The highly respected Bat-writer selects some great Bat-tales… — UPDATED 5/30/23: This piece first ran when Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert was published in 2016. It’s Brennert’s birthday today (he turns 69), so it only seemed fitting to re-present it! Enjoy. — Dan — I recently wrote about how Alan Brennert’s Batman stories have an almost cult-like following. Tales like “To Kill a Legend” and “The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne!” have stood the test of time, despite Brennert’s fairly small comics output. (Click here to check out the piece. You might dig it.) DC has just released Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert, a hardcover that collects his excellent stories. It came out in comics shops last week and is now available at general online retailers. I highly recommend it. Anyway, while people are showing a well-deserved appreciation of his work right now, I decided to turn the tables and ask Alan what his favorite Batman stories are — and I’m really pleased that he agreed. So, here we go. As always, your comments are welcome below or in whichever social-media thread you found this. — By ALAN BRENNERT I don’t presume to say that these are truly the 13 best stories in Batman’s history, but they are 13 personal favorites of mine. They’re listed chronologically, but the first story does coincidentally happen to be my #1 favorite Batman tale. 1. “The Origin of the Batman,” Batman #47 (1948), by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Charles Paris. Rarely does a retelling of an origin add to the power of the original, as this one did. — 2. “The First Batman,” Detective Comics #235 (1956), by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, Stan Kaye. I believe this may be the first DC “legacy” story. I’m sure Mark Waid will correct me if I’m wrong! — 3. “Robin Dies at Dawn,” Batman #156 (1963), by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, Charles Paris. I cried when I read this when I was 9 years old. — 4. “Daughter of the Demon,” Batman #232 (1971), by Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano. O’Neil and Adams create an unforgettable, and enduring, villain for Batman, and a worthy lover for him as well. — 5. “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge,” Batman #251 (1973), by Dennis O’Neil, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano. The story that returned the Joker to his homicidal...