Batman: Year One Continuity

[JBatmanFan05]

Some stories are (way) more worth counting than others. I find many are just not worth it. Dead to Rights (Batman Confid), Journey Into Knight, Rules of Engagement, even Terror arguably are just not worth it for me. I know I'm not the only one who doesn't count those.

My core are:
Year One/Shaman/The Man Who Falls (Man Who Falls reprinted in Batman Begins:The Movie & Other Tales of the Dark Knight TPB)
Her Sister's Keeper
Monster Men
Mad Monk
The Man Who Laughs (here, b/c Mad Monk's ending refers to the MWL's beginning)
Prey
Four of a Kind
Gothic/Venom/Going Sane/Blades....some uncertain order
Long Halloween
DarkVictory, etc

[Lee Stone]

Some stories are (way) more worth counting than others. I find many are just not worth it. Dead to Rights (Batman Confid), Journey Into Knight, Rules of Engagement, even Terror arguably are just not worth it for me. I know I'm not the only one who doesn't count those.

My core are:
Year One/Shaman/The Man Who Falls (Man Who Falls reprinted in Batman Begins:The Movie & Other Tales of the Dark Knight TPB)
Her Sister's Keeper
Monster Men
Mad Monk
The Man Who Laughs (here, b/c Mad Monk's ending refers to the MWL's beginning)
Prey
Four of a Kind
Gothic/Venom/Going Sane/Blades....some uncertain order
Long Halloween
DarkVictory, etc

Thanks.
I made a note about The Man Who Falls.

Yeah, I may not get everything.
Especially the Justice League/Superman related stuff, as I'm going for the more pulp-ish aesthetic.

[LostinFandom]

There are no Catwoman comics in the Comixology sale despite covering events in which there were tie ins ("Knightfall", "No Man's Land", "War Games") and Her Sister's Keeper is just the worst. I'm obligated to say that anytime it comes up because it is just that bad.

[JBatmanFan05]

and Her Sister's Keeper is just the worst. I'm obligated to say that anytime it comes up because it is just that bad.

Yea, I'm not the biggest fan of it myself. You could forego it.

[t hedge coke]

If I was slightly geekier, I might cry at the idea that All-Star and Her Sister's Keeper should be dropped off any list, in favor of... well, most of the other options.

I love Mindy Newell's 80s DC work. Just beautiful stuff.

[JBatmanFan05]

I'm a little too pre-Crisis when it comes to Selina, so that's part of my problem with Her Sister's Keeper and the prostitute angle. And then you have all these post-HSK retcons and such. Quite a mess.

[Lee Stone]

I actually liked Her Sister's Keeper and will keep it in my list.
I treat the Year One stuff as if it's in its own little universe. Sorta like a "Modernized Golden Age Batman".

For me, the best modern Catwoman was Brubaker's first two years of the 2001 series and Cooke's Selina's Big Score.

And I also loved the purple dress/green cape version of her pre-Crisis.

[LostinFandom]

If I was slightly geekier, I might cry at the idea that All-Star and Her Sister's Keeper should be dropped off any list, in favor of... well, most of the other options.

I love Mindy Newell's 80s DC work. Just beautiful stuff.

I haven't read Newell's Wonder Woman or Lois Lane work, but Her Sister's Keeper is so full of victim blaming and denying Selina a voice that I grind my teeth when I hear it described as "good". Seriously, it is so bad it made Newel's recent essay declaring"don't pay attention to the lack of women and minorities in comics" unsurprising. There possibly could be a good story of Selina's point of view in Year One, but it's not this.

[PeterBatmanSuparmanParker]

Here are my recommendations for Year One:

I messed-up with the title but compensated with the tags. This is actually a reading order for the very beginnings of Batman and family. In short, it's a must collection.


