Detective Comics vol 1 #235 by Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff

As happened to many comics following the work of social crusader Frederic Wertham, Batman experienced a number of changes in the 1950s. In an attempt to assuage fears that the depiction of crimes in comics was leading to children imitating the vile acts they read about, the editors and creators of Batman shifted their stories away from the colorful villains like the Joker that had been introduced in the 1940s, and more toward lighter science fiction fare, especially once a more sci-fi-tinged approach had worked wonders with other titles in the dawn of the Silver Age of comics. Furthermore, to resist the claims that Batman was promoting homosexuality, the title saw the introduction of Batwoman and the original Bat-Girl as love interests for Batman and Robin, respectively. The Bat-Family subsequently grew with the additions of Ace the Bat-Hound and Bat-Mite as well.

The selection here is not a sci-fi tale, as some of the honorable mentions are, but a well-known story that adds a new twist to the Batman origin: that Batman's father Thomas Wayne was the original Batman and that his actions in the cape and cowl are what led to his eventual death.

Many of Batman's stranger cases from the 1950s are collected in The Black Casebook.

Best of the rest: “The Batwoman” (Detective Comics vol 1 #233), “Batman Meets Bat-Mite!” (Detective Comics vol 1 #267), “The Ice Crimes of Mister Zero!” (Batman vol 1 #121), “The Man Who Replaced Batman!” (Batman vol 1 #59), “The Man Behind the Red Hood!” (Detective Comics vol 1 #168), “The Batmen of All Nations”/”The Club of Heroes” (Detective Comics vol 1 #215, World's Finest Comics #89), “Batman—The Superman of Planet X!” (Batman vol 1 #113)