Help Re-Reading and Re-Discovering Batman

[movieclub]

After a 10+ year hiatus I am getting back into comic books and looking to re-read and discover titles from my favorite series: Batman. Originally I was a monthly reader from Hush to Batman Incorporated.

I am looking for overlooked stories and standouts from the Bat Family. So Far I have read:

Batman Year One
Batman RTDK

The Killing Joke

Batman the Long Halloween
Batman Dark Victory

Hush

Morrison's Run

Have Read Court of Owls and the first five volumes, rest of Snyders run is on my radar.

What is good from Detective Comics or 80s/90s? Will add Knightfall and Death in the Family to my list. Kings run worth it? What am I missing, many thanks! Looking for classic high quality tales, not cross over epics.

[jb681131]

After a 10+ year hiatus I am getting back into comic books and looking to re-read and discover titles from my favorite series: Batman. Originally I was a monthly reader from Hush to Batman Incorporated.

I am looking for overlooked stories and standouts from the Bat Family. So Far I have read:

Batman Year One
Batman RTDK

The Killing Joke

Batman the Long Halloween
Batman Dark Victory

Hush

Morrison's Run

Have Read Court of Owls and the first five volumes, rest of Snyders run is on my radar.

What is good from Detective Comics or 80s/90s? Will add Knightfall and Death in the Family to my list. Kings run worth it? What am I missing, many thanks! Looking for classic high quality tales, not cross over epics.

Here is the reading order of the main stories and the interresting stories:

The Origins Era
Batman: Year One
Batman: The Man Who Laughs
Batman: The Long Halloween + Batman: Dark Victory
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
Batman: Tales Of The Demon + Batman: Bride of the Demon + Batman: Birth Of The Demon

The Tragic Era
The Killing Joke
Batman: A lonely place of Dying + Batman: A Death in the Family
Batman Knightfall Omnibus (new version) vol.1-3
Batman: Legacy + Batman: Contagion + Batman: Catclysm - sequels to Knigtfall and prequels to No Man's Land - but optional to read
Batman: No Man's Land Omnibus vol.1-5

The New Gotham Era
New Gotham Omnibus 1-2 or Batman: Evolution + Batman: Officer Down
Gotham Central vol.1-4 - optional but great
Batman Murderer ? + Batman Fugitive
Catwoman by Ed Brubaker - optional but good

The Hush and Paul Dini Era
Batman: Hush
Detective Comics: Heart of Hush + Streets of Gotham: Hush Money + Streets of Gotham: House of Hush - optional but very very good

The Grant Morrison Era - somewhat complicated in the middle but the Batman & Son arc and Batman Inc. are must reads
Batman: Batman and Son or Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus
Batman: The Black Mirror - optional (first Batman by Scott Snyder)
Batman, Incorporated + Batman Incorporated New52 #1-2
Batman & Robin New52 #1-7 or Batman & Robin by Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason Omnibus (linked to Grant Morrison's Batman Inc.)

The Scott Snyder Era (a poor run in my opinion - only read Court of Owl)
Batman: The Gates of Gotham - optional
Batman: Court of Owl -> Batman New52 tpb vol.1-2 (you can add Nightwing vol.1 and Talon vol.1-2)
Batman: Death of the Familly -> Batman New52 tpb vol. 3 (you can complete it with The Joker: Death of the Family - very optional)
Batman: Zero Year -> Batman New52 tpb vol. 4-5
Batman New52 tpb vol.6-10 - optional

The Rebirth Era
Batman: I am -> Batman Rebirth tpb vol.1-3 - so so
Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles -> Batman Rebirth tbp vol.4
Batman Rebirth tpb vol.5-... ongoing
Detective Comics Rebirth tpb vol.1-... ongoing - not that bad at all

Others
Batman: White Knight
Dark Nights: Metal - optional
The Dark Knight Returns - an elseworld story
Batman: Year 100 - an elseworld story

[Twice-named]

Definitely recommend Batwoman: Elegy if you haven’t already read it. Also recommend trades of the early arcs of the 1989 Legends of the Dark Knight series. Shaman, Venom, Prey, Gothic.

