I think there is certain graphic novels/comics that you must own or at least have read as a Batman fan. Kind of like a top 10 but more than 10, and in no particular order, other than starting with....

The Dark Knight Returns

Year One

Batman #1

Detective Comics #27

The Killing Joke

Arkham Asylum

The Long Halloween

Hush

Venom

Knightfalll

A Death in the Family

The Black Mirror

R.I.P

Birth of the Demon

Year 100

Under the Hood

Court/City of Owls

What would you add? Not just good reads but stories you think a good Batman fan should own or have at least read. Because I would like to add Joker and Earth One but I don't think they deserve to be on that list.... But maybe they do. Either way what would you add? If any.

@djprince831: Great list. I would add The Man Who Laughs by Brubaker. It's the first time Batman encounters the Joker and was a chilling, and creepy tale that demonstrated the clown's lack of morality and ability to incite chaos.

I would also add Heart of Hush to that list. It expounds upon the origins of Hush and not only provides a detailed introspective look of the villain's motivations and perception of Bruce but a sinister and ingenious plot which causes even the Dark Knight himself to lose his composure. It's written by Paul Dini, enough said go get it!! lol

You could'v just bumped these threads : Batman's Must Read Stories, Comic Vine's Top 100 Batman Universe Stories

@batcat91: I can't believe I forgot about The Man Who Laughs. I remember before and after I read, thinking "Oh this is just gonna be a generic okay maybe even bad story but the reason people refer to it, because it's the first encounter with the Joker." And after reading it, I was extremely impressed, I love how he captured the Joker!

I am afraid to say I haven't read Heart of Hush but I certainly will now! Thanks for the recommendation!

@djprince831: Any time! Also maybe you should lock this thread. I completely forgot we had another thread like this and they have several stories that you might not have heard of. RustyRoy provided a link