Batman thrives when diverse kinds of creators are given free rein to experiment with his character. DC's Batman Black and White line, debuting around the turn of the millennium, creates the perfect opportunity to do so. The 8-page stories are produced by some of the most prestigious creators in comics, from established superhero comic titans to international and independent talent making rare ventures into the DC Universe.
As promised by the title, all the Batman Black and White stories are drawn in black and white. Originally conceived by editor Mark Chiarello, the series has inspired several imitators. A perennial classic with beautiful visual aesthetics, the original run contains stories ranging from haunting and poetic to bombastic fun.
10 Hide And Seek By Paul Levitz And Paul Rivoche
Hide and Seek is a deceptively simple story written by Paul Levitz, a long time publisher of DC Comics and arguably the definitive Legion of Superheroes scribe. The comic begins after a train accident leaves countless citizens dead, and Batman's reaction to the tragedy leads Commissioner Gordon to suspect foul play.
The art is by Paul Rivoche, whose style knowingly evokes David Mazzucchelli's iconic work on Batman: Year One. Rivoche has a talent for emotive character work, which helps successfully execute the story's melancholy but uplifting ending.
9 The Black & White Bandit By Dave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons, the artist behind game changing comics like Watchmen and Superman: For The Man Who Has Everything, significantly reduced his penciling output once he began writing comics. Any occasion this legend returns to drafting is worth savoring.
Unlike the most revered Black & White stories, Gibbon's The Black & White Bandit, doesn't attempt to make a haunting comment on the nature of Batman or humanity. Instead, it harkens back to older Batman comics which exploit the inherent fun of a man in a bat-costume chasing criminals with wacky pathologies, all while retaining the sophistication of the best modern comic creators.
8 The Monument By Darwyn Cooke And Bill Wray
Darwyn Cooke was one of the most critically acclaimed comic creators of the 21st Century. His success streak with Batman included working in the DC Animated Universe and creating the one shot Batman: Ego — which The Batman (2022) director Matt Reeves sighted as a major influence. Cooke's success reached new heights with brilliant short story, The Monument, illustrated by Bill Wray.
The Monument, explores the issue of hero worship with a humorous tinge which calls back to the superhero's newspaper strip roots. Wray's art reminds fans why stylized cartooning is the most economical form of expression in this medium, and his Frank Miller inspired Batman may have stolen the record for largest chin.
7 Legend By Walt Simonson
Writer/Artist Walt Simonson, the man behind highly influential runs on Thor and The Fantastic Four, used Legend to give Batman a dystopian, futuristic make over. A mother tells her son a bedtime story, the legend of Batman, who thanks to the passing of time has become a folk hero in the vein of Robin Hood or William Tell.
Legend proves the perfect opportunity for Simonson to deliver some of the most bombastic action panels of the Black & White stories. It also suggests Batman's true power is his ability to inspire people to stand up to evil.
6 Two Of A Kind By Bruce Timm
Two of a Kind was written and illustrated by Bruce Timm, co-creator of Batman: The Animated Series and it's break out star, Harley Quinn. This story dealt with one of Batman's original foes, the tragic Two Face (aka Harvey Dent), and was arguably the apex mountain for this particular rogue.
Narrated by Two Face himself, Two of a Kind recounts his attempts at reformation, and the tragedy which pulls him back into the darkness. Timm's art is cut from the same cloth as icons like Alex Toth and Jaime Hernandez, and the binary color scheme is ideally suited for a story about duality.
5 Case Study By Paul Dini And Alex Ross
Paul Dini, who also co-created Batman: The Animated Series and Harley Quinn, writes a story about the Joker and his one time psychiatrist. Dini has written Batman extensively, including in the comics. With Case Study he gets to deliver his version of Joker's origin, which he subverts in subtle ways.
Far more obvious is the magnificence of the art by painter Alex Ross, best known for his prolific cover work and for co-creating Kingdom Come. Ross' photo-referenced art style displays new wonders when rendered in black and white, firmly placing this comic in Batman's crime noir roots.
4 Sunrise By Alex Garland And Sean Phillips
Alex Garland, writer of the hit novel The Beach and the filmmaker behind Ex Machina and Annihilation, teamed with Sean Phillips — the co-creator of Kill Or Be Killed and Fatale — for this delightfully low kew tale. Not ot be confused with Garland's film of the same name, Sunrise chronicles a chance encounter between the Dark Knight and an elderly Gothamite.
Sunrise is notable for reminding readers that, despite his violent obsessive nature and the self-destructive pressures he exerts on his body, Batman still has the capacity to make human connections. Meanwhile, Sean Phillips' art, generally known for his clean line work and use of black spaces, shines in the black and white color scheme.
3 Heroes By Archie Goodwin And Gary Gianni
Archie Goodwin is the editor behind some of the most notable Charlton Comics and Batman: The Long Halloween. Returned to writing, Archie helps craft the Eisner Award-winning story Heroes. Teaming with artist Gary Gianni, the creative duo take Batman back to his roots in this World War II era period piece starring a Dark Knight ripped straight out of Bob Kane's original illustrations.
Heroes features a young boy, who idolizes the various heroes he sees in film, comics, and on the streets of Gotham. The boy's wishes come true when he gets to meet his hero, the famed Batman, only to be told a fascinating tale of war and espionage that reveals a whole variety of hero he'd been dismissing this entire time.
2 A Black & White World By Neil Gaiman And Simon Bisley
A Black & White World united two superstar creators who injected their radical visions to mainstream comics in the 90s. This bizarre tale was written by Neil Gaiman — author of Good Omens, American Gods and Vertigo's Sandman comic — and illustrated Simon Bisley, arguably the definitive Lobo artist.
A Black & White World explores what it would be like if Batman and the Joker were aware they were comic book characters, and even having them engage in pre-work chit-chat as if sitting in their trailers on a movie set. Bisley's expressionistic visuals, like a heavily exaggerated version of the 90s art styles, perfectly complements the bizarre nature of the story.
1 Perpetual Mourning By Ted McKeever
This Eisner nominated story by writer/artist Ted McKeever, known for his distinctive ink-pen style, had the honor of creating the first Batman: Black and White comic. In Perpetual Mourning, Batman conducts an autopsy on a young murder victim, and readers witness both his excellent detective work and his intense connection to death and trauma.
McKeever intercuts the detective work with a haunting dream sequence, while his scratchy, inky style is elevated by the black and white color scale.Perpetual Mourning is more than just a detective story. It's an exploration of Batman's own tragedy — the weight of death he collects on his endless crusade against crime.