Controversial Batman Stories Fans Can’t Ever Forget (Even If They Want To)

Batman was created four years after DC started printing superhero comics. The main comic has been around for as long as my grandmother and has attracted fans worldwide ever since.
However when the character was initially introduced, it was in a world which was very different from the present. Over the years, Batman has given us various controversial storylines which we will never forget – even if we try really hard to. Here are a few of them:

Flashpoint

The decision to include Bruce’s father, Thomas Wayne as Batman seemed to be a controversial one since the beginning.
Thomas had donned the cape several times in the comics earlier but this Flashpoint version of him was really dark which operated with a lesser moral code. What makes it more controversial is that the fans loved it. The character went sublimely with the plot but the comic still remains a grim reminder that comics could also be cut short by uncontrollable outside factors as the writers did not receive much freedom to explore the dark character more in the comic.

Joker Time

This is the weirdest comic to feature Joker, ever. Joker Time criticised media through Joker’s dialogues which seemed vague, given that the Joker is not really trustworthy either. The comic showed a TV show kidnapping a homicidal maniac (Joker) for an interview.
The comic is interesting but not well executed and if you compare it with other Joker origin stories, you’d realize the bad quality of this storyline, which looks just like a Joker monologue of more than 100 pages.

The Killing Joke

The Killing Joke is a pretty famous Batman comic which was also adapted into an animated movie later. The story is well known and has played a significant role in the tone of present day DC Universe.
The comic is well crafted but was/is heavily criticised for mutilating its female cast. Even the writer Alan Moore apologised for his treatment of Barbara Gordon in the comic but whatever one might say, The Killing Joke is nothing short of a cornerstone in the Batman series.

Stan Lee’s Batman

In 2001, we witnessed a historic collaboration between Marvel and DC that allowed us to see what Batman would be like if he was created by Stan Lee. This story was completely different and shockingly engaging from the original Dark Knight story.
This re-story raised many important points about Bruce, changing his name to Wayne Williams in the issue and also giving Wayne a better social life than Bruce.
The villain in this issue is Handz Horgum which was later seen as the only flaw in comic by the critics.

The ‘Ugliest Man’

The Batman comics are almost seventy years old now and are still doing more than fine in the business, keeping in mind the character’s popularity. The older comics of Batman are seen as better than the newer ones. There have been many Batman villains over the years but there are a few whose disappearance from the DC roster is both, a blessing and a curse.
A prime example of this is the “Ugliest Man In The World” who debuted in Batman #3.
He had a weird backstory where he committed crime simply because he was ugly. Although the end of the comic does make the fans sympathise with the guy but the comic somehow implied that ugly people have instincts to do terrible things.

What do you think about these Batman comics? Let us know if you have any controversial Batman comic in mind.