DC Comics

Bruce Wayne is framed for the murder of his girlfriend Vesper Fairchild and makes the controversial decision to abandon his civilian identity entirely — no more Bruce Wayne, only Batman. Greg Rucka and Ed Brubaker weave a detective thriller where every member of the Bat-family — Nightwing, Robin, Batgirl, Oracle — must work independently to prove the innocence of a man who no longer wants to be saved. A turning point for Batman before the New 52 that shows the character at his most psychologically stripped down.

Stephanie Brown wanted to prove she deserved to be Robin. Instead, she triggered a Batman contingency plan that required Batman as its centerpiece — and without him, Gotham burns. Every crime family goes to open war. Black Mask emerges as the new crime lord. War Games is the crossover that changed Gotham forever, told across all Batman titles in 1120 pages.