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Legends of the Dark Knight (2012)
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Volume 1
These new tales of Batman from writers including Damon Lindelof (Lost, Prometheus), Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) Andrew Dabb (Supernatural), and others explore unusual sides of The Dark Knight, including his relationship with Alfred during his early years as a crimefigher, his method of dealing with super-powered foes, and more.
Collects: Legends of the Dark Knight #1-5.
Collects: Legends of the Dark Knight #1-5.
168 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
December 9, 2025
(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Read in Digital First singles. Individual reviews for included stories can be found here:
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #1
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #2
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #3
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #4
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #5
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #6
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #7
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #8
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #9
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #10
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #11
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #12
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #13
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #14
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #15
Notes: Read in Digital First singles. Individual reviews for included stories can be found here:
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #1
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #2
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #3
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #4
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #5
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #6
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #7
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #8
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #9
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #10
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #11
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #12
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #13
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #14
- Legends of the Dark Knight (2012-2015) #15
April 5, 2016
Liked this. It's a throwback to something I didn't realize I was missing, the comics where a story begins and ends within those few pages. No long arcs spanning volume after volume, wrapping up in some sort of package or reboot. You're just thrown in with Batman, and you watch him work.
Can I ask a Batman question here?
Or maybe it's more like a Batman Request?
Can we never, ever show Bruce Wayne's parents get gunned down in a movie, ever again, ever?
Every time I see Batman on screen in a new iteration, I know what's going to happen there. And why are so many directors obsessed with the same thing?
"Oooh, dudes, I got it. Imagine this: Pearls in the Gutter! That's poetic, right? Because it's like pearls are for rich people and the gutter is for trash. Or wastewater or whatever. I don't know. They have those things that say the water goes to where fish live, which seems like a terrible idea, but anyway, Pearls. In. The. Gutter."
We got it. We get it.
We've seen it before, and it's been done. But that's not the only problem I have with it.
When my grandmother died, it wasn't a world-shattering event at first. What happened was, over time, various little things would happen, and those were the things that made it real. When my mom cried. When I visited my grandmother's house and she wasn't there anymore. When St. Patrick's day rolled around and she didn't send a card, or 4th of July. She was kinda on this thing of sending cards for pretty much any holiday, including holidays where no one sends cards.
I wouldn't mind seeing a Bruce Wayne who experiences grief in a less light switch fashion. Where there are these different events, these milestones that build up. I've gone to the lake a million times, but this is the first time I did it without my parents. I saw part of Alfred that will never be the same. This was the chair my father sat in, and it took me years to ever even think of sitting in it.
The death of the Waynes is certainly shocking and poetic, but I think what it lacks is the feeling of long term impact. I feel like Bruce Wayne does what he does as catalyzed by the Waynes, but the same way it goes with certain chemical reactions, that catalyst is burned away. The Waynes are dead, and that's it. One moment to inform an entire life.
Of course, watching your parents be gunned down is a lot more than a single moment. And that's what I feel is missing. It's not that moment when your mother's pearls fall in the gutter. That's not the entirety of it. It's the years that follow, the years where you're an orphan, where you decide not to be a powerless child and what that'll look like.
I think what I'm saying is, let's get a good, sophisticated, more nuanced Batman origin, or let's just skip it. I'm fine with that too, by the way. We can just skip right past if the 170 minutes don't provide enough time to tell a story.
Can I ask a Batman question here?
Or maybe it's more like a Batman Request?
Can we never, ever show Bruce Wayne's parents get gunned down in a movie, ever again, ever?
Every time I see Batman on screen in a new iteration, I know what's going to happen there. And why are so many directors obsessed with the same thing?
"Oooh, dudes, I got it. Imagine this: Pearls in the Gutter! That's poetic, right? Because it's like pearls are for rich people and the gutter is for trash. Or wastewater or whatever. I don't know. They have those things that say the water goes to where fish live, which seems like a terrible idea, but anyway, Pearls. In. The. Gutter."
We got it. We get it.
We've seen it before, and it's been done. But that's not the only problem I have with it.
