"Start the Batman" - Where to start as a newbie to Batman?

Silhouette Man

I've been thinkng of delving into the Batman phenomenon - I've recently purchased the book The Golden Age of DC Comics as a starting point. I'm interested in the origins of Batman in the early DC comics - are these presented anywhere in new printings at all or are all of his adventures available today new stories? (It seems that way from the perusal of book shops). I'm thoinkng of buying The Killing Joke on the origins of The Joker, as well as other titles. I'm also particularly interested in Mr Freeze as a villain. I also have the Christian Bale Batman films on DVD - yet to watch them.

I'd love to hear some recommendations from die-hard Batman fans on where to start for a newcomer to the world of the Dark Knight.

P.S. Go easy on me - I'm new to Batman - very new.

Napoleon Plural

There's an all-night Batman marathon at London's Prince Charles cinema coming up I believe, more for devotees than those embarking on a journey mind.

Silhouette Man

Napoleon Plural wrote:

There's an all-night Batman marathon at London's Prince Charles cinema coming up I believe, more for devotees than those embarking on a journey mind.

Oh, thanks Nap. Sounds very interesting.

James Bill

You're gonna want to read Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns at some point. Maybe not as a starting point, because it's kind of a "science-fictiony" Batman where Bruce Wayne is 60 years old, but it's a seminal work in the whole Batman mythos. I credit that comic as being the turning point between the campy pre-'80s Batman and the darker Batman that we've known since the late '80s.
Don't read the sequel, though. It's crap.

Silhouette Man

James Bill wrote:

You're gonna want to read Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns at some point. Maybe not as a starting point, because it's kind of a "science-fictiony" Batman where Bruce Wayne is 60 years old, but it's a seminal work in the whole Batman mythos. I credit that comic as being the turning point between the campy pre-'80s Batman and the darker Batman that we've known since the late '80s.
Don't read the sequel, though. It's crap.

Thank you, James. I think I will buy some Batman stuff tomorrow. There's a great new book out that just looks at The Joker at the minute, the first book wholly dedicated to a DC Comics villain.

LoGabrielle

Watch the Christian Bale movies. They're the best; there's loads of action, class gadgets and cars and no cringey "crash" "bam" "pows" ) But I'm not a diehard fan

Youknowthename

I agree with LoGabrielle; the Batman films didn't do anything for me until Bale came along. His three films are the best by far, i.m.o.

TonyDP

Unfortunately, Nolan's Batman films, though entertaining and well made, play loose and fast with many of the archetypes of the comics on which they are based. The Dark Knight Rises in particular was especially disappointing to me as it completely turned established characters, mythos and relationships on their ear and actually had very little to do with the Batman I grew up reading.

In terms of where to begin for the Batman neophyte, if you're curious about the comics, I'd suggest trying finding a copy of "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" (you can find it on Amazon.com and probably Ebay as well). It is a compilation book of some of Batman's most memorable comics adventures from his debut in 1939 thru the comic's rebirth in the 1970s and early 1980s. That will give you a nice flavor for the varying tone of the stories throughout the decades. The book also has a nice foreword which serves as a good primer on the character's history and evolution

I would also suggest checking out Batman: The Animated Series and some of DC's animated direct to video Batman films as they are much more faithful to the source material than any of the live action movies. In particular "Batman: Under the Red Hood" and "The Dark Knight Returns" - Parts 1 and 2, which is an outstanding adaptation the previously mentioned Frank Miller adventure about an aged Batman coming out of retirement for one last stand against the forces of evil. You can probably find a lot of them on Netflix.

Silhouette Man

TonyDP wrote:

Unfortunately, Nolan's Batman films, though entertaining and well made, play loose and fast with many of the archetypes of the comics on which they are based. The Dark Knight Rises in particular was especially disappointing to me as it completely turned established characters, mythos and relationships on their ear and actually had very little to do with the Batman I grew up reading.

In terms of where to begin for the Batman neophyte, if you're curious about the comics, I'd suggest trying finding a copy of "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" (you can find it on Amazon.com and probably Ebay as well). It is a compilation book of some of Batman's most memorable comics adventures from his debut in 1939 thru the comic's rebirth in the 1970s and early 1980s. That will give you a nice flavor for the varying tone of the stories throughout the decades. The book also has a nice foreword which serves as a good primer on the character's history and evolution

I would also suggest checking out Batman: The Animated Series and some of DC's animated direct to video Batman films as they are much more faithful to the source material than any of the live action movies. In particular "Batman: Under the Red Hood" and "The Dark Knight Returns" - Parts 1 and 2, which is an outstanding adaptation the previously mentioned Frank Miller adventure about an aged Batman coming out of retirement for one last stand against the forces of evil. You can probably find a lot of them on Netflix.

Thank you so very much. This has been a very great help to me. I see that there is a DC Comics Encyclopedia out at the moment, with all of the characters profiles in it - that seems to be a very good place to start for a newbie such as myself.

