5 Totally Non-Essential Batman Stories You Should Check Out Anyway

3. Batman: Gothic

Before Grant €œLove Him Or Hate Him€ Morrison became (in)famous for saving/ruining Batman (delete according to level of tolerance for loopy meta hijinks), and after his celebrated trip to A Serious House On A Serious Earth, he turned out this spooky little number. It€™s a standalone Legends of the Dark Knight adventure that draws on the work of Edgar Allan Poe to create a grim supernatural yarn, making memorable use of the occult underpinnings of the D.C. Universe as well as a fiercely hard-edged interpretation of Batman. A supernatural serial killer is butchering his way through the criminal element, seemingly settling old scores with a posse of sweaty wiseguys. At first, Batman is largely indifferent to the fates of his despised enemies, blowing them off with the awesome line €œYou and your kind have turned Gotham City into a hell. Now rot in it.€ Told you this version was hard-edged. However, the demented Mr. Whisper is more than just a vengeful business partner, and Batman finds himself tested to the limit to save his city from a mysterious monster. This one€™s especially noteworthy for its pitch-dark themes and its eager use of the age-old tradition of putting the Caped Crusader through the wringer.
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