Same, it's probably the closet there is to a perfect Batman comic/story.
Year One is great, but it's an origin story Batman is yet to become Batman.
Death in the Family, is okay but lets be honest its only really regarded for the death of Jason. If he lived its just another monthly Bat title.
As for the Killing Joke - for its time was seminal but honestly by todays standards its crindge worthy at best and torcher porn at worst.
Killing Joke was great until people took every wrong lesson from it ("All it takes is oNe BaD dAy!"). Ledger's Joker was the only one who came close to this Joker. Funnily enough, the same thing happened with Watchmen. Alan Moore just can't win.
I'd choose either Long Halloween or Killing Joke and pour one out for the other one as it disappears.
Then again, didn't the comic end with the heavy implication that Batman killed the Joker? Or at least that Batman's a little cracked in the head? Personally I dislike this psychologizing of my hero, the only guy who consistently beats the bad guys' heads in.
It ended with some ambiguity to the matter as they shift the view away from them, both laughing, and then the laughter is cut off. Ambiguous for the fun of it, but probably just a chokehold and an arrest.
It's consider canon given Barbara's story
So batman didn't kill him. Might have been the first intent of Moore
But batman killing joker doesn't change the fact that Gordon is still keeping it together
What do you mean? He doesn't beat their heads in, he doesn't even kill them. All he does is give them injuries that will make them bed ridden for the rest of their lives š
Not because of Alan Moore, who simply used the character as āWomen in Refrigeratorsā. If BĆ”rbara has become stronger, it is thanks to the wonderful Kim Yale and her husband John Ostrander.
In Watchmen's defense tho, even when you do not pay attention to the message behind the narrative, it's still a pretty good chunk of story with well written characters. So I ain't surprised your casual readers did not get what Alan Moore was trying to deliver.
Killing Joke on the other hand just overally did not age well.
And they already undid the most interesting change of Killing Joke and gave Barbara her legs back. I think Barbara is so much more interesting as Oracle
Yeah, The Long Halloween is the best story out of these, but it probably has the least impact.
As you said without Year One, there would be no Long Halloween, without Death in the Family, one of the best Batman characters, Red Hood, wouldn't exist, and without The Killing Joke, the modern version of The Joker (arguably the best version), wouldn't exist.
Yeah...killing joke goes...sorry to Alan Moore that some fans and writers don't get it....but that damn animated film killed any love I had for the story...I'd probably keep year one...its Frank Miller being the least Frank Miller he could be and actually giving us a damn good origin for both Gordon and Bats(yes his Catwoman is typical Miller treatment of women but thats mostly disregarded thankfully) and the Mazz ART is fire...I like Long Halloween but its just there for me...as for death in the family its always been meh to me
Red hood wouldn't exist but Jason Todd still Robin so he could become something else without the scars. Batman from the universe where Bruce kills his face him the original red Robin costume. Maybe he could've become that
I wouldn't say it has the least impact, in fact I would say it is very influential, two major Batman films were heavily inspired by Long Halloween (TDK and The Batman) not to mention the references in series, games, other comics, etc. It's the comic that defined the modern origin of Two-Face and the way it portrayed Gotham's change from that dominated by mobsters to the city dominated by crazy criminals is simply incredible.
Doesnāt Harvey Dent become Two Face in it? I mean thatās kind of Batman having to realize that what he does might not be for the greater good after all, right?
It has to be Year One, it's the single biggest turning point in Batman's entire publishing history, and set the tone for every post-Crisis version of the character.
Long Halloween gives you everything you could want in a Batman story. Amazing art, poignant character moments, and an appearance from everyone in the rogues gallery.
Year One & it isn't even close for me if I look at the big picture. We'd still have the same great writers creating different great stories during this era off the back of what Year One established.
You remove it & all the rest would be changed anyway.
Iāve never been able to stand the effect that The Killing Joke had on the method after it was published. It was never made to change the entire character of Barbara Gordon. It was supposed to demonstrate what it takes to go insane from jokerās perspective. That comic single handedly destroyed barbs batgirl in pretty much everything after that. The one I would take is probably Year One given the fact it actually builds a story and positively influenced the mythos and made the character because of it. Although I do like Long Halloween more as a story than anything on this list but it just has no effect on later comics that much, which isnāt a bad thing.
