The 15 Best Batman Stories of All Time! Omnibus & Collected Editions!

The Dark Knight list is here! Today I talk about my Top 15 best Batman stories and where you can find them in Collected Editions format! Keep an eye on the channel for future lists. What would your top 15 Best Batman stories be?
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The LIST:
15 Batman: No Man’s Land
14 Batman: Hush
13 Batman Year 2
12 Batman Court of Owls
11 Gotham by Gaslight
10 The Demon Trilogy
9 Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying
8 Batman: Going Sane
7 JLA: Tower of Babel
6 Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
5 Batman Legacy
4 The Long Halloween
3 The Dark Knight Returns
2 Batman: The Killing Joke
1 Batman: Year 1
#batmanday
#batmanomnibus
#bestbatmanstories
#batman
#dcomnibus

[@MYTHNL90]

You know there are A LOT of great Batman stories when Knightfall or Black Mirror don't make his list

[@luckystrike8547]

fuck Knightfall

[@jurgenmathiae6682]

KNIGHTFALL ❤agreed

[@edwardmiguez6995]

The Prelude to Knightfall is better than the event, IMO.

[@jurgenmathiae6682]

@@edwardmiguez6995 thanks, will check it out 🤘🏻

[@monstergonads11]

@@edwardmiguez6995 which collected edition would be the prelude to knightfall??

[@Devypocalypse]

'Going Sane' is utterly amazing, it's a crime how practically no one ever mentions it. Amazing art, story, dialogue, just great stuff, and it's Dematteis which is always a win. How it's never got a HC at least is a head scratcher.

[@MightMouse2174]

I seen it want to buy it but they're asking for too much

[@adriadri3624]

​@@MightMouse2174 You can find them in bookswagon at low price

[@stainedclassv0114]

I'd pretty much have to "legally" read it online at this point, because the paperback copies I found cost way too much money right now.

[@turtleanton6539]

​@@stainedclassv0114indeed😊

[@dillonmoss]

I really enjoyed the black mirror

[@lorenpeterson5255]

Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin stories blew me away as a teen. I knew superheroes came back from the dead but his protégé taking up the cowl and adopting a new robin felt like such a logical step, and I loved rooting for such fallible characters trying to live up to the legend of the dark knight.

[@turtleanton6539]

Indeed😊

[@LARGELEMONLIME]

You’ve helped me and my little brother get back into the stories we loved as kids. This channel deserves more subscribers for just unraveling the complexity of reading orders. Keep doing what you’re doing, Omar!

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you for watching and commenting and being here!

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes indeed😊

[@thegoddamnedbatman2138]

My favorite has to be long Halloween one of the best detective stories I’ve read and probably the only Batman story that wasn’t spoiled before I read it

[@diamondly6250]

luckily for me no one I know reads comics so there always fresh when i read them

[@space.pirate481]

you can try Dark Victory is sequal to it

[@cameronh225]

I unironically was just looking for a video like this. Wanna grow my Batman collection and this was big help

[@NearMintCondition]

I’m glad I could help.

[@floorboss]

[Batman Comics] Nothing beats _Morrison's Run_ N O T H I N G !! Predicated on Peter Milligans 3pt. _Dark Knight, Dark City_ & the old Silver-age Batmn story _Robin Dies at Dawn._ > Batman 655-658 _Batman & Son,_ than 664-665 & 672-675 & 667-669 _the Black Glove._ All Leads into RIP. (Reside in Purgatory) Bat 676-683 & 701-702 & FINAL CRISIS 6 (Epilogued in Bat 687 not written by Morrison). Than Batman & Robin 1-16 as well as _The Search for Bruce Wayne_ 1-6 all sets up the mind blowing return of Bruce & eventually the Original BATMAN INCORPORATED series (Get the $30 Over-Sized, Deluxe 260pg Edition, it's A Best Deal & A TOP 3 Batman GN). Also Note Batman 666 & 700. Two Somewhat self contained comic stories also by Grant Morrison.

