New to collecting Comic Books, Where should I start?

[ajstrucel]

I own A Death In The Family (the 2011 version that comes with A Lonely Place Of Dying), Knightfall Volume 1, Death of the Family, The Killing Joke, and In Darkest Knight, and I'm going to get Three Jokers, DCeased, and maybe Dark Knights Metal soon. I was wondering what are some books or stories that are essential to read or maybe just are a few of your favorites?20210119_032230.jpg

edit - didnt know there was a dedicated post to new readers!

[jb681131]

I own A Death In The Family (the 2011 version that comes with A Lonely Place Of Dying), Knightfall Volume 1, Death of the Family, The Killing Joke, and In Darkest Knight, and I'm going to get Three Jokers, DCeased, and maybe Dark Knights Metal soon. I was wondering what are some books or stories that are essential to read or maybe just are a few of your favorites?20210119_032230.jpg

edit - didnt know there was a dedicated post to new readers!

Here I go.

Batman has been around 1939.
Mainly in "Detective Comics" and "Batman" monthlies, as well a few others such as "The Brave and the Bold", "Legends of the Dark Knight", "Shadow of the Bat", and many more as well as in one-shots and minies.

Comics eras are devided into 3 mains eras:

• 1938-1956 - The golden age
• 1956-1985 - The silver and golden age
• 1985-now - The modern age

Why those eras ? Well...

• golden age - creation of the first Super-hereos
• silver age - introduction of the comics code
• bronze age - lightening of the comics code - comics get darker
• modern age - no more comics code - comics are free (in their content)

The Modern age is pretty long !? Yes but it has had several sub-era

• 1985-2011 - the crisis era - aka post-crisis, aka pre-flashpoint
• 2011-now - the flashpoint erea - aka post-flashpoint
  
  • -- 2011-2016 - New52
  • -- 2016-2018 - Rebirth
  • -- 2018-2020 - DC Univers / Metal
  • -- 2021-???? - DC Future State / DC Infinity Frontier

Any starting points in there ?

• Golden Age
• Silver Age
• Crisis Age
• New52 - well it's not that simple concerning Batman, partially yes, we'll get to that

Batman's modern age timeline can be split into somewhat independent sub-eras/storylines.

For a beginner I would suggest the Hush Saga, then go on to any other era you'd like:

The solo years

1. Batman: Year One by Frank Miller
2. Batman: Shaman by Dennis O'Neil
3. Batman and the Monsters + Batman and the Mad Monk - in Legends of the Dark Knight by Matt Wagner
4. Batman: Prey + Batman: Terror by Doug Moench - in Batman: Prey Omnibus
5. Batman: The Man Who Laught by Ed Brubaker
6. Batman: Gothic by Grant Morrison
7. Batman: Going Sane by J.M. DeMatteis
8. Batman: Venom by Denis O'Neil
9. The Long Halloween + Dark Victory + Catwoman: When in Rome by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale

The Batfamilly years

1. Robin: Year One
2. Batgirl: Year One
3. Batman: Strange Apparitions + Dark Detective by Steve Englehart - in Tales of the Batman: Steve Englehart
4. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth by Grant Morrison & Dave McKean
5. The Killing Joke by Alan Moore & Brian Boland
6. Batman: The Cult by Jim Starling
7. Batman: A Death in the Family + A Lonely Place of Dying by George Perez, Jim Starling and Marv Wolfman - in Death in the Family (new edition)
8. Batman: Birth of the Demon by Dennis O'Neil - includes "Birth of the Demon", "Bride of the Demon", "Daughter of the Demon"
9. Batman: Dark Knight, Dark City by Peter Milligan
10. The Joker: Devil's Advocate by Chuck Dixon

Batman's Downfall

1. The Sword of Azrael by Dennis O'Neil
2. Knightfall (new omnibus) by Various - includs Revange of Bane, Knightfall, Knightquest, KnightsEnd, Prodigual, Troika
3. Batman: Contagion + Legacy by Chuck Dixon

The fall and rise of Gotham

1. Batman: Cataclysm + Batman: No Man's Land by Various
2. New Gotham by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
3. Turning Point by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
4. Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
5. Bruce Wayne: Murderer ? + Bruce Wayne Fugitive by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
6. Batman: War Drums + Batman: War Games by various
7. Batman: Death and the Maidens by Greg Rucka
8. Catwoman by Ed Brubaker
9. Batwoman by Greg Rucka

