Home > Comics > Batman Family of Comics > Modern-Age Batman Comics: 1986 & Beyond

This is a selection of Batman Comics from the Modern Age (with GEMs highlighted).  The list includes links for the following: (a) Wiki page (from the Grand Comics Database, or GCD), (b) e-book (available upon request), and (c) More info on each comic (via optional posts by various contributors).

Please note that the list is sortable by each column. (Multiple levels of sorting are possible by sorting more than one column in succession, from lowest to highest.)  You can also do an instant filtering of the table by entering a character string in the ‘Search’ field.

The Bronze Age came to a close in 1986 with the revamp of the entire universe of DC Comics superheroes with the 1985-1986 crossover series Crisis on Infinite Earths.  By late 1986, Batman was ready for another reboot.  Just as John Byrne was the architect of Superman’s 1986 reboot, in the case of Batman the honor went to Frank Miller.  Another key person involved in the reboot was Denny O’Neil, the writer who helped launch Batman’s Bronze Age.  After a stint at Marvel Comics, O’Neil had returned to DC (this time as editor), and he played a big role in the reinvention of Batman by Frank Miller.

The 1986 rebooting of Batman started with the landmark 4-issue comic-book series The Dark Knight Returns.  The series is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential Batman stories ever, as well as one of the greatest works of comic art in general.  The reading public was stunned by the dramatically different take on storytelling adopted by Frank Miller, as well as the darker and more mature-oriented version of the Batman character.  Comic books would never be the same again, and if there was any question that adults were part of the target audience for comics, that notion was dispelled forever.

The following year 1987 saw the arrival of two other Frank Miller series: Batman: Year One and Batman: Year Two, comprising a creative and exhilarating retelling of Batman’s origin  Unlike The Dark Knight Returns, which had been scripted and drawn by Frank Miller, this time Miller collaborated with two amazing artists: David Mazzucchelli and Todd McFarlane respectively.  Both of these series were instant successes and set the stage for the Batman mythos in the Modern Age.

Another milestone in 1987 was the publication of DC’s first ever graphic novel: Batman: Son of the Demon, an amazing story by Mike W. Barr featuring Ra’s Al Ghul and an intricate plot involving Batman’s stormy romance with his daughter Talia.  All three of Frank Miller’s Batman opuses mentioned above were also published shortly thereafter as graphic novels (aka trade paperbacks).

As the Modern Age progressed, DC’s super-heroes, particularly Batman, became darker and more psychologically complex.  Comic-book creators became better-known and more influential in the industry, and independent comics flourished and became the primary mode of distribution for comic books.  As was the case with Superman, the 1986 reboot of Batman did not stick, and the character has been reinvented multiple times over the years; these reinventions have not always been consistent.  Thus, DC did another reboot in a 2011 with the Flashpoint crossover series and relaunched all of its super-hero characters in the ‘New 52′ comic books.  Since then, there have been even more reboots of the DC universe, but I have lost interest in following these and stopped keeping track.

Some notable Batman storylines which took place during the Modern Age were: the groundbreaking Knightfall/Knightquest/KnightsEnd saga (one of the longest story cycles in comic books ever), A Death in the Family (end of the second Robin Jason Todd), A Lonely Place of Dying (debut of third Robin Tim Drake), Batman: The Long Halloween, Batman: Hush, and Batman: Earth One.  For more details on the Modern Age of Batman Comics, please see this link.

Please share any comments or suggestions on this list by filling out this form.  You can use the same form to express interest in becoming a contributor to the site and also request downloadable e-files for the comics books listed below.