20 of the weirdest Batman stories ever

2. All of Batman R.I.P.

What “weird comics” list would be complete without multiple entries courtesy of Grant Morrison? If you’re looking for something really, truly weird, something that will bend your mind and make you feel a little dizzy, then Grant Morrison is your man. If you’re in the market for an odd Batman story in particular? Then definitely turn towards Morrison’s work.

Batman R.I.P. sees the return of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, in a way. It starts when a mentally fragile Bruce Wayne starts dating a supermodel named Jezebel Jet. She is quickly revealed to be evil, or at least morally corrupt — especially when she starts to convince Bruce that this whole “Batman” thing is a made-up reality that he’s made to deal with his parents’ tragic deaths. Eventually, the group of criminals known as the Black Glove bursts into the Batcave, beats up Alfred, and drugs Batman himself.

The next thing he knows, Bruce Wayne wakes up in a pile a garbage with a serious case of amnesia. He has a heart-warming odyssey with Honor, a homeless man, only to learn that Honor died a day ago. At this point, Bruce starts to snap even further and somehow manages to assemble the brightly colored Batman of Zur-En-Arrh costume. This is also the point where the Bat-Mite appears out of nowhere in an attempt to act as his conscience.

The rest of Batman R.I.P. follows Batman as he stumbles through Gotham, trying to piece together what happened to him despite his decidedly shaky sanity. All throughout the city, he finds mysterious graffiti bearing the name “Zur-En-Arrh,” over and over. It’s definitely mind-bending.