Top 40 Batman Trades poll - One Year Later

[nepenthes]

.

Around this time one year ago I counted up the votes of two dozen members to create this table, the result I think is an interesting picture of our favorite Batman stories. It was an experiment and a bit of fun but I also thought it might help serve as a prompt to anyone looking for ideas on what to buy next. It lives in a sticky thread at the top of this board.

The purpose of revisiting this poll is to a) keep it current and relevant and b) grow the number of contributors. I'd like to re-open it to the board and if we get another half dozen responses, great, another twenty well that'd be awesome. I'm also just interested to see if the table changes shape.

Votes from the Year Two round will be added into the current ranking - this a rolling count. If you voted last year your new Top 20 will take the place of your former submission.



The same voting guide applies, please pay particular attention to Number Five as it will directly effect the way you draw up your vote

Open to any trade in the Batman umbrella
This includes Batfamily titles but keep in mind that most of these will fall under a Group Vote

Ranked from One-to-Twenty
I’ve chosen the figure of 20 trades because it will produce the most worthwhile and revealing result. Submissions under 20 trades will not be counted. Submissions must be ranked in a deliberate order.

Must be a collected edition.
If you've read the story in singles issues then that's fine, but you will need to vote for it in its collected form. For instance a vote for "the first Greg Rucka Detective run" is probably best matched by Murderer/Fugitive or Batman Evolution

Vote for your favourite books, not the "most important".
The IGN list nails this perfectly; "Sometimes too much importance is placed on the significance of a story rather than the quality of the storytelling. A story needs to be compelling beyond just the plot twists. Great stories are unforgettable. It's not enough just to be a good read, each of these books must linger in our memories." You get the idea.

Group Voting
A poll like this requires a way to simplify voting when it comes to multi-trade stories, runs, collections etc. Group Voting means that if you're choosing No Mans Land, for example, you don't need to use up five positions to include the whole thing, and you don't need to pick your favourite volume at the expense of the rest. Therefore a vote for NML vol.5 will also count for NML as a whole. A vote for Batman Reborn is a vote for the whole Grant Morrison Batman & Robin run. This also means you can't stack a submission with more than one type of book or anything too closely related.

Just so we’re *absolutely clear* on which books qualify as a Group Vote, please refer to The List. If it has a bracket next to it you can only vote for a book in that particular Group once - pick your favourite volume to represent it (these may or may be put to a sub poll). Multiple votes from one Group will not be counted.

And with that, we can begin....

Does Gotham Central go before or after The Black Mirror? Difficult decisions!

.

[nepenthes]

Following is every Bat family trade you'd ever want to vote for, and a whole lot that you probably wouldn't