When my grandmother died, it wasn't a world-shattering event at first. What happened was, over time, various little things would happen, and those were the things that made it real. When my mom cried. When I visited my grandmother's house and she wasn't there anymore. When St. Patrick's day rolled around and she didn't send a card, or 4th of July. She was kinda on this thing of sending cards for pretty much any holiday, including holidays where no one sends cards.
I wouldn't mind seeing a Bruce Wayne who experiences grief in a less light switch fashion. Where there are these different events, these milestones that build up. I've gone to the lake a million times, but this is the first time I did it without my parents. I saw part of Alfred that will never be the same. This was the chair my father sat in, and it took me years to ever even think of sitting in it.
The death of the Waynes is certainly shocking and poetic, but I think what it lacks is the feeling of long term impact. I feel like Bruce Wayne does what he does as catalyzed by the Waynes, but the same way it goes with certain chemical reactions, that catalyst is burned away. The Waynes are dead, and that's it. One moment to inform an entire life.
Of course, watching your parents be gunned down is a lot more than a single moment. And that's what I feel is missing. It's not that moment when your mother's pearls fall in the gutter. That's not the entirety of it. It's the years that follow, the years where you're an orphan, where you decide not to be a powerless child and what that'll look like.
I think what I'm saying is, let's get a good, sophisticated, more nuanced Batman origin, or let's just skip it. I'm fine with that too, by the way. We can just skip right past if the 170 minutes don't provide enough time to tell a story.
February 3, 2022
50% | C | Good
"I have no effect. I just throw them in one end and the system spits them out the other"
Some of these stories deserve more than the stars I've given them, but since I'm judging this as a whole collection, the bad stories unfortunately drag down the good. The stories I think are worth reading include 'The Butler Did It', 'All Of The Above', 'The Crime Never Committed' and 'Letters To Batman', all of which manage to tell a good story with the limited amount of pages. Those you should absolutely avoid are 'A Game To Die For' which looks so bad that I couldn't put myself through it, 'Batman - The Movie' A.K.A Batman - The Waste of My Time and 'Together', a Two-Face story that deserves two stars. Worth a read if you skip some of the stories.
"I have no effect. I just throw them in one end and the system spits them out the other"
A collection of several standalone Batman stories from a variety of creative teams
Some of these stories deserve more than the stars I've given them, but since I'm judging this as a whole collection, the bad stories unfortunately drag down the good. The stories I think are worth reading include 'The Butler Did It', 'All Of The Above', 'The Crime Never Committed' and 'Letters To Batman', all of which manage to tell a good story with the limited amount of pages. Those you should absolutely avoid are 'A Game To Die For' which looks so bad that I couldn't put myself through it, 'Batman - The Movie' A.K.A Batman - The Waste of My Time and 'Together', a Two-Face story that deserves two stars. Worth a read if you skip some of the stories.
September 15, 2013
This is the relaunched Legends of the Dark Knight series originally published in DC’s Digital Firsts line. The books are made up of short stories by various writers and artists to tell one-off Batman stories that explores different aspects of the character’s world in more detail. And for the most part, the stories here are actually pretty damn good!
My favourite of the bunch is Steve Niles and Trevor Hairsine’s Letters to Batman. After Batman puts Joker away in Arkham one more time, the Clown Prince of Crime escapes once more and begins a new crime spree, sending Batman a note indicating the futility of his work - Arkham is a revolving door and evil is never defeated. Weary, Bruce begins believing Joker’s message, that he is useless, that Batman is useless. That is until he picks up a few sacks of mail from the GCPD and Alfred encourages him to read them.
It might be because I’m a sentimentalist at heart, but those letters from ordinary people whose lives were changed thanks to Batman were really sweet and even if I don’t think Batman would be so easily cowed by Joker, it’s still a great story that gives readers the chance to see the enormous impact someone like Batman would have on the wider public, not just on the costumed crazies that make up Gotham. Also I’m a huge fan of Trevor Hairsine’s work and his art in this story is no less fantastic - the expression he gives Joker in the final panel is brilliant.