[Jackalope89]

Red Hood and the Outlaws, particularly the Rebirth version.

Toss aside the pre-Flashpoint Jason (minus Under the Red Hood) and his erratic behavior that was all over the place. Scott Lobdell has really given Jason Todd a life after Robin. Err, no pun intended.

[Chubistian]

I’m currently enjoying Tom King’s run, so I recommend it, though you may want to know that at least in this website, the run has awaken a lot of controversy. You can get Batman Rebirth Deluxe Edition Volume 1 and see if you dig or not King’s take on the character

If you like Knightfall (I love it), I highly recommend No Man’s Land. I’m not the biggest fan of crossovers, but both of those are some of the greatest material ever done with Batman

[Slim Shady]

Yeah Lobdell’s Red Hood for something not focused on Batman. And Dixon’s Nightwing run too (and Seeley’s rebirth Nightwing run).

There’s bunch of good stuff from 80s and 90s Batman/Detective. Conway, Grant, Wolfman, O’Neil, Dixon, Moench, all of them wrote solid stuff for the most part.

[movieclub]

Here is the reading order of the main stories and the interresting stories:

The Origins Era
Batman: Year One
Batman: The Man Who Laughs
Batman: The Long Halloween + Batman: Dark Victory
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
Batman: Tales Of The Demon + Batman: Bride of the Demon + Batman: Birth Of The Demon

Thank you all for the suggestions!

I am wondering, from an Origins PoV -- which stories show more about Bruce training with the League of Assassins as well as foundational Batman and Robin Stories outside of Dark Victory?

[TheJudge95]

Thank you all for the suggestions!

I am wondering, from an Origins PoV -- which stories show more about Bruce training with the League of Assassins as well as foundational Batman and Robin Stories outside of Dark Victory?

For training with Eastern martial arts, it's mostly uncollected issues, like Batman 431, Detective Comics Annual 2-3, Legends of the Dark Knight 52-53, The Man Who Falls, Blind Justice, Detective Comics v2 0. Most of the training scenes are flashbacks and not the main plot. For training with different mentors, Zero Year is the best.

[Mutant 77]

Terrific thread, thank you. I'm a huge fan and expert of the cinematic Batman, and I want to read comics again.

[jb681131]

Terrific thread, thank you. I'm a huge fan and expert of the cinematic Batman, and I want to read comics again.

Well since you liked the Movies here are the books you should read to compare:

1989 - Batman - Movie about the Joker
- Batman: Year One
- Batman: The Man Who Laughs
- Arkam Asylium: A Serious House on Serious Earth
- The Killing Joke

1991 - Batman returns - Movie about the Penguin and Catwoman
- Penguin: Pain & Prejudice
- Joker's Asylum: The Penguin
- Catwoman by Ed Brubaker

1995 - Batman forever - Movie about Two-Face and the Riddler
- Batman: The Long Halloween + Batman: Dark Victory
- Batman: Jekyll & Hyde
- Batman: Detective + Batman: Death and the City + Batman: Private Casebook

1997 - Batman & Robin - Movie about Robin and Mr Freeze and Poison Ivy
- Robin: Year One
- Batman: Haunted Knight
- Batman: Snow

2005 - Batman Begins - Movie about Ra's Al Ghul and Scarecrow
- Batman: Zero Year
- Batman: Tales Of The Demon + Batman: Bride of the Demon + Batman: Birth Of The Demon
- Batman, the dark knight: Cycle of Violence

2007 - The Dark Knight - Movie about The Joker and Two-Face
- Joker (one-shot by Brian Azzarello
- Gotham Central