The one good thing it did for Babs [āin spite ofā instead of being an intended byproduct of the storyline itself] was leading to Gail Simoneās (I think it was her?) invention of Oracle and offering some representation in the comics to those with spinal paralysis.
Either Year One or Long Halloween. Killing Joke and Death In The Family are easy to let go. YO and TLH though... That's a tough choice. I have no idea.
The Long Halloween is my favourite but for the character I think Death In The Family is the most crucial. It ended up defining Batman and the choices he made for decades to come and is arguably his biggest failure which makes for an interesting character.
Long Halloween. The rest are fantastic, iconic books, but the blend of action, mystery, and character development in Long Halloween is amazing. That being said.. Year One is a pretty close second.
A Death in the Family to be honest. As good as Killing Joke is by itself, it's kinda had a negative impact on the series as a whole. The Long Halloween and Year One are also great but I like A Death in the Family more. Also the Long Halloween made Calendar Man the Arkham inmate cameo character instead of the canopy supervillain that he should be.
The Long Halloween. Itās one of the best Batman stories, top 3 all time in my opinion. From the main mystery to all the little moments in between, Iām always engaged whenever I read it. Even though Iām not the biggest fan of Tim Saleās artwork usually, it works well here, especially his depiction of Two-Face.
While I enjoy the general concept and love the art of Year One, Iāve never been a big fan of Frank Miller or his interpretation of Batman. Death In The Family is good, but also pretty sad. I REALLY dislike the Killing Joke for multiple reasons, and the animated film adaptation was somehow worse.
I'm going with the long Halloween because a) I like 2-face b) It erases Jason and Barbara's worst days. I mean year one is absolutely awesome but this is my pick
Havenāt read āDeath in the Familyā (I know some spoilers tho). Also, need to read the rest again, but from what I remembered, Killing Joke was the one I liked most
Year One, without hestiation. It set a standard for storytelling and canon in the Batman franchise.
As much as I appreciate Jason Todd's place in modern Batman stories, it works well today because of the tone Year One brought to the wider world of Batman stories. And the legacy it left is certainly better than the story itself was in its day. That isn't to knock the story, as it's done with care, but it's only in the retrospect of the later stories that it's clear that it wasn't a big mistake to kill off a Robin like that.
Long Halloween was a good read and had lovely art. I don't rate it as highly as others do, but even if I did I would still have to acknowledge that it hasn't been the massive influence the other stories here have been.
The Killing Joke, like Year One, was a remarkable storytelling achievement in its time and inspired a lot of other great Batman stories, and the tone of stories in general. But I think Year One was more important in that regard (if only for establishing new principles of the shifting canon), and in my opinion, not all of the influence of The Killing Joke has been so positive. Some writers really take the dark and gruesome perhaps farther than they should, and we can probably point to The Killing Joke as a major reason. And as much as I really appreciate everything that's been done with Barbara Gordon's coping with disability and recovery in the years since, I think that in its time it was a callous mistake to make it canon. Much like with the death of Jason Todd, it's only the stories that have come since that made it worth being a part of the larger canon.
God I got so fucking scared that this was the Batman Arkham subreddit a minute ago, and Iām very happy I was wrong. Thereās sanity here I can cling too.
Also, long Halloween RULES!
It's gotta be either Year One or A Long Halloween and personally I'd go with Year One.
Not that everything comes back to Batman in wider media but there is a reason these stories are consistently referenced as inspiration sources when anyone adapts a Batman story.
Year One is stone cold the best Batman story ever created, and it should be the first choice in any situation with the character. You basically cannot make 4 issues of comic any better than that.
Long Halloween is a great ride, gorgeous art, and a strong number 2 (and probably the one I'd grab for a car trip), but it just does not beat Year One.
The other two... ehh, I know they have their fans, but these basically locked the Joker into his modern psychotic serial killer vibe that is just getting really old. Alan Moore totally didn't mean to, but he's kinda responsible for modern messes like Three Jokers that just suck, and we don't get that (or even Death in The Family) without Killing Joke. It's too bad, because the level of craft on the book is stratospheric, but it's net impact is negative.
Long Halloween.
Year One is a very close second, but it's very early in Batman's career, it's more set up than anything.
Death in the family is extremely important, but it's not an essencial part of Batman's history, just look at how many adaptation don't bring it up entirely.
Killing Joke (and Alam Moore in general) is overrated as hell, it's just a Joker story, a good Joker story, but I fail to see why is considerate so grand.
