A Very Dark Knight: Five Times Batman Has Clashed With The Unknown

Batman may be best known for fighting his common villains, gangsters, and armed thugs in the alleys of Gotham City, but that doesn't mean that the Caped Crusader hasn't gotten...well even darker a few times. The Dark Knight has dealt with everyhting from his normal rouges gallery to full fledged monsters in Gotham city, and he doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. Let's check out five times Gotham city got really scary, to get geared up for Halloween ComicFest.

Let's start with the basics. If you haven't read Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's masterpiece Batman: The Long Halloween (JUL110251), you are seriously missing out. This isn't just one of the darkest Batman stories ever, it's also one of the best.

The story picks up where the legendary Batman: Year One left off, with The World's Greatest Detective at a loss, as a serial killer is murdering Gotham citizens only on Holidays. Batman teams with Harvey Dent and (then Lieutenant) James Gordon to catch Holiday, but how many will die before they can stop the madness? The story has received near universal acclaim, and has consistenly been listed as one of the best Batman stories of all time.

Christopher Nolan has also cited The Long Halloween as one of the main inspirations for his smash hit film trilogy. There might not be any monsters in this story, but the macabre tone and the incredibly dark and mysterious art work make this harshly realistic Batman story just as scray as any ghost. Don't miss out on a story that helped make these characters what they are today!

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale return for another acclaimed set of stories. Batman: Haunted Knight (APR148283) takes the duos' extreme talents and takes the horror up a notch. The three story collection takes place on the holiday itself and sees Batman clash with his rouges gallery as they become even more twisted than normal.

This truly haunting collection kicks off with Fears, which follows Batman as he attempts to track down Scarecrow in a maze that the villain is pumping his fear toxin into. The Dark Knight almost dies form the amount of the toxin he breaths in, so you can imagine things get pretty scary before the intense conclusion.

The second story, Madness, is truly disturbing, as The Mad Hatter captures a young Barbra Gordon and makes her participate in one of his twisted "Tea Parties." Will Batman and Gordon find Barbra in time? And will they give the villain a far trial if they do?

The final story of the series, Ghosts, is a bit lighter, as it is a retelling of A Christmas Carol on Halloween, except, you know, all the characters are from Batman. Considered the second in their trilogy of definitive Batman stories (After The Long Halloween, and Before Dark Victory) Batman: Haunted Knight is essential not only to Batman fans, but to fans of horror in general!

If Gotham City had been taken over by the Dark Lords of hell Hundreds of years ago, we might see a very different version of Batman. Well, that's exactly what Batman: Haunted Gotham (DEC080155) shows us!

In this full on horror version of the universe, Bruce Wayne was raised by his parents to strike against the demonic forces that occupy Gotham, which is cut off form the rest of the world. Batman is assisted in his quest by a skeleton named Cal and a sultry sorceress named Cat Majik (seems familiar, right?). The super team of Doug Moench, Kelley Jones, John Beattey, and Jason Moore bring you a true horror story, after their success with Batman/Dracula: Red Rain. This is where the Bat-verse starts to get really scary. Keep an eye out for The Joker, this time constructed entirely out of patchwork. This creepy story is one to be remembered.

In Batman and the Monster Men (JUN060153), things get very psychological as this golden age style story showcases The Caped Crusader's first clash with the notorious Hugo Strange. Nothing has prepared this young naive version of Bruce Wayne for the mental torments to come! Matt Wagner (of Mage and Grendel fame) crafts a retro-style tale, as his style is directly derived form the Batman comics of the 1940's. Batman's original love interest Julie Madison (re-imagined here as a law student) even makes an apperance.

Batman faces off against mob boss Sal Maroni, a corrupt police commissioner, and Arkham Asylum patients who seem almost...super-powered. When the Dark Knight begins to zero in on Doctor Hugo Strange as a suspect, he can certainly take him down in a fist fight, but can his mind stand up to the sick and twisted games Strange has planned? And will Batman be able to fight through the hordes of super powered patients to get to him in the first place? Pick up Batman and the Monster Men and find out!

Monsters, vampires, zombies, serial killers. None of these things are as frigtening as the mind of Grant Morrison. The legenday writer brings readers Batman: Arkham Asylum (JUN140278), which kickstarted his career, and brought a new viewpoint to many of the characters in the universe.

When Arkham Asylum is taken over by its inmantes, they are threatening to kill the hostages inside unless Batman and Batman alone will meet with them. Of course, the Dark Knight shows up, only to discover the inside of the Asylum is more terrifying than he could have imagined. The inmates are so damaged, Two Face cannot even decide whether or not to use the bathroom without his dice telling him it is the right thing to do.

The deeper Batman ventures into the asylum, the further away his sanity seems to be. An even more horrifying story related to the past of the asylum is looming over all of this. Will Batman be able to stop the insanse violence form continuing? Grant Morrison's iconic story is filled with literary and religious references as he seems to ask the readers who is really crazy? Is it the man dressed as the clown, or the man dressed as the bat? Perhaps, it's the man that decides to lock some of them up.

If the title or plot elements of this book seem familiar to you, it is probably because it was used as the primary inpiration and title for Rocksteady's 2009 video game, which is also critically accliamed. Grant Morrison starts the Haunting concept of questioning true sanity in Batman: Arkham Asylum!

So head to your local comic shop to pick up these Batman titles for Halloween or any time of year!