BATMAN
Batman: Year One
Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, 144 pages
Year One is a groundbreaking reinterpretation of the origin of Batman—who he is, and how he came to be. Sometimes careless and naive, this Dark Knight is far from the flawless crime fighter he is today. In his first year on the job, Batman feels his way around a Gotham City far darker and more sinister. His solemn vow to extinguish the town’s criminal element is only half the battle; along with Lieutenant James Gordon, the Dark Knight must also fight a police force more corrupt than the scum in the streets of Gotham City.
The Killing Joke
Alan Moore and Brian Bolland, 67 pages
According to the grinning engine of madness and mayhem known as the Joker, that's all that separates the sane from the psychotic. Freed once again from the confines of Arkham Asylum, he's out to prove his deranged point. And he's going to use Gotham City's top cop, Commissioner Jim Gordon, and his brilliant and beautiful daughter Barbara to do it. Now Batman must race to stop his archenemies before his reign of terror claims two of the Dark Knight's closest friends.
Batman The Long Halloween
Jeph Loeb and Time Sale, 408 pages
In a mystery taking place during Batman's early days of crime fighting, Batman: The Long Halloween is one of the greatest Dark Knight stories ever told. Christmas. St. Patrick's Day. Easter. As the calendar's days stack up, so do the bodies littered in the streets of Gotham City. A murderer is loose, killing only on holidays. The only man that can stop this fiend? The Dark Knight. Working with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Lieutenant James Gordon, Batman races against the calendar as he tries to discover who Holiday is before he claims his next victim each month.
The Dark Knight Returns
Frank Miller and Brian Azzerello, 224 pages
The Dark Knight Returns is saga of a near-future Gotham City gone to rot, 10 years after the Dark Knight’s retirement. Forced to take action, the Dark Knight returns in a blaze of fury, taking on a whole new generation of criminals and matching their level of violence. He is soon joined by a new Robin—a girl named Carrie Kelley, who proves to be just as invaluable as her predecessors. Can Batman and Robin deal with the threat posed by their deadliest enemies, after years of incarceration have turned them into perfect psychopaths?
Batman Arkham Asylum
Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, 232 pages
In 1920, following the death of his disturbed mother, brilliant psychologist Amadeus Arkham began the conversion of his ancestral home into a hospital for the treatment of the mentally ill. More than half a century later, its claustrophobic walls the demented and deformed enemies of the Batman brood in padded cells and unlit cellars, dreaming of a day when they might rise up and overthrow the world of reason. That day has finally come. It is April 1st, and the lunatics have taken over the asylum. Led by the Joker, Arkham’s inmates issue a terrible ultimatum to the man responsible for their imprisonment.
Batman The Cult
Jim Starlin and Bernie Wrightson, 216 pages
One night, Batman tracks multiple bloody footprints from a crime scene to a manhole cover. This is the catalyst to a dangerous turn of events. In Batman: The Cult, Deacon Blackfire, a charismatic shaman with roots as old as Gotham City itself, has amassed the city’s homeless into an army, one he seemingly uses to fight crime. But Blackfire has a hidden agenda… With Batman brainwashed by Blackfire and Gotham in chaos, can the Dark Knight’s city be saved?
Batman The Court of Owls
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, 176 pages
After a series of brutal murders rocks Gotham City, Batman begins to realize that perhaps these crimes go far deeper than appearances suggest. As the Caped Crusader begins to unravel this deadly mystery, he discovers a conspiracy going back to his youth and beyond to the origins of the city he's sworn to protect. Batman has heard tales of Gotham City’s Court of Owls: that the members of this powerful cabal are the true rulers of Gotham. The Dark Knight dismissed the stories as rumors and old wives’ tales. Gotham was his city. Until now.
Batman A Death in the Family
Jim Starlin and Jim Decarlo, 267 pages
When Jason Todd’s impulsive nature clashes with the Dark Knight’s methodical approach to crime-fighting yet again, Jason takes off on his own in search of his birth mother. Meanwhile, Batman’s latest case leads him to the Middle East, hot on the trail of the Joker, whois brokering the sale of a nuclear device to terrorists! Realizing that they must work together to prevent a global disaster and find Jason’s long-lost mother, Batman and Robin reunite in time to thwart the Clown Prince of Crime.
BOOK CLUB
THE DARK KNIGHT ESSAY
Batman Knightfall
Moech, Dixon, Grant, Aparo, Breyfogle, 630 pages
The villainous Bane breaks the Bat in one of the most popular and well-known Batman tales! The inmates of Arkham Asylum have broken free and Batman must push himself to the limits to re-apprehend the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Killer Croc and more. Pushed to the limits, he comes face-to-face against the monstrosity known as Bane, who delivers a crippling blow destined to change the Caped Crusader forever!