2009 - The Dark Knight Rises - Movie about Bane and Ra's Al Ghul
- Batman: Knightfall Omnibus vol.1 (new omnibus)
- Batman: Tales Of The Demon + Batman: Bride of the Demon + Batman: Birth Of The Demon
- Batman & Son

2016 - Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Movie about Batman/Superman
- Absolute Superman/Batman vol.1-2
- Lex Luthor: Man of Steel

2016 - Suicide Squad + 2017 - Justice League
- Legends: 30th Anniversay Edition
- Batman: Mad Love and Other Stories
- Superman: Emperor Joker
- Deadshot: Beginnings
+
- Suicide Squad: New52
- Harley Quinn: New52
- Justice League: New52

[Zaresh]

Not mentioned books: Batman The Cult is also a good story; Gotham Central too, even if it's not batman exactly.

[jb681131]

Not mentioned books: Batman The Cult is also a good story; Gotham Central too, even if it's not batman exactly.

To be honest there are too much stories if you want to list all interresting stories. I only (in my post) listed the main stories/events.

But if you'd like I can list all the somewhat standalone stories that are very good to read:

* Tales of The Batman: Len Wein
* Tales of the Batman: Gerry Conway vol.1-3
* Tales of the Batman: Alan Brennert
* Tales of the Batman: Archie Goodwin
* Tales of the Batman: J.H. Williams III
* Tales of the Batman: Carmine Infantino
* Legends of The Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle
* Batman by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones vol.1-3
* Batman: The Dark Knight Detective vol. 1-2
* Tales of the Multiverse: Batman-Vampire
* Batman: Gordon of Gotham
* Batman: Snow
* Batman: The Cult
* Arkham Asylum: Living Hell
* Joker by Brian Azzarello
* Batman: Prey + Batman: Terror
* Batman: Shaman
* Batman: Gothic
* Batman: Venom
* Batman: Monsters
* Batman: Blink + Batman: Don't Blink
* Batman: Death and The Maidens
* Batman: Urban Legends
* Catwoman: When in Rome
* Batman: War Games vol.1-3
* Batman: Whatever happened to the cape crusader
* Batman: Battle for the Cowl
* Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn + Batman & Robin: Batman vs. Robin + Batman & Robin: Batman and Robin Must Die! + Batman & Robin: Dark Knight vs. White Knight
* Batwoman: Elegy
* Batman: Eye of the Beholder
* Detective Comics: Emperor Penguin
* Batman: Jekyll & Hyde
* Penguin: Pain & Prejudice
* Joker's Assylum
* Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham
* Li'l Gotham
* Harley Quinn: Mad Love
* Batman/TMNT vol.1-2
* Gotham Central
* Sword of Azrael
* Batman: Black & White vol.1-2
* Red Hood
* We Are Robin
* Talon
* Nightwing
* Nightwing New52
* Grayson
* Batman, the dark knight: Cycle of Violence
* Batman: Broken City
* Batman: Strange Apparitions + Batman: Dark Detective
* We are Robin
* Batman: Europa
* Batman and the Monster Men + Batman and the Mad Monk
* Batman: Night Cries
* Batman: Rules of Engagement
* Batman: Lovers and Madmen
* Batman: The Wrath
* Justice League: Tower of Babel
* Batman/Superman
* ...

[movieclub]

Why nice! Thank you, will use this as a backlog reference.

Any ideas on if Gotham by Gaslight is good?

[Jackalope89]

Why nice! Thank you, will use this as a backlog reference.

Any ideas on if Gotham by Gaslight is good?

The animated adaptation? Definitely. Can't comment on the comic though, personally.

[Chubistian]

Why nice! Thank you, will use this as a backlog reference.

Any ideas on if Gotham by Gaslight is good?

I like the comic. Great art by Mike Mignola and an overall good story. An Elseworld that shines on its own. The movie was good too, and it takes enough liberties from the source material to be a different experience that can be judge by its own merits and failures