With Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy now in our rear-view mirrors, it’s safe to say that interest in the Caped Crusader’s ongoing war with the criminal element of Gotham City has never been higher. It’s a good thing that Batman is getting so much press (he deserves it after Batman and Robin nearly relegated him to pop-culture limbo), but the problem is that a majority of movie-goers and television fans think that they know everything about the Dark Knight because they’ve watched The Dark Knight, and that is simply untrue. As good as Christopher Nolan’s trilogy is, the truth is that we have yet to see a Batman movie that honestly succeeds in capturing the true feel of Gotham City’s obsessive guardian (outside of Bruce Timm’s brilliant animated universe). Throughout the decades, Batman has undergone many changes as many different writers have taken on the character, but the essential themes of loss, obsession, justice and vengeance remain constant. These ten gems, birthed from the graphic novels, are not only the single best examples of great Batman stories, but also happen to provide the source material for many moments and set pieces that were blatantly ripped off in Nolan’s films.

Note: Quite a few of these stories have been adapted into DC animated features, so if you absolutely must, you can check those out instead.

“We are going where no man has gone before…to unlock the secrets of the universe! It’s pretty cool!”

 

The Scoop: 1985 PG, directed by Joe Dante and starring Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson, Amanda Peterson, Dick Miller and Robert Picardo

Tagline: The adventure begins in your own back yard.

Summary Capsule: Three middle-schoolers build a space ship in the back yard and proceed to make a close encounter of the weird kind. Think of it as The Goonies in space.

“I seek the means… to fight injustice. To turn fear… against those who prey on the fearful.”

The Scoop: 2005 PG-13, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Katie Holmes

Tagline: No tagline

Summary Capsule: After the murder of his parents and experiencing the injustice of Gotham City, Bruce Wayne travels the world to find the skills to become a symbol of justice and returns to serve the city as a terrifying guardian.

In the never-ending struggle of good versus evil, an eternal balance must be constantly maintained… at least as far as fiction is concerned. Conflict is the essence of drama, so for every power-hungry evil genius, there must be a muscle-bound monosyllabic gun-toting hero with a mysterious past to foil his elaborate plans. But in this miasma of heroes and villains, it’s the mirror image counterparts that stand out; the evil versions of our favorite heroes, possessed of all the abilities and strengths, but without the things like a sense of responsibility or compassion to balance them out. In a heroes world there’s nothing more disconcerting than to watch a darker version of yourself; the villain you might have become had you made different choices, wreaking havoc on the populace…but darned if it doesn’t make for some awesome stories.

“HULK SMASH!”

The Scoop: 2008 PG-13, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, and Tim Roth

Tagline: Get ready to unleash the beast.

Summary Capsule: Mr. Orange takes on Mr. Green.

“It don’t mean a thing, if it ain’t got that swing.”

The Scoop: 1993 PG-13, directed by Thomas Carter and starring Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, and Tushka Bergen

Tagline: In a world on the brink of war. You either march to one tune or dance to another.

Summary Capsule: During the rise of the Nazi party, a group of German kids rebel by Lindy-hopping like there’s no tomorrow.

“Sure as I know anything, I know this. I aim to misbehave.”

The Scoop: 2005 PG-13, directed by Joss Whedon and starring Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau and Alan Tudyk

Tagline: Can’t stop the signal.

Summary: A group of space rebels out only for themselves find out perhaps everyone has a destiny after all

“I don’t think you should go around blaming the time machine for all your problems.”

 

The Scoop: 2005 unrated, Directed by David Ray and starring Jay Baruchel, Sarah Lind and Jim Byrnes.

Tagline:  Time travel ain’t what it used to be.

Summary Capsule: A drug dealer travels back in time using an ugly recliner wrapped in Christmas lights in an attempt to prevent his girlfriend falling into a coma from a heroin overdose.

“None of you understand. I’m not locked in here with you! You’re locked in here with me!”

The Scoop: 2008 R, directed by Zach Snyder and starring Jackie Earle Haley, Billy Crudup and Malin Akerman.

Tagline: They watch over us, but who watches them?

Summary Capsule: Alan Moore’s ‘unfilmable’ magnum opus gets filmed.

“Wands away. There will be no need to talk.”

The Scoop: 2007 PG-13, directed by David Yates and starring Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Gambon and Helena Bonham Carter

Tagline: The Rebellion Begins

Summary Capsule: Boy wizard grows up, goes through teenage angst and yet again foils Dark Lord’s dastardly plans. Look, it’s Harry Potter 5, you should know the deal by now.