[@Patrick-sh9tt]

I don’t read tonnes of comics but I read Year One at least 5 or 6 times a year. It is storytelling and artwork perfection. Came here to find other options and was pleasantly surprised by your number 1 😅

[@NearMintCondition]

It’s excellent, you are correct.

[@cammoore___]

I absolutely love Hush, it's such an excellent story!

[@CS11]

This is a video I’ve been wanting since i first found this channel and I’m glad it’s finally here, excited to see these choices

[@djangosusamogus742]

Batman Ego is sooooo underrated. It’s literally perfect.

[@DavidFlores-qd9ib]

The knowledge on comics is impressive man. Keep up the great work love keeping up with the daily videos you post.

[@toeknee1505]

Love your list! I don't know about some of these Batman stories and that's good. It gives me the chance to read them in collected editions. I would love to see your Top 15 X-Men stories!

[@MegaSchremser]

Great video. I give it a solid 6 out of 10!

[@NearMintCondition]

Hahahaha.

[@justinsheldon5887]

Great video, Omar! Pairs well with your where to start reading Batman video to get a look at what’s available. Lots of great looking Absolute Editions in this video; would love to see a video on your favorite Absolutes.

[@Krypton_Ken]

Right there with you on The Killing Joke. I know a lot of people don't care for it these days, and that's okay, but to me it's the perfect Joker story because he isn't likable; he's a murdering, sociopathic, horribly abusive, irredeemable monster. Plus, Brian Bolland's artwork is unbelievably great in that story.

[@bassplayer2011ify]

I've always told people if for no other reason buy the Killing Joke for Bolland's artwork because its incredible. I have yet to see anything imho that has topped the artwork in Killing Joke. And again imo Hush is the only one that comes close.

[@Krypton_Ken]

I love Year Two also. Same with Year Three, really wish they would've included that in the deluxe edition with Death in the Family and A Lonely Place of Dying, which might be my favorite Batman/Robin/Nightwing story.

[@atomichound1868]

Love your passion and content, Omar! Keep it coming, bro!

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you so much, my brother!

[@MikeFurth]

This is a great list! I haven’t read all of these and definitely need to check them out. I will say that Sean Murphy’s White Knight series have been blowing me away with how enjoyable they are. That would probably go on my list. And I have a huge soft spot for the Batman/Predator series from the 90’s by Dave Gibbons with the Kubert brothers on art.

[@steviepickles9174]

Owls, Gaslight, and Halloween for me

[@space.pirate481]

my top 10 batman comics 1-Batman Elseworlds Vol.2 2- Batman -Hush 3-Batman-The Killing Joke 4-Batman-Gotham by Gaslight 5-Batman-Doom that came to Gotham,6-Batman-Creature of the night ,7-Batman-The Long Halloween,8-Batman Three Jokers ,9-Batman Arkham Asylum ,10-Batman Dark Victory

[@stephentheshywarrior2759]

That Tshirt is awesome Omar. I'm a huge resident evil fan.😯 Liked the video just because of that and I haven't even started watching yet.😂

[@sgtjarhead99]

I liked Dark Victory as well. Thought it was an excellent follow up to Long Halloween.

[@Isrephael1]

I've been watching your videos voraciously for the past few weeks, but this is my favorite video yet. I love this content! Well done, sir.

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you so much for the kind words and for being here!

[@Dan14thPrime]

Lots of good ones there. A personal, maybe unique, choice of mine is Morrison’s RIP. It’s the ultimate representation of Batman’s preparation, maybe even more so than ToB. And I love Morrison’s call backs Kirby’s work.

[@invictusbat7225]

Bro RIP Holy crap! That book

[@Dan14thPrime]

@@invictusbat7225 Zur en arrh 🤷🏻‍♂️😁

[@guatobean2869]

One of my favorites too!!

[@sarthak_shah]

I think Dark Victory is also a very good mystery story and a worthy follow-up to The Long Halloween. But my Top 3 are also in the same exact order!

