When people talk about which era of Batman was the best, you’ll most commonly find people answer either the Bronze Age or the Modern Age. These are the times that some of the greatest Batman comics of all time were released, including classics like The Dark Knight Returns, “Year One,” The Long Halloween, and Grant Morrison’s run. There might even be some who appreciate the strange building blocks that the Golden Age stacked, given that it was when Batman was first introduced. However, the Silver Age is often overlooked in these discussions. People associate the Silver Age with the wacky adventures and insanity of the 1966 Batman tv show, and so they write it off as too weird. That never sat right with me.
The Silver Age may be zany to the max, but that doesn’t mean it’s not home to stories that are just as good as those in any other comic book age. There are plenty of awesome, hilarious Silver Age stories, and most modern Batman stories wouldn’t be able to work without the groundwork laid in the Silver Age. This is the era that set the stage for Batman to become the character that he is today, and the one where he really came into his own as such an iconic superhero. So, to prove that, let’s take a look at ten of the best stories from Batman’s foray into the Silver Age, and see just how good it really was.
10) Detective Comics #359 – The Million Dollar Debut Of Batgirl!
While the original Batwoman and Bat-Girl eventually faded into obscurity, the idea they brought to the table always stuck with fans. To their credit, the creators listened, and reinvented the idea of Batgirl in this issue, introducing the world to Barbara Gordon, one of comic’s most iconic characters. Babs didn’t set out to be a superhero, instead designing her Batgirl costume for the GCPD’s charity masquerade ball. Once she arrived, she saw the villain Killer Moth trying to kidnap Bruce Wayne, and she leapt into action, fighting them off and giving Bruce a chance to slip away and become Batman. Killer Moth would escape, and Barbara would continue to don the costume until she took down the criminal, saving Batman and Robin from Moth’s trap along the way. Not only did this comic debut Barbara Gordon, but it showed off her use of tech and ingenuity in a way that is consistent with today. As far as debuts go, this one is about as good as you could get back in the day.
9) Detective Comics #356 – The Inside Story of the Outsider!
Everyone who’s up to date on current Batman comics knows that his ever-faithful butler Alfred was killed in the “City of Bane” storyline, but what you may not know is that this wasn’t the first time Alfred died. He died way back in Detective Comics #328, another classic issue. Issue #356 saw his return, and the revelation that Alfred was the mysterious villain known as the Outsider, a man who had stalked Batman and Robin as a constant, continuous threat. This issue saw the Outsider infect Batman and Robin with strange radiation that would transform them into coffins in a single hour. It was a race against the clock where the Dynamic Duo had to find out who the Outsider was, find out where he was, and stop him before they were buried for good. The countdown gives the story a great tension, and Alfred’s return is heartwarming. Granted, the explanation for how he came back is absurd even for the Silver Age, and was definitely done to align with the Batman show, but it’s still a great read.
8) World’s Finest #129 – Joker-Luthor, Incorporated!
Superman, Batman, and Robin make up the World’s Finest trio of superheroes, and to that end, only the world’s worst villains could possibly stand against them. This issue brought the first team up between Lex Luthor and the Joker, the respective heroes’ archenemies. This issue has inspired every Joker/Luthor team up that follows it, setting a stage with a wacky plot and plenty of drama, including Lois Lane finally uncovering Superman’s secret identity. Of course, the World’s Finest cover up that blunder by having Batman pose as Superman. The Batman/Superman costume swap has been adapted into basically every other first meeting of the heroes that’s been told, and that alone makes this a heavy-hitter issue. This one is just pure superhero fun, fighting their worst villains and saving the day in style.
7) Detective Comics #241 – The Rainbow Batman
This issue is about as funny and whimsy as any Silver Age comic could be, and so it’s the perfect example for this list. While in his civilian identity, Dick Grayson saves a girl from getting run over by a group of criminals. He gets his fifteen minutes of fame when he ends up on tv for it, but his arm has to be put in a sling for a couple of weeks. To make sure that nobody puts two and two together that Robin hurt his arm at the same time as Dick Grayson, Batman strives to make sure everyone’s attention is solely on him. Every time he goes out he wears a completely different colored costume, working his way through every color of the rainbow, and in fact ends with a rainbow-colored suit! Batman’s plan works and all eyes are only on his fashion choices, and honestly, mine would be too. Even beyond the classic rainbow suit, there’s the multiple different bright colors, and the highly underrated white-target suit, which deserves to be remembered. This issue left a permanent mark on the Batman mythos with a suit nobody can ever forget.
6) Batman #113 – Batman: The Superman of Planet X
This issue is a bit of a fever dream, and that’s the point. Batman wakes up in some kind of hypnotic trance where he watches himself fly the Batplane to the middle of the sky, after which he is teleported to the distant planet of Zur-En-Arrh. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh brought Bruce to his planet because he needs his help fighting off robots that seek to invade his world. Bruce also discovers that while on this strange alien world he has powers similar to those of Superman. Together, with his new strength and the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh’s technology, the two Batmen are able to repel the invaders, and our Batman is sent back home. Bruce wonders if it was all just a dream, but has proof in the Bat-Radia that his counterpart gave him as a keepsake. Not only is this comic a weird trip, but it’s essential to understand Grant Morrison’s landmark run on the title, and that alone makes this one required reading.
