Given the rumors surrounding Gotham City this April Fool's, I thought this was a great time to finally post something sent to me by Chris Ullrich. Thanks Chris -- and sorry it took me a week to post it.

The good people over at ComicMix have put together the essential reading list to prepare you for The Dark Knight. There are eleven books on this list; plenty to keep you busy until July. Remember to pace yourself -- graphic novels are pricey, and you need to save money for your movie ticket! (And that DVD of Batman: Gotham Knight. Actually, you're probably going to need to take a second job if you really want to major in Batman Studies.)

If you must choose only one book off this list, read Frank Miller's Batman: Year One. I wish I still had my copy, I regrettably passed it on to my sister's boyfriend and am sorry I did. It's never coming back! Darn my generosity, because I really want to reread it now. Plus, my Miller Batman trilogy is now incomplete.
As noted by some of the readers, the list omits The Killing Joke and Arkham Asylum as they don't fit in with Batman's rookie years. However, if you truly want a complete education, you owe it to yourself to read The Killing Joke. Before filming began, Christopher Nolan gave a copy to Heath Ledger, who reportedly took much of his Joker performance from it.

Enjoy! And don't be afraid to read these in public, either. They're classy and mature.