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THE Bastard said:
The question is: Which Bat-Man story do you guys find to THE definitive tale? Is it DKR or is it Year One? Maybe some other one....

For me, I'd have to say DKR. It truly shows the facist, crazed man that is Bruce Wayne. I like all the moments with the supporting cast...especially Alfred. The problem is, it started that whole "Bat-Man can beat anyone with prep time" that continues on to this day. Still, it was really cool seeing Bats hand Supes his ass and then check out.

I'm looking forward to the sequel but, I think it may be a letdown. How can it compare to all the hype surrounding it AND live up to the first story? It's kinda like Jordan coming back (if he ever makes up his mind to do so)...I'll be right there watching his first game but, he'll never be as good as the first time. It'll only serve to diminish his legacy.

Sometimes, you should leave well enough alone.



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ROY BATTY said:
As for Favourite Bat-story, DKR gets it but Year 1 best encapulates a great Bat-adventure!



i LOVE the dark knight returns. absolutly an incredible book, with a great story. even if it werent batman as the star, it'd be an excellent tale.

its definitly, by far and away, my favorite batman story. is it the definitive story, tho? (and, there is a difference) maybe not.

while i do think that its the most in-continuity-out-of-continuity book out there, its still something that never happened. and referencing this book in any "batman vs ___" debate always brings up the issue that its a mute point -- its a future tale that never happened.

batman couldnt fly, superman didnt have "truth lasers" and the joker wasnt a girl... conversly, everything in this book held true to the existing characters, so it definitly could happen in any of the current, monthly books (how frickin cool would that be??). however, its still about a 55 year old batman, which i think sorta removes it from possibly being the definitive tale.

year one, on the other hand, did happen in our continuity. and, i think that book tells the definitive tale. as my second all time favorite book, this story illustrates beautifully everything about batman. his relationship with the enemies, the good guys, bruce wayne, the commish, and his own drive/desire.

it showed batman's incredible detective skills, his mastery of fighting ability, his strength, his cool ass gadgets, and also displayed how successful just the simple jump-shirt and undies suit could be. plus, with fantastic art (where is dave mazz now, and why isnt he doing det.comics issues?!?!), everything was all the more iconic.

and, as a sub-plot bonus, we get to see what is, perhaps, the best commish gordon story in existance.

incredible book.