Batman: Broken City

Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso, the celebrated team behind 100 Bullets, brought their signature noir sensibility to Gotham in this 2005 DC miniseries. Over a single, self-contained storyline, they strip Batman down to his most primal elements, sending him through a grimy, rain-slicked cityscape in pursuit of a killer. The series is a masterclass in mood and tension, with Risso's stark, shadow-drenched art perfectly complementing Azzarello's hard-boiled, street-level dialogue. It stands as a potent, standalone Batman story that proves the character's versatility outside the main continuity.