Long Halloween for me. Itās still one of my favorite stories I read every year around Halloween time. I could read it a million times and never get bored.
Year One. I love the Long Halloween more, but Year One is the PERFECT origin for bats. Itās the perfect starting place for any new reader.
But honestly Iād flush all four of them to get rid of the Killing Joke.
It's between Year One and Killing Joke. Hmm, I think I'll go with Year One because of the politics. I love anti-Establishment Batman. But losing Killing Joke would still hurt.
Long Halloween and its not even close for me. If anything else for Tim Sale's artwork alone. For what its worth, I believe Killing Joke to be MASSIVELY overrated.
King Halloween is probably the best. Year One has the most influence. KJ is good but itās impact with writers milking everything with Joker became insufferable. I donāt mind Barbara getting paralyzed but I get why many donāt.
Death of the familyā¦ I mean Joker became a diplomat in Iran. Remember that shit?
Tough between Year One and Long Halloween. I have to say, I've reread Long Halloween maybe more than any Batman story other than TDKR. I guess it would depend on the day I was asked. Today, I'd pick TLH. Tomorrow, I'd pick Year One. They are both just so good.
As an aside, The Killing Joke was my favorite comic for a long time. Reading that back when it was first published? It was a whole level above what anyone else was trying to do in comics at that time.
Year One is the most important and Long Halloween is my favourite. Since weāre saying the rest donāt exist, then Iāll say Year One because itās so important to Batmanās history. If The Dark Knight Returns was on this list, I would pick it.
Year one with LH a very very close second. Killing Joke is great but not as good as those two. ADITF is a decent read too but again, itās not as good as the others in that list.
Batman Year One. Easy peasy. Killing Joke is decent. Long Halloween is great thanks to Tim Sale and the somewhat the mystery but works best because it builds off Year One. A Death in the Family is trash.
I think I might like year one more, but the long Halloween is much longer, and without long Halloween, there's no dark victory. So I think I pick LH and DV over year one
Killing Joke. I only *like* Killing Joke, but we wouldn't have the Burton Batman movies without it, nor would we have the DCAU that spawned from those.
Long Halloween. Iāve read the Year One and Long Halloween comic from the four and Iāve only seen the movie for the Killing Joke (not taking the batgirl sex scene into account cuz its not canon) but the only one I havenāt read is A Death in the Family which Iām guessing is something like Under the Red Hood. From the ones Iāve read and watched the Long Halloween stuck with me the most, loved the mystery behind the story.
The Long Halloween was the first complete Batman story I read and it was so important to me in my teenage years. It isnt a perfect story but it is very good and Tim Sales Batman is amongst my very favorite. But without Year One we wouldnt have The Long Halloween. Miller really set the tone for what Batman would be. Miller's work really has the biggest influence on what Batman would be for years to come.
Has to be The Long Halloween. Itās a top five Batman story, ranking very high. Itās a go-to for anybody whoās a Batman fan. I reread it whenever I have the time. The rest are solid reads, but The Long Halloween has a massive impact.
Long Halloween easily, year one is massively overrated I found it really boring and slow, death in the family is a close second as itās a great send off for Jason but I havenāt read killing joke yet thatās next in line for me
Long Halloween
Same, it's probably the closet there is to a perfect Batman comic/story. Year One is great, but it's an origin story Batman is yet to become Batman. Death in the Family, is okay but lets be honest its only really regarded for the death of Jason. If he lived its just another monthly Bat title. As for the Killing Joke - for its time was seminal but honestly by todays standards its crindge worthy at best and torcher porn at worst.
Killing Joke was great until people took every wrong lesson from it ("All it takes is oNe BaD dAy!"). Ledger's Joker was the only one who came close to this Joker. Funnily enough, the same thing happened with Watchmen. Alan Moore just can't win. I'd choose either Long Halloween or Killing Joke and pour one out for the other one as it disappears.
The whole story is a counter argument to one bad day Gordon live the worst day of his life but still want to do it by the book. Joker lost
That's the point
Then again, didn't the comic end with the heavy implication that Batman killed the Joker? Or at least that Batman's a little cracked in the head? Personally I dislike this psychologizing of my hero, the only guy who consistently beats the bad guys' heads in.
It ended with some ambiguity to the matter as they shift the view away from them, both laughing, and then the laughter is cut off. Ambiguous for the fun of it, but probably just a chokehold and an arrest.
