Comic review- 80s-90s Batman (Year One, Long Halloween/Dark Victory, Knightfall, No Man's Land)

Starting yet another new format, today we have a comic overview! Thought the natural place to start here would be with Batman, but given the huge amount of comic media I've decided to break it up into 2 parts for him. These are some of my favourite pieces of Batman media from the late 80s and into the 90s, a time that I personally feel is the beginning of consistently great Batman media until a little bit into the New 52 relaunch. In these, we have what is widely regarded as the definitive Batman and Robin origin piece and some other comics that are hugely important to the wider Batman mythos. Each comic is listed below with the characters/crews that I think are covered quite well in the stories, and I would put as "must reads" for each character.

Year One- OC/Batman/Gordon

This story is in my opinion the best piece of writing Frank Miller ever did for DC Comics bar none, and in itself is a great look at the grittier side of Gotham through the early careers of Batman, Gordon and Catwoman. While some matter in it has long since been retconned (and then all of it in one of the worst decisions of the New 52) it still holds up to this day as an amazing chronological starting point for Batman readers (or just a starting point in general). I tend to not recommend this as much as the next 2 in terms of starting Batman, and the storytelling isn't as captivating as them, but the artstyle alone is enough to make it stand out as a classic piece. 

The story itself is Bruce Wayne returning to Gotham at the same time as James Gordon transfers from Chicago, and through their viewpoints we get differing perspectives on the corruption that has set into Gotham. Both parties make a dedicated effort to clean up the town through their own methods, and come into conflict with the Falcone mob and the Commissioner. If you're expecting Gordon to get along with Batman right from the start, you'd be dead wrong, but watching them both grow as characters is well worth the read. A lot of the general story beats inspire Christopher Nolan in Batman Begins, and it really shows the quality of both. 

Long Halloween/Dark Victory- OC/Two-Face/Batman/Robin/Catwoman/Calendar Man

These two are together because they should always be read together, it's that simple. While they're very much sequels to Year One, it isn't 100% essential to "get" the story of Long Halloween, while Dark Victory is a direct continuation of the Long Halloween story. The one huge issue with these comics is that the art was dated when it came out, and leaves a lot to be desired in its weirdly abstract style. The story, however, more than makes up for this, and I recommend these stories to anyone wanting to read Batman, new or old.

The Long Halloween details Batman still early in his career while he continues his crusade against Organised Crime in Gotham, this time framed amid the growing conflict between the Maroni and Falcone families. Right in the middle of the war, there is a bit of a murder mystery in the Holiday Killer, who is thinning the ranks of the Falcone family and fuelling gang conflict across Gotham, targeting Falcone members on holidays much to the anger of Calendar Man. Adding to this, we also see Gordon continuing to rise the ranks, Catwoman finding her thieving ways, and Gotham's costumed criminals beginning to take over the evolving criminal underworld. If you want to read more about the Falcones, Maronis, or Calendar Man, this is without question the place to start reading. 

Dark Victory is pretty much a direct continuation of Long Halloween, showing how the mobs are attempting to accustom themselves to the growing costumed crime in Gotham while they are being continually hit by the newly rising District Attorney, Harvey Dent. The way that Don Maroni attempts to deal with this will have repercussions for all of Gotham, and leads to the end of the story. Framed against the growing influence of Maroni, we also see the deaths of the Flying Graysons, and Dick Grayson turning into Robin. Again, this is a great piece for Maroni, but it is also a must read for fans of Robin or Two-Face because it is to this day the creation story for both of these characters.

Knightfall- Bane/Batman/Robin/Azrael

Knightfall. Everyone knows the basics, Bane comes in and smashes up Bruce, Azrael takes the reins and goes a bit nutty. The first arc, Knightfall proper, is without a doubt the best appearance of Bane to date, as its him at his most powerful and most manipulative, but its also a quick rattling off of a great amount of Batman villains, both major and minor. I'll admit I didn't enjoy the Azbat portion as much as other arcs I've read, but that is purely because I think it dragged on a bit too long. Azbat is a great example of 90s edge done well enough, seeing him slash up criminals is pretty cathartic actually, and its a perfect difference from the usual straight laced Batman. The one major complaint I have with this arc though, like No Man's Land after it, is Tim Drake and the drama with his father sucks. I have no love for it, if it went on for a quarter of the issues it did then maybe, but as it was it just bloats page counts for useless circular storytelling. To be fair, its something Robin simply couldn't have before Tim, and it is different, but its crap.
Knightfall starts with Bane blowing up Arkham Asylum, so the stakes are immediately set. Bruce is then at breaking point having to clean up the mess, and when he finally finishes Bane is waiting for him, leading to the famous "breaking". Cue Azbat and a long winded edgefest, and then Bruce is healed and comes back to take back the cowl. All in all I would recommend it up until the "breaking" but after that only if you're really looking to read a lot of Azbat. 

No Man's Land- Batman/Gordon/Penguin/Ivy/Harley/Joker
I'll be perfectly honest here, No Man's Land is one of my favourite Batman arcs of all time. Not only is it the first comic appearance of Harley Quinn and Cassandra Cain, it also has some of the best Penguin material ever published, and is where he truly comes into his own as a broker of all things, and it has a Batman stripped of all plot armour and in a bad way. The early stages of the arc (mainly Road to NML) are very Bruce Wayne heavy as well, with Bruce fighting in Congress to get government aid into Gotham instead of on its streets as Batman until a good way into the arc. All in all, its a refreshing pallet cleanser when compared to a lot of "traditional" Batman stories, and sets the tone for Gotham Central after it which is also awesome.
Set after the events of Cataclysm and Aftershock, Gotham is in a pretty bad way, and after the government declare it a no man's land almost all the residents leave. Those who are left behind have to deal with Gotham becoming a faction based playground for the various supervillains, and huge shifts in power are made among those at the top. Two-Face allying with police? It happens here, and its great. All throughout you watch eagerly as Batman and Gordon come to terms with what they've dealt with and crawl back into control of Gotham through both conflict and negotiation. The fact that Joker is largely missing for it is only an extra bonus, especially because when he does appear it's gnarly...