Grant Morrison Batman: Expanded Reading Order

[nepenthes]

LEGEND:
CORE TITLES
Most-Recommended Further Reading
Other Relevant Reading


Batman #153: Prisoner of Three Worlds the key Kathy Kane influence
Detective Comics #215: Batmen-of-All-Nations Club of Heroes
Batman #113: The Super-Man of Planet-X Zur-En-Arrh
Batman #156: Robin Dies at Dawn key RIP influence; also collected in The Black Casebook
Birth of the Demon collecting the Talia Al Ghul saga Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon; Ra's Al Ghul origin Birth of the Demon
Dark Knight, Dark City the trippy Riddler classic and basis for Dr Hurts origin; complete Milligan run due in Dark Knight, Dark City FEB 2015
Batman: Gothic the prototype Dr Hurt and RIP; sharing many similar themes; Grant Morrison
FIFTY-TWO #30 & FIFTY-TWO #47 covering Thogal and Crime Bible; Grant Morrison
BATMAN & SON also available in New Edition
BATMAN & SON: NEW EDITION collects previous editions Batman & Son and The Black Glove in one volume
THE RESURRECTION OF RA'S AL GHUL the Robin, Nightwing and Detective Comics crossover featuring two issues by Grant Morrison; key themes returning in Batman Incorporated
Batwoman: Elegy intro Kate Kane and Crime Bible; highly acclaimed start to a new saga
THE BLACK GLOVE now collected in Batman & Son: New Edition as above; originally goes here
BATMAN R.I.P.
Final Crisis #2 & Final Crisis #6 the wider DCU epic featuring Batman in only a handful of very short scenes; is recapped in later chapters
Superman/Batman #76: The Brave the the Bold Bruce Wayne funeral and Bat Family reactions, key recaps from Final Crisis and Battle of the Cowl
Azrael: Deaths Dark Knight #1-3 concluding RIP, covering Battle of the Cowl and reintroducing Grayson, Talia and Damian for Batman Reborn; collected in Azrael: Deaths Dark Knight
Battle of the Cowl a longer, sillier and very cheesy story of Dick Grayson questioning whether to take the Batman role, as already seen in Superman/Batman #76 and Azrael DDK
Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader an imaginary soft-canon "Death of Batman" retrospective timed for release with RIP; Neil Gaiman; related in theme-only
Batman & Robin (New 52) #0 Damian origin recap; collected in Vol.2: The Pearl
Secret Origins #4 portrays Damians debut as Robin
BATMAN & ROBIN: BATMAN REBORN
BATMAN & ROBIN: BATMAN VS ROBIN
Red Robin #1 intro Tim Drake's search for Bruce Wayne, picked up in RoBW
TIME AND THE BATMAN
THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE
BATMAN & ROBIN: BATMAN MUST DIE
BATMAN INCORPORATED
Gates of Gotham Grayson era Scott Snyder arc featuring Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain; picked up in Batman Eternal
Batgirl #17 key Stephanie Brown issue featuring Damian
BATMAN INCORPORATED (NEW 52) VOL.1: DEMON STAR
The Black Mirror the stand-out Grayson era saga by Scott Snyder, featuring James Jr and the Joker; picked up in Batman Eternal
Batman & Robin (New 52) #15 & Annual #1 Damian VS Joker rematch and a key Bruce/Damian milestone: from Vol.3: Death of the Family
Tales of the Demon the original late 70's Ra's al Ghul saga, including the death of Kathy Kane in Detective 485
BATMAN INCORPORATED (NEW 52) Vol.1: GOTHAM'S MOST WANTED
Batman & Robin (New 52) #18, #19 & #23 key issues from the arc Vol.4: Requiem
Batman & Robin (New 52) #29-32 the entire Hunt for Robin arc feat Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Frankenstein, Ra's Al Ghul; trade Vol.5: The Hunt for Robin in JUNE 2015
Robin Rises: Omega & Batman & Robin #33 kicking off the major arc Robin Rises feat Bat Family and Darkseid rematch
Grayson #1 continuing the evolution of Dick Grayson, Batman's SPYRAL investigation and other elements from Inc

[nepenthes]

What have I missed? This thread is a spin-off from the FAQ thread but I also wanted to begin listing the various background and legacy material just for the hell of it.

The OP is limited for space so there needs to be a cut-off point somewhere, however am interested to know what I've completely overlooked. Particularly in regards to the 60's and 70's references and right down the tiniest details (that are not already included already in the Black Casebook - a lousy collection that's needs to be remixed)

For example;
The sword that killed Damian - owned by a Wayne ancestor in the The Scottish Connection
The shortlived Jason Todd Robin era of Alan Davis Mike Barr run collected in Tales of the Batman: Alan Davis.

[The Moviegoer]

Not sure if this counts, but Secret Origins #4 retells Damian's origin and shows us Damian's early days as Robin with DickBats.

[nepenthes]

Not sure if this counts, but Secret Origins #4 retells Damian's origin and shows us Damian's early days as Robin with DickBats.

Good one. I've not yet read so will check it out. No one ever told me the artist is Ian Bertram!

[Swamp Thing 2099]

EDIT: Nevermind.

[K. Jones]

Well, "Requiem for a Martyr" featured the completely bonkers and random assassination of Kathy Kane by mind-controlled Bronze Tiger and Sensei while Ra's and Talia just stood there acting weird and telling Batman he's a failure. I wonder if anybody actually waited the 35 years in between that story and finding out what happened. Detective Comics # 490.

That seems key - far more key even than one-off introductions like "Batman and Robin of England" or "Batman's New Partner" or "Batman - Indian Chief". (Or even Cornell's Knight & Squire mini.)

One of the issues of Red Robin, I was surprised on a re-read because I didn't remember, features Tim finding the "Portrait of Mordecai Wayne." I want to say it's the last issue of Council of Spiders, so Issue # 8 maybe? Could be wrong.

Black Mirror is Incorporated era. Bruce is back at that point.

Morrison's Batman cameos in a couple issues of his New 52 Action Comics run. It's not that essential, but he does effectively read as the same guy. So far not the case with The Multiversity, but rumors indicate some kind of reference to Batman will occur in that storyline, specifically a callback to a Cary Bates "What If?" story. (Note the "Multiversal Justice League" does not yet have a Batman counterpart.)

God I have a similar list somewhere I should dig out.

[nepenthes]

New books added and read order revised - thanks Moviegoer and K.Jones.

Well, "Requiem for a Martyr" featured the completely bonkers and random assassination of Kathy Kane by mind-controlled Bronze Tiger and Sensei while Ra's and Talia just stood there acting weird and telling Batman he's a failure. I wonder if anybody actually waited the 35 years in between that story and finding out what happened. Detective Comics # 490.

This one had occurred to me however left it out as from memory the scene with Kathy Kane is so fleeting it's enough to simply know that she died. But hey what the hell, especially since is also part of Tales of the Demon (and is also actually Tec #485 not #490).

God I have a similar list somewhere I should dig out.

Very keen to see this.