-Legends of the Dark Knight #16-20

Yet another interesting story from Denny O'Neil that's set early on during Batman's career. In Venom Batman blames himself for being too weak after failing to shift a rock fall in time to save a drowning girl, he is eventually talked into trying a new designer drug that's been synthesized by the girl's father. This drug can rapidly increase the strength of its users to an enormous level, it will later come to be known as "Venom". The story is of course a take on steroid abuse, it shows Batman in a way that we have never seen him before and does a pretty good job of exploring the subject of drug dependency and addiction.

-Legends of the Dark Knight #28-30

Two-Face escapes from prison and starts a killing spree in this fantastic book from Matt Wagner. Batman needs to discover what the underlying reason for these murders is and why Two-Face is going to such great lengths to acquire a secluded island. Faces is a story of sad misfits, outcasts, and those who go to lengths to show one face in public and another behind closed doors. As always Wagner does an excellent job of including a plethora of interesting, fleshed out supporting characters all with well defined motives and lives.

-Absolution GN

Absolution is a story from J. M. DeMatteis that ask the question can people really change? and if they can, is there redemption for even the worst crimes? The story begins with a bombing at Wayne Enterprises that kills multiple people, an anti-capitalist terrorist is responsible for the attack, but she manages to escape before Batman can track her down. Still seething, Bruce keeps an eye out for clues for an entire decade until finally tracking her down. Absolution is a story that tries to explore the nature of justice and how you balance punishment and rehabilitation.

-Ego GN

After driving a crook to suicide, an injured and delirious Bruce retreats to his batcave where he begins to hallucinate a representation of the "Batman" half of his own psyche. Bruce and Batman begin to argue and struggle against each other for supremacy symbolising Bruce's inner turmoil. Ego is a clever story that asks a lot of difficult questions about Bruce's mission and how much good he's honestly done. We see his self doubt and his fears that no matter how hard he fights he'll make no real progress. Will Bruce come to terms with the two sides of his life or will he fall apart?

-The Batman in Nine Lives GN

This is a unique elseworld story that is influenced by the hard boiled detective stories of old (think Raymond Chandler). The main plot involves the death of Selina Kyle, and Dick Grayson and Batman's search for the truth. Nine Lives represents a big break from the norm, its novel takes on the main characters of Batman comics manage to be very different to how we're used to seeing them and yet still quite familiar. its very cool to see the direction they're been taken.

-Gotham by Gaslight GN

Another elseworlds story, this one set in the Victorian era. Gotham by Gaslight has Bruce returning to the United States after a long period of absence, having left for Europe as a child when his parents were murdered in front of him by a highwayman. Unfortunately his journey from London to Gotham coincides with that of Jack the Ripper's, leading suspicion to fall on Bruce as the killer. Cult artist Mike Mignola graces the book with some suitably moody and atmospheric period artwork.

-Batman #452- 454

The talented Peter Milligan tried his hand at writing for the caped crusader in this creepy Riddler story about arcane rites and devil worship! Riddler is seemingly up to his old tricks again, leaving a set of clues in an attempt to manipulate Batman, but this time he seems more sadistic and cruel than usual, is there something more going on? Milligan crafts an eerie supernatural story here that's packed full of unsettling suspense and deft world building, going more into the dark history of Gotham city than writers had done before.

-Batman #237

The master team of Denny O' Neil and Neal Adams provide another done in one issue that hits the ball out of the park with this story of Nazi war criminals who've escaped justice, and their misbegotten gains. The plot has Batman and Robin stumbling onto some murders during a Halloween festival parade. A great story from the most important team who worked on Batman, a team that did more than any other in getting the character back on the track to his current level of global popularity.

-Robin: Year One #1-4

Robin gets the Year One treatment in this fun outing from Chuck Dixon. The book covers Robin's first year as the Boy Wonder from immediately after the end of his training. We see him grow in competence and ability whilst suffering the odd stumble and setback along the way. Its an entertaining adventure that's much lighter in tone than Batman: Year One, but still has some more serious scenes and themes in it, including touching on the questionable nature of Bruce's decision to involve an adolescent in his mission.

-Detective Comics #598-600

Blind Justice is a 1980s story written by Sam Hamm, the scriptwriter for the original Tim Burton Batman movie. It concerns Bruce being accused of being a traitor (due to his suspicious travels during his training years), and he cannot explain his actions without revealing his identity as Batman. Whilst this is going on there are a string of robberies and attacks utilising a new invention that allows people's unconscious body's to be remote controlled from afar. A clever story that explores some interesting moral questions and reveals more about Bruce's past, including his relationship to a killer named Henri Ducard who mentored Bruce for a period.