Best and Worst Batman Events?

[daredevil1]

By "event" I mean crossovers, not just important stories confined to one title.

I would say the best for me are Knightfall and No Man's Land, for sentimental reasons (though NML fumbles right at the ten yard line with a wonky story just to give Joker the final boss role). Knightfall made me love the comics version. I also enjoy Officer Down a lot, if that counts.

Worst are War Games and War Crimes, and it isn't even close. That thing would not end! I also dislike Murderer and Fugitive for much the same reasons, it went on and on and could've been told entirely in three months in a couple titles, in and out.

[Immortal Weapon]

The resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul is one of the worst. Ra's coming back didn't warrant a crossover and it didn't do much with Morrison overall run on Batman.

[NOCTPHOENIX]

Yeah. War Games is the worst by far. Character derailment and gross misogyny of a beloved character (Steph). What baffles me is how Meghan Fitzamartin (author of Tim's UL story) says it is one of the best Batman stories and represents Steph as a "strong women recovering from a mistake" when that is not what happens at all.........

[sunofdarkchild]

I'm pretty sour on most of the early 2000s events. I had the trade of Officer Down as a kid and liked it at the time because I liked anything and everything associated with Batman when I was a kid, but I've really soured on on that story as I've gotten older and that entire era of Bat-jerk events. War Games is the worst, but it's still representative of that era as a whole. The 'everything falls apart because the 'Batman treats his allies horribly and has to learn to respect the feelings of others' story wasn't even good the first time they did it in Officer Down, and by War Games it was such a dead horse that Batman was an outright hateful character. Death of the Family is another event I despise.

Knightfall and RIP are my favorite events. I hate what was done to Talia, but Morrison otherwise saved Batman from the stink of the early 2000s bat-jerk, and RIP is his best 'event.' Knightfall is pure popcorn entertainment. Of the events of the last 10 years since the Nu52 began my favorite is Batman Eternal. That's the rare story I like more now than I did when I first read it. It's one of the rare stories that in fact says that Batman has had a positive impact on Gotham, because even when Batman himself is beaten and broken, the idea of Batman is enough to inspire the citizens of Gotham to act to save the city themselves, and that's what makes Batman 'Eternal.' In hindsight my only real complaint is I just don't like Harper Row and any story where she features prominently is automatically worse for her presence.

[Frontier]

I guess if I had to pick a favorite...Knightfall.

[K7P5V]

I guess if I had to pick a favorite...Knightfall.

Yeah! That's my attitude, as well. If I had to pick one, it would be...

Prodigal

[Frontier]

Does No Man's Land count as an event or a status quo?

[Timothy Hunter]

Knightfall was the unfortunate byproduct of a brief time in DC's history where they tried to emulate the art style of popular Marvel and Image comics at the time and coming off as hip and cool as a 1980s Alf comic. It's very good, but possibly the weakest of the Bat-events of the 90s.

I'll always have a soft spot for the early 2000's Batman comics. At the time reading it, I thought Bruce Wayne Fugitive was phenomenal. People rag on War Games for mostly justifiable reasons but Robin 129 might he one of the greatest comics tie ins ever put to paper. Overall Bill Willingham's Robin was really enjoyable.

Despite my unabashed love for the 00's Batman titles, I'd have to agree with the criticism of Batman perpetually being in a cycle of alienating his allies and realizing he needs them.
By the time the Omac Project occurs, it wouldn't have been too wild for Bruce just to hang up the cowl out of shame for the past 5 years.

Death of the Family sucked, and while I dug the hell out of the first six issues of the Court of Owls, the longer it ran, I more that I lost faith in Scott Snyder's Batman.

I wish the whole Bat-family line revolved around Morrison's Batman Incorporated at least until Damian died. It was such a fun status quo, and it's a shame it lasted so short.

[charliehustle415]

Does No Man's Land count as an event or a status quo?

I would count it as an "event" since it was only for a limited time.

This is my vote for the best Batman Event, none after ever caught the magic of this upheaval in Gotham and the Bat-Family really came into their own during this time.

[bob.schoonover]

NML and War Games, respectively, and I don't think either has a close runner up for second best or worst in my mind.

[LordMikel]

Batman / TMNT Vol 3 for one of the worst. That one was just terrible. It decided to go with a mesh storyline and it simply failed.

Batman / Predator was fantastic and deserves its accolades.

[Felipe Silveira]

I'll consider NML as a status, not an event. So for me the best is Bruce Wayne Fugitive.
The worst is already more difficult, War Games and all that came after, War Games was where events started to harm many other characters.

[exile001]

Best - No Man's Land, Knightfall/Quest/End

I would add the Rucka/Brubaker/Grayson era events as favourites but they work best in the overall narrative of that epic run. As separate entities they don't work as well.

Worst - Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, War Crimes, Joker War, Dark Knights Metal/Death Metal

Most forgettable (i.e. I found a list and forgot this even existed) - Gothtopia

[Frontier]

Does Court of Owls count as an event...

[godisawesome]

I'd say No Man's Land is the best in my eyes because it managed to become a status quo change overall, with several little "sagas" going on around it. Batman R.I.P. and Knightfall would be my joint #2 because both had a similar status quo change thing, but I just think No Man's Land felt more organic. Knightfall probably *does* have the best single-line narrative, while Batman R.I.P. has the best collection of stories... but something about the way NML successfully felt like a major status quo change the characters reacted to and came to live with before its end just feels so good. Plus, while Morrison's epic run overall is better than NML, what made it truly special for me was the spinoff books that the New 52 cancelled half-way through.

The War Games saga is also my nadir for crossovers as well; it just isn't good to have the only lasting effect be a bunch of stuff everyone hated, and it got overshadowed by two "mini-crossovers" afterwards that also showed some of its ideas could have been better handled if it weren't for the hostility the main story had for its characters and audience - Under the Red Hood had two or three tie-in stories elsewhere and quickly subsumed that entire era of Batman, and the Fresh Blood crossover between Robin and Batgirl was more decent of a followup than War Games deserved