[@litewait633]

I agree, although DV isn’t as good as LH, it’s still a fantastic story and def worthy of Top 15 status. Tim Sale is on record stating that he thought DV was when he and Loeb were at their best.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes 😊

[@Avarn388]

I agree with you Omar on Year two but I actually think Mask of the Phantasm handled year two a lot better. But to be fair that is my favorite Batman movie.

[@stainedclassv0114]

Don't think I can put mine in particular order, but my personal 15 favorites would probably be these. 1: Prey 2: Eye Of The Beholder 3: Bruce Wayne: Murderer / Fugitive 4: Year One 5: Strange Apparitions 6: Dark Knight, Dark City 7: No Man's Land 8: The Cult 9: Ego 10: The Vampire Trilogy 11: Jeph Loeb / Tim Sale Trilogy 12: Paul Dini Omnibus 13: Officer Down 14: Venom 15: A Death In The Family / A Lonely Place Of Dying There's plenty of Batman stories I like, but those are the most notable ones for me.

[@gentlepapa1033]

Another great video! As a long, long time reader your reviews refresh so many awesome memories of my initial reading of these classics! One suggestion O Omar. Your enthusiasm is palpable, but can you take a few nanoseconds on the credits pages, please 🙏. It helps to see the wonderful talents involved. Thanks.

[@NearMintCondition]

You want to see the credits of the books? Of course I can focus on those next time.

[@rickray1202]

I love the Demon Trilogy hardcover. Norm Breyfogle is my personal favorite Batman artist, so great to see the shoutout. Going Sane is fantastic too, and it was great to see that the early pitch DeMatteis had prior to writing Kraven's Last Hunt eventually got written as a DC story too.

[@greg3118]

Didn't expect All-Star Batman and Robin followed by Odyssey repeated 14 times, but hey, it's your channel.

[@armandoasebedo1585]

Great list, what love to see more list like this for other superheroes.

[@NearMintCondition]

You got it, hermano!

[@aarong3582]

Black mirror is my absolute favorite! Shocked it didn’t make the list. Still need to read a couple that did make the list though

[@NearMintCondition]

It was in the top 20.

[@DzustComics]

X-men is the obvious choice to ask from you, but I'd love to see Superman or Spider-Man!

[@luciferfernandez7094]

Most of my fav Batman and, and DC in general, is within Elseworlds. For a long time Arkham Asylum was my top, but nowadays I like Night Cries, Manbat/Batman and Batman/Houdini a little bit more - oddly nobody ever mentions those. Nice to see Bride of the Demon. Also, just yesterday I looked again at Hush and back in the day I thought it was overrated- and it still is.

[@joshuatehhonguan]

Great list, Omar! I've never even heard of 'Going Sane', have to pick it up soon. Wish there was space on the list for one of my favourites, Jim Starlin's 'Batman: The Cult', don't hear it being talked about enough.

[@NearMintCondition]

The Cult is so great!

[@michaelemond7315]

It's all subjective...so I'll subject you to MY pick - the Englehart/Rogers run on Batman. BTW - I am 100% with you on your top three picks.

[@atomichound1868]

Strange Apparitions is a great run! Detective 469-476 with 475-476 being the “Laughing Fish” story. The follow on Wein - Rogers Clayface story in 477-478 is also very good.

[@NearMintCondition]

Oh now that is. A great run!

[@maniabeatle01]

Great list! There are a few Batman stories I haven't read so I'll be on the look out for three hardcovers

[@chrisstone5138]

Great list

[@ondreibazant-fabre2164]

Great work Omar! The only ones I don't own and haven't read are 'Going Sane' and 'Year Two'. I've read 'Legacy' and 'Cataclysm' and loved them (I actually read a novelized version of the latter before the comic) and would like to buy them (which is easier for the 'Cataclysm' event in omnis). I'm surprised you didn't choose any story from Grant Morrison's run. Cheers from Mexico!

