Favorite Underrated Batman Stories

[Godzilla2099]

I was going through my old books and this story brought a smile to my face.

Detective Comics #687 and #688

Detective_Comics_687.jpg

Batman and Robin (Tim Drake) fight pirates robbing Gotham's Rich Elite

Their leader is this guy named Captain Fear and he has an attractive but deadly first mate.

Normally I love the darker stories but this was so awesome

+ The Interaction with Batman/Robin.
+ Robin's Enthusiasm was priceless. Especially when he complains why he has to fight the girls
+ Interaction with Gordon/Montoya.
+ Modern story with classic elements
+ Batman is defeated but kind of a hilarious way
+ Batboat
+ Batman has my vote for the Best Rogue Gallery, but I like seeing new villains

I actually spoke with Chuck Dixon a few years ago at a Comic Show. He wanted to make more stories like this but DC shot his idea down.

[JBatmanFan05]

Dixon is a big source of favorite underrated stories (so many that I'm sure I will fail to list them all).

Some (not nearly all) older underrated favorites I can think of:
Joker: Devil's Advocate (Dixon) (if I had to use one story to illustrate why Batman couldn't be a Marvel hero, it'd be this)

"The Demon Laughs" (LOTDK #142-145) (Dixon)

"Gothic" (LOTDK #6-10) (Morrison)....geniusly substantive use of true elements of true gothic romanticism

"Tao" (LOTDK #52-#53) (Alan Grant)

"Blind Justice" (Tec #598-600)....one of the very few stories where I disagree with its core thesis, disagree with its boldly subversive view of Batman/Bruce, but absolutely love the well-told cinematic story, the story uses Bruce Wayne meaningfully which I really appreciate

Birth of the Demon GN....amazing painted Breyfogle art, a fitting perfectly tragic origin for Ra's

[Aahz]

Batman #423 "You Shoulda Seen Him..." by Jim Starlin: I have a lot of problems with Starlins run, but I can't reall think of an issue that shows batter how Batman should be characerised. And it has also an awesome Todd McFarlane cover.

[Scott Taylor]

Batman #436-439: Batman Year three (Wolfman) - Its a story about the ramifications of the release of Tony Zucco, the man who killed Dick Grayson’s parents, on both Bruce and Dick, with a gang war as the backdrop. I think it really does a great job demonstrating the Robin and Batman dynamic, and is a flat out good story, but gets overlooked due to the timing of the story between Death in the Family and Lonely Place of Dying. Plus its been written over multiple times at this point.

[Vishop]

I surprisingly liked Morrison's Batman(Dick Grayson) and Robin(Damien). That was one of the runs that actually surprised me. Then there is Alan Grant's run with Shadow of the Bat which was also great.

[SixSpeedSamurai]

Dixon's Detective run and Alan Grants Detective/Batman runs.

[jb681131]

Here are all the stories I find extraordinary but are never mentioned.

• Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #64: Terminus by Jamie Delano
• Gotham Noir by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
• Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope
• Batman Univers by Brian Micheal Bendis
• Batman, the dark knight: Cycle of Violence by Greg Hurwitz
• Batman/The Spirit by Jeph Loeb & Darwyn Cooke
• Batman: Night Cries by Archie Goodwin & Scott Hampton
• Batman: Snow by Dan Curtis Johnson & J.H. Williams III & Seth Fisher
• Joker's Asylum: Penguin by Jason Aaron & Jason Pearson
• Batman Adventures: Shadows & Masks by Dan Slott & Ty Templeton
• Batman & The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I, II, III by James Tynion IV
• Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu & Christian Wildgoose
• Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity by Kami Garcia
• Batman/Elmer Fudd by Tom King
• Detective Comics #651: A bullet for Bullock by Chuck Dixon
• Batman: New Gotham by Greg Rucka & Ed Brubaker
• Manhunter by Archie Goodwin & Walter Simonson - Detective Comics #437-443 (back-ups)
• Batman '66 #10: The Hatter Takes the Crown

[K7P5V]

Definitely, my choice would be...

Heat
(LOTDK #46, 47, 48, 49)

[Alpha]

[*]Batman/Elmer Fudd by Tom King

Wait what? There's a Batman Elmer Fudd crossover, it's written by Tom King, and it's drawn like a noir story? And it's a good story?

Imma need someone to explain this whole thing to me

[MajorHoy]

Wait what? There's a Batman Elmer Fudd crossover, it's written by Tom King, and it's drawn like a noir story? And it's a good story?

Imma need someone to explain this whole thing to me

[Lightning Rider]

Always enjoyed the early stories in Batman: Confidential. Lovers & Madmen comes to mind. Doesn't seem too popular.

[Yohei72]

Wait what? There's a Batman Elmer Fudd crossover, it's written by Tom King, and it's drawn like a noir story? And it's a good story?

Imma need someone to explain this whole thing to me

It's hilarious. The narration by Fudd imitates the noir detective narrator clichés, but at the same time painstakingly reproduces his, um, unique way of speaking. King sprinkles callbacks to it lightly in the later parts of his Batman run, especially in #67, one of his most experimental issues, which is, among other things, a "Road Runner" cartoon in disguise.

[Yohei72]

I wonder how many of these are available in collections. As someone who's a relatively recent comics addict, I'm unfamiliar with most of them and would be interested to read some. I know DC has been frustratingly spotty with collecting old stories, especially in comparison to Marvel.

[Alpha]

It's hilarious. The narration by Fudd imitates the noir detective narrator clichés, but at the same time painstakingly reproduces his, um, unique way of speaking. King sprinkles callbacks to it lightly in the later parts of his Batman run, especially in #67, one of his most experimental issues, which is, among other things, a "Road Runner" cartoon in disguise.

Guess I gotta read it. I didn't even know I wanted this

[bat39]

The Untold Legend of Batman. It does a brilliant job consolidating a bunch of disparate stories from the Golden Age and Silver Age into one consistent mythology while also telling a compelling story that delves into Batman's psyche. Its pretty much a precursor to Ego and other stories that explore the dual identity. I kinda wish they adapt it into an animated film - with a few changes it could be a great movie!