10 Must-Read Batman Minis & Limited Series of the 2020s (So Far)

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Batman fans are currently spoiled for choice in the hero’s line of comic books. DC Comics has plenty of comics set in the mainline continuity and alternate canons. Looking at the current state of affairs, the 2020s have been a solid decade for the Dark Knight in this department, especially outside the ongoing comics.

The comic book publisher’s miniseries and limited series that are separate from the flagship Batman and Detective Comics have experimented with some exciting premises. Many talented creative teams have lent their skills to fleshing out their corner of the character’s mythos, exploring different subgenres like sci-fi on top of the classic noir stories the Dark Detective excels in. From current hits like Batman & Robin: Year One to the wild dystopia of Last Knight on Earth, the 2020s have spawned many excellent comic miniseries and limited series.

A Series of Batman One-Shots Focus on Villains Like Riddler & Clayface

Even though famed writer Alan Moore didn’t spend much time telling Batman stories, The Killing Joke with artist Brian Bolland became one of the most iconic comics in the hero’s catalog. It told a harrowing tale starring the Clown Prince of Crime that also told a possible “origin story” (depending on how much readers are willing to believe the Joker) for its villain. The brief one-shot comic was a fascinating exploration of Batman and Joker’s cyclical dynamic, and 2022’s One Bad Day anthology offered a similar treatment to other Dark Knight rogues.

Featuring a talented and rotating cast of writers and artists, One Bad Day was an eight-issue limited series that gave character studies to a different antagonist every issue—although Catwoman is long past her “villain” days. Each creative team painted a unique and gripping feel depending on the rogue under the spotlight, with the Riddler and Clayface’s one-shots particularly standing out. Moody artwork combined with elements of horror truly gave these characters the Killing Joke​​​​​​treatment.

9

Gotham City: Year One Gives Batman’s Sandbox an Origin

The Gotham of Generations Ago Sets the Stage for What DC Fans Know Today

For an interesting Batman-adjacent limited series, writer Tom King and artists Phil Hester, Jordie Bellaire, and Eric Gapstur’s Gotham City: Year One is a worthwhile read. The plot is set in 1960s Gotham City at a time when it presented itself as a beacon of opportunity for all, but Detective “Slam” Bradley will find not all is as it seems after taking a high-profile case. The private investigator digs into the missing case of an infant Wayne family heir that would be Gotham’s first domino to fall in creating Batman’s mythos.

Gotham City: Year One is a brilliant limited series and crime drama in general, as it exudes classic noir tones and character tropes. The story isn’t merely a string of convenient retcons, either. This Gotham City “origin story” provides meaningful world-building without its plot feeling overly reliant on the history that fans know must follow. Using Bradley is another clever way to weave in DC Comics, as the protagonist debuted in Detective Comics​​​​​​before even Batman.

8

The Imposter Sees a New Writer Create a New Batman

This Brooding Miniseries is One of Batman’s Best 2020s Crime Dramas

An uncredited writer on Matt Reeves’ The Batman and current co-writer for the sequel, Mattson Tomlin, made his comic book debut with The Imposter​. The three-issue miniseries falls under the DC Black Label in a new canon altogether. Its plot revolves around a gloomy and dangerously unstable Bruce Wayne suddenly faced with a Batman imposter muddying up the hero’s already fragile reputation. The Imposter was released in late 2021 and quickly stood out even in Black Label’s high-caliber Batman library.

With Andrea Sorrentino and Jordie Bellaire’s artwork, giving it an almost palpable, grimy atmosphere, this miniseries feels like a subversive collection of ideas in the best ways. From the shocking take on young Bruce and Alfred’s relationship to Leslie Thompkins’ new role as the former’s psychologist, the maturity and intensity of The Imposter is perfect for fans of the 2022 movie and gritty, noir Batman comics in general.

7

Batman & the Joker: The Deadly Duo Follows an Unlikely Pairing

Image Comics’ CEO Mixes a Gothic Batman Mystery With an Unsettling Alliance

Writer and artist Marc Silvestri gave fans one of the most memorable DC Black Label comics with Batman & the Joker: The Deadly Duo​​​​. Backed by artist Arif Prianto’s colors, readers are taken through a gruesome mystery involving a series of kidnappings and horrendous Joker-like monsters leaving carnage throughout Gotham City. The Clown Prince of Crime himself—of all people—comes with an offer Batman can’t refuse: to find the missing Harley Quinn and the root of this supernatural problem.

Pairing Batman with his bitterest enemy seems like a cheap plot device on paper, but Batman & the Joker: The Deadly Duo‘s story measures up to its blockbuster premise. The tension comes not from whether the Joker will play his wild card but rather how and when. Meanwhile, the ominous and otherworldly conflict at the plot’s core is riveting and worth the grand reveal. Silvestri’s art with Prianto wraps this story up perfectly in a layer of gothic horror.

6

Batman & Robin: Year One is Already the Duo’s Best 2020s Outing

The “Year One” Branding Visits Batman and the First Robin’s Adventures

Former Daredevil team Mark Waid and Chris Samnee reunite for the current Batman & Robin: Year One​​​​​​limited series. Using the “Year One” subtitling to capitalize on Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s acclaimed comic is nothing new. However, this series is already proving to be worthy of it while standing apart, following the original Dynamic Duo’s days of tackling organized crime in Gotham. A new player in the city’s seedy underbelly is shaking up the villainous power rankings, challenging Batman and Robin as crimefighters.

