1. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth
Perhaps the most surreal of Batman's stories, Batman is lured into Arkham Asylum by the Joker, but soon finds himself running a gauntlet of his greatest enemies, delving deeper and deeper into madness all the way through. Akrham Asylum was loosely adapted into a video game of the same name, but even that game, as awesome as it is, fails to capture the feel of the original graphic novel. It is a terrifying, disturbing, twisted story. Images are implied, not shown. The deeper we delve into the psychologies of Batman's rogues gallery, the less safe we feel. The art style and imagery would be hard to replicate in film, so much of the graphic novel's power might be lost. It's really impossible to articulate the tone of this thing with words. You have to read it, since plot and events, after awhile, become irrelevant. It's like a David Lynch film. It doesn't matter if you understand the plot or not, since you'll walk away with an experience you'll never forget. Even if the tone of Grant Morrison's story can't be replicated, the idea of Batman being trapped in Arkahm is enthralling. That alone has potential for a great story, as seen with the popular video game, Arkham Asylum. It would be a great oppertunity to put every Bat villain on screen at once in a way that makes total sense. The film makers can explore the relationships between certain bad guys. After all, wouldn't it be great if we could see how the Joker might interact with, say, Two Face? Or Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn? The Riddler and Killer Croc? Scarecrow and Mr. Freeze? It would be an oddity in and of itself just to see it all happen. And, once again: spectacle. The fight scenes could be potentially jaw dropping, especially if the villains gang up on Batman at once. One of the more memorable fight scenes in the original graphic novel is between Batman and Killer Croc. It turns what would normally be a standard fight into something mythic and grand. Again, hard to explain. I urge you, even if you don't read comics, to read Arkham Asylum. It is perhaps one of the best Batman graphic novels that way too few people have ever read.