Batman Knightfall + Morrison run

[Autobot Tran]

Hi all! I have been looking to explore more stories for Batman. I am a long time comic book reader but only recently got into DC. I have read all of Snyder’s run and thought it was amazing. I didn’t like Tom Kong’s run at first but now I think it is also amazing. I wanted to go back and read some older stories. I heard knightfall was a good read. How is the omnibus? Is it something good to read without context of the rest of the authors run? I prefer to read complete runs from an author instead of single story arcs so I can get a full picture of the authors story. Would you recommend reading Knightfall?

I am definitely going to get the Morrison run because I loved his run on New xmen and I hear his Batman run is good as well. Any other recommendations for good runs? Thanks!

[millernumber1]

Hi all! I have been looking to explore more stories for Batman. I am a long time comic book reader but only recently got into DC. I have read all of Snyder’s run and thought it was amazing. I didn’t like Tom Kong’s run at first but now I think it is also amazing. I wanted to go back and read some older stories. I heard knightfall was a good read. How is the omnibus? Is it something good to read without context of the rest of the authors run? I prefer to read complete runs from an author instead of single story arcs so I can get a full picture of the authors story. Would you recommend reading Knightfall?

I am definitely going to get the Morrison run because I loved his run on New xmen and I hear his Batman run is good as well. Any other recommendations for good runs? Thanks!

Knightfall is pretty great. I'd wait for the new trades to come out later this year - the current ones have significant chunks of stuff missing.

I personally like Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive - it's got some meandering in the middle, but I think it's got some of the best Batfamily stuff in a more normal crime story.

No Man's Land is fantastic - definitely worthwhile.

Paul Dini's run on Detective is wonderful, though you have to get it in singles, because he wasn't the only writer for the two years he was on. Actually, if you just collect all of Dini's major comics work from 2006 to 2011, it's a really nice interlocking web of stories and characters - Detective Comics from 52 to Heart of Hush, Streets of Gotham, Gotham City Sirens, and Zatanna. I'd recommend hopping off the series after Dini leaves, though - the other writers are never nearly as good.

Dixon's 10 issues of Batman and the Outsiders is a really good team and Batman book.

Tynion's recently concluded run on Detective Comics is really, really fun - definitely recommend that!

[Autobot Tran]

Knightfall is pretty great. I'd wait for the new trades to come out later this year - the current ones have significant chunks of stuff missing.

I personally like Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive - it's got some meandering in the middle, but I think it's got some of the best Batfamily stuff in a more normal crime story.

No Man's Land is fantastic - definitely worthwhile.

Paul Dini's run on Detective is wonderful, though you have to get it in singles, because he wasn't the only writer for the two years he was on. Actually, if you just collect all of Dini's major comics work from 2006 to 2011, it's a really nice interlocking web of stories and characters - Detective Comics from 52 to Heart of Hush, Streets of Gotham, Gotham City Sirens, and Zatanna. I'd recommend hopping off the series after Dini leaves, though - the other writers are never nearly as good.

Dixon's 10 issues of Batman and the Outsiders is a really good team and Batman book.

Tynion's recently concluded run on Detective Comics is really, really fun - definitely recommend that!

Is the Knightfall omnibus not good?
Yeah I read a bit of Tynion’s detective comics run. I liked it a lot but I felt like I was missing something because I didn’t know the history of the whole bay family that well.

I definitely want to get to know the bat family more.

What exactly is the difference between Batman and Detective comics? Is it just another naming so they can sell more Batman stories or do they each focus on their own aspect of Batman?

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Knightfall is good because it really is a bunch of mini over arching stories with a good chunk of Batman's rogues gallery tied together with a common theme that bookends the narrative. For that reason it is accessible. Then by that point you have enough of a cursory background to read Knightquest and Knightsend which are a bit more narrative focused. I personally think it's one of the better Batman stories to read for a beginner.

Morrison's run I'd honestly wait a bit on. It's something that really calls on all of Batman's history and you probably want to read a good deal of the major stories before deep diving into it.

Personally if you are really into going on a Batman kick I'd read these stories in this order.

Batman Year One
Monster Men
Mad Monk
Venom
The Man Who Laughs
The Long Halloween
Dark Victory
Prey
Tales of the Demon
Death in the Family
Killing Joke
Lonely Place of Dying
Knightfall/Knightquest/Knightsend
No Man's Land
Hush
War Games

By that point you'll have a pretty good base for when you get to Morrison's run. And even then I'd recommend you read things like Dark Knight Dark City and some silver age stuff.

[millernumber1]

Is the Knightfall omnibus not good?
Yeah I read a bit of Tynion’s detective comics run. I liked it a lot but I felt like I was missing something because I didn’t know the history of the whole bay family that well.

I definitely want to get to know the bat family more.

What exactly is the difference between Batman and Detective comics? Is it just another naming so they can sell more Batman stories or do they each focus on their own aspect of Batman?

The Knightfall Omnibus collections are very good. They're just really expensive and hard to read. But they're awesome if you've got the budget and space.

The difference between Batman and Detective is really just naming. The Batman title sells more (normally) because it's a simpler concept to sell - it's a book about Batman. But Detective Comics tends to fluctuate a lot - sometimes, it's another book about Batman (Black Mirror, Dini's run, Daniel's run). Sometimes it's a Batfamily book, like Tynion's run. Sometimes it's a "wider Gotham" book, like Rucka's first run, or Manapul/Buccelletto's run. Sometimes it's a "highlight another character" run like Rucka's second run, which was basically a Batwoman run. So it's really hard to pin down.

[Scott Taylor]

If you can, find the Black Casebook on ebay or ask a store to order it. Its a collection of stories that Morrison's work is based on. Beware, he grew up in the 1960s with a bunch of fairly trippy and atypical Batman stories.

IMHO Morrison's run is new reader friendly. It might take multiple readings to understand the stories, but thats true for long-time readers as well.