Joshua Hale Fialkov and Phil Hester contribute an excellent Slam Bradley story as Slam has to solve the mystery of who framed him before Batman puts him away. Slam is a character who rarely makes an appearance in Batman these days so it’s great to see an old, pre-New 52 character show up again. Jonathan Larsen and JG Jones give us a brilliant story about Batman fighting Amazo - a robot with all of the Justice League’s powers - in the Watchtower singlehanded. The great thing about the story is it underlines Amazo’s weakness - he may possess all of the JL’s powers, but Batman has no powers, he’s just a man; albeit a cunning genius which Amazo doesn’t possess, and seeing Batman take down this guy using his wits on his own is pretty badass.
There aren’t any terrible stories in this book - some are better than others, but they’re all more or less good fun. It was interesting seeing Jeff Lemire draw Batman: I think his Batman is a bit weedy-looking, like a skinny Batman cosplayer, and a bit bird-like in some panels, but I liked his Bruce Wayne a lot, especially around the eyes. Damon Lindelof’s script for Lemire’s art though is a bit of a stretch - we’re supposed to believe Bruce is stupid enough to believe he has no weaknesses leading to Alfred exploiting Bruce’s most traumatic event to win a bet. I know Bruce is drunk when he’s saying it - another out of character moment - and it’s funny listening to him talk smack about Green Lantern, Frank Miller style, but still. That said, a lot of the stories take certain liberties with the characters to make their stories work, though Lindelof/Lemire’s story was probably the weakest one here.
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Volume 1 contains some absolutely must-read Batman stories every fan will love. Even just seeing some of the artists who normally don’t draw superhero comics draw Batman is worth picking up this book alone: Ben Templesmith, Jeff Lemire - who wouldn’t want to see their versions of Batman? A really solid collection of enjoyable Batman comics that’s full of fresh takes on a classic character.
My favourite of the bunch is Steve Niles and Trevor Hairsine’s Letters to Batman. After Batman puts Joker away in Arkham one more time, the Clown Prince of Crime escapes once more and begins a new crime spree, sending Batman a note indicating the futility of his work - Arkham is a revolving door and evil is never defeated. Weary, Bruce begins believing Joker’s message, that he is useless, that Batman is useless. That is until he picks up a few sacks of mail from the GCPD and Alfred encourages him to read them.
It might be because I’m a sentimentalist at heart, but those letters from ordinary people whose lives were changed thanks to Batman were really sweet and even if I don’t think Batman would be so easily cowed by Joker, it’s still a great story that gives readers the chance to see the enormous impact someone like Batman would have on the wider public, not just on the costumed crazies that make up Gotham. Also I’m a huge fan of Trevor Hairsine’s work and his art in this story is no less fantastic - the expression he gives Joker in the final panel is brilliant.
Joshua Hale Fialkov and Phil Hester contribute an excellent Slam Bradley story as Slam has to solve the mystery of who framed him before Batman puts him away. Slam is a character who rarely makes an appearance in Batman these days so it’s great to see an old, pre-New 52 character show up again. Jonathan Larsen and JG Jones give us a brilliant story about Batman fighting Amazo - a robot with all of the Justice League’s powers - in the Watchtower singlehanded. The great thing about the story is it underlines Amazo’s weakness - he may possess all of the JL’s powers, but Batman has no powers, he’s just a man; albeit a cunning genius which Amazo doesn’t possess, and seeing Batman take down this guy using his wits on his own is pretty badass.
There aren’t any terrible stories in this book - some are better than others, but they’re all more or less good fun. It was interesting seeing Jeff Lemire draw Batman: I think his Batman is a bit weedy-looking, like a skinny Batman cosplayer, and a bit bird-like in some panels, but I liked his Bruce Wayne a lot, especially around the eyes. Damon Lindelof’s script for Lemire’s art though is a bit of a stretch - we’re supposed to believe Bruce is stupid enough to believe he has no weaknesses leading to Alfred exploiting Bruce’s most traumatic event to win a bet. I know Bruce is drunk when he’s saying it - another out of character moment - and it’s funny listening to him talk smack about Green Lantern, Frank Miller style, but still. That said, a lot of the stories take certain liberties with the characters to make their stories work, though Lindelof/Lemire’s story was probably the weakest one here.