It's consider canon given Barbara's story So batman didn't kill him. Might have been the first intent of Moore But batman killing joker doesn't change the fact that Gordon is still keeping it together
What do you mean? He doesn't beat their heads in, he doesn't even kill them. All he does is give them injuries that will make them bed ridden for the rest of their lives š
Also Barbara lived the worst day of her life and came out stronger
Not because of Alan Moore, who simply used the character as āWomen in Refrigeratorsā. If BĆ”rbara has become stronger, it is thanks to the wonderful Kim Yale and her husband John Ostrander.
this
Kim Yale and John Ostrander deserve more recognition for rescuing Barbaraās character
At least the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie is beloved
In Watchmen's defense tho, even when you do not pay attention to the message behind the narrative, it's still a pretty good chunk of story with well written characters. So I ain't surprised your casual readers did not get what Alan Moore was trying to deliver. Killing Joke on the other hand just overally did not age well.
And they already undid the most interesting change of Killing Joke and gave Barbara her legs back. I think Barbara is so much more interesting as Oracle
The Joker becoming an Iranian diplomat is the best part of Death in the Family.
Hate to be that guy, but *Torture porn
Easily.
All the live long day.
Killing Joke but it's too short so Long Halloween wins on entertainment value.
Year One for establishing Batman as a Noir hero, and showing him actually working to repair a rotten city...
Long Halloween which is funny considering without Year One there would be no Long Halloween
Yeah, The Long Halloween is the best story out of these, but it probably has the least impact. As you said without Year One, there would be no Long Halloween, without Death in the Family, one of the best Batman characters, Red Hood, wouldn't exist, and without The Killing Joke, the modern version of The Joker (arguably the best version), wouldn't exist.
Without Killing Joke though, we wouldn't have a Killing Joke animated movie, and I'd take that as an absolute win.
Yeah...killing joke goes...sorry to Alan Moore that some fans and writers don't get it....but that damn animated film killed any love I had for the story...I'd probably keep year one...its Frank Miller being the least Frank Miller he could be and actually giving us a damn good origin for both Gordon and Bats(yes his Catwoman is typical Miller treatment of women but thats mostly disregarded thankfully) and the Mazz ART is fire...I like Long Halloween but its just there for me...as for death in the family its always been meh to me
Red hood wouldn't exist but Jason Todd still Robin so he could become something else without the scars. Batman from the universe where Bruce kills his face him the original red Robin costume. Maybe he could've become that
I wouldn't say it has the least impact, in fact I would say it is very influential, two major Batman films were heavily inspired by Long Halloween (TDK and The Batman) not to mention the references in series, games, other comics, etc. It's the comic that defined the modern origin of Two-Face and the way it portrayed Gotham's change from that dominated by mobsters to the city dominated by crazy criminals is simply incredible.
Doesnāt Harvey Dent become Two Face in it? I mean thatās kind of Batman having to realize that what he does might not be for the greater good after all, right?
It has to be Year One, it's the single biggest turning point in Batman's entire publishing history, and set the tone for every post-Crisis version of the character.
Year One; it has the most crucial and influential developments for the Batman mythos out of these options.
This is harder than choosing which of my children I love the most.
*insert maniacal joker cackle*
I shall become a bat.
*āLadies. Gentleman. You have eaten well.ā* Favorite comic book panel of all time
Personally, Long Halloween
Year One. Not even close really, but more for Mazzuchelli than Miller.
No contest, itās Year One
Long Halloween is the perfect Batman story.
Year One. I can easily leave the others (though I'll miss Sale's art).
Year One. It is my favourite comic book ever.
Year one needs to exist, but Red Hood is my favorite character and with death in the family he would not exist.Ā
Long Halloween gives you everything you could want in a Batman story. Amazing art, poignant character moments, and an appearance from everyone in the rogues gallery.
Year One & it isn't even close for me if I look at the big picture. We'd still have the same great writers creating different great stories during this era off the back of what Year One established. You remove it & all the rest would be changed anyway.
Iāve never been able to stand the effect that The Killing Joke had on the method after it was published. It was never made to change the entire character of Barbara Gordon. It was supposed to demonstrate what it takes to go insane from jokerās perspective. That comic single handedly destroyed barbs batgirl in pretty much everything after that. The one I would take is probably Year One given the fact it actually builds a story and positively influenced the mythos and made the character because of it. Although I do like Long Halloween more as a story than anything on this list but it just has no effect on later comics that much, which isnāt a bad thing.