5) Batman #145 – The Son Of The Joker
Before DC had its Elseworlds line of alternate universe comics, they would publish what they called imaginary stories in the main series of a character. This story, explained as a fiction written by Alfred, imagines Batman and Batwoman getting married, and eventually having a child named Bruce Wayne Jr. Dick and Bruce Jr eventually take up the mantles of Batman II and Robin II, each literally wearing the numerals on their costumes, just to make sure nobody is confused about anything. They’re presented with their biggest challenge yet when a criminal who claims to be the Joker’s son starts carrying on the Clown Prince of Crime’s legacy, and the original Joker claims to have no connection to the man. This is a fun what-if to imagine, and inspired the creation of one of the best episodes of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. I’ve always been more of a Batman/Catwoman fan myself, but this is still a fun read, and seeing Dick as Batman is always welcome.
4) Batman #153 – Prisoners of Three Worlds
Most issues in the Silver Age were composed of three distinct, self-contained stories. However, Issue #153 saw all three parts telling one continuous story, which was definitely unusual, and was practically an event in and of itself. The extra-long story sees Batman, Robin, Batwoman and Bat-Girl all team up to track down some aliens that were stealing silver to power a death ray. They teleport Robin and Bat-Girl to their home planet, and when they try to do the same to the bat-adults, they wind up separating their bodies from their life energy and only teleporting the energy away. The sidekicks have to fight their way to safety while trying to stop an alien coup, while Batman and Batwoman lay dying without their life energy. It’s a mix between a rom-con and a thriller with Batman and Batwoman actually thinking they’re dying, and it’s the best kind of weird.
3) Batman #156 – Robin Dies At Dawn
This issue is awesome, and tackles the trauma that the Caped Crusader’s life gives in a really interesting way. Batman participates in a scientific experiment to test the effects of prolonged isolation on the human psyche, and while alone hallucinates that he and Robin are on an alien world, and Robin sacrifices himself to save Batman. Even after emerging from the experiment, he continues to have hallucinations of Robin dying, to the point where he can’t continue fighting crime for the paralyzing fear of something happening to his young partner. Alfred and Robin are forced to pull out all the stops to inspire Batman to keep fighting, culminating in setting up a scenario where Batman saves Robin from certain death, letting him overcome his fear. This speaks to the insane bond between hero and sidekick, and shows exactly why they are the Dynamic Duo.
2) Detective Comics #215 – The Batmen of All Nations
This issue shows multiple heroes operating all over the world, all inspired by the exploits of Batman and Robin. The international heroes reach out to the Caped Crusader, asking for him to offer them all training so they might be as effective as him in defending the innocent. Batman agrees to train his compatriots, and the numerous heroes arrive in Gotham City. Meanwhile, crimeboss “Knots” Cardine begins an unparalleled campaign of crime to embarrass Batman in front of the others. Although it seems to work at first, with the other heroes losing faith in the Dark Knight, Batman and Robin eventually nab “Knots” and restore the others’ belief in them. Not only is this issue awesome because it features such a large cast of heroes, but it sets the stage for two incredible heroic teams to follow it. The Club of Heroes is created by adding other members to this group, and this issue is the direct inspiration for the incredible Batman Incorporated. Beyond that, this issue shows how influential Batman is to people in his universe, and we know how much Batman means to people in our world, so seeing Batman be celebrated for inspiring others is great. Batman is an inspiration to so many people, and this comic celebrates that.
1) Batman #217 – One Bullet Too Many!
This issue is widely regarded as the last Batman comic of the Silver Age, and it’s only fitting that they went out with a bang. Dick Grayson graduates high school and moves away to college, which forces Batman to confront the reality of living without Robin for a while. Ultimately, he decides that he has to change everything about how he lives if he wants to continue on. He must evolve. To that end, Bruce and Alfred board up the Batcave and move into a penthouse above the Wayne Foundation building, and Bruce decides that he has to bring back the “old Batman” that strikes fear into the hearts of criminals. Just like Dick, this comic feels like a graduation of sorts. It’s literally the end of an era, and works as both a love letter to what came before and an exciting step into a new status quo. It’s not often that we get an issue that works so perfectly as a bridge between what came before and what is soon to come, and this is one of the best there is in that regard. Not only that, but the cover is drawn by legendary artist Neal Adams, who would go on to help define the Bronze and Modern Age interpretations of Batman. This is Batman saying goodbye to the wacky fun of the Silver Age to grow into the hero we all know today, and it’s a heartwarming farewell to an era that gets far too little love.
So there we have ten of the best Silver Age Batman stories. There are plenty more stories that almost made the list, from Batman #112’s “Am I Really Batman?” to Batman #134’s “The Rainbow Creature,” and too many more to name. This era of Batman is home to the brightest, happiest version of the character, and lifted Batman and Robin up into true legendary status as the Dynamic Duo. The entire era is defined not by Batman on his own, but by his partnership with his young ward, and these stories all show exactly why they are the best duo in comics. The Silver Age is wacky, zany, and sometimes downright stupid, but it’s also full of heart and care for doing the right thing, and at the end of the day, those are the most important things for a superhero comic. Still, do you agree with this list, or would you rather another classic Batman story take the top spot? Let us know in the comments below!
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