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, Volume 1 contains some absolutely must-read Batman stories every fan will love. Even just seeing some of the artists who normally don’t draw superhero comics draw Batman is worth picking up this book alone: Ben Templesmith, Jeff Lemire - who wouldn’t want to see their versions of Batman? A really solid collection of enjoyable Batman comics that’s full of fresh takes on a classic character.
November 14, 2015
This is an entertaining Batman anthology series. As with any collection of this type, some stories are better than others, but in this case there was much more good than bad.
One of the longer stories had Ben Templesmith art and featured Joker, Killer Croc and the Mad Hatter. This one was probably my favorite. Another dealt with letters people had written to Batman, and this was a touching story showing the more human side of Batman. Slam Bradley also had an entire issue to himself, which was another good one.
The art is more good than bad as well, with most meshing with the script nicely.
Overall I really liked this one, and would recommend it to any Batman fan.
One of the longer stories had Ben Templesmith art and featured Joker, Killer Croc and the Mad Hatter. This one was probably my favorite. Another dealt with letters people had written to Batman, and this was a touching story showing the more human side of Batman. Slam Bradley also had an entire issue to himself, which was another good one.
The art is more good than bad as well, with most meshing with the script nicely.
Overall I really liked this one, and would recommend it to any Batman fan.
July 8, 2022
Ugh, sometimes web only stuff should not make it to print.
On the other hand some of these were really good making it worth the time on the stories that could have used a little more help before publishing. The art on the other hand was average in just about every case. It all just averages out to a middle grade.
On the other hand some of these were really good making it worth the time on the stories that could have used a little more help before publishing. The art on the other hand was average in just about every case. It all just averages out to a middle grade.
May 12, 2019
In general, not a fan of anthologies like this: the stories are too short. If you are lucky, you'll get an excellent gem of an idea or theme but the story doesn't have time to breathe. You end up left with a tantalizing glimpse but never get a full view, AND the knowledge that it was a wasted opportunity, never to be used again. There are a couple instances of that in this volume, and the rest simply fall flat.
"All of the Above" is a nice reminder why Batman is still the best tactical genius. "Letters to Batman" contains a heartfelt and emotional theme of how Batman changes peoples' lives. "A Sam Bradley Mystery..." executes an excellent job of mixing modern superhero with crime noir detective (and topped beautifully by Phil Hester's art.)
The rest of the stories try hard, and the art qualities and styles vary, but none of them are that memorable and pull down the entries that actually do stick with the reader.
"All of the Above" is a nice reminder why Batman is still the best tactical genius. "Letters to Batman" contains a heartfelt and emotional theme of how Batman changes peoples' lives. "A Sam Bradley Mystery..." executes an excellent job of mixing modern superhero with crime noir detective (and topped beautifully by Phil Hester's art.)
The rest of the stories try hard, and the art qualities and styles vary, but none of them are that memorable and pull down the entries that actually do stick with the reader.
January 13, 2021
Legends of the Dark Knight is a collection of short stories from various authors. The tales are focused on the more unusual aspects of Batman's adventures. For the most part, there are a couple of meh quality stories, I enjoyed the stories. They were "different" in tone and execution. Had that been the sole factor in the making of a really good-great comic, then this would have gotten a 4th star and that's including the couple of meh stories.
What is this mystical second thing that "makes a comic great" that I alluded to earlier? Art goddammit all! What the fuck happened? Did DC go to the local Plasma Donation Center and grab some random bums and give them $40 to draw? Jesus Christ on a stick this art is borderline putrid with some brave attempts to rise to mediocre levels.
In other reviews of other comics, I have always stressed the importance of a proper synergy between the visual medium and the plot, as well as the prose, that culminates in a true magnum opus. This? Interesting stories warped by the unappealing doodling of the newest "up and coming" crackhead DC "found". This art is not for me. Thanks. I enjoyed the stories though. I will likely check out the 2nd volume and hope that the next crop of crackheads have some measure of artistic talent.