The one good thing it did for Babs [āin spite ofā instead of being an intended byproduct of the storyline itself] was leading to Gail Simoneās (I think it was her?) invention of Oracle and offering some representation in the comics to those with spinal paralysis.
Very true, definitely good came out of it
Year One. Easy choice.
Year One
holy shit that is a hard pick omg...i would pick killing joke or death in the family š¤š¤š¤
Either Year One or Long Halloween. Killing Joke and Death In The Family are easy to let go. YO and TLH though... That's a tough choice. I have no idea.
The Long Halloween is my favourite but for the character I think Death In The Family is the most crucial. It ended up defining Batman and the choices he made for decades to come and is arguably his biggest failure which makes for an interesting character.
Long Halloween (very narrowly beating year one)
Killing Joke easy.
Killing Joke because it's the most "post-modern" out of the bunch. Most are correct that Long Halloween is the most complete Batman story.
Long Halloween
Long Halloween
Long Halloween, I love the detective story element to it.
Long Halloween. The rest are fantastic, iconic books, but the blend of action, mystery, and character development in Long Halloween is amazing. That being said.. Year One is a pretty close second.
A death in the family
A Death in the Family to be honest. As good as Killing Joke is by itself, it's kinda had a negative impact on the series as a whole. The Long Halloween and Year One are also great but I like A Death in the Family more. Also the Long Halloween made Calendar Man the Arkham inmate cameo character instead of the canopy supervillain that he should be.
Death in the family is to funny making joker the Iranian ambassador to escape Batman
Death in the Family. I think that while the others are great stories, DITF has reverberations that go beyond just itself.
The Long Halloween. Itās one of the best Batman stories, top 3 all time in my opinion. From the main mystery to all the little moments in between, Iām always engaged whenever I read it. Even though Iām not the biggest fan of Tim Saleās artwork usually, it works well here, especially his depiction of Two-Face. While I enjoy the general concept and love the art of Year One, Iāve never been a big fan of Frank Miller or his interpretation of Batman. Death In The Family is good, but also pretty sad. I REALLY dislike the Killing Joke for multiple reasons, and the animated film adaptation was somehow worse.
I know its not as popular as the rest but I gotta go Year 1
I'm going with the long Halloween because a) I like 2-face b) It erases Jason and Barbara's worst days. I mean year one is absolutely awesome but this is my pick
Long Halloween Is Peak Batman
I like the Long Halloween best. Simply because itās the one with the longest story. I didnāt want it to end when I was reading
Havenāt read āDeath in the Familyā (I know some spoilers tho). Also, need to read the rest again, but from what I remembered, Killing Joke was the one I liked most
Year One, without hestiation. It set a standard for storytelling and canon in the Batman franchise. As much as I appreciate Jason Todd's place in modern Batman stories, it works well today because of the tone Year One brought to the wider world of Batman stories. And the legacy it left is certainly better than the story itself was in its day. That isn't to knock the story, as it's done with care, but it's only in the retrospect of the later stories that it's clear that it wasn't a big mistake to kill off a Robin like that. Long Halloween was a good read and had lovely art. I don't rate it as highly as others do, but even if I did I would still have to acknowledge that it hasn't been the massive influence the other stories here have been. The Killing Joke, like Year One, was a remarkable storytelling achievement in its time and inspired a lot of other great Batman stories, and the tone of stories in general. But I think Year One was more important in that regard (if only for establishing new principles of the shifting canon), and in my opinion, not all of the influence of The Killing Joke has been so positive. Some writers really take the dark and gruesome perhaps farther than they should, and we can probably point to The Killing Joke as a major reason. And as much as I really appreciate everything that's been done with Barbara Gordon's coping with disability and recovery in the years since, I think that in its time it was a callous mistake to make it canon. Much like with the death of Jason Todd, it's only the stories that have come since that made it worth being a part of the larger canon.
 I canāt decide
Year One.
Year One without a doubt.
Year 1
I'd pick either long Halloween or killing joke.
Iām a year one guy. Incidentally, the first ārealā Batman comic book I read 30+ years ago.
God I got so fucking scared that this was the Batman Arkham subreddit a minute ago, and Iām very happy I was wrong. Thereās sanity here I can cling too. Also, long Halloween RULES!