[@donaldallen9804]

As someone who's been reading comic books since 1972 and seen a lot of Batman artist I can also say Jim Aparo goes to the # 1 slot as my favorite Batman artist

[@NearMintCondition]

He was phenomenal!

[@Ajm2307]

Great video

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you!

[@cactusblack5993]

Can't wait till we get a top 15 Superman stories from you

[@VogtTD]

No Mans Land is my favorite by far.

[@turtleanton6539]

Great stuff 😊😊😊

[@VaughnEsper]

My top 5: 5) Metal 4) Under the Red Hood 3) No Mans Land 2) Tom Kings Batman run (Please don't hate!) 1) Grant Morrisons run, but only from Batman and Son to Batman RIP I surprised myself when I realized that my picks are all relatively modern. While I enjoy a lot of the 80's Batman, it turns out that I actually like modern stories more.

[@MackOnion]

Love anything that delves into the sinister and horrifying world of the Bat. The Elseworlds Batman & Dracula trilogy is tops for me. Also loved the Batman/Deadman arc by Moench and Kelley.

[@primusfan87]

Gotham by gaslight is where i began my Batman collection

[@nickolidudeman]

I'm digging the T-shirt my dude.

[@NearMintCondition]

Thanks my brother!

[@danielgreen2788]

Beautiful books, I recommend Venom

[@mikedl1105]

The Long Halloween got me into Batman comics as an adult

[@spitzkopflarry6155]

Please do that for spidey too 😍

[@davidnilles3117]

What a great video! Very enjoyable. I’m really interested in “No Man’s Land” and will put it on my list. 👍

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you so much!

[@camerongodsey9847]

Have to admit, didn’t expect to see Batman Odyssey at #1, but what an unexpected twist! (For real this time) Great list Omar :)

[@NearMintCondition]

Hahaha :)

[@MandoAllDay]

I hope you continue with these types of videos.

[@rahulnarayan1983]

Great list, thnx. My favourites are Batman year 100, the dark knight returns, no mans land and the long halloween

[@calebbunting2103]

Great list, one of my favourites is Batman venom. Such a cool story

[@djjerrynice]

Great overall list. Tough not seeing Knightfall or Knight’s End here, as those are incredible classics as well.

[@xposhboyx]

Great video Omar I massively prefer the original coloring for Killing Joke. Thanks for defending Killing Joke and Dark Knight Returns ❤️

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes😊😊

[@user-pq9kb3fi3h]

bro i literally read arkham asylum when i was like 11 and i did not get it at all, i couldn't tell what was going on with that art

[@paulmcgrew2932]

1. The Long Halloween 2. Year One 3. Strange Apparitions Englehart/Rogers Detective Comics run 4. Knightfall, including Parable 5. Court of Owls 6. Zero Year-Secret City 7. Killing Joke 8. DARK VICTORY 9. Hush-Jim Lee's art, my heavens 10. City of Crime

[@ATGSITE]

Your previous overview of Batman Year One and this video has convinced me to double dip and get the Absolute Edition! LOL

[@NearMintCondition]

Lol I’m so sorry.

[@jrson5000]

Great list. I personally think black mirror should be there somewhere but good choices all. And btw the knightfall omnis on your shelf are out of order lol

[@primusfan87]

I don’t know how long I’ve been reading batman but I’ve definitely read “The court of owls” and a few other ones

[@robertmarquez8883]

"The Long Halloween" Brilliant.

[@superman4931155]

Never read Batman before. I've decided to jump in with Snyder's omnibus. It should be delivered tomorrow and I'm super excited to get into it

[@KGCMX]

I haven't read a ton yet. I don't think that I can make a top 10, but Killing Joke, Hush, and Dark Knight Returns, definitely belong. I really enjoyed the Failsafe story, curious to see how that one stands up to the others once I read them. I'm looking at getting Year One and JLA Tower of Babel next.

