They've done
75 Greatest Batman Covers, then the
75 Greatest Batman Friends and Foes, just wrapped up the
75 Greatest Batman Writers and Artists, and now its time to vote for the
75 Greatest Batman Stories. I had to think about it, but I came up with a 10 I was happy with.
1. Mad Love
2. The Dark Knight Returns
3. Year One
4. The Club of Heroes (Batman #667-669)
5. Batman and Robin Must Die!
6. Batman Incorporated - Leviathan
7. Strange Apparitions
8. Eye of the Beholder (Batman Annual #14)
9. To Kill a Legend (Detective Comics #400)
10. The Player on the Other Side (Batman Special #1)
gaaahhh, I probably have read over a thousand batman comics, picking a top ten is so hard!
edit: I have stories that had a big impact on me, and then there are stories that are objectively well written and good. Plus nailing down issue numbers is tricky...
Okay, let's make a pass at this. No particular order at first:
Year One - got to have it, right? Art and writing both hold up next to anything made today.
Batman and Robin 1st arc - potato-faced Batman is best Batman
Snow - Seth Fisher, nuff said
No Man's Land - can I even have this? It's so big and unweildy. If it's too big then the first arc would do it.
Contagion - my first Bat-crossover in real time. Excellent story, has some decent artists and a big concept.
Batman Year 100 - if nothing else than for the first issue alone, it's perfection.
Knightquest: The Crusade - yeah you heard me. The MIDDLE. AzBats losing his shit. Mostly because this chunk was a legendary run that I had to track down over years, but it's hugely important to me.
Detective Comics #567, the Night of Thanks but No Thanks - I read this as a kid and it just stuck with me. Silly, sweet, not the kind of bat-tale we get any more.
The Black Glove - it's just perfect. Art, story, got one of the best FUCK YEAH BATMAN moments ever.
Legends of the Dark Knight: Spooks - nobody talks about this one but it was just a great whodunnit spooky Batman story, a lot like the Club of Heroes arc. Fantastic art, genuinely creepy at times, has remained strong in my heart ever since.