A Death in the Family
A Lonely Place of Dying
The Arrow, the Ring and the Bat
Absolution
All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder
Anarky
Arkham Asylum Anniversary Edition
Arkham Asylum: Living Hell
Arkham Reborn
As the Crow Flies
Azrael: Death in the Dark (Fabian Nicieza Azrael run)
Azrael: Deaths Dark Knight (Fabian Nicieza Azrael run)
The Bat & The Cat
The Bat and the Beast
Batgirl 01: Silent Running (Kelly Pucket Batgirl run)
Batgirl 02: A Knight Alone (Kelly Pucket Batgirl run)
Batgirl 03: Death Wish (Kelly Pucket Batgirl run)
Batgirl 04: Fists of Fury (Kelly Pucket Batgirl run)
Batgirl 05: Kicking Assassins (Andersen Gabrych Batgirl run)
Batgirl 06: Destruction's Daughter (Andersen Gabrych Batgirl run)
Batgirl 07: Redemption
Batgirl v2.01: Batgirl Rising (Bryan Q Miller run)
Batgirl v2.02: The Flood (Bryan Q Miller run)
Batgirl v2.03: The Lesson (Bryan Q Miller run)
Batgirl: Year One
The Batman Adventures (Batman Adventures vol.1)
Batman & Son (Morrison Batman run)
Batman and Catwoman: Trail of the Gun
Batman and the Mad Monk (Full Moon Rising)
Batman and the Monster Men (Full Moon Rising)
Batman Beyond vol.1
Batman Chronicles 1 (Batman Chronicles)
Batman Chronicles 2 (Batman Chronicles)
Batman Chronicles 3 (Batman Chronicles)
Batman Chronicles 4 (Batman Chronicles)
Batman featuring Two-Face and the Riddler
Batman Incorporated vol.1
Batman in the Eighties
Batman in the Fifties
Batman in the Forties
Batman in the Seventies
Batman in the Sixties
Batman of Arkham
Batman Reborn (Grant Morrison Batman & Robin run)
Batman VS Robin (Grant Morrison Batman & Robin run)
Batman Must Die (Grant Morrison Batman & Robin run)
Batman vs Predator vol.1
Batman vs The Undead
Batman/Aliens
Batman/Daredevil: King of New York
Batman/Deadman: Death and Glory
Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire
Batman/Demon: A Tragedy
Batman/Green Arrow: The Poison Tomorrow
Batman/Grendel
Batman/Houdini: The Devil's Workshop
Batman/Huntress: A Cry for Blood
Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham (Batman/Judge Dredd)
Batman/Judge Dredd: The Ultimate Riddle (Batman/Judge Dredd)
Batman/Judge Dredd: Vendetta in Gotham (Batman/Judge Dredd)
Batman/Lobo
Batman/Manbat
Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne
Batman/Phantom Stranger
Batman/Poison Ivy: Cast Shadows
Batman/Tarzan: Claws of the Catwoman
Batman/Two-Face: Crime and Punishment
Batman: Bane
Batman: Batgirl
Batman: Harley Quinn
Batman: Mr. Freeze
Batman: Poison Ivy
Batman Archives 1 (The Dark Knight Archives collection)
Battle for the Cowl
Batwoman: Elegy
Batman & The Outsiders: Showcase Edition
Birds of Prey 00: Old Friends, New Enemies (Chuck Dixon BoP run)
Birds of Prey 00: Black Canary/Oracle (Chuck Dixon BoP run)
Birds of Prey 01: Of Like Minds (Gail Simone BoP run)
Birds of Prey 02: Sensei & Student (Gail Simone BoP run)
Birds of Prey 03: Between Dark & Dawn (Gail Simone BoP run)
Birds of Prey 04: The Battle Within (Gail Simone BoP run)
Birds of Prey 05: Perfect Pitch (Gail Simone BoP run)
Birds of Prey 06: Blood and Circuits (Gail Simone BoP run)
Birds of Prey 07: Dead of Winter (Gail Simone BoP run)
Birds of Prey 09: Metropolis or Dust
Birds of Prey 08: Club Kids (Tony Bedard BoP run)
Birds of Prey 10: Platinum Flats (Tony Bedard BoP run)
Birth of the Demon (Birth of the Demon collection)
The Black Mirror
Black & White 1 (Batman Black & White)
Black & White 2 (Batman Black & White)
Black & White 3 (Batman Black & White)
The Black Casebook
The Black Glove (Grant Morrison Batman run)
Blind Justice
Bloodstorm
Book of Shadows
Bride of the Demon (Birth of the Demon collection)
Broken City
Bruce Wayne: Fugitive 1 (Murderer Fugitive crossover)
Bruce Wayne: Fugitive 2 (Murderer Fugitive crossover)
Bruce Wayne: Fugitive 3 (Murderer Fugitive crossover)
Bruce Wayne: Murderer (Murderer Fugitive crossover)
Cacaphony
Cataclysm
Catwoman 01: Dark End of the Street (Ed Brubakers Catwoman run)
Catwoman 02: Crooked Little Town (Ed Brubakers Catwoman run)
Catwoman 03: Relentless (Ed Brubakers Catwoman run)
Catwoman 04: Wild Ride (Ed Brubakers Catwoman run)
Catwoman 05: The Replacements (Will Pfeifers Catwoman run)
Catwoman 06: It's Only a Movie (Will Pfeifers Catwoman run)
Catwoman 07: Catwoman's Dead (Will Pfiefers Catwoman run)
Catwoman 08: Crime Pays (Will Pfiefers Catwoman run)
Catwoman 09: The Long Road Home (Will Pfiefers Catwoman run)
Catwoman: My Sisters Keeper
Catwoman: Nine Lives of A Feline Fatale
Catwoman: Selina's Big Score (Ego & Other Tails)
Catwoman: The Catfile (Chuck Dixon Catwoman run)
Catwoman: When in Rome
The Chalice
Child of Dreams
City of Crime
The Collected Legends of the Dark Knight
Contagion
Crimson Mist (Vampire Trilogy)
The Cult
Dangerous Dames & Demons (Mad Love & Other Stories HC)
Dark Detective
Dark Knight Adventures (Batman Adventures vol.1)
Dark Knight Dynasty
The Dark Knight Returns
The Dark Knight Strikes Again
Dark Legends
Dark Victory
DC Presents: Dark Knight, Dark City
Death and the Maidens
Death in the City (Paul Dini Detective run)
Detective # 27
Detective (Paul Dini Detective run)
Dreamland
Ego and Other Tails (Ego, Selinas Big Score)
Evolution
Face the Face
Faces
False Faces
Flashpoint: Knight of Vengeance
Fortunate Son
Four of a Kind
Full Circle
The Gauntlet
Going Sane
The Golden Streets of Gotham
Gotham Adventures
Gotham by Gaslight
Gotham City Sirens 01: Union
Gotham City Sirens 02: Song of the Sirens
The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told 1 1989 (GBSET1989)
The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told 2 1989 (GBSET1898)
The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (Alex Ross cover) 01 (GBSET2005)
The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (Alex Ross cover) 02 (GBSET2005)
The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told

