Embarking into Synder's BATMAN world

[Flash Gordon]

So I've decided to try and read through Synder's BATMAN. It hasn't looked too appealing to me, but a buddy of mine has the main series and Eternal as well as tie-ins- so he's letting me borrow the lot of em.

So far I find them to be really well structured comics, with real clear craft in both art and script. Things seem to flow and there's a reverence for the media that's present. They're just really bad 'Batman comics', though. I don't like how everything Batman faces here is a personal assault, nothing is just a "mission". Synder tries too hard to shake up the character without ever fully committing to it. Just my opinion.

Any advice on reading order? Thoughts on his run as a whole?

I have to give Synder a lot of credit for the way he tells a story, even if it doesn't read as 'Batman' to me.

[Rakzo]

I will never understand why people call him "Synder".

Anyway, it's an okay run. It has pretty notable flaws (one of the worst being how seriously it takes itself especially when it focuses on the Joker) but it still has its own good moments.

[JBatmanFan05]

I love Snyder's run, except Zero Year because it's far inferior to Year One and other Year One-ish stories.

Yes, Snyder is always adding stakes to it all, but so did Morrison (who had Batman meet his son & defeat a god and see other huge things in ROBW #6 like Batman's iconography going into a reborn universe) and many others. Yes, Snyder wants more stakes than you might find in Dini's Tec run. Batman's flagship title (Batman) has traditionally had more in the stakes dept.

My advice for reading Snyder's run: Only read Snyder's volumes. Don't read tie ins and companion trades. When the Snyder isn't writing, it's all pretty subpar.

Reading order (leaving out all the subpar tie in stuff):
Black Mirror
Gates of Gotham
Batman Vol.1: The Court of Owls - Scott Snyder (Batman 1-5)
Batman Vol. 2: City of Owls - Scott Snyder, James Tynion (Batman 8-12, Annual 1)
Batman Vol.3: Death of the Family - Scott Snyder (Batman 13-17)
Batman Vol.6: Graveyard Shift - Scott Snyder (Batman 0, 18-20, 28, 34, Annual 2)
Batman Vol.4: Zero Year - Secret City - Scott Snyder (Batman 0, 21-24, Annual 2) I'm not a fan but here they are
Batman Vol.5: Zero Year - Dark City - Scott Snyder (Batman 25-32)
Detective Comics Vol.5: Gothtopia (Tec 25-29) This has Snyder's Tec #27 special story, which I really enjoyed.
Batman Eternal volumes
Batman Vol. 7: Endgame

[Frontier]

As far as Synder's run in terms of trades/arcs:

The Court of Owls -> The City of Owls -> Death of the Family -> Graveyard Shift -> Zero Year -> Zero Year - Dark City -> Eternal -> Endgame.

I think that's just about right in terms of chronology and reading order .

[The Whovian]

I like everything Snyder has written on Batman. Zero Year wasn't as good as the other stories, but still good

[The Moviegoer]

I love Snyder's run, except Zero Year because it's far inferior to Year One and other Year One-ish stories.

Yes, Snyder is always adding stakes to it all, but so did Morrison (who had Batman meet his son & defeat a god and see other huge things in ROBW #6 like Batman's iconography going into a reborn universe) and many others. Yes, Snyder wants more stakes than you might find in Dini's Tec run. Batman's flagship title (Batman) has traditionally had more in the stakes dept.

My advice for reading Snyder's run: Only read Snyder's volumes. Don't read tie ins and companion trades. When the Snyder isn't writing, it's all pretty subpar.

Reading order (leaving out all the subpar tie in stuff):
Black Mirror
Gates of Gotham
Batman Vol.1: The Court of Owls - Scott Snyder (Batman 1-5)
Batman Vol. 2: City of Owls - Scott Snyder, James Tynion (Batman 8-12, Annual 1)
Batman Vol.3: Death of the Family - Scott Snyder (Batman 13-17)
Batman Vol.6: Graveyard Shift - Scott Snyder (Batman 0, 18-20, 28, 34, Annual 2)
Batman Vol.4: Zero Year - Secret City - Scott Snyder (Batman 0, 21-24, Annual 2) I'm not a fan but here they are
Batman Vol.5: Zero Year - Dark City - Scott Snyder (Batman 25-32)
Detective Comics Vol.5: Gothtopia (Tec 25-29) This has Snyder's Tec #27 special story, which I really enjoyed.
Batman Eternal volumes
Batman Vol. 7: Endgame

If you don't want to purchase Detective Comics Vol. 5, you can also read Snyder's story for free here:
https://www.readdcentertainment.com/.../1348600015001

As for the OP's original question, I enjoy Snyder's run on Batman as a whole, it's not perfect, but it is consistent in terms of quality out of all the Bat-titles. Kind of reminds me of the Nolan films, which I am a huge fan of (despite its problems).

[dregj]

so... not to sound like a troll
but i heard he was quitting
anyone know when?

[bat1987]

Not anytime soon. He has the stories planned all the way to issue 50. And after that he'll stay if "the fans want that", which more than likely means that he will.

[dregj]

well thats nice
(godam it)

[Maxpower00044]

I dunno, I'd still say he's the best writer and Batman is the best book at DC.

[JBatmanFan05]

I dunno, I'd still say he's the best writer and Batman is the best book at DC.

Best book, I agree. Technically, Ennis might be the best writer at DC currently.

[brucekent12]

I think that Batman has been the best Bat book overall, though Tomasi has had a pretty good run on Batman and Robin.

[PyroSikTh]

Snyder's Batman is the best book DC does. The only one who can compete, in my opinion, is Johns' Justice League saga, but that has more vocal critics than Snyder's Batman does.

As for reading order, I wouldn't bother with Graveyard Shift. It's all odds and ends that don't really fit anywhere (0 was a teaser for Zero Year, which was ultimately retconned, 28 was a teaser for Batman Eternal and should really be read during that), so you won't lose much by not reading them (well maybe Eric Border, but he wasn't as big a deal as he was maybe meant to be).

[mdotluci]

If you going to read the tie ins to Court Of Owls and Death of the Family you should do it before reading the Batman portions. I read them after and was let down. They are pretty good but really pale in comparison to the Batman arcs.

[dregj]

If you going to read the tie ins to Court Of Owls and Death of the Family you should do it before reading the Batman portions. I read them after and was let down. They are pretty good but really pale in comparison to the Batman arcs.

let down
yes