Batman!

I'd taken to Batman much before Dark Knight (2008) and Heath Ledger's Joker  happened. Ofcourse, I owe it to Chris Nolan and his superb vision in Batman Begins (2005) which re-kindled my interest in the Dark Knight who was only a campy comedian in my memory thanks to the TV series and to an extent thanks to Clooney's trippy Batman! Chris Nolan gave us Batman as he was originally conceptualised & featured way back in 1939 in Detective Comics - the dark, flawed hero who is struggling to come to terms with his parents' death by fighting an eternal battle against crime.  

I was fortunate enough to have laid my hands on some of the best Batman comics and GNs in the past year. Listed below are my top five favorites. 

1) Batman: Year One

Frank Miller's stunning re-adaptation of the origins of Batman (and that of Jim Gordon, Harvey Dent, Cat Girl etc) was the major inspiration for Chris Nolan's Batman Begins. The art-work is reminiscent of the Golden Age of comics. The story is gripping. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say Frank Miller gave a new lease of life to Batman. 

Download Links

Mirror 1: http://www.mediafire.com/?fxmjg0ym3v2

Mirror 2: http://www.zshare.net/download/4186503e097925/

2) Batman - The Dark Knight Returns

And this is how Frank Miller did it. He revived Batman and created a revolution in comics story telling with TDKR. This along with Watchmen (by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons) redefined the superhero genre in 1986(-87)! So much so that almost every Batman comic ever written after that portrays Batman as a dark, obsessive figure. And this influence extended to other superheroes as well. Dark became the new Black. 

TDKR is set ten years after the retirement of Bruce Wayne from being Batman and the death of Robin, Jason Todd. He's become an alcoholic. The crime scene at Gotham city becomes overwhelming that he's forced to don his costume again. And here's where the plot gets interesting. The re-emergence of Batman seems to have lead to an increase in the crimes in the city. This is debated at length in the GN. Anyone claiming to be a Batman fan can do so only after he/she has read this landmark comic, a masterpiece in storytelling. 

Download Link - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=7o0ooasb

3) Batman - The Killing Joke

This is the only other time Alan Moore, the godfather of American comics, ever wrote a Batman script (in 1988). And he created something legendary and highly influential like every other creation of his. The Killing Joke is mainly about the psychological battle between two of the darkest forces in comics - Batman and The Joker. It also recounts the origins of The Joker. Tim Burton and Chris Nolan have credited The Killing Joke as the main inspiration for their Batman adaptations. Heath Ledger locked himself up in a room with a few comics as part of his preparation for The Joker's role. The Killing Joke was one of the books he read extensively. 

The other important theme that's explored in this one-shot is that Batman is probably as insane as the criminals he fights. 

Download Link - http://www.zshare.net/download/4192837d4482d3/

4) Batman: The Long Halloween

This is a 13 issue series by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale published in 1996-97. This takes off from where Batman: Year One left. Batman encounters a mysterious killer, Holiday who murders people on, you guessed it right, holidays. This series includes a long list of villains, including Two Face (and his origins). The Dark Knight (2008) film is loosely based on this. It's a thrilling read that keeps you guessing till the end.

Download Links

http://rapidshare.com/files/6740596/Batman_-_The_Long_Halloween_A.zip.html
http://rapidshare.com/files/6745782/Batman_-_The_Long_Halloween_B.zip.html
Mirror 2 - http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SQXEG6FT

5) Batman: Dark Victory
This is a 14 part series by the same team as above and serves like a sequel to The Long Halloween. The plot revolves around a series of cop murders by another mysterious killer, The Hangman. This also deals with the origins of the first Robin. It explores in depth the psychological make up of Batman and dwells on his loneliness.  You don't want to miss out on this one.

Download Links - http://mihd.net/b3sx2t