[nepenthes]

Harvest Breed
Haunted Knight
Heart of Hush
Hidden Treasures
Hong Kong
Huntress: Year One
Hush
Hush Returns
Illustrated by Neal Adams, Volume 1 (Illustrated by Neal Adams collection)
Illustrated by Neal Adams, Volume 2 (Illustrated by Neal Adams collection)
Illustrated by Neal Adams, Volume 3 (Illustrated by Neal Adams collection)
I, Joker
JLA: The Tower of Babel
Joker
Jokers Asylum I
Jokers Asylum II
The Joker: Devil's Advocate
The Joker: Last Laugh
Joker: Switch
The Killing Joke
King Tuts Tomb
Knightfall 1: Broken Bat (Knightfall crossover)
Knightfall 2: Who Rules the Night (Knightfall crossover)
Knightfall 3: Knightsend (Knightfall crossover)
The Last Arkham
Legacy
Life After Death
The Long Halloween
Long Shadows
Lovers and Madmen
Mad Love (Mad Love and Other Stories)
The Man Who Laughs
The Many Deaths of the Batman
Masque
Master of the Future
Monster
Night Cries
Nightwing 01: A Knight in Blüdhaven (Chuck Dixon Nightwing run)
Nightwing 02: Rough Justice (Chuck Dixon Nightwing run)
Nightwing 03: Love and Bullets (Chuck Dixon Nightwing run)
Nightwing 04: A Darker Shade of Justice (Chuck Dixon Nightwing run)
Nightwing 05: The Hunt for Oracle (Chuck Dixon Nightwing run)
Nightwing 06: Big Guns (Chuck Dixon Nightwing run)
Nightwing 07: On the Razor's Edge (Chuck Dixon Nightwing run)
Nightwing 08: Year One (Chuck Dixon Nightwing run)
Nightwing 09: Mobbed Up (Devin Grayson Nightwing run)
Nightwing 10: Renegade (Devin Grayson Nightwing run)
Nightwing 11: Brothers in Blood
Nightwing 12: Love and War (Marv Wolfman Nightwing run)
Nightwing 13: The Lost Year (Marv Wolfman Nightwing run)
Nightwing 14: Freefall (Peter Tomasi Nightwing run)
Nightwing 15: The Great Leap (Peter Tomas Nightwing run)
Nightwing/Huntress
Nightwing: The Ties That Bind
Nine Lives
No Mans Land 1 (No Mans Land)
No Mans Land 2 (No Mans Land)
No Mans Land 3 (No Mans Land)
No Mans Land 4 (No Mans Land)
No Mans Land 5 (No Mans Land)
Nosferatu
Odyssey vol.1
Officer Down
Order of Beasts
Other Realms
Penguin Triumphant
Planetary/Batman: Night on Earth
Prey
Prodigal
R.I.P. (Grant Morrison Batman run)
Red Hood: The Lost Days
Red Rain (Vampire Trilogy)
Red Robin: Collision (Chris Yost Red Robin run)
Red Robin: The Grail (Chris Yost Red Robin run)
Red Robin: The Hit List (Fabian Nicieza Robin run)
Red Hood: Lost Years
Reign of Terror
The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul
The Return of Bruce Wayne (Grant Morrison Batman run)
Robin 00: A Hero Reborn (Chuck Dixon Robin run)
Robin 00: Tragedy & Triumph (Chuck Dixon Robin run)
Robin 01 : Flying Solo (Chuck Dixon Robin run)
Robin 02: Unmasked (Bill Willingham Robin run)
Robin 03: To Kill a Bird (Bill Willingham Robin run)
Robin 04: Days of Fire & Madness (Bill Willingham Robin run)
Robin 05: Wanted (Adam Beechen Robin Run)
Robin 06: Teenage Wasteland (Adam Beechen Robin run)
Robin 07: The Big Leagues (Adam Beechen Robin run)
Robin 08: Violent Tendencies (Chuck Dixon Robin run)
Robin 09: Search for a Hero
Robin/Batgirl: Fresh Blood (Bill Willinghams Robin run)
Robin: Year One
Roomful of Strangers
Rules of Engagement
Scar of the Bat
Scarecrow Tales
Scarface
Secrets
Secrets of the Batcave
Selinas Big Score (Ego & Other Tails)
Shaman
Showcase Presents: Batman & the Outsiders
Snow
Son of the Demon (Birth of the Demon collection)
Strange Apparitions
Streets of Gotham 01: Hush Money (Streets of Gotham series)
Streets of Gotham 02: Leviathan (Streets of Gotham series)
Streets of Gotham 03: House of Hush (Streets of Gotham series)
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (Jeph Loeb Superman/Batman run)
Sword of Azrael
Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan
Tales of the Batman: Tim Sale
Tales of the Demon
Ten Nights of the Beast
Terror
Thrillkiller
Time and the Batman (Grant Morrison Batman run)
Trinity
Turning Points
Under the Hood
Untold Legend of the Batman
The Unseen
Venom
War Crimes
War Drums
War Games 1: Outbreak (War Games)
War Games 2: Tides (War Games)
War Games 3: Endgame (War Games)
War on Crime
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader
The Widening Gyre
The Wrath
Year One
Year One: Ra's al Ghul
Year 100
Year Two: Fear the Reaper