Batman & Robin: Year One​​​​​​has been firing on all cylinders in terms of storytelling and vibrant visuals. Mark Waid tells a story with the tone of adventurousness the writer is known for, fitting neatly in the duo’s early days. However, the conflict makes way for a poignant look at Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson’s growing relationship and struggles to understand one another. Complete with Samnee’s beautiful retro-inspired art style, this is a must-read for Batman fans who miss Grayson’s Robin years.

5

Curse of the White Knight Fleshes Out Another Batman Elseworld

White Knight Makes Noteworthy Tweaks to Batman Canon to Expand Its World

DC Comics has since revived its classic Elseworlds imprint proper. Black Label seemed to act like a semi-successor for that imprint’s premise until then, and it introduced one of Batman’s best literal “elseworlds” through the White Knight maxiseries. Curse of the White Knight is the second mainline installment and shows Joker recruiting Azrael to destroy Batman by revealing a Wayne family secret.

Writer and artist Sean Murphy’s Curse of the White Knight is the strongest entry for its climactic story, action, and shocking plot ramifications. As seen in the preceding White Knight, the strength of Sean Murphy’s sophomore effort is how he meticulously picks elements from the mainline canon to complement his world. The landmark Knightfall Batman arc is the clear inspiration for Curse, but the latter still makes its world feel lived in, and the consequences of its story hold weight against the main cast.

4

Last Knight on Earth Presents a Bonkers Dystopia

Absolute Batman Writer Paints a Shocking New Sci-Fi Picture of the DC World

Scott Snyder’s Batman accolades stretch from Detective Comics to New 52 Batman to the ongoing Absolute Batman. However, he and fellow New 52 artist Greg Capullo’s Black Label miniseries Last Knight on Earth deserves plenty of recognition. Fans see Bruce Wayne wake up 20 years later in Arkham Asylum and apparently never having been Batman. Something far darker lies beyond that claim, with this Caped Crusader going on one of the most bizarre quests across a DC universe where stretches of it have been rendered a wasteland.

Last Knight on Earth feels like Scott Snyder’s writing left unrestrained, even by Metal and Death Metal​​​​​​standards. That’s a boon in this case, with the series taking full advantage of being an “elseworlds” story, showing one of the strangest DC dystopias and surprising futuristic takes on familiar characters. If fans are curious to see what a Mad Max version of Batman looks like—and Joker’s head in a jar serving as a morbidly funny tour guide—this series is a wild experience.

3

Three Jokers Presents a Chilling Take on the Clown’s Presence

This Creative Team Explores a Justice League Idea for the Batman Miniseries

Three Jokers was easily among the 2020s’ most anticipated Batman comics, especially after the delays it suffered. The DC Black Label miniseries was helmed by writer Geoff Johns and artists Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson, which entertained the idea that there was never just one Joker. Red Hood and Batgirl joined the Dark Knight as they investigated several grim and ongoing crimes, suggesting the Clown Prince of Crime is more than one man.

Three Jokers spun out of an idea Johns and Fabok introduced in their New 52 Justice League run and imagines it as a sequel to The Killing Joke and Under the Red Hood​​​​​. Considering Joker’s heinous crimes against Barbara/Batgirl and Jason/Red Hood, this pairing with Batman was an excellent way to revisit some of the characters’ most visceral stories. The comic’s premise would ruffle too many feathers in the mainline canon, but Three Jokers works brilliantly as a “what if?” thought experiment about Batman and Joker’s dynamic. Plus, the cinematic, grounded, and battle-hardened edge Fabok’s art brings to these characters completes this reading experience visually.

2

Dark Patterns Takes Readers Through Street-Level Cases

Batman Flexes His Investigative Muscles in DC’s Current Limited Series

Readers are truly spoiled for choice in the 2020s with Batman limited series, as DC’s Dark Patterns​​​​​​also makes its case for being the best of the decade so far. On top of writing his ongoing Nightwing run for the publisher, writer Dan Watters is showing off his storytelling talents in an assortment of stories following the Caped Crusader’s early years. Artists Hayden Sherman and Tríona Farrell join him in this series as Batman tackles a string of grisly cases from rampant killers to a towerful of gangsters led by an ominous leader.

Dark Patterns is everything fans of the grit from ’80s and ’90s Detective Comics​​​​​​runs would want. Tastefully structured as four storylines across the limited series’ eventual 12-issue run, this comic excels in smaller-scale Batman stories. At the time of writing, the series is currently on its fifth issue and continues to prove how well it hones in on the fundamentals that make the Dark Detective a compelling boots-on-the-ground superhero.

1

The Last Halloween Follows Up on a Legendary Batman Crime Epic

Jeph Loeb Returns to Pick Up Where Batman’s Infamous Long Halloween Left Off

The creative duo of writer Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale created a watershed moment in Batman comics with The Long Halloween​​​​. They even formed a loose trilogy with their earlier Haunted Knight anthology and Long Halloween‘s direct sequel, Dark Victory​​​. Now, Loeb returns to the 1996 limited series’ story and honors the late Sale with The Last Halloween​​​​. With Dick Grayson as Robin in tow, Loeb and a revolving team of terrific artists tell a new crime saga that spins out of The Long Halloween Special‘s revelations.

The Last Halloween is close to finishing its 10-issue run at the time of writing. And while it would have been easy for this limited series to feel like a tactless cash-grab, it’s earned its acclaim for telling a tense and unraveling mystery worthy of its predecessors. While fans don’t have the singular talent of Tim Sale’s art to complement the whole series, it feels suitably atmospheric and reminiscent of The Long Halloween​​​​’s crime-noir trappings.

“}]] While the Dark Knight’s main series stood out in the last five years, fans were treated to some hidden gems in Batman’s miniseries and limited series.  Read More