Read These Batman Comic Books Before Seeing 'The Batman'

The Batman hits theatres in the coming weeks. Social Media buzz is at an all-time high for a DC project, and writer/director Matt Reeves, and star Robert Pattinson, have continued to say all the right things during interviews. With all of that being said, Batman first appeared in comics, and we would not be here without some of those classic stories over the years. So here is a look at some essential reading before the lights go dim and you munch on that big bag of popcorn.

The Long Halloween

One of the most well-known Batman stories, the long Halloween was a 13 part series. Written by Jeph Loeb, the series ran between 1996 and 1997. This series is essential to The Batman because it focuses on the detective aspect of the character as Batman investigates a killer known strictly as Holiday. It follows Batman for about a year and the fear that mounts in Gotham City as each holiday approaches. Reeves uses Batman's detective aspect quite heavily, which comes to mind as a brilliant Batman detective story.

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Batman: Year One

Originally just a story arc that spanned the pages of Batman #404-#407, the story has since been released in its paperback form. Written by Frank Millar, it came out between February and May of 1987. The story sees Bruce returning to Gotham after being away for a dozen years and Jim Gordon transferring to the GCPD from Chicago. Bruce desperately wants to help change the narrative surrounding Gotham's crime and corruption and becomes Batman to do just that. It involves several characters that will appear in The Batman, including Carmine Falcone and Selina Kyle. However, the young start-up Batman draws the most parallels to the new film as Bruce is only in year two when the film commences.

Batman: Zero Year

While it does have a similar name to Year One, it has its own story. Designed to relaunch Batman's origin story within the New 52 world reboot, Zero Year is a three-part story. The three-story arcs are Secret City, Dark City, and Savage City, where The Riddler gains control of Gotham after flooding the city. There seem to be scenes within The Batman trailer that indicate this same story could be heavily featured in the new film. It is very brief, but we see Batman leading Gotham citizens via the flare's light through what seems to be flooded streets.

Detective Comics #140

For this one, we have to head back to 1948, when Edward Nigma first appeared. He is a puzzle master within the Carnival who manipulated people with his wits. He grew tired of this game and eventually began to match wits with the GCPD and even wanted to go as far as to challenge Batman. While Reeves's version only takes the puzzle and riddle element from the character, this issue takes us back to where it all began and shows readers just how far the character has come in all that time.

Batman #1

Going back to the start in Bill Fingers, Batman #1 introduces the seductress known as Selina Kyle. Often known for stealing expensive jewelry from the rich, Selina always used her cat-like reflexes to perfection. The story centers around Batman and Robin investigating a robbery on a boat wherein Batman discovers a young girl is the perpetrator of the crime. Batman has the opportunity to stop her but finds himself infatuated with her and ultimately decides to let her escape. It is the first time Batman and Catwoman (who goes nameless until the next issue) lay eyes on each other, and as the saying goes. The rest is history.

While there are plenty more Batman stories over the years that feature the characters present in Matt Reeves' The Batman, those are the five that seem to lay the framework for the story he chose for his film. Of course, Batman has tons more amazing stories of the years, but any of these are great starting points if you find yourself enamored with what you see from The Batman. See the film in theatres on March 4th or head down to your local comic shop and get an early start.

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Written by Kenneth Belliveau

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