Batman: Nine Lives

In 2002, DC published Batman: Nine Lives, a standalone prestige-format mystery by writer Dean Motter and artist Michael Lark. This single issue reimagines the Dark Knight in a gritty, noir-tinged 1950s Gotham, where a familiar cast of characters inhabits a world of mobsters, jazz, and hard-boiled intrigue. It stands as a distinctive, self-contained take on the Batman mythos, showcasing Lark’s moody art and Motter’s atmospheric storytelling in a tight, one-shot crime saga.