After being asked about his favorite comics by a fan on Threads, James Gunn has revealed his ultimate Batman comic book stories, which could give a little insight into some of his plans for the Caped Crusader in the new DCU. Gunn has always been happy to share information with his followers across various social media sites, so it is probably not that surprising that he would be willing to spill the beans on this little nugget.

As Gunn explained, although he has “so many favorites” he is able to narrow it down to three particular iterations of Batman that have really stuck with him, and could be influential for the character’s upcoming appearance in The Bold and the Brave. Gunn’s choices were Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s The Long Halloween, Grant Morrison’s entire Batman run, and One Bad Day: The Riddler by Tom King and Mitch Gerads.

Everyone has their favorite tales of the Dark Knight of Gotham City, and while there are still many who adore the Golden Age of DC, it is hard to deny that the beauty of the artwork in more modern comics elevates the stories to another level from the very simple and linear early years of comic books. Of Gunn’s selection, the earliest is The Long Halloween, which ran from 1996 to 1997 in a 13-issue story and was later collected in many omnibus editions. Being set just after Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, the story is one that has been adapted into an animated movie and also partly inspired last year’s The Batman.

Related: Wonder Woman 3 Now Being Developed for the DCU With Gal Gadot & James Gunn

James Gunn’s Favorite Comics Will Help Shape The DCU.

It is no secret that James Gunn has a love of both popular and obscure comic book characters. Having delivered three Guardians of the Galaxy movies for Marvel Studios, and elevated those characters from being lesser-known to much-loved, there is little doubt that the writer/director will be taking the same route with some of his DC offerings. However, in the DC franchise, it hard to leave behind the likes of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, which is why all three feature prominently in Chapter One of Gunn’s master plan.

While Superman: Legacy is the first of Gunn’s new DCU movies to hit the big screen, not far behind it is The Bold and the Brave, which will introduce another new Batman, but will also tell a much different story to other iterations of the character that have been seen in the past. What is interesting is that one of Gunn’s favorite Batman comics is written by Grant Morrison, whose Batman and Son arc is expected to heavily feature in the new DCU’s Batman’s story.

What is certain is that James Gunn has an endless love of comic books, and for that reason alone, he is probably one of the best people to put in charge of redefining and resurrecting a dying franchise. How it will all pan out in the end is something that we are still a few years away from finding out, but it will be an interesting journey to watch.