[@charliecompany210]

Awesome Batman lineup.👍

[@NearMintCondition]

Thanks 👍

[@austinrodriguez1828]

Gotta love the batman content

[@atomichound1868]

My single favorite issue is Batman #232 “Daughter of the Demon” and the subsequent storyline in issues 242-244. Inspired an 8 and then 9 year old to love this character and his many derivatives for a lifetime. “Tales of the Demon” for trade readers. O’Neil - Adams recreating Batman for generations to come.

[@tylerscott6640]

That's one of my favorite and most read books ever. The Neal Adams omnibus has most of those issues but not all of them. I keep on hoping for a Batman by Dennis O'Neil Omnibus.

[@balajiketiboyana4744]

black mirror is one of my fav's for sure would've love to see ut on the list

[@itskrazykid7117]

The long halloween was amazing

[@toilamclipreadingwatchingorder]

my top 1 is black mirror and i love ur list

[@amaze2173]

Appreciate the Tim drake respect, he’s been my favorite robin for years. DC really been shafting him for quite a while though, sad to see..

[@krishnansutewari470]

Thanks for doing this episode Uncanny Omar! Very interesting. Just my opinion but No Man's Land suffers from not having a consistent artist (I understand its a crossover with many titles), and while Death in the Family and Hush are iconic, overall I don't think the stories were that great - Hush has fantastic artwork and Death had you and other readers voting on Jason's fate, but I think the stories could have been better. For what it's worth here are my Top 15 and a couple honorable mentions. Have a look! 1. Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Jansen, and Lynn Valley 2. Batman: Year One by Frank Miller & David Mazzuchelli 3. The Killing Joke by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland 4. Batman & Grendel - Volumes 1 & 2 by Matt Wagner 5. Arkham Asylum - A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison & Dave McKean 6. Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeff Loeb & Tim Sale 7. Batman & The Monster Men - Batman & The Mad Monk 8. Batman: Strange Apparitions & Dark Detective by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin 9. Court of Owls by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo 10. Batman & Dracula Trilogy (Red Rain, Crimson Mist, Bloodstorm) by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones 11. Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader by Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert 12. Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope 13. Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Agustyn & Mike Mignola 14. Batman: Damned by Brian Azzarello & Lee Bermejo 15. Dark Knight: The Master Race by Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello, Andy Kubert, and Klaus Jansen Honorable Mentions: 1. The Joker's Five-Way Revenge (Batman #251) by Dennis O'Neal & Neal Adams 2. Batman: Nosferatu by Jean-Marc Lofficier, Randy Lofficier, and Ted McKeever 3. The Batman Adventures: Mad Love by Paul Dini & Bruce Time 4. Batman: Son of the Demon by Mike W. Barr & Jerry Bingham 5. Batman: The Cult by Jim Starlin & Bernie Wrightson 6. Batman Gothic: A Romance by Grant Morrison & Klaus Jansen 7. Batman Manbat by Jamie Delano & John Bolton 8. Batman & Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham by John Wagner, Alan Grant & Simon Bisley 9. Batman - The Ankh & The Chalice by Chuck Dixon & John Vanfleet 10. Batman & Houdini: The Devil's Workshop by Howard Chaykin & Mark Chiarello

[@mrpower4959]

Hush = GOAT.

[@waza987]

My favourite Batman book I own is a leather bound “The complete Frank Miller Batman” which is not complete today but was at the time it was published with three stories, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and a little Christmas Batman story Frank illustrated from DC Special Series #21 (1980).

[@_The_Worst_]

I just got done watching this video TWICE❗️❗️❗️ For me, I think the most interesting thing here I seen that I wanna check out is the Going Sane...🤘🏼💯✔️

[@WACKYWALLY666]

The same month that Year One started in Batman, Mike W. Barr and Alan Davis started their Amazing Detective Comics Run. I think that if either Davis stayed through issue #578 or if he left with issue #574 (an Incredible Mad Hatter issue), and let McFarlane do the whole story, Year Two would have been more of a Classic!

