Written by Dean Motter, illustrated by Michael Lark. Elseworlds is (maybe "was", as there haven't been many recent publications under the banner) a series that takes familiar heroes and places them in unfamiliar eras and settings, changing a single element about their established mythology or changing many. Not all of them are worthwhile, but "Nine Lives" is one of the select few that nail it. Placing Batman and Co. in the 1940s and turning Dick Grayson into a private eye, Motter and Lark achieve something approaching noir perfection. The characters all fit perfectly in this time period, especially the boozehound Grayson and the dapper crook Oswald Cobblepot. All of Gotham gets the '40s treatment, but as with every good Elseworlds tale "Nine Lives" makes it feel like this version is the most fitting one.
49. Justice League: A New Beginning (1987)
Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, illustrated by Kevin Maguire. A single punch merits the inclusion of Justice League: A New Beginning on this list, despite Batmans limited stage time within the issue. Guy Gardner, the mushroom-topped loudmouth Green Lantern, is causing trouble within the ranks of the League, asserting that he should be leader and picking a fight with Batman. Yeah, bad idea. Words are exchanged, Gardner charges, and Batman does what Batman does best: he swiftly knocks him out with one punch. The scene is hilarious as the other members of the Justice League act like their team just won the cup, Blue Beetle incredulously repeating One punch. ONE punch! for the next few pages and Black Canary arriving late, pissed off that she missed Batman clocking Gardner.
48. Year 100 (2006)
Written and illustrated by Paul Pope. Paul Popes strange, compelling Batman tale Year 100 gleefully refuses to appeal to a mainstream audience, and is all the better for it. Set in a dystopian, police-state Gotham even more terrifying than the Gotham of today, Batman is framed for a murder and hunted ruthlessly but its 2039shouldnt Bruce Wayne be dead? This book asks a lot more questions than it cares to answer, but ultimately manages to push the Bat-myth forward into new, uncharted territory.
47. Prodigal (1994-95)
Written and illustrated by various. Prodigal is the storyline immediately following DCs epic Knightfall event, which saw Bruce Wayne systematically broken down and subsequently replaced by a more violent Batman before rising again to reclaim the cape and cowl. But Bruce isnt ready to be Batman full-time again, and so he passes the mantle on to Dick Grayson for safekeeping. Grayson, first known as Robin and then Nightwing, isnt sure hes up to the task, but as Prodigal unfolds he finds sure footing as a hero in his own right. Despite plenty of plot flaws and Bruce Wayne not being in the central role, Prodigal is an essential Batman tale that heralds later Grayson stories by Grant Morrison, examines relationships between Batman and characters like Commissioner Gordon, and furthers the Batman mythos in a unique way.
46. All My Enemies Against Me (1983)
Written by Gerry Conway, illustrated by Don Newton and Alfredo Alcala. The anniversary issue celebrating Batmans 500th appearance in Detective Comics features All My Enemies Against Me. If you couldnt guess from the title, all of Batmans foes are called together by the Joker (of course) to hatch a plan to rid themselves of Batman once and for all. This story predates the modern urge of comics writers to turn every story into a lets-parade-every-villain-ever-fest, and it does so in a much more lighthearted way than most modern comics dare. Talia al Ghul, Dick Grayson, and even Jason Todd have big roles here, but despite the large cast the story is cohesive and never feels out-of-control.
