Batman: Death & the Maidens

In this 2004 DC miniseries, writer Greg Rucka and artist Klaus Janson send Batman on a deeply personal journey into his own past. The story explores the legacy of Ra's al Ghul and the shadowy League of Assassins, forcing the Dark Knight to confront a long-buried secret from his childhood. A taut, character-driven thriller, it matters for its psychological depth and for expanding the mythology surrounding Batman's earliest years.