What is this mystical second thing that "makes a comic great" that I alluded to earlier? Art goddammit all! What the fuck happened? Did DC go to the local Plasma Donation Center and grab some random bums and give them $40 to draw? Jesus Christ on a stick this art is borderline putrid with some brave attempts to rise to mediocre levels.
In other reviews of other comics, I have always stressed the importance of a proper synergy between the visual medium and the plot, as well as the prose, that culminates in a true magnum opus. This? Interesting stories warped by the unappealing doodling of the newest "up and coming" crackhead DC "found". This art is not for me. Thanks. I enjoyed the stories though. I will likely check out the 2nd volume and hope that the next crop of crackheads have some measure of artistic talent.
February 7, 2021
Damon Lindelof/Jeff Lemire story: 5⭐
Jonathan Larsen/J.G. Jones story: 3⭐
Tom Taylor/Nicola Scott story: 5⭐
B. Clay Moore/Ben Templesmith story: 1⭐
Steve Niles/Trevor Hairsane story: 4⭐
T.J. Fixman/ Chris Mitten story: 2⭐
Andrew Dabb/Giorgio Pontrelli story: 2⭐
Joshua Hale Fialkov/Phil Hester story: 5⭐
Jonathan Larsen/J.G. Jones story: 3⭐
Tom Taylor/Nicola Scott story: 5⭐
B. Clay Moore/Ben Templesmith story: 1⭐
Steve Niles/Trevor Hairsane story: 4⭐
T.J. Fixman/ Chris Mitten story: 2⭐
Andrew Dabb/Giorgio Pontrelli story: 2⭐
Joshua Hale Fialkov/Phil Hester story: 5⭐
August 19, 2014
MINI-REVIEW: a bunch of short stories before the 52 reboot. The quality not so surprisingly varies in story plotting and art presentation.
A breakdown of the tales:
“The Butler Did It”: In which Bruce Wayne/Batman is humbled. The title gives it away unless you didn't look at it which was my case.
B minus plotting and B artwork.
“All Of The Above”: Batman fights someone out of his league with careful planning and strategy.
B on plotting and B on artwork.
“The Crime Never Committed”: Batman and Robin help a man avoid crime.
C plus on plotting and B on artwork.
“Crisis in Identity”: a number of people are impersonating Batman yet a good number of them are dying. This was longer than the other tales so it has impacted the overall grade.
A minus on plotting and B plus in artwork.
“Letters To Batman”: a tired Batman starts reading a backlog of letters written to him over the years.
B to B plus on plotting and artwork.
“A Game To Die For”: Batman tries to help a man going through madness.
B in plotting and artwork.
“Batman: The Movies”: Batman goes on set when a movie is made about him.
B plus on plotting and artwork.
“Together”: Batman and Two Face come at odds.
B to B plus artwork and B minus to B story/plotting.
“A Slam Bradley Mystery”: an old P.I. accused of murder must clear his innocence with a little help from Batman and a lot of interference from a big Gotham villain.
B plus plotting and B plus to A minus artwork.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
A breakdown of the tales:
“The Butler Did It”: In which Bruce Wayne/Batman is humbled. The title gives it away unless you didn't look at it which was my case.
B minus plotting and B artwork.
“All Of The Above”: Batman fights someone out of his league with careful planning and strategy.
B on plotting and B on artwork.
“The Crime Never Committed”: Batman and Robin help a man avoid crime.
C plus on plotting and B on artwork.
“Crisis in Identity”: a number of people are impersonating Batman yet a good number of them are dying. This was longer than the other tales so it has impacted the overall grade.
A minus on plotting and B plus in artwork.
“Letters To Batman”: a tired Batman starts reading a backlog of letters written to him over the years.
B to B plus on plotting and artwork.
“A Game To Die For”: Batman tries to help a man going through madness.
B in plotting and artwork.
“Batman: The Movies”: Batman goes on set when a movie is made about him.
