With only ten days to go before the grand unveiling of The Dark Knight Rises, we've descended into our own Bat Cave like comic book vault to bring you our pick of the 10 essential Batman graphic novels you must read. If you own these stories already and haven't yet got around to reading them or you can quickly rush off to your local bookstore, you will be able to read one of these Batman tales one a night before release. There really is no better way to prepare...
10. Kingdom Come
OK, so Kingdom Come is probably one of the greatest superhero graphic novels of all time and should rank much higher in a list than number 10, however it isn't strictly a Batman tale but rather a graphic novel that features Batman in a prominent role. Written by Alex Ross with stunning artwork by Ross also, Kingdom Come takes place 20 years into the future where old school superheroes like Superman and Wonder Woman are a thing of the past while dangerous vigilantes with little or no moral codes are on the rise. Batman finds himself somewhere in the middle - his human body not blessed with the anti-aging qualities of his Kryptonian rival. To combat the effects of aging he's assembled a group known as the 'Outsiders' who take the good fight to the streets in a desperate attempt to prevent an all out super war that could ultimately destroy the planet. So why's it worth a read? Firstly Kingdom Come is as close to a piece of art as you will ever come across in the comics industry, with every individual panel having been painstakingly painted in Gouache by the artist. Then there's the fantastic story - an unlikely scenario but yet set within the confines of the one true DC timeline. Kingdom Come is canon. And if you love Batman but aren't so keen on Superman then you'll love the bickering that goes on between these two age-old rivals. Like we said, this isn't a comic about Batman but without him it just wouldn't work. Click "next" below to read the next entry...