#1: The Killing Joke
One of the best pieces of work that was written on Batman, it has since become a classic in the Batman reading, along with Frank Miller's the Dark Knight Returns and Strike again. It is the perfect book to show the relationship between the Batman and the Joker and expands upon the latter character's possible history. Â
#2: Knightfall
A fantastically brutal arc that featured the breaking of the bat.
#3: Hush
Another mystery story that focuses on Batman's detective side. Features a lot of Batman related characters and it has stunning art by Jim Lee.
#4: A Court Of Owls
Everything about this arc is fantastic from the writing to the paneling and the revelations and the covers! I cannot wait for "Night of Owls".
#5: The Black Mirror
The tale of the Gordon's, and how the deal with the return of James Jr. is paramount to the story, and will leave the reader fully empathizing with the emotional impact it has.
#6: Batman: Year One
Perfectly explanatory why this should be among the top one hundred, for it was a reboot of the Dark Knight mythos following the Crisis on Infinite Earths. New beginnings lead to new interpretations, and it's from this issue where we get almost everything we take for granted with the Batman of today.
#7: The Dark Knight Returns
Redefined the entire Superhero and Comics genre Along with watchmen.
#8: Batman R.I.P
One of the stories that shows Batman's will and foresight after he is pushed to his mental and physical limits. Also introduces us to Dr. Hurt.
#9: Under the Hood
The emotionally powerful return of Jason Todd (alright, just disregard the whole punching dimensions part). Todd is back and his fate at the hands of a cruel Joker with a crowbar has left him an emotional wreck. He's looking to clean up Gotham in his own style, but in the meantime, it never hurts to get a little revenge, right? A must read for anyone even remotely interested in the second Robin, Jason Todd.
#10: Batman the Long Halloween
Takes place during the early days of Batman's crime fighting career. It's a good mystery story that shows Batman's detective skills and his relationships with Harvey Dent and Gordon.
#11: No Man's Land
Gotham city has gone through a wave of disease, a hundred days without a Batman, police starting gang wars, a new Batgirl, and complete isolation from the United States. And what does he do? She keeps on going.
#12: Flashpoint: Batman Knight of Vengeance
Thomas Wayne ends up assuming the mantle of Batman and other famous rogues also appear making it seem as though in any reality, Batman must exist. Seeing Thomas Wayne in action as Batman is incredibly thrilling. Watching Thomas and Martha deal with the grief over the death of their beloved son is heartbreaking. Seeing the emergence of Joker is shocking and reading the final pages literally brought tears to my eyes! This is absolutely one of the best and most interesting Batman stories ever told!
#13: Batgirl Year One
Once again, a story that introduced me to a character immediately makes me aware of what that character stood for as well as what the writer was trying to get across. A light-hearted and fun story of a young girl destined for something more. This is a beautiful story and the art is wonderful as well.
#14: A Death in the Family
This story arc completely turned the world of comics on its head. As we all know, though not entirely popular at the time, given the void left behind by Dick Grayson, the fate of Jason Todd would be left to the readers in a poll conducted like any other, resulting in the death of the second Robin at the hands of Batman's arch-nemesis.
#15: Batman: Arkham Asylum
The prisoners of Arkham Asylum have taken over Gotham's mental illness detention center on April Fool's day and demand Batman for the exchange of the prisoners.