Plus, I'd really love to hear more of your recommendations. -{

minigeff

personally i'd start out with something like covonia, the lozanges are good.

by the time you've watched bale gruff his way through 2 of the world's most 'carried by a supporting actor' films, you'll be sounding like madge bishop.

DaltonFan1

Check out Batman: The Animated Series.

Smithers500

TonyDP wrote:

Unfortunately, Nolan's Batman films, though entertaining and well made, play loose and fast with many of the archetypes of the comics on which they are based. The Dark Knight Rises in particular was especially disappointing to me as it completely turned established characters, mythos and relationships on their ear and actually had very little to do with the Batman I grew up reading.

In terms of where to begin for the Batman neophyte, if you're curious about the comics, I'd suggest trying finding a copy of "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told" (you can find it on Amazon.com and probably Ebay as well). It is a compilation book of some of Batman's most memorable comics adventures from his debut in 1939 thru the comic's rebirth in the 1970s and early 1980s. That will give you a nice flavor for the varying tone of the stories throughout the decades. The book also has a nice foreword which serves as a good primer on the character's history and evolution

I would also suggest checking out Batman: The Animated Series and some of DC's animated direct to video Batman films as they are much more faithful to the source material than any of the live action movies. In particular "Batman: Under the Red Hood" and "The Dark Knight Returns" - Parts 1 and 2, which is an outstanding adaptation the previously mentioned Frank Miller adventure about an aged Batman coming out of retirement for one last stand against the forces of evil. You can probably find a lot of them on Netflix.

I think TonyDP has this spot on re Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told -that was certainly my starting point. They also did a companion book of Greatest Joker Stories ever told. I then graduated onto graphic novels like The Killing Joke and Gotham By Gaslight, Death in the Family etc. I also started getting the monthly comic book. This was in the early 90's off the back of the Burton films, before Schumacher ruined the franchise for me.

AlphaOmegaSin

DaltonFan1 wrote:

Check out Batman: The Animated Series.

+100

TonyDP

Silhouette Man wrote:

Thank you so very much. This has been a very great help to me. I see that there is a DC Comics Encyclopedia out at the moment, with all of the characters profiles in it - that seems to be a very good place to start for a newbie such as myself.

Plus, I'd really love to hear more of your recommendations. -{

Glad I could help. As Smithers500 mentioned, The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told is another good primer as it showcases Batman's greatest enemy as he appeared throughout the years. The Killing Joke is another excellent and well drawn Batman adventure that further delves into the Joker's backstory and his twisted relationship with Batman.

Another good one is Batman: Blind Justice, which is a compilation of a storyline released for Batman's 50th Anniversary in 1989 and written by Sam Hamm, who wrote the original screenplay for the 1989 movie. The story centers more on Bruce Wayne, what makes him tick, his motivations for dressing up as a giant bat every night, and the lengths he will go to to protect his secret identity.

If you want to expand a bit into the wider CD universe another fun story is Kingdom Come, another one of those "last adventure of the superheros" tales that takes place in a future where all the classic superheros (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.) have long since retired only to come back in a misguided attempt to bring order to the world. What sets this one apart is that every panel is a fully painted piece of photo-realistic artwork done by fan favorite Alex Ross; it gives a very different look from traditionally drawn comics. It's a long story spanning 5 volumes and there are appearances by literally hundreds of characters but the main story is easy to follow and it is definitely one of those pieces that is in every comics fan's library.

In terms of videos, Batman often teamed up with Superman in the comics and there are a couple of direct to video animated movies that do a really nice job of capturing the dynamic of those two iconic but very different heroes. The Batman Superman Movie (yes, that's actually what its called), Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and Superman/Batman: Apocalypse are three of the finer entries in my opinion.

Beyond that, I'd suggest perusing the DC Comics Encyclopedia you mentioned (or something similar), seeing which characters interest you, and then go on from there.

Wikipedia.org, the free online encyclopedia, is another great source for quick summaries and synopses of many comics characters and classic storylines and I often use it to come up to speed on some character or story I may not be familiar with.

Personally, I really haven't read comics regularly for may years but when I did Green Lantern was always my favorite DC character as I gravitated to the outer space stories which were a staple of the book.

Silhouette Man

Thanks for all of your replies and recommendations.

I find that I'm very interested in Mr Freeze - can any Bat fans help me out in recommending the best mediums where this complex character appears? -{

DaltonFan1

Silhouette Man wrote:

Thanks for all of your replies and recommendations.

I find that I'm very interested in Mr Freeze - can any Bat fans help me out in recommending the best mediums where this complex character appears? -{

There is a Batman Beyond episode that pretty much nails the Mr Freeze. I'd say it's arguably the best in the series.

Mr Beech

Just go with the Christian Bale movies. I watched Batman and Batman Returns the other night and they were awful and cheesy. Michelle Pfeiffer was the only great part.