B plus on plotting and artwork.
“Together”: Batman and Two Face come at odds.
B to B plus artwork and B minus to B story/plotting.
“A Slam Bradley Mystery”: an old P.I. accused of murder must clear his innocence with a little help from Batman and a lot of interference from a big Gotham villain.
B plus plotting and B plus to A minus artwork.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
July 5, 2016
En este volumen hay un par de buenas historias. No conozco a ninguno de los guionistas salvo a Steve Niles, el cual escribe una historia bastante emotiva mientras vemos a Batman recibir un par de cartas de gente que lo admira.
La historia dibujada por Ben Templesmith es otro de lo los puntos fuertes del (este dibujante siempre me gustó, tiene un estilo muy personal y la historia tira un poco más para el terror urbano que otra cosa).
A J.G Jones lo noté medio flojo, su historia no me convenció y sus dibujos parecen hechos a las apuradas. Igual lo sigo bancando, tampoco lo voy a defenestrar por unas poquitas páginas que me resultaron feas.
La última historia del tomo, en la que un policía retirado es acusado de un crimen que no cometió, fue otra de mis favoritas, con unos dibujos de Phil Hester muy buenos acompañados de un guión con muchos tintes noir.
Tomo recomendable para pasarse un buen rato.
La historia dibujada por Ben Templesmith es otro de lo los puntos fuertes del (este dibujante siempre me gustó, tiene un estilo muy personal y la historia tira un poco más para el terror urbano que otra cosa).
A J.G Jones lo noté medio flojo, su historia no me convenció y sus dibujos parecen hechos a las apuradas. Igual lo sigo bancando, tampoco lo voy a defenestrar por unas poquitas páginas que me resultaron feas.
La última historia del tomo, en la que un policía retirado es acusado de un crimen que no cometió, fue otra de mis favoritas, con unos dibujos de Phil Hester muy buenos acompañados de un guión con muchos tintes noir.
Tomo recomendable para pasarse un buen rato.
May 13, 2015
pretty good, its basically a bunch of short stories about batman, there are a couple longer ones but most are pretty short. Each story has its own characters and batman of course, characters that are in the book are mad hatter, killer croc, joker, black mask, and of course batman, with a few other characters that make minor appearences. Each story has different art, characters, and plots so expect one or two you might not like but also expect a few you would like. In all i thought it was good but not the greatest, ive read plenty of better comics, especially batman ones, but its descent.
ART:5.5
STORY:RANGES
ACTION:6
CHARACTERS:8
(out of ten)
ART:5.5
STORY:RANGES
ACTION:6
CHARACTERS:8
(out of ten)
September 2, 2013
The return of the classic one off stories brings a feeling of joy and nostalgia to my heart. Especially since it ignores all the garbage dumped on Batman from the New 52.
May 13, 2016
The beginning didn't really hook me as much but it got better and it was surprisingly good
June 9, 2017
A pretty strong Batman anthology. The first story misses the mark with its characterization of Alfred and Batman, but there's a great Batman/Amazo story, a neat tale of Bat-fakes, and a really touching story involving a mailbag. Plus Phil Hester turns up to illustrate a gumshoe yarn of Slam Bradley! Perfect for a less intense read, with some gems and top talent on parade.
January 19, 2019
enjoyed the batman stories. broken down with different writers / artists with each chapter / story. they seemed to tie around batman and the joker, which is fine. love the joker.
actually finished jan 2019, but setting it earlier so it doesn't effect my book reading challenge.
actually finished jan 2019, but setting it earlier so it doesn't effect my book reading challenge.
December 6, 2020
It’s Batman so it’s fun, it isn’t that bad but I feel like some of the stories are either a hit or a miss, either you like it or you don’t, it’s alright, it’s not bad at all, I feel like it lacks character understanding, but it’s still good.
November 17, 2024
Good collection.
A fun collection of short stories. I enjoyed the shorts a lot. Lots of good art styles and interpretations of the Dark Knight himself. I am enjoying this entire series a lot.
