11 Essential Comics To Read If You Love Batman

7. Knightfall

Every Bat-fan will be familiar with this infamous nineties crossover, which saw Bane break Batman's back and establish control over Gotham City, but just because the main beats of the story are known doesn't make it a book any less worthy of your time.

Indeed, there's a whole lot more to the story than just the breaking of the bat; in fact, it explores a whole lot with the character, including his mental struggles and the role his allies had to play in his war on crime. Sure, it was possibly the dumbest decision on Bruce's behalf to place Azrael as the heir-apparent to the cape and cowl of the caped crusader, but, for the intents and purposes of the story, it works.

The point that the book illustrates so perfectly is that Batman had lost before the first die had even been cast. Knightfall's a story about Batman at his worst and, for that reason alone, it succeeds. It's also three volumes long (and thick with two c's), so it is a hefty read, but one that's also really rewarding to get through from start to finish.

The nineties get something of a bad rap from comics fans (not without reason, mind you), but Knightfall is a testament to the fact that they weren't all bad. As a true epic of the Bat-mythos it's more than worthy of consideration, with its ambitious plot paying off in a big way with plenty of action, spectacle and drama to be found throughout.

It doesn't pull its punches, and exemplifies all there is to love about Batman when he has to overcome some pretty awful odds.