Batman Arkham Asylum
Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, 232 pages
In 1920, following the death of his disturbed mother, brilliant psychologist Amadeus Arkham began the conversion of his ancestral home into a hospital for the treatment of the mentally ill. More than half a century later, its claustrophobic walls the demented and deformed enemies of the Batman brood in padded cells and unlit cellars, dreaming of a day when they might rise up and overthrow the world of reason. That day has finally come. It is April 1st, and the lunatics have taken over the asylum. Led by the Joker, Arkham’s inmates issue a terrible ultimatum to the man responsible for their imprisonment.
After participating in this OPTIONAL book club, and reading several of the graphic novels on this list, students will develop a thesis that answers the question: Is Batman a hero or vigilante? In a 1,000+ word essay, students will support their thesis with evidence from Batman stories. This essay will be in MLA format, and must include a works cited page with at least three sources. Critical thinking skills will be put to the test, as students must include a counter-argument and rebuttal in their essay.
Students are encouraged to watch Batman films in order to better understand the Caped Crusader. Here are some recommendations:
THE DARK KNIGHT ARTWORK
Students are also encouraged to create an art piece to accompany their essay. Examples and art supplies will be available in class.
Batman: Black Mirror
Scott Snyder and Jack Francavilla, 320 pages
For years Batman and Commissioner Gordon have stared into the unyielding, black abyss that is Gotham City. But even after a lifetime of quelling the worst of humanity, an even darker and more dangerous evil pushes the two crime-fighters to their absolute limits. As the city's top cop, James Gordon has seen it all. But can he unravel a deep and personal mystery that is inextricably tied to Gotham City's underworld? Or will the darkness that turns Gotham's citizens into monsters blind him forever?
The
Batman City of Owls
Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, 208 pages
For over a century, the Court of Owls has ruled Gotham City in secret - their reach inescapable, their power unstoppable. Until they battled the Batman. Gotham's vigilante protector managed to escape the talons of the Court with his mind and body barely intact. The Dark Knight managed to win the battle with his deadly new aggresors, but certainly not the war. Batman was just the first part of their conquest. Now they have their sights set on something much bigger: Gotham City.
The Long Halloween Prequel: Haunted Knight
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, 200 pages
One Halloween during Batman's early years, the Scarecrow is on the prowl in Gotham City, forcing the Dark Knight into a furiously frightful game of cat and mouse. In another, all Hallows Eve has come ’round again...and the Dark Knight of Gotham City has a midnight appointment with terror when he faces the twisted genius of the Mad Hatter! And in yet another, Bruce Wayne’s tortured sleep is violated by four specters: the spirit of his murdered father, the Ghost of Halloween Past, the Ghost of Halloween Present and a mysterious Ghost of Halloween Future. But what do they want of the Dark Knight?
The Long Halloween Sequel: Dark Victory
Jeph Loeb and Time Sale, 416 pages
Set in early days of the Dark Knight's career, Batman must stop the elusive cop killer "Hangman" before the murderer strikes again. A children's game pinned to each of the victims is the only clue to the Hangman's identity. A rogues gallery of villains are prime suspects—Two Face, the Joker, the Riddler, Catwoman. Even the police force, led by newly appointed Commissioner Jim Gordon, cannot be trusted. In order to solve this crime, Batman must look to a most unexepcted place: An orphaned boy who will change his life forever. They will be known as Batman and Robin, and this is their story.
Batman Hush
Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Williams and Sinclair, 376 pages
Gotham City is infected by a crime epidemic and all of Batman’s enemies have emerged to throw his life into utter chaos. But little do they know that they’re all pawns of the villainous Hush in an elaborate game of revenge against Bruce Wayne. Pushed past his breaking point, Batman will need to use more than the world’s greatest detective skills to uncover the true identity of this mysterious mastermind before it’s too late.
Batman Hush
Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee, Williams and Sinclair, 376 pages
Gotham City is infected by a crime epidemic and all of Batman’s enemies have emerged to throw his life into utter chaos. But little do they know that they’re all pawns of the villainous Hush in an elaborate game of revenge against Bruce Wayne. Pushed past his breaking point, Batman will need to use more than the world’s greatest detective skills to uncover the true identity of this mysterious mastermind before it’s too late.
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?
Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert, 128 pages
Following the death of Bruce Wayne in last year's Batman: R.I.P. arc comes Gaiman's loving eulogy not just to Batman but to the Batman of each era since the character's debut. Bolstered by slick art from Kubert (Batman; Captain America), Gaiman's lyrical chops are in fine form, weaving a surreal wake in which characters from Batman's history take turns relating what he meant to them, and their takes on the Dark Knight and the dangerous microcosm he fought for and eventually purportedly died to protect.
Required reading: Batman Year One, and at least four other graphic novels. Students must have parent permission to participate.
