In the seventy-five years since Batman’s debut, writers and artists have been cultivating a rich fictional world populated by young Bat-family members and diabolically evil villains. Among the many Batman-related graphic novels, a few stand out as well-crafted works that deserve your attention. These graphic novels take place within Batman’s world, but the Bat himself plays a side character. While this may seem like a negative, it actually allows the creators to explore Batman’s world in new and unexpected ways.

Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty (Book 1)

Written by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka

Art by Michael Lark

Not only is Gotham Central: In the Line of Duty the best book on this list, it is one of the highest-quality Batman comics series ever published. It’s HBO’s The Wire, but Baltimore has been replaced with Gotham. Brubaker and Rucka focus on day-to-day life at the Gotham City Police Department where the detectives encounter bizarre cases linked to Batman’s rogues gallery. The writing is razor sharp with plot twists you won’t see coming and natural dialogue that will make you think you’ve just spent the night cruising the streets of Gotham. Lark’s artistic style (which is reminiscent of courtroom sketches) helps further ground the series in realism. The third story arc, Rucka’s “Half a Life,” won an Eisner award in 2004.

Batwoman: Elegy

Written by Greg Rucka

Art by J. H. Williams III

Batman only appears in a few panels of this beautifully drawn graphic novel, and that’s about as close as Kate Kane, a.k.a. Batwoman, is related to her namesake. In this reinvention of a character from the 1950s (who, ironically, was supposed to serve as a love interest for Batman, proving that he was not gay—as Dr. Frederick Wertham asserted in Seduction of the Innocent), Rucka casts Batwoman as a ex-military cadet who dropped out because she wouldn’t lie about her homosexuality. Finding all conventional pathways for quenching her thirst for justice barred to her, Kate uses her wealth and her training to become the Batwoman. Williams’s page layouts are wildly inventive, often utilizing the two-page spread, and his decision to use two distinct artistic styles to contrast the Kate’s nightlife with her daylife is brilliant.

Batgirl/Robin: Year One

Written by Scott Beaty & Chuck Dixon

Art by Marcos Martin & Javier Pulido

This book, which combines two graphic novels into one, is a joyous ode to Robin and Batgirl. Don’t let the title fool you, this isn’t a team-up book; however, there are connecting threads between both narratives. The first half eschews Dick Grayson’s origin story and focuses on Robin’s first year on the job. Told from the perspective of Alfred, it explores why Bruce Wayne would let a kid tag along on his nighttime excursions. The second half of the book tells the story of Barabara Gordon’s transformation into Batgirl, and it highlights how she turns people’s tendency to underestimate her, due to her gender and small stature, against them. Beaty and Dixon’s writing style reminds me of Batman: The Animated Series. Every story not only has a dynamic plot, it also has an internal struggle the protagonist is working through. They also have a good sense of humor and you can tell they love these characters.

Arkham Asylum: Living Hell

Written by Dan Slott

Art by Ryan Sook

Maybe your favorite part about Batman is his frightening villains. Following white-collar criminal Warren White, who pleads insanity in an attempt to avoid prison time, this book dives into the mythology of Gotham’s iconic mental institution. Slott’s most substantial contribution is creating new Batman villains and highlighting lesser known ones, such as Jane Doe, Humpty Dumpty, Death Rattle, and Doodlebug. The strength of this book lies in its unflinching portrayal of the horror inside Arkham. Since the character of Warren White is not insane, we can place ourselves in his shoes and feel the terror of trying to survive among these brutal psychotics.