Man, I came in here really hoping the argument would be for "The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Dark Knight Returns." Now that could be the definitive Batman story...disallowing the mild confusion during Returns without "A Death In The Family," I suppose.
Sadly, most viewers don't seem to agree that these could be the definitive stories. I've found that multiple people wish they had "known more about Bane" because they had trouble connecting with the character in the film on his own merits. The sad thing about that is, of course, that Bane is usually not written very well and Nolan's reinvention of the character is probably the best thing to happen to him since Knightfall. But that tells me that many people respond to these characters in a large way because of their previous understanding and interaction with them.
I would argue that TAS is the current "definitive" Batman series, with Year One, The Killing Joke, and A Death In The Family being the "definitive" Batman stories. Sadly, TDKR and A Serious House on Serious Earth largely get the shaft in terms of public consciousness, despite their extremely high levels of quality. I also considered Long Halloween, Son of the Demon, and Knightfall, but I'd argue that most casual Batman fans are completely unfamiliar with those concepts and stories.
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