LeBron Is Over Basketball And Onto Batman Comic Books (And James Gunn Is Gonna Help Kickstart His Collection)
I know we're not all the biggest LeBron fans here at Barstool, and I don't particularly like the guy myself, but if he's in the market for some Batman comic recommendations - I'm willing to help out. Even if he never makes it past the first page.
I love Batman comics, and grew up loving them so much that I pretty much never even ventured out into buying any other heroes' stories. It wasn't til after I graduated high school that I started to expand my horizons beyond Batman and Batman-adjacent books (and I'm very glad I did, turns out Marvel knew what they were doing too!), but I've still got a lot of Batman expertise to share. So here's the books I'd send LeBron if I were James Gunn, to re-introduce him to comics....
Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
Widely considered the best Batman origin story that comic books have to offer. It feels dark, moody, mature, smart, and Batman to its core. This would be a perfect starting point for anybody.
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, and Lynn Varley
Frank Miller wrote the best Batman beginning, and he also wrote the best Batman ending (if we pretend the sequels to this book don't exist!)
The Dark Knight Returns features an old, hardened Bruce Wayne at the end of his life, going on one last run as the Caped Crusader - with The Joker, Superman, Catwoman, a strange Mutant gang, and Carrie Kelly; a new Robin, all dropping in - and it's fucking awesome. Even Ronald Reagan makes an appearence!
The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
The Killing Joke was MY introduction to comic books, and still the book I've re-read the most. It's a fascinating trip through The Joker's past before he became the Clown Prince of Crime, and the shortest entry to my list by far - so it's the least intimidating read on here. How intimidating can a picture book with dudes in tights be, anyway, though?
Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
If you're into true crime mysteries and the "World's Greatest Detective" side of Batman, this is the book for you. They pulled a lot of inspiration from this for 'The Batman' and 'The Penguin' - and this might just be the best Batman "in his prime" story ever written. It features a serial killer committing murders on each month's holiday, and Batman's investigation leads him to encounter a lot of his most famous villains on his way to serving justice. Couldn't recommend this more.
Batman: HUSH by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee and Scott Williams
Here's another great detective story from Jeph Loeb - but this time illustrated by Jim Lee, my favorite comic book artist of all time….
HUSH dives into Bruce Wayne's childhood and brings those memories back into his life in a very mysterious manor, and again - a lot of familiar faces appear. There's also a pretty badass fight between Batman and a Poison Ivy controlled Superman in this one, and little known fact: my Batman tattoo is actually from this book as well….
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
Batman trapped in the insane asylum with the inmates, featuring the scariest artwork I've ever seen. It's kinda abstract at points, but a straight up horror show and a vibe that no other comic contains. Creeeeepy creepy stuff - perfect for Halloween.
Batman & Robin by Grant Morrison (and various artists)
Speaking of Grant Morrison, his 'Batman & Robin' run - where Dick Grayson takes over as Batman and Bruce Wayne's murderous ninja son Damian is his Robin - is one of the best Batman runs of the past twenty years. It's a totally new take on the Dynamic Duo and works better than you could imagine. You're never even missing Bruce - who was ALLEGEDLY killed by Darkseid before the events of this series. Spoilers, tho: he ain't actually dead.
I think 'A Death In The Family' (where The Joker kills Jason Todd's Robin) and 'Knightfall' (where Bane breaks Batman's back) would be my honorable mentions JUUUST on the edge for me, but I'd tackle all of the above first personally, and then move onto the other stuff. Maybe even 'Court of Owls' would make the next batch. Anyway - enjoy LeBron. I know you're reading.
P.S. The Penguin is still the best show on television - five for five in amazing episodes. If you're not watching yet, you've got a hell of a binge in front of you….