The internet has always loved Batman, because a man who saves the world by spending most of his time alone in a cave with a supercomputer gives them a role model to aim for. Unfortunately they haven’t thought this through, because everyone who has ever aimed anything at Batman has eventually failed. Except us. Because we’re setting our sights to sell 1,150 Batman comic books.
This collection focuses on the modern age, an immense archive of 1980-2000 era comics, many issues with multiple copies including several series #1’s. The core consists of Batman, Detective Comics, and Legends of the Dark Knight, with an impressive selection of offschoots and miscellaneous chiropterology. This includes such infamous events as Death in the Family and the ascent of Azrael, undeniably important events in Bat-history, as well as entertainingly random excursions like beating down the Predator or getting involved with the Outsiders. There’s also the classic Breaking of the Bat, and more Joker stories than you can shake a giant novelty mallet at.
In four longboxes you get two decades of Gotham history: that’s enough reading material to keep you going until there are two more. This isn’t just a collection, it’s an era, and if you’re interested in the grit and grime of the modern era – always a better match for the character than the shine-spangled golden age – then this is the collection for you.