Written by Brian Augustyn, illustrated by Mike Mignola The alternative-Batman story that all but spawned the entire Elseworlds imprint, "Gotham by Gaslight" remains one of the finest tales of its kind to this day. Reimagined in the Gotham of the 1890s, a steampunk-styled Batman must protect his city when a threatening stranger arrives from abroad: Jack the Ripper. Rarely does an Elseworlds tale feel so necessary. The Victorian Era aesthetic fits the world of the Dark Knight even more perfectly than the '40s noir stylings of "Nine Lives", and Mike Mignola's soggy cityscape is mesmerizing. The plot is simple and doesn't even attempt to do anything revolutionary, but "Gotham by Gaslight" will endure for years to come.
14. Strange Apparitions (1977-78)
Written by Steve Englehart and Len Wein, illustrated by Marshall Rogers and Walt Simonson. Originally published in Detective Comics #469-479, the arc now known as "Strange Apparitions" has since been collected and reissued in a single volume by DC. "Strange Apparitions" features a large cast of characters and serves as the official introduction for a number of characters who would become mainstays of the Batman universe - among them Silver St. Cloud, mob boss Rupert Thorne, and the radioactive villain Doctor Phosphorous. But the return of Professor Hugo Strange, one of Batman's earliest and coolest rogues, provides most of the drama in this collection. Throw in the Joker for good measure (of course) and you've got a hectic but well-paced adventure story, and one of the best ever written.
13. Venom (1991)
Written by Dennis O'Neil, illustrated by Russell Braun. When Batman fails to safe the life of a young girl, he resorts to a strength-enhancing designer drug to increase his crimefighting effectiveness. Sound like a bad idea? The drug takes an addictive hold on Bruce Wayne, causing him to need more and more and also causing his methods to be increasingly violent. The drug known as Venom would come into play again in the Batman continuity with the later introduction of Bane, whose tubes feed the drug directly into his bulging veins, but the use here is less of a gimmick and more of a plot point. Batman's strength is not often questioned, and when it is we usually get the standard "his REAL superpower is his MIND!" explanation. "Venom" doesn't skirt that issue entirely, but it does place more significance on the personal understanding on Bruce's part of what it means to be one man in the war on crime. There is something about the experience of being Batman, about swinging through Gotham to rescue someone, about knowing the fight being fought is the right thing to do, that merits the existence of the Bat at all. Otherwise, as Bruce discovers while fighting through the drug-fog of Venom, he's really just a man on a rope.
12. Tales Of The Demon (1971-72)
Written by Dennis O'Neil, illustrated by Neal Adams. Ra's al Ghul rose in popularity outside the comic book community due to Liam Neeson's portrayal of him in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, and one of Batman's best rogues finally got his onscreen due. "Tales of the Demon", a fairly recent DC collected edition, gathers a dozen of Dennis O'Neil's original Ra's stories from the '70s, the best of which are drawn by Neal Adams. The whole collection is great, which is why I've included the whole edition here. Now, although many major character elements did make it into the Neeson portrayal, Ra's's('s's) immortality didn't find much application in Nolan's realistic trilogy. The Lazarus Pit and its supernatural qualities are an important part of these stories and an important part of the larger Batman universe, and in bestowing long life upon Ra's they make him into one of Batman's most dangerous foes. Also, the shirtless sword fight between Batman and Ra's in 197's "_____" approaches Return of the King levels of epicness.
11. Red Rain (1991)
Written by Doug Moench, illustrated by Kelley Jones. Again, there are plenty of Elseworlds tales featuring alternative, otherworldly takes on the Dark Knight. Batman & Dracula: Red Rain is without a doubt one of the finest, and worth seeking out if you havent read it already. When written out in this fashion, the plot sounds quite simple: Dracula comes to Gotham, Batman voluntarily becomes a vampire to protect his city, and a battle royale ensues. But Red Rain seems to pride itself on unpredictability, and as an Elseworlds tale can afford to take the Caped Crusader into dark corners without having to worry about getting him back out again by the end of the story. Elseworlds or not, this is one of the finest Batman stories out there.
