Highlights
- DC Comics showcases Batman in various situations, proving why he is beloved, despite his rough year.
- Some Batman comics rely too heavily on tie-ins and retreading Bruce's trauma, but still offer enjoyment for horror fans.
- Batman fans can delve into Catwoman's story, enjoy a Lovecraftian tale in Gotham City, and explore a team-up with The Joker.
DC Comics is not shy about its favoritism towards Batman, and the Caped Crusader has seen plenty of new and exciting stories told in 2023. These popular DC Comics feature Batman in different situations and cases that prove why he is one of the most beloved superheroes of all time, The Dark Knight has had a pretty rough year that has damaged him physically and emotionally, paving the way for some pretty good stories, whether that’s in the main DC continuity or an Elseworld story.
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The best Batman comics often delve deep into what makes Bruce Wayne the Batman and provides an interesting outlook on how he views the world, or even how the world views him. These stories created in 2023 can be a thrilling read for Batman fans, whether they are old or new to the Dark Knight.
8 Knight Terrors: Batman
Creators: Joshua Williamson; David Lafuenete
- Dates Published: September, 2023 – October 2023
Batman and Horror is a mix made in Heaven, but sometimes it doesn’t work as intended. Whilst Knight Terrors: Batman can still be a fun read, its reliance on the main Knight Terrors event can cause quite the fatigue, especially when readers might be bored of retreading Bruce’s trauma in the form of nightmares. However, to those who seek a horror-themed Batman comic that doesn’t require too much thought, its freakiness can be enjoyed, like a human-sized bat with a gun for a face, symbolism at its finest!
The comics presented here are not a terrible read, but the basic premise does suffer from the fact that it’s essentially a tie-in to a bigger DC Universe comic event between Batman and the new 2023 villain, Insomnia. Like Bruce unable to move past his trauma, readers will once again be watching a bloodied Bruce tread through Crime Alley, albeit with a twist.
7 Batman – One Bad Day: Catwoman
Creators: G. Willow Wilson; Jamie McKelvie
- Date Published: January, 2023
G. Willow Wilson has been a powerhouse over at DC Comics thanks to her work on Poison Ivy, and with this one-shot comic, she turns her attention to Catwoman. The story itself follows Catwoman as she attempts to steal an item from her past, with more value than she could ever know. Can Batman stop her before she goes down a path of no return? The One Bad Day one-shots have been divisive, featuring different stories from Batman’s Rogues Gallery, but the Catwoman issue is more light-hearted with the energy one would want for a Catwoman story.
Whilst Batman doesn’t feature much in this title, it’s still great for Catwoman fans who want to delve deeper into her story, whether that’s her past or present. However, when Batman is present, it’s a show stealer, especially to those readers who adore this complex duo together as a romantic pairing at DC.
6 Batman: City of Madness
Creators: Christian Ward
- Dates Published: December, 2023 – Ongoing
It’s always a good sign when a DC Comic is under the Black Label print, which essentially means that the comic can delve deeper into things without worry of censorship for being too R-rated. Alternatively, DC’s Black Label is also used for stories outside of the main continuity. With Batman:City of Madness, readers will enter a Lovecraftian tale involving the Dark Knight uncovering a sinister plot within Gotham City.
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City of Madness not only stands out for its compelling take on characters like Two-Face and Batman, but the art is definitely something to write home about, considering it can leave a mark for its bold use of colors. City of Madness will certainly have readers flipping to the next page in curiosity and suspense, as they further unravel within Gotham City.
5 Batman: Mind Bomb (#139-140)
Creators: Chip Zdarsky; Jorge Jimenez; Jorge Corona
- Dates Published: November, 2023 – Ongoing
Whilst The Gotham War may have been an infamous and mischaracterizing event for the Bat Family, things seem to be moving on at a slow pace when readers return to Batman comics from issue #139. The Joker has returned to Gotham City, and Batman, isolated after the events of Gotham War, has no Bat-Family to help him this time, allowing for Zur-En-Arrh to latch deeper onto Batman’s mind and feed into his rage, to perhaps finally kill The Joker.
