From the villains perspective

[MDR123]

If there is already a thread like this, please provide a link because I haven't stumbled across it yet. If not, let's get to it!

Trying to help a buddy out who is brand new to comics in general but is a big Joker fan. Works in a field where he analyzes people and the psychology of why things are done. So I send this out to you all, please suggest any and all top notch Batman stories as told from the villains perspective (not limiting yourselves to just Joker here, let's go full rouges). Thanks in advance.

[Pohzee]

Joker by Brian Azzerello

Penguin: Pride and Predjudice

Heart of Hush and Streets of Gotham by Paul Dini

Mad Love by Paul Dini

Batman Vol. 1 Annual #11 by Alan Moore (Collected in DCU By Alan Moore, which I recommend)

And while it is not told from the perspective of a villain, I would recommend Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth for a look into the psychology of Batman and his villains.

[Assam]

Batgirl Vol. 1 #11

[LordMikel]

Arkham Asylum: Living Hell.

There was also a series of one shots focusing on Villains. These might have been collected in a trade.

[MDR123]

Thanks so far everyone. Definitely already gave him Arkham : A Serious House. I have to check on the others.

Mikel - are you referring to maybe the Gotham Underground mini?

[LordMikel]

no, it was when Forever Evil came out, hologram covers, etc. Poison Ivy, Ventriliquist, Joker's Daughter, and a slew of others.

[Confuzzled]

Three best Poison Ivy POV stories in my opinion:

Batman/Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows by Ann Nocenti

Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death TPB by Amy Chu

Batman: Poison Ivy one-shot by John Francis Moore

[darkseidpwns]

Batman 662, the Clown at Midnight
Vengeance of Bane 1 and 2
Bane of the Demon
Birth of the Demon
Batman Annual 26 (I think) it was a Ra's story.
Batman Going Sane
Bane Conquest
Harley has had her own books
Deadshot v1 and v2 as well as Most Wanted
Gotham City Sirens

The upcoming White Knight by Murphy.

[kcomics]

Well, since your friend is a Joker fan already, he's probably already read Killing Joke. I would recommend it, though, maybe not as a villain's perspective story, though, just because the Joker is sort of an unreliable narrator. I think that's a big part of the Joker character, though, he isn't in touch with reality, so what we see as bloody and gory and scary, he just sees as interesting and funny. Joker is kind of an Adam West super villain too, in spite of all of the carnage, because at the heart of it, he's just a failed comedian trying to get people to laugh at life--the biggest joke of all to him. The interesting thing about this character, though, is that his jokes are genuinely funny.

[MDR123]

kcomics - He definitely has read the Killing Joke, think that may have been the first suggestion I had for him.

dark and con - thanks for adding to the list!

Let's keep it going!

[geoffpayne1992]

Try Joker's Asylum, 4 or 5 one shots about the more famous Batman villains

[batnbreakfast]

For me it doesn't get more close and personal than GOTHAM CENTRAL OMNIBUS. Almost down to earth cop tales, a few villains show up but I won't recommend *spoiling* them.

Also Arkham Asylum by Dan Slott, Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison and Secret Six by Gail Simone (quite a few Batrogues show up but its a more of a DC universe series). Suicide Squad by Ostrander because of many Batrogues, too.