The Batman: 10 Essential Stories For Affleck's 2019 Solo Movie

7. The Black Mirror

Though Scott Snyder's Court Of Owls is the superior story, The Black Mirror offers an opportunity for something very different. The original comic - part of the Batman Inc. wider story universe - stars Dick Grayson as Batman as he struggles to live up to the requirements and demands of the role, and develops a relationship with Jim Gordon that directly mirrors Bruce Wayne's dynamic with the future Commissioner in Year One. But there's no way Dick Grayson should be under the cowl for Affleck's film, and it is instead the story elements that deal with Jim Gordon's son James Jr, the psychotic murderer who stood out as the best part of this horror-soaked modern classic, which is full of the kind of twists that would make for a good cinematic translation. And there's always something appealing in good old fashioned sibling rivalry, as James abducts his sister in order to kill her.