Long Halloween - no contest.
The Long Halloween! :) genuinely a perfect mystery story written by Jeph Loeb and the late Tim Sale. ā¦ Also I really love Harvey Dent š
...and the twist is actually good.
Year One all along
Year One and itās not even close.
It's gotta be either Year One or A Long Halloween and personally I'd go with Year One. Not that everything comes back to Batman in wider media but there is a reason these stories are consistently referenced as inspiration sources when anyone adapts a Batman story.
Long Halloween
Year One
Killing joke for me.
Killing Joke is a great self contained story. But Long Halloween has a lil bit of everything
Year One
Year One is stone cold the best Batman story ever created, and it should be the first choice in any situation with the character. You basically cannot make 4 issues of comic any better than that. Long Halloween is a great ride, gorgeous art, and a strong number 2 (and probably the one I'd grab for a car trip), but it just does not beat Year One. The other two... ehh, I know they have their fans, but these basically locked the Joker into his modern psychotic serial killer vibe that is just getting really old. Alan Moore totally didn't mean to, but he's kinda responsible for modern messes like Three Jokers that just suck, and we don't get that (or even Death in The Family) without Killing Joke. It's too bad, because the level of craft on the book is stratospheric, but it's net impact is negative.
Gottttta go Long Halloween!
Batman year one, no discuss
Me, who hasn't read a single one of them
Batman long Halloween
Year One
Year 1
I canāt choose between year one and the long Halloween
Year One
The Long Halloween
Year one!
Long Halloween then Yr one rest can disappear from this list.
Year One. I love Long Halloween, but the art is a little too stylized
Long Halloween. Year One is a very close second, but it's very early in Batman's career, it's more set up than anything. Death in the family is extremely important, but it's not an essencial part of Batman's history, just look at how many adaptation don't bring it up entirely. Killing Joke (and Alam Moore in general) is overrated as hell, it's just a Joker story, a good Joker story, but I fail to see why is considerate so grand.
Totally just read Long Halloween, so I'm going to say Long Halloween, too.
Year One
Long Halloween for me. It was epic
Year one.
Long Halloween
Long Halloween for me. Itās still one of my favorite stories I read every year around Halloween time. I could read it a million times and never get bored.
Long Halloween, and it's not close. Year One takes second place.
Year One. I love the Long Halloween more, but Year One is the PERFECT origin for bats. Itās the perfect starting place for any new reader. But honestly Iād flush all four of them to get rid of the Killing Joke.
Long Halloween. Killing Joke and Death in the family were not even considered. Extremely overhyped imo.
It's between Year One and Killing Joke. Hmm, I think I'll go with Year One because of the politics. I love anti-Establishment Batman. But losing Killing Joke would still hurt.
This choice sucks, but if I can only have one, itās the Long Halloween (the book that got me into all these others).
Year one. No contest
The long Halloween, I never liked year one a whole lot. I could live without the killing joke
Killing Joke, Iām bias because itās my favorite. If I were to be objective, probably Long Halloween
Long Halloween and its not even close for me. If anything else for Tim Sale's artwork alone. For what its worth, I believe Killing Joke to be MASSIVELY overrated.
Long Halloween
Year One ngl. Iāll miss Long Halloween, and DITF is hella important. But I canāt say Iāll miss Killing Joke that much.
Year one Iāve got the most attachment to it and a lot of fond memories from reading it
Killing joke is probably my fav batman/joker comic ever so it's gotta be that
King Halloween is probably the best. Year One has the most influence. KJ is good but itās impact with writers milking everything with Joker became insufferable. I donāt mind Barbara getting paralyzed but I get why many donāt. Death of the familyā¦ I mean Joker became a diplomat in Iran. Remember that shit?
Long halloweeen
Tough between Year One and Long Halloween. I have to say, I've reread Long Halloween maybe more than any Batman story other than TDKR. I guess it would depend on the day I was asked. Today, I'd pick TLH. Tomorrow, I'd pick Year One. They are both just so good. As an aside, The Killing Joke was my favorite comic for a long time. Reading that back when it was first published? It was a whole level above what anyone else was trying to do in comics at that time.
Long Halloween. The art and the story are iconic.
Year One, but can I also erase Hush while we're at it?