A fun collection of short stories. I enjoyed the shorts a lot. Lots of good art styles and interpretations of the Dark Knight himself. I am enjoying this entire series a lot.
July 8, 2017
Such a pleasant surprise. This book shows the beauty of an amazing universe and unfiltered creative team. Almost every story was a delight.
October 4, 2017
Really good book
January 14, 2018
Short stories- Alfred teaches Bruce a lesson- gets things to use his weakness. Joker uses hatter to convince folks they are Batman and croc eats them- funny. Batman gets letters- very good
January 10, 2023
This was cool. Bunch of short stories. Enjoyed some more than others, but was enjoyable
July 15, 2023
It’s so rare for a Batman story to end in a single issue these days. These short stories are concise and some of them are quite clever.
October 5, 2023
More misses than hits in this anthology series…
🦇🦇
🦇🦇
February 16, 2024
the first story, by lindelof and lemire is among the most brutal and best batman stories i've read in 50 years
Read
April 4, 2024DNF
October 14, 2024
The highlight was the first story illustrated by Lemire.
June 5, 2025
Fun collection of Batman related short stories
September 8, 2025
uneven (derogatory). saved by the Hester / Fialkov story.
July 30, 2019
Legends of the Dark Knight is a series where lesser-known writers and artists can get their chance to take a stab at Batman with short stories. This is the first book of the series, collecting the first 5 issues of it (or 15, if you count them split up into threes). There are stories here that are good, that are bad, and that are inbetween, so it is hard to make up what I think of it.
Individual story reviews:
The Butler Did It - This is a story about Bruce going on an ego trip and being taught a lesson, in a painful way. I actually thought this short story was pretty good, though the art's not great, I think it really did capture the cockiness of Batman that lots of writers try to forget about nowadays to make him more likeable. If you don't like Frank Miller's Batman, I could see why you wouldn't like this one, but I myself enjoyed it. 7/10
All of the Above - This is a story about Batman having to fight Amazo in the watchtower after he hacks his way in. Overall, I found this story to be pretty lame, and did not like the use of the Bat-Shark Repellent. While in the Batman '66 movie, it was funny, here it was just stupid, it was also all just a little too easy for him to beat Amazo for it to really be interesting. The art is ok though. 2/10
The Crime Never Committed - This is the only story in the book that I have heard of the author's name before. This short story is written by Tom Taylor, who also wrote the Injustice comic book series and some Earth 2, and is about Batman and Robin stopping a man from becoming a criminal to help out his sick daughter. It was fairly good, and shows the side of Batman that understands why some people would get involved in crime, but in the end, will not let them do crime. 7/10
Crisis In Identity - this is the first of the three larger short stories in this book, and it deals with the joker brainwashing people into thinking theyre Batman to get them killed by Killer Croc. All in all, this is an interesting issue, but the final lines really make you realize how stupid the plot is. I am not a big fan of the new trend of people who seem to think Joker does everything for no reason but that seems to be the case here with this issue, but I was able to actually imagine The Joker using some of the lines he spoke in this issue which means they were able to capture at least some of his essence. Fun read but without reason. 5/10
Letters to Batman - another one of the larger short stories, this one deals with the Joker getting into Batman's head and making him believe he isn't solving anything by letting him live. It is a good story that shows how important Batman truly is to Gotham citizens, even if at times it doesn't seem so. Once again, The Joker is written as nothing but a guy who does things for no reason, but the other parts of the story are what make this one decent. 5/10
A Game To Die For - ANOTHER story involving The Joker.. this short story has it all in 8 pages, The Joker and a plot twist that you've seen in at least a dozen movies already. Wow. Very creative. 1/10
Batman: The Movie - The Joker.. again.. really?? I guess he's the only villain any of these writers know. This is nothing but a basic plot of Joker crashing a movie set and Batman knocking him out. At least the Joker seemed more like the Joker. 4/10
Together - this has got to be the greatest story in the book. This is a short story involving Two-face, which is cool because one of Two-Face's other best stories is Two of a Kind by Bruce Timm, which is also a short story. This story is about Two-Face trying to get a surgeon to cut his brain into two as they do with epileptic patients. Very good story telling with a well written two-face and a twist ending, which although I called it, was no less great. 9/10
A Slam Bradley Mystery - this is a decent story about an ex-cop getting framed for murder, and him trying to clear his name. Black Mask is in this story too, which is a good plus. The artwork was decent and reminds me of the Heart of Hush drawings, though im not sure if it's the same artist. All in all, a fairly good story to end the book with. 7/10
Nine stories overall, two of them terrible, another two below average, three of them good and one of them great.
