Batman is one of the most storied characters in comics. Fans have been thrilled to the Dark Knight's adventures for over eighty years now, as he takes on some of the most dastardly villains Gotham City has to offer. Over the years, some of the greatest creators in comics history have worked on the Dark Knight and in recent years, two stick out above the rest—Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder.
Both had multi-year runs on the Caped Crusader, each of them introducing new things to Batman and giving the character a new identity for the 21st century, putting their names in the running for the best Batman writer of the 21st century.
10 Grant Morrison Is The Best: Making Sense Of The Weird
Batman has starred in his share of weird stories but none of them can match the unparalleled weirdness that was '50s and early '60s Batman. The rules of the Comics Code Authority defanged the Dark Knight and his adventures became the kind of weird Silver Age stuff that was more at home in the Superman comics of the time than a Batman book.
One of the things that Morrison wanted to do with their run was to find a way to make sense of all of that strangeness and they did so admirably. Introducing concepts like the Black Dossier, Batman's weird mind-enhancing rituals, and just flat out saying the weirdest things happened, Morrison found a way to reconcile the parts of Batman's history that no one wanted to acknowledge.
9 Scott Snyder Is The Best: The Most Consistent New 52 Book
Scott Snyder was the writer pegged to relaunch Batman for the New 52 reboot and the book was probably one of the best, if not the best, books of that tumultuous era. Working with artist Greg Capullo, Snyder was able to do what so many other creators during the New 52 failed to do- tell great stories that benefited from the reboot.
Snyder and Capullo's Batman was the highlight of the New 52 era, the one book that DC fans could look to and be completely sure that it was the best thing DC was putting out. Its consistency was all because of Snyder and Capullo's hard work.
8 Grant Morrison Is The Best: Taking Chances
One of the hallmarks of Morrison's run was just how willing they were to take huge risks with Batman. Their entire Batman run was predicated on doing the wildest stuff they could think of and making it work. From "The Clown At Midnight", an all-prose Batman and Joker story, to bringing back the Batman of Zurr-eh-Arr to replacing Bruce Wayne, Morrison's Batman stories did a lot of crazy things.
They took staid old Silver Age concepts like the Batmen of Many Nations and transformed them into something new, like the worldwide network of Batman called Batman Inc., letting readers see the concept of Batman in new ways.
7 Scott Snyder Is The Best: Gotham As A Character
Gotham City is one of the most storied cities in all of comics and Scott Snyder understood that in a way that many writers didn't. In Snyder's best stories, it feels like Gotham City is a part of the story, its dark history informing the events and its twisting geography luring Batman and his allies deeper and deeper into the mysteries at its center.
Snyder had a way of writing about the history of the city that made it seem like a living thing, a creature that absorbed the lives of those who lived in it and twisted them. Snyder made Gotham into a living, breathing part of every story he wrote, a sinister presence that was always there and always watching.
6 Grant Morrison Is The Best: Damian Wayne
Years ago, there was a story called Son Of The Demon that had Batman get Talia al Ghul pregnant. It was an out of continuity story but Morrison loved the idea and included it, introducing readers to the son of Batman and Talia- Damian Wayne. Damian was the ultimate brat, a spoiled kid who was also one of the most skilled fighters on the planet.
Morrison would eventually make Damian into Robin and he would become one of the best Robins ever. Damian has become an integral part of not only the Bat-family but also the DC Universe, his relationship with Jon Kent fueling the fan-favorite SuperSons books and making the Teen Titans his own, and it all started because of Morrison's time on the Dark Knight.
5 Scott Snyder Is The Best: A More Consistent Collaborator
Grant Morrison worked with a lot of artists in his time on the Batman books, from frequent collaborator Frank Quitely to seasoned superstar Andy Kubert to the peerless J.H. Williams III and many more. However, therein lies the problem as none of his books had a unifying visual style.
Scott Snyder had Greg Capullo his entire run and it made a lot of difference. The two men worked perfectly in sync with each other, Capullo taking Snyder's scripts and bringing them perfectly to life. The collaboration made both men into superstars (although arguably Capullo was already a star) and gave Snyder's Batman a consistent look that made the book one of the best on the shelves.
4 Grant Morrison Is The Best: A New Batman
Batman had been replaced before, most notably after Bane broke Bruce Wayne's back in Knightfall. Dick Grayson had even been Batman before, taking over for a short time after Bruce Wayne returned and beat up Azrael. However, there was something different about Morrison's Dick Grayson.
Morrison's Dick Grayson as Batman was a welcome departure from Bruce Wayne, a completely different man in the mask but one who had the same mission. Fans loved this new Batman to the extent that even when Bruce Wayne came back, Dick Grayson still stayed Batman for a time. It was the most successful Batman replacement of them all.
3 Scott Snyder Is The Best: Making Gordon Work As Batman
Snyder's Joker epic "Endgame" saw Batman and the Joker "kill" each other, leaving a massive hole in Gotham City. Stepping up to fill that void would be a mech suit wearing Jim Gordon, becoming Batman for a city that would always need a protector. It was a very weird idea, one that could have very easily crashed and burned.
However, it didn't and that's all on Snyder's deft writing. If there's anyone who would want to protect Gotham as much as Batman would, it's Jim Gordon and the no-nonsense cop was a different kind of Batman but one who still wanted to do the same things—keep the people of the city safe from the criminals who infested the city.
2 Grant Morrison Is The Best: "Batman R.I.P."
There are many great stories in Morrison's Batman run but none of them can really compete with "Batman R.I.P.". The culmination of the stories that made up the beginning of his run, this story exemplifies everything Morrison brought to the table—weird new villains, insane situations, and a truly frightening Joker.
"Batman R.I.P." is a trippy look at a beaten Caped Crusader and how he claws his way back against overwhelming odds. Morrison pulls out all the stops with this story and it works in a surprising way. It's one of the best Batman stories of the last twenty years and one that every Batman fan owes it to themselves to read.
1 Scott Snyder Is The Best: "The Court Of Owls"
While "Court Of Owls" wasn't Snyder's first Batman story, it was his first with the Bruce Wayne Batman and the first New 52 Batman story. It grabbed fans immediately and wouldn't let go, Snyder proving why he was the right pick to bring Batman into the New 52 and begin an entirely new Batman epic.
It also introduced the titular Court of Owls, a shadowy organization controlling Gotham from the shadows. It was a story that hit all the right notes, giving fans a new look at both Batman and Gotham and priming the DC Universe for Snyder's long term plans.