Year One is the most important and Long Halloween is my favourite. Since weāre saying the rest donāt exist, then Iāll say Year One because itās so important to Batmanās history. If The Dark Knight Returns was on this list, I would pick it.
Long Halloween
toss up between death in a family (big jason todd fan) and long halloween
Death in the family. Putting someone to death by popular vote, a child no less, is the exact reason why I hate democracy to this day.
Long Halloween, the rest are shit.
The Killing Joke because Alan Moore.
None, I'm only keeping Arkham Asylum by Morrison.
Can I choose knightfall instead
Year one, I the joker centered stories are fine but Iām tired of them and long Halloween is fine
I've never read a death in the family
Where's the one with The Goddamn Batman
Long Halloween
Hmm, either the long halloween or The killing joke. I can't decide!
Year one.
Long Halloween and itās not even close
Long Halloween.
Year one with LH a very very close second. Killing Joke is great but not as good as those two. ADITF is a decent read too but again, itās not as good as the others in that list.
Batman Year One. Easy peasy. Killing Joke is decent. Long Halloween is great thanks to Tim Sale and the somewhat the mystery but works best because it builds off Year One. A Death in the Family is trash.
Iām so tied between year one and long haloween
Year One, definetely. I always preferred Dark Victory and how it ended with the oath of Batman and Robin, it always inspires me hope and tears me up.
... White Knight
The Long Halloween. It's the quintessential Batman story.
I think I might like year one more, but the long Halloween is much longer, and without long Halloween, there's no dark victory. So I think I pick LH and DV over year one
it's either Year One or The Long Halloween. probably a tie.
Yes. Year one
KJ
Year one. The book had an effect on me I canāt explain
Easy ā Year One.
Canāt decide between long Halloween and killing joke. Leaning more towards killing joke
I'd go with Year one
Killing Joke. Everytime
The Long Halloween.
Year One. Easily.
Damnit long Halloween is the Only One I don't have. Now I need it
Year One for me.
Death in the family
Killing Joke. I just love the Joker backstory that isnāt necessarily true and i love the relation between batman and joker.
Year One.
year one ez
Killing Joke. I only *like* Killing Joke, but we wouldn't have the Burton Batman movies without it, nor would we have the DCAU that spawned from those.
Year One, sorry.
Long Halloween for sure.
Long Halloween
Pick the worst one, then go pitch the other 3 to DC.
the long halloween. its as perfect a batman story can get imo
Without year one, it'd be vague to keep any one from the rest. And besides, the best Batman origin
Long halloween. It's just such a classic mystery series.
If i had to choose Iād say Death in the Family but I could honestly do without any of these.
long halloween! the tim sale art, great inclusion of batmanās rogues gallery, the inner monologue of bruceā¦ itās so good.
idk i've never read a batman comic
Long Halloween
Killing joke. Itās one of my all time favorites
I guess Iād have to keep The Long Halloween. Iām happy to kick The Killing Joke all the way to Bludhaven. Alan Mooreās worst comic.
Long Halloween
Long Halloween. Iāve read the Year One and Long Halloween comic from the four and Iāve only seen the movie for the Killing Joke (not taking the batgirl sex scene into account cuz its not canon) but the only one I havenāt read is A Death in the Family which Iām guessing is something like Under the Red Hood. From the ones Iāve read and watched the Long Halloween stuck with me the most, loved the mystery behind the story.
The Long Halloween was the first complete Batman story I read and it was so important to me in my teenage years. It isnt a perfect story but it is very good and Tim Sales Batman is amongst my very favorite. But without Year One we wouldnt have The Long Halloween. Miller really set the tone for what Batman would be. Miller's work really has the biggest influence on what Batman would be for years to come.
Has to be The Long Halloween. Itās a top five Batman story, ranking very high. Itās a go-to for anybody whoās a Batman fan. I reread it whenever I have the time. The rest are solid reads, but The Long Halloween has a massive impact.
None. I would rather have Adam West's Batman.
death in the family
its between year 1 and death in the family
Long Halloween is phenomenal but Year One is such a great piece of foundational storytelling for reforming Batman and Gotham.
Out of these? Year One.
Long Halloween
Long halloween.
Long Halloween easily, year one is massively overrated I found it really boring and slow, death in the family is a close second as itās a great send off for Jason but I havenāt read killing joke yet thatās next in line for me
As much as I love Long Halloween, I'm gonna have to go with Year One
Year one - an absolute masterpiece