This book can make a decent read for anyone who doesn't want to get deep into storytelling or into an arc or something you'll have to buy a part two of.
I probably won't be buying the next ones, but this is a decent read if you just need something simple.
Individual story reviews:
The Butler Did It - This is a story about Bruce going on an ego trip and being taught a lesson, in a painful way. I actually thought this short story was pretty good, though the art's not great, I think it really did capture the cockiness of Batman that lots of writers try to forget about nowadays to make him more likeable. If you don't like Frank Miller's Batman, I could see why you wouldn't like this one, but I myself enjoyed it. 7/10
All of the Above - This is a story about Batman having to fight Amazo in the watchtower after he hacks his way in. Overall, I found this story to be pretty lame, and did not like the use of the Bat-Shark Repellent. While in the Batman '66 movie, it was funny, here it was just stupid, it was also all just a little too easy for him to beat Amazo for it to really be interesting. The art is ok though. 2/10
The Crime Never Committed - This is the only story in the book that I have heard of the author's name before. This short story is written by Tom Taylor, who also wrote the Injustice comic book series and some Earth 2, and is about Batman and Robin stopping a man from becoming a criminal to help out his sick daughter. It was fairly good, and shows the side of Batman that understands why some people would get involved in crime, but in the end, will not let them do crime. 7/10
Crisis In Identity - this is the first of the three larger short stories in this book, and it deals with the joker brainwashing people into thinking theyre Batman to get them killed by Killer Croc. All in all, this is an interesting issue, but the final lines really make you realize how stupid the plot is. I am not a big fan of the new trend of people who seem to think Joker does everything for no reason but that seems to be the case here with this issue, but I was able to actually imagine The Joker using some of the lines he spoke in this issue which means they were able to capture at least some of his essence. Fun read but without reason. 5/10
Letters to Batman - another one of the larger short stories, this one deals with the Joker getting into Batman's head and making him believe he isn't solving anything by letting him live. It is a good story that shows how important Batman truly is to Gotham citizens, even if at times it doesn't seem so. Once again, The Joker is written as nothing but a guy who does things for no reason, but the other parts of the story are what make this one decent. 5/10
A Game To Die For - ANOTHER story involving The Joker.. this short story has it all in 8 pages, The Joker and a plot twist that you've seen in at least a dozen movies already. Wow. Very creative. 1/10
Batman: The Movie - The Joker.. again.. really?? I guess he's the only villain any of these writers know. This is nothing but a basic plot of Joker crashing a movie set and Batman knocking him out. At least the Joker seemed more like the Joker. 4/10
Together - this has got to be the greatest story in the book. This is a short story involving Two-face, which is cool because one of Two-Face's other best stories is Two of a Kind by Bruce Timm, which is also a short story. This story is about Two-Face trying to get a surgeon to cut his brain into two as they do with epileptic patients. Very good story telling with a well written two-face and a twist ending, which although I called it, was no less great. 9/10
A Slam Bradley Mystery - this is a decent story about an ex-cop getting framed for murder, and him trying to clear his name. Black Mask is in this story too, which is a good plus. The artwork was decent and reminds me of the Heart of Hush drawings, though im not sure if it's the same artist. All in all, a fairly good story to end the book with. 7/10
Nine stories overall, two of them terrible, another two below average, three of them good and one of them great.
This book can make a decent read for anyone who doesn't want to get deep into storytelling or into an arc or something you'll have to buy a part two of.
I probably won't be buying the next ones, but this is a decent read if you just need something simple.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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