As someone who's been trying to get into the Batman comics, do you have a recommendation of what to start with?
you can with start with anything that looks interesting to you going off the cover and title alone
Batman comics are (mostly) episodic but change with time and vary WILDLY in tone, so a "good" place to start only depends on what kinds of stories you like and which characters you're interested in
since I like Batman & the Joker most of my recommendations will include them in some way:
if you're interested in lighter and sillier stories and don't mind some outdated writing Batman #1 is a VERY fun place to start, these stories also include Robin more consistently
if you're interested in Bruce as a character and don't mind some pretty messed up horror the New 52 explores his character with a lot of depth
if you want to learn more about Batman's main villains, the Batman Confidential comics have a few different stories focusing on some of the most iconic ones, it will give you a good sense of what their personalities and core traits are like, as well as their relationships with batman
if you want iconic, self contained, stories and GORGEOUS art, many books by artist Tim Sale and writer Jeph Loeb are fantastic, I also recommend the Superman stories they've done together
if you'd like to see Batman as part of an "odd couple" pairing, the Worlds Finest comics are a lot of fun, these pair him up with Superman and their personalities bounce off each other very well, this series also has a modern version currently in print
apart from that, Batman comics tend to have these things called "runs" which are teams of artists who work together on a certain number of issues, I already mentioned two of them, but most of my favorites were done in the 70's & 80's like the Moench/Jones run and the Grant/Breyfogle run, and again, you can pretty much start these anywhere you want
also, as if you didn't have enough to choose from, here are a few of my random faves:
Batman: Dark Prince Charming
Batman: Last Knight On Earth
Batman #608 (Anarky's Debut)
Batman /superman #52 ect. ect. ect.
to cap this off though, I would stay away from things like The Killing Joke or The Dark Knight Returns until you read other things more suited to your tastes, they'll certainty be pushed on you and are iconic for specific reasons but aren't necessarily the best Batman has to offer (IN MY OPINION)