[El Sombrero]

1. The Dark Knight Returns
2. Batman Must Die (Morrison Batman & Robin run)
3. Year One
4. The Killing Joke
5. The Long Halloween
6. Batman Incorporated vol.1
7. Year 100
8. All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder
9. Batwoman: Elegy
10. The Dark Knight Strikes Again
11. Batman & Son (Morrison Batman run)
12. The Black Mirror
13. Batgirl: Year One
14. Arkham Asylum Anniversary Edition
15. Mad Love (Mad Love and Other Stories)
16. Catwoman: Selina's Big Score (Ego & Other Tails)
17. Flashpoint: Knight of Vengeance
18. Gotham by Gaslight
19. No Mans Land 1 (No Mans Land)
20. Hush

[nepenthes]

My new list


The Dark Knight Returns
The Dark Knight Strikes Again
Batman & Son (Morrison Batman run)
Year One
The Killing Joke

Batman Incorporated
Selinas Big Score (Ego & Other Tails)
Year One Hundred
Dark Knight, Dark City
Blind Justice

All Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder
Hush
Gotham Central 02: Half a Life (Gotham Central)
Batwoman: Elegy
Joker

Strange Apparitions
Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan
Black & White vol.2 (Black & White)
The Collected Legends of the Dark Knight
The Black Mirror

17. Flashpoint: Knight of Vengeance

Before someone asks, no this has yet to be announced for trade but we can assume it inevitably will be sometime very soon, and considering the attention it received it should be open to vote on imo

[darkseidpwns]

The Man who Laughs
Hush
Birth of the Demon
The Dark Knight Returns
The Killing Joke
Venom
Prey
No Mans Land
Knightfall
Batman and Son/Batman RIP
Dark Victory
Dark Knight,Dark city
Batman and Robin
Catwoman:when in Rome
Son of the Demon
Birds of Prey:Sensei and Student
Batman:Poison Ivy
Nightwing Year one
Batman Year one
Robin a hero reborn

[El Sombrero]

Before someone asks, no this has yet to be announced for trade but we can assume it inevitably will be sometime very soon, and considering the attention it received it should be open to vote on imo

http://www.amazon.com/Flashpoint-Wor...9890506&sr=8-2



I like your list, we have a lot of the same picks!