Batman & the Justice League

• JLA: Year One by Mark Waid
• JLA: Tower of Babel by Mark Waid

The Hush Saga

1. Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb & Jim Lee
2. Batman: Detective + Batman: Death and the City + Batman: Private Casebook + Batman: Heart of Hush by Paul Dini
3. Streets of Gotham: Hush Money + Streets of Gotham: Leviathan + Streets of Gotham: The House of Hush by Paul Dini

Return of the past / Interlude

1. Batman: Under the Red Hood + Red Hood: Lost Days by Judd Winick - must have read "Death in the Familly"
2. Batman: Broken City by Brian Azzarello
3. The Ressurection of Ra's Al Ghul

The Damian Wayne Saga

1. Batman & Son + Batman & Robin + Batman Inc. by Grant Morrison
2. Batman: The Black Mirror by Scott Snyder
3. Batman Inc. New52 by Morrison
4. Batman & Robin New52 by Peter J. Tomasi
5. WAre Robin by Lee Bermejo
6. Robin, Son of Batman by Ray Fawkes
7. Super Sons + Adventures of the Super Sons
8. Teen Titans Rebirth

The New52

1. Gates of Gotham by Scott Snyder - somewhat prequel to his New52 run
2. Flashpoint by Geoff Johns
3. Batman: Court of Owls by Scott Snyder + Nightwing: Traps and Trapezes by Kyle Higgins + Batman: Night of Owls Saga by Scott Snyder
4. Batman: Death of the Family + Endgame by Scott Snyder
5. Batman: Zero Year by Scott Snyder
6. Batman Eternal by Scott Snyder
7. Batman: Graveyard Shift by Scott Snyder
8. Batman & Robin Eternal by Scott Snyder
9. Batman: Superheavy + Bloom + Epilogue by Scott Snyder

The Dark Knight - - Independent stories

• Penguin: Pain and Prejudice by Gregg Hurwitz
• Batman: Cycle of Violence + Batman: Mad + Batman: Clay by Gregg Hurwitz
• Batman by Buccellato & Francis Manupul
• Batwoman: Hydrology by J.H. Williams III

Rebirth / Doomsday

1. Watchmen by Alan Moore
2. Darkseid War
3. DC Universe Rebirth
4. Batman/Flash: The Button
5. Doomsday Clock

Batman Rebirth - Independent series

• Detective Comics Rebirth by James Tynion IV (aka Rise and Fall of the Batmen)
• Batman Rebirth by Tom King
• All-Star Batman by Scott Snyder - optional
• Batman & The Signal by Scott Snyder - optional

DC Univers - independent series

• Detective Comics by Peter J. Tomasi
• Batman by James Tynion IV (aka Joker War)

Metal

1. Dark Days: The Road to Metal + Dark Nights: Metal + Dark Nights: Metal—Dark Knights + Dark Nights: Metal—The Resistance by Scott Snyder
2. Justice League: No Justice + Justice League + Doom War by Scott Snyder
3. The Batman Who Laughts + Batman/Superman + Year of the Vilains: The Infected by Scott Snyder
4. Year of the Vilains: Hell Arisen + Death Metal (+ tie-ins) + Doom Metal

Future State

• Ongoing

Infinity Frontier

• Upcomming

Elseworlds and other good reads

• Batman: Mad Love by Paul Dini
• Batman: Ego by Darwyn Cooke
• Batman: White Knight + Batman: Curse of the White Knight by Sean Murphy
• Batman: Universe by Brian Micheal Bendis
• Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I, II, III by James Tynion IV
• The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman by Liam Sharp - canon
• Batman: Earth-One by Geoff Johns
• Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Augustyn & Mike Mignola
• The Doom that Came to Gotham by Mike Mignola
• Tales of the Multiverse: Batman-Vampire by Doug Moench & Kelly Jones
• Li'l Gotham + Batman Tales: Once Upon A Crime by Dustin Nguyen
• Arkham Asylum: Living Hell by Dan Slott - canon
• Batman: Year 100 by Paul Pope
• Joker by Brian Azzarello & Lee Bermejo

Have fun