DC; $2 

Batman has some of the greatest villains in comics. They may not always be the most intimidating, but they are certainly complex and interesting. In 1989, DC published the Secret Origins Special with stories that took a deeper look into Penguin, Riddler, and Two-Face. But these stories, written by Alan Grant, Neil Gaiman, and Mark Verheiden, did not pit the villains against Batman – they took center stage.  

It begins with Penguin kidnapping his childhood bully, Sharkey, and torturing the man while recounting how Sharkey had tormented him when they were kids. When an elderly Riddler is shadowed by a documentary film crew he tells them silly riddles rather than divulge details of his past. The special closes with Harvey Dent's wife appearing on a talk show to share an incident when Two-Face, not Harvey, saved her from harm.  

Each story provides thoughtful insight into the tortured souls of Batman's villains. Like the Caped Crusader, his villains tend to have trauma in their pasts that can steer and derail their machinations. Their emotional scars, their dominate traits, and their cunning are laid bare. It inspires the reader to simultaneously feel sympathetic for these guys and fear them for the rage they carry.  

–Amanda Sheriff