[El Sombrero]

The Man who Laughs
Hush
Birth of the Demon
The Dark Knight Returns
The Killing Joke
Venom
Prey
No Mans Land
Knightfall
Batman and Son
Dark Victory
Batman RIP
Batman and Robin
Catwoman:when in Rome
Son of the Demon
Birds of Prey:Sensei and Student
Batman:Poison Ivy
Nightwing Year one
Batman Year one
Robin a hero reborn

Just noticed this, Batman & Son and Batman RIP are part of the same group (Morrison Batman run). So you should combine those and add another choice. I'd probably just edit your original post to avoid confusion.

[ffritts]

Just noticed this, Batman & Son and Batman RIP are part of the same group (Morrison Batman run). So you should combine those and add another choice. I'd probably just edit your original post to avoid confusion.

I dont think that applies. I believe it has to be something like No man's land, Knightfall, fugitive, and so on...

[Mr_Derp]

1.Arkham Asylum Anniversary Edition
2.The Long Halloween
3.Knightfall
4.The Dark Knight Returns
5.Unresolved Targets
6.Year One
7.The Cult
8.Robin: Year One
9.Ten Nights of the Beast
10.Hush
11.Dark Victory
12.The Killing Joke
13.Red Robin: The Grail
14.Nightwing Rough Justice
15.Year 100
16.Robin-A hero reborn
17.Arkham Asylum: Living Hell
18.Batman Reborn
19.City of crime
20.20.Scottish Connection.......(Don't judge)

[nepenthes]

Batman & Son and RIP fall into the same group. I know these groups need to be very clearly defined which is why I went to the trouble of posting the entire list of trades for reference - if there's parenthesis or bracket next to it, it's part of a group.

Just to be clear, I've broken the Morrison run up into

BATMAN RUN - Batman & Son, Black Glove, RIP, Return of Bruce Wayne (I take the view that these tell Bruce Wayne's journey in the saga )
BATMAN & ROBIN RUN - Batman Reborn, Batman VS Robin, Batman Must Die, Time and the Batman
INCORPORATED RUN - trade vol.1, issues 8,9, Levathian Strikes

[ffritts]

1. No Man's Land
2. Gotham Central Book 2 Joker's and Mad men
3. Elegy
4. Batman Year One
5. Knightfall
6. Gotham Shall be Judge
7. Batman RIP
8. Black Mirror
9. Room full of Strangers
10. Sword of Azrael
11. Hush
12. Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader
13. Joker
14. Batgirl The Lesson
15. Batman must Die
16. Batgirl Year One
17. Batgirl Silent Running
18. A Knight in Bludhaven
19. Red Robin Collision
20. Untold Legend of Batman

[darkseidpwns]

Just noticed this, Batman & Son and Batman RIP are part of the same group (Morrison Batman run). So you should combine those and add another choice. I'd probably just edit your original post to avoid confusion.

Did it.Added Dark Knight,dark city.

[csis]

Batman & Son and RIP fall into the same group. I know these groups need to be very clearly defined which is why I went to the trouble of posting the entire list of trades for reference - if there's parenthesis or bracket next to it, it's part of a group.

Just to be clear, I've broken the Morrison run up into

Batman run - Batman & Son, Black Glove, RIP, Return of Bruce Wayne (I take the view that these tell Bruce Wayne's journey in the saga )
Batman & Robin run - Batman Reborn, Batman VS Robin, Batman Must Die, Time and the Batman
Incorporated run - trade vol.1, issues 8,9

Okay, just so I understand before voting: We are voting for best trades, right, and not groups? Because if that's the case there'd be no reason not to vote for both Batman and Son and RIP, since they're separate trades. Or is it like Knightfall, where you'd vote for Knightfall, and not Knightfall vol 1, or something?

[Mr_Derp]

1. No Man's Land
2. Gotham Central Book 2 Joker's and Mad men
3. Elegy
4. Batman Year One
5. Knightfall
6. Gotham Shall be Judge
7. Batman RIP
8. Black Mirror
9. Room full of Strangers
10. Sword of Azrael
11. Hush
12. Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader
13. Cult
14. Batgirl The Lesson
15. Batman must Die
16. Batgirl Year One
17. Batgirl Silent Running
18. A Knight in Bludhaven
19. Red Robin Collision
20. Untold Legend of Batman

I love your list, off the beaten path a bit and a couple I had forgotten about