Whilst this story arc is still ongoing at the time, Mind Bomb is a promising start to a great Batman story, one that delves deep into the mental state of a broken Batman who has lost what he had built; a family. Zur-En-Arrh promises to be a menacing villain, with sprinkles of truth and easter eggs to the identity that builds upon the eternal legacy of Batman.
4 Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Creators: Tom King; Mitch Gerads; Ed Brisson; Jeff Spokes; Christopher Cantwell; Javier Rodriquez; Dan Mora; Tom Napolitano
- Dates Published: May, 2023
Batman anthologies are great fun, especially with a talented team of writers and artists on board. Led by the dynamic duo of Tom King and Mitch Gerads, Batman: The Brave and the Bold has a handful of stories to create a miniseries within. If audiences pick up Batman: The Brave and the Bold, they might be disappointed that this doesn’t use the classic formula of Batman teaming with other heroes, but instead has 4 stories to tell:
- Batman: The Winning Card
- Stormwatch: Down With Kings
- Superman: Order of the Black Lamp
- Heroes of Tomorrow
The headliner of these stories, The Winning Card, starts with Part 1, and carefully constructs a Joker story with things King is famous for; detective fiction. The threat of Joker looms with every panel, and it’s definitely worth a read, even if the other anthology stories fall somewhat short, or barely feature Batman at all.
3 Batman: The Bat-Man of Gotham (#131-135)
Creators: Chip Zdarsky; Mike Hawthorne; Miguel Mendonça
- Dates Published:: August, 2023
After a failed battle against Failsafe, Batman arrives confused and damaged in a darker Gotham City, one void of the hope brought about by heroes, especially Batman. As a lone Caped Crusader, Batman must navigate this dystopia and discover the terrors and truths behind Red Mask, a new villain that has an army of monsters and corrupted heroes at his disposal.
Batman is not only fighting to get himself home but to save Gotham City from another world. Even better still, The Bat-Man of Gotham allows Batman to take a multiversal trip, in which he journeys through multiple different worlds familiar to Batman fans, from movies, and video games, to even other celebrated comics.
2 Batman/Superman: World’s Finest – Elementary (#13-17)
Creators: Mark Waid; Dan Mora
- Dates Published: March, 2023 – July, 2023
A continuing success in DC Comics, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest is a thrilling read, thoroughly entertaining with each issue thanks to the writing, stories, and bright and colorful art. For fans that want a more light-hearted read, with great stories from a more classic age of DC, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest answers the call, and puts the two iconic powerhouses of Batman and Superman together without fear of getting a tad silly. One of the best stories to come out of 2023 comes from the Elementary arc,
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Whilst other stories in this ongoing series have been stronger, that doesn’t mean that Elementary is not already a classic with the biggest superheroes going. The World’s Finest embark on a strange adventure, where they will cross paths with the Doom Patrol, Teen Titans, and more, all in search of Rex Mason for this android-involved threat.
1 Batman & The Joker: The Deadly Duo
Creators: Marc Silvestri
- Dates Published: January, 2023 – August, 2023
Gotham gets dark and gritty with this story from Marc Silvestri. Harley Quinn is missing, kidnapped by an unknown assailant. To make matters worse, Joker-like monsters are terrorizing Gotham, collecting severed heads. Things go from bad to worse when Batman receives a piece of the now missing Commissioner Gordon, and with the Caped Crusader willing to do anything to solve this case, he finds an unlikely, and uneasy alliance with none other than The Joker.
Having a team-up story with the iconic nemesis pairing of Joker and Batman is always fun, even if Gotham is in a dire situation. This wouldn’t be the first time Batman and Joker have teamed up, but it’s certainly one of its more entertaining, and readers can expect a real adventure from an uneasy pairing of eternal enemies.
