Over the past 75 years, the Dark Knight has had his ups and downs. Right now, let's focus on the ups, because we're a pretty positive, glass-half-full bunch. Along with the Grant Morrison, Frank Miller and the current comics, there's a gargantuan library of great Batman graphic novels that you could put aside a whole day to peruse. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's collaborations, some of the classic forties stories, Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker's Gotham Central series focussing on the cops who clean up the Caped Crusader's mess...there's plenty to choose from!
5. And The Worst
In those seven-and-a-half decades there have been some truly great, transcendent Batman stories told. It's hard to stay consistent for 75 years, mind, so we can forgive some lapses in quality from time to time. Most of them get swept under the rug - because they are truly terrible - but they're worth seeking out, because many of them are as hilariously bad as the Schumacher films. Our personal favourite? Batman getting addicted to performance-enhancing drugs and suffering from 'roid rage! Amazing.
4. Read The Best Batman Comics For New Readers
Say you're not quite a Batman obsessive yet, though. Although chances are if you've read this far, you probably are, so say you have some friends who are interested in reading the Batman comics, but have absolutely no prior knowledge of what goes on in them. They're just familiar with the films, or games, or whatever. They probably shouldn't be reading 'roid rage Dark Knight. Be a charitable sort and lend them out some of the essential Batman graphic novels for new readers, and inspire a new generation who can celebrate the next Batman Day. Which we are assured will become an annual tradition and national holiday. We checked in the process of writing this article.
3. Go To Your Local Comic Shop
Most of our suggestions for ways to spend your Batman Day so far have involved being pretty antisocial - either staying inside and consuming loads of media, or becoming an exercise-fixated lunatic - but you should probably actually leave your house/realistically recreated and expensive Bat Cave at some point too. Especially because DC will be shipping a bunch of exclusive merchandise to your local comic book shop including bookmarks, bags, capes, and masks. Here's a list of participating stores, at least two of which we hope are in Melbourne. Or Turkey.
2. Get Detective Comics #27
Along with all that free swag you can bag on your trip to the old brick-and-mortar geek haven, you should probably go ahead and pick up a copy of Detective Comics #27. Not an original one - unless you really are a Bruce Wayne billionaire - but the special edition re-release DC are putting out especially for Batman Day! Along with the first appearance and origin story of the Dark Knight you'll get new stories by Brad Meltzer, Scott Snyder, Bryan Hitch and Sean Murphy, plus Bill Finger gets credited on the front of a comic book for the first time ever. Learn the history of your the best character in comic books, support your local business, stick it to Bob Kane and read some good stuff all in one fell swoop. Aces.
1. Run Around Singing Nanananana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Js3kYUs3o This definitely won't get annoying. Promise. Especially not if you keep it up for the whole 24 hours. Or if you just play this Kinks version over and over and over and over and over...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
