34 PM.
I voted for Dini. Of all the ones listed, he's the one I like the most.
I thought Jim Starlin's Batman was one of the more derided runs on the character. A Death in the Family is Silver Age levels of wacky, not just The Joker becoming the UN Ambassador, but the international flavor of the story seemed inappropriate considering it's somber subject matter.
I reread A Death in the Family recently and my god what a wacky story that is. It's hilarious that it has achieved this level of prominence in the mythology of modern Batman, because it is wholeheartedly undeserving of it.
It's immature emotionally and narratively and attempts to be a international romp while injecting way too much misery into the Batman concept. Had Jason Todd survived the event, it might have been a solid "remember when the Joker became Iranian ambassador to the US?' kind of fever dream of a cringey story.
Last edited by Flash Gordon; 11-22-2020 at 05:46 AM.
I voted for the incomparable Chick Dixen. He fleshed out the Batfamily to an as yet unsurpassed degree highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each member. During his run, none of the many members were superfluous and each had their own flavor and vibe. He is very underappreciated
I voted for Starlin. #424 is perhaps my favorite issue and is my favorite Jason Todd story.
Denny O'Neil, the man who created modern serious Batman is a distant second to the guy who created Bat-Cow.
It's a strange world we live in.
That's a fixation on one aspect of Morrison's run. There is more to Morrison's run than Bat-Cow and while I do believe that there is some recency bias by calling their run the greatest, I do believe there is a lot to like in there. For me personally, it's the last era of Batman than I genuinely enjoyed and the last to highlight his skills as a Detective and portray Batman as a mysterious figure.
Edit: Full disclosure, I voted for O'Neill.
O'Neil's comics are pretty good and definitely important, but they are obviously going to be dated considering how long ago they've come out. A more modern comic that captures that same appeal while adding a lot of its own stuff and being easier to read in a modern context will have somewhat of an advantage.
I also think O'Neil's best comics were elevated by the art of Neal Adams.
We’ve been blessed to have such an eclectic run of successful creators that, honestly, comparing them is basically going to say more about what genre and style of Batman you prefer rather than who’s actually better, more revolutionary, etc.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Morrison brings the psychedelic epic, Dixon the Batfamily expansion, O’Neill the international scale in a more somber sense, Dini the consistency and flexibility, Snyder the horror.
For whatever reason, Batman books can exist across multiple genres and styles without necessarily leading to a war of interpretations, which is the thing that arguably has sunk other DC properties in comparison.
Like action, adventure, rogues, and outlaws? Like anti-heroes, femme fatales, mysteries and thrillers?
I wrote a book with them. Outlaw’s Shadow: A Sherwood Noir. Robin Hood’s evil counterpart, Guy of Gisbourne, is the main character. Feel free to give it a look: https://read.amazon.com/kp/embed?asi...E2PKBNJFH76GQP
Hrrn... most of those I have problems with ranging from mild annoyance to what the heck and the rest I haven't read.
So for now...
Alan Brennert. I only read 1 story of him and don't know his others or if I will have a problem and since that 1 I have no problem I'll pick him.