Silhouette Man

DaltonFan1 wrote:

Silhouette Man wrote:

Thanks for all of your replies and recommendations.

I find that I'm very interested in Mr Freeze - can any Bat fans help me out in recommending the best mediums where this complex character appears? -{

There is a Batman Beyond episode that pretty much nails the Mr Freeze. I'd say it's arguably the best in the series.

Thank you. Is that the animated series there? I've heard that Mr Freeze is very well portrayed there, as well as him being perhaps the most Flemingesque of the Batman villains with a truly great backstory. I assume that The Joker would be up there too!

Gambit

I agree with DaltonFan1 check out Batman The Animated Series in particular Heart Of Ice from season 1 its not only one of the best episodes it tells Mr Freeze's story.

Silhouette Man

Gambit wrote:

I agree with DaltonFan1 check out Batman The Animated Series in particular Heart Of Ice from season 1 its not only one of the best episodes it tells Mr Freeze's story.

Yes, I've heard good things about that series. Can it be bought on DVD, pray tell?

Gambit

Yes all four seasons are on DVD.

DaltonFan1

Gambit wrote:

I agree with DaltonFan1 check out Batman The Animated Series in particular Heart Of Ice from season 1 its not only one of the best episodes it tells Mr Freeze's story.

I like Heart of Ice but I was actually referring to an episode from Batman Beyond aka Batman Of The Future, in which Victor Fries is the subject of a ground breaking experiment that sees him given a new body and a new life.

There's also Batman & Robin of course.

Silhouette Man

DaltonFan1 wrote:

Gambit wrote:

I agree with DaltonFan1 check out Batman The Animated Series in particular Heart Of Ice from season 1 its not only one of the best episodes it tells Mr Freeze's story.

I like Heart of Ice but I was actually referring to an episode from Batman Beyond aka Batman Of The Future, in which Victor Fries is the subject of a ground breaking experiment that sees him given a new body and a new life.

There's also Batman & Robin of course.

Is Batman Beyond a cartoon or a TV series, pray tell?

Plus, would you say that such cartoon series are the most faithful to the original comic book sources of the "Golden Age of DC Comics"?

This is what as a newbie to Batman I'm most interested in finding.

Some of the Batman villains seem to be every bit as complex as those of James Bond.

AlphaOmegaSin

Silhouette Man wrote:

Gambit wrote:

I agree with DaltonFan1 check out Batman The Animated Series in particular Heart Of Ice from season 1 its not only one of the best episodes it tells Mr Freeze's story.

Yes, I've heard good things about that series. Can it be bought on DVD, pray tell?

The whole Series comes in Volumes 1-4. Sadly only the first two can be purchased in Europe. With Volumes 3-4 only available in America.

DaltonFan1

Silhouette Man wrote:

DaltonFan1 wrote:

Gambit wrote:

I agree with DaltonFan1 check out Batman The Animated Series in particular Heart Of Ice from season 1 its not only one of the best episodes it tells Mr Freeze's story.

I like Heart of Ice but I was actually referring to an episode from Batman Beyond aka Batman Of The Future, in which Victor Fries is the subject of a ground breaking experiment that sees him given a new body and a new life.

There's also Batman & Robin of course.

Is Batman Beyond a cartoon or a TV series, pray tell?

Plus, would you say that such cartoon series are the most faithful to the original comic book sources of the "Golden Age of DC Comics"?

This is what as a newbie to Batman I'm most interested in finding.

Some of the Batman villains seem to be every bit as complex as those of James Bond.

Batman Beyond is animated and is essentially a sequel to Batman: The Animated Series set decades later, with Bruce Wayne mentoring a new batman.

And I think they're fairly faithful to the comics but with original characters like Harley Quinn.
Also they changed some of the villains such as Clayface, whose origin story gets a major overhaul.

Silhouette Man

DaltonFan1 wrote:

Silhouette Man wrote:

DaltonFan1 wrote:

I like Heart of Ice but I was actually referring to an episode from Batman Beyond aka Batman Of The Future, in which Victor Fries is the subject of a ground breaking experiment that sees him given a new body and a new life.

There's also Batman & Robin of course.

Is Batman Beyond a cartoon or a TV series, pray tell?

Plus, would you say that such cartoon series are the most faithful to the original comic book sources of the "Golden Age of DC Comics"?

This is what as a newbie to Batman I'm most interested in finding.

Some of the Batman villains seem to be every bit as complex as those of James Bond.

Batman Beyond is animated and is essentially a sequel to Batman: The Animated Series set decades later, with Bruce Wayne mentoring a new batman.

And I think they're fairly faithful to the comics but with original characters like Harley Quinn.
Also they changed some of the villains such as Clayface, whose origin story gets a major overhaul.

Origin stories for villains are exactly what I'm looking for.

Firemass

I love the collection "The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told"

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Greatest-Batman-Stories-Ever-Told/dp/0446391239/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1365981644&sr=8-3&keywords=greatest+batman+stories+ever+told