[@cdswint]

Nice list! Still need to read Going Sane. My list is probably something like this: 1. Batman Year One 2. The Long Halloween 3. Dark Victory 4. The Dark Knight Returns 5. No Man’s Land 6. Court of Owls 7. Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams’ original comics with Ra’s al Ghul 8. The Demon Trilogy 9. Zero Year 10. Black Mirror 11. Tower of Babel 12. Dark Knight, Dark City 13. Heart of Hush 14. Strange Apparitions 15. Knightfall

[@juliosalazar7273]

Awesome video. What shelves are you using behind you? Is there a video of your setup?

[@NearMintCondition]

These are Kallax from Ikea

[@juliosalazar7273]

@@NearMintCondition thank you so much!!

[@shaunpeters]

Court of Owls... incredible. Hush for sure.

[@primusfan87]

21:55 I’ve read this book, it is so good

[@brentholmes4892]

I forgot to mention the great Batman Ra's Al Ghul Year One. Without spoiling, there is an aspect to Ra's in this story that makes it incandescent. Devin Grayson is an exceptional writer.

[@chazkhaira4690]

More please do Superman next

[@thisjustincomics]

It’s nice that most (if not all) of these picks are books that even DC Comics sees as quintessential and thus are always made readily available. I feel as though sometimes the best stories are sometimes OOP IMO

[@jjm6187]

Great list! Honestly, if I had to choose three batman comics to keep and trash the rest, they'd be: Year One, The Long Halloween, and The Dark Knight Returns. I can ready those any day and love them every time.

[@akshayviswanath6649]

In your most private moments you will remember the man who beat you. That epic line!!

[@gilbetus21]

Wow yes i live in EU...and i really did not know about the Germa site!! Nice

[@sergioacosta9712]

Batman by Scott Snyder was good but I was a little weird with how the joker was in this run. Then I haven't read anything else, so Is pauldini omnibus good?

[@gabriellamarche4818]

Great list Omar, but where's the greatest Batman story ever told aka Strange Apparitions by Steve Englehart & Marshall Rogers?! How can you top 'The Laughing Fish'?

[@beltenebrosgr1904]

Hi, great list Omar... no "Batman Year 100"?

[@NearMintCondition]

As much as I love Paul Pope, this list was so hard to put together.

[@beltenebrosgr1904]

@@NearMintCondition I am sure about it Omar... I just really love both Pope and his very cool take on Batman on "...Year 100". Thank you very much for your comment...🙂

[@oliverl.5834]

I like "Year Two" as well. Is the follow-up included in that collected edition? Don't remember the name off the top my hat. Drawn by Davis as well.

[@Krypton_Ken]

Full Circle's in there, it's a great deluxe edition.

[@NearMintCondition]

Full Circle? It’s in the deluxe.

[@oliverl.5834]

@@NearMintCondition That's the one. Thanks.

[@logan2b]

I’ll have to give year 2 a try

[@paulmcgrew2932]

Omar, I give this list a 6/10. 🤪😛😝

[@NearMintCondition]

Hahahaha my man!

[@miamimagicians]

Todd McFarlane should’ve never stopped drawing for Batman. He’s so damn slick. Like when you read Spider-Man anything Todd McFarlane touches is just incredible. He’s basically the main reason the Marvel universe took off today.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes😊

[@lindawest7408]

Have you ever heard of someone named i don't know Stan Lee

[@SirMdude]

I love the umbrella corp shirt

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you!

[@SirMdude]

Thank you for the reply!! You’ve mad my day. I also wanted to say that I’ve been watching your channel since you folks were below 50k subscribers and I’m so happy that now you’re nearing 75k!! I love this channel, pray that y’all continue to grow and I’m very happy for everyone at Near Mint Condition!! Thank you

[@NearMintCondition]

Thank you my brother! For watching and being here!

[@Shortyd17]

Court of Owls and Long Halloween are my two favorites I think

[@connordickerson7243]

Love this video. Could you do one for Superman in the future?

[@NearMintCondition]

Of course I can.

[@Signorryan91]

Someday we will get that Contagion/Legacy omni… someday.