Batman has gone through several iterations in his existence. When Bob Kane and Bill Finger created him in 1939, he was a dark vigilante that fought mobsters and gangsters. During the reign of the Comics Code Authority, Batman became over-the-top, colorful, and led to the silly antics of the '60s-era Adam West TV show.
Frank Miller came along and made Batman serious again, almost overly so, creating the Dark Knight and a character that barely equaled fun. Throughout his entire existence, Batman has been in dark stories, but he also took part in completely ridiculous storylines, heightened by his pure sense of seriousness.
Emperor Joker
When looking at ridiculous Batman storylines, look no further than anything involving Joker. While there are Joker stories that were too dark to laugh at, others had readers laughing as he wreaked havoc on the world. One of these was Emperor Joker, where the Clown Prince of Crime stole power from Mr. Mxyzptlk and became a god on Earth. He tortured and murdered Batman every day and even ate the entire country of China. It took Superman’s help to stop him.
Batman: The Widening Gyre
Film director Kevin Smith and artists Walt Flanagan and Sandra Hope created the Batman miniseries Batman: Cacophony in 2008. It was an exciting moment for Smith’s fans, knowing he is a massive comic fan — Batman in particular. However, what resulted was a mixed bag of serious subject matter and ridiculous moments. Batman often spoke with Smith’s trademark scatological humor, even describing how he peed his pants in a fight once. This is a series best suited for Kevin Smith fans, but not the Batman faithful.
Batman: Holy Terror
Batman has always seemed masochistic and beats himself up constantly for his failures. In the 1991 series Batman: Holy Terror, Alan Brennert and Norm Breyfogle took the idea of Bruce Wayne atoning for his sins to the logical next step. This Elseworlds’ story had Bruce Wayne preparing to join the clergy before becoming Batman when he learned the sins of the theocracy after a string of political murders. As ridiculous as it is to see Batman as a priest, it makes sense considering the history of the character.
Batman: Odyssey
Batman: Odyssey is possibly the most ridiculous Batman storyline ever created. In 2010, Neal Adams returned to DC Comics and created this series, which went off the rails from the start. Almost every issue opened with an almost naked, very hairy Bruce Wayne, and it just got crazier from there.
Through the issues, the naked hairy Batman tells stories of his past exploits, including journeys to the center of the Earth, meeting Egyptian gods, riding the backs of dinosaurs, meeting neanderthals, and more. There is nowhere this ridiculous Batman series wouldn’t go.
Batman & Dracula: Red Rain
Batman & Dracula: Red Rain was the start of the Batman/Dracula trilogy. This book was an Elseworlds comic from 1991 by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones. While putting Batman up against the world’s most famous vampire was an interesting proposition, things grew ridiculous when Batman ended up bitten and turning into a vampire himself. Batman will do anything to beat a villain, but becoming a blood-sucking monster to do it seemed out of character. Despite the comic's success, it received a poorly received Batman animated movie.
Batman: I, Joker
There have been several Batman storylines where the comics made Batman the villain. One of the more ridiculous of these was the 1988 Elseworlds story Batman: I, Joker. In this story, Batman was a cult leader who challenges all his enemies one night a year to a “Night of Blood,” where he fights brainwashed cultists who believe they are his classic villains to the death. However, when a man named Joe Collins becomes the new Joker, he ends up with a chance to end the evil Batman’s reign of terror.
All-Star Batman And Robin
Frank Miller created one of Batman’s most beloved comic book arcs in the futuristic tale, The Dark Knight Returns. However, his follow-ups are not as highly praised, with All-Star Batman and Robin considered a low point by some fans and completely ridiculous by others.
There are many areas where this ridiculous nature shines through, the most obvious of which is the meme-worthy car scene where Batman dresses down Dick Grayson, one of the most important Bat-family members. From the abuse of a 12-year-old Robin to Batman’s over-the-top arrogance, this was almost a parody.
Batman: Knightquest
There have been several superheroes who became Batman when Bruce Wayne wasn’t around. The least deserving was Azrael, who became one of the most ridiculous versions of the Caped Crusader. This was in ‘Batman: Knightquest,’ which took place after Bane broke Batman’s back. Azrael created a very ‘90s Batman armor, kicked Robin out of the Batcave, and ended up violently dealing with criminals until Batman returned to stop him.
Batman: The Return Of Bruce Wayne
The DC Comics Crisis event series Final Crisis had a shocking conclusion. Batman broke his own no-kill rule to shoot Darkseid with a radion bullet that mortally wounded the would-be conqueror. In response, Darkseid killed Batman. However, Batman didn’t die and ended up sent back in time. ‘Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne’ tracked his journey to get back to the present day, in a ridiculous series of events that featured Neanderthals, Blackbeard, Vandal Savage, and more.
Batman: R.I.P.
In 2008, Grant Morrison and Tony S. Daniel created ‘Batman R.I.P.,’ and it was a story that was ridiculous and over-the-top in almost every way. Running from Batman #676-681, Batman took on a new persona of Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, a backup identity he previously implanted in his mind in case he suffered a psychological break, which he did when Black Mask injected him with powerful hallucinogens. He created a brightly colored Batsuit from various items and takes his advice from Bat-Mite, which is never a good idea.