Batman Origins

Legends of the Dark Knight #1
Batman Year One or Batman #404-407
Legends of the Dark Knight #2-5
Dark Moon Rising: Batman and the Monster Men #1-6
Dark Moon Rising: Batman and the Mad Monk #1-6
The Man who Laughs
Legends of the Dark Knight #11-15
Four of a Kind
Legends of the Dark Knight #6-10
Legends of the Dark Knight #16-20
Legends of the Dark Knight #65-68
The Long Halloween
Turning Points #1
Legends of the Dark Knight #21-23
Batman Confidential #1-5
Dark Victory

The Robins, Barbara Gordon and Harold (Mr. Fixxit)

Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet
Turning Points #2
Batgirl and Robin Year One
Nightwing #101-106 [Dick becomes Nightwing]
Batman #408-410 [Jason Todd Year One]
Batman #416 [Nightwing briefly returns and dons Jason his Robin suit]
A Death in the Family #426-429 [Jason Todd tragedy]
Batman #436-439 [Tim Drake Year One]
The Killing Joke
Batman Chronicles #5 [Oracle Year One]
Batman and Son [Damian Year One]
Batman #458 [Harold]

Resurrection of Jason Todd

Teen Titans Volume 3 #16 (2004)
Batman #608-619 [Hush Story Arc] [Foreshadowing Only]
Batman Annual #25
Red Hood: The Lost Days #1-6
Batman #635-650

[JBatmanFan05]

Here are my recommendations for Year One:
Batman Origins:
Legends of the Dark Knight #1
Batman Year One or Batman #404-407
Legends of the Dark Knight #2-5
Dark Moon Rising: Batman and the Monster Men #1-6
Dark Moon Rising: Batman and the Mad Monk #1-6
The Man who Laughs
Legends of the Dark Knight #11-15
Four of a Kind
Legends of the Dark Knight #6-10
Legends of the Dark Knight #16-20
Legends of the Dark Knight #65-68
The Long Halloween
Turning Points #1
Legends of the Dark Knight #21-23
Batman Confidential #1-5
Dark Victory
The Robins, Barbara Gordon and Harold (Mr. Fixxit):
Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet
Turning Points #2
Batgirl and Robin Year One

This is a very interesting list and agrees with many points that I hold firm on.

Can you explain why you go Gothic, Venom, and Going Sane like that? I'd like to be sold on a good order for those with some justification (you can even use the justification that , barring helpful story clues, they each come earlier than the next in LOTDK numbering).

Also, what about Blades (LOTDK 32–34) and if you were to include it, where might you include it?

[PeterBatmanSuparmanParker]

This is a very interesting list and agrees with many points that I hold firm on.

Can you explain why you go Gothic, Venom, and Going Sane like that? I'd like to be sold on a good order for those with some justification (you can even use the justification that , barring helpful story clues, they each come earlier than the next in LOTDK numbering).

Also, what about Blades (LOTDK 32–34) and if you were to include it, where might you include it?

1. Legends of the Dark Knight #1-5 and Batman #604-607 are related with each other in terms of continuation with only a minor difference, LotDK #2-5 occurred some 6 months after LotDK #1. So, it is safe to assume that Batman #604-607 were earlier than LotDK #2-5.

2. According to wiki, Dark Moon Rising is between Year One and the Man who Laughs.

3. I should trust Wiki information on Batman info on Dark Moon Rising, so I placed Legends of the Dark Knight #11-15 after 'The Man who Laughs'

4. Legends of the Dark Knight #11-15 is a continuation of Hugo Strange in 'Batman and the Monster Men'. So it should be close as possible as a continuation. It should be enumerated earlier than LotDK #6-10.

5. Four of a Kind is LotDK Annuals. It is also the Year One of some Villains. So it should be included as early as possible without cutting titles that have clear continuity.

6. Legends of the Dark Knight #6-10 or Gothic is about the cursed Gotham Cathedral and some demon-soul contract plot. It mentions Bruce's childhood so it should be mentioned as early as possible but should not cut titles that have clear continuity.

7. Legends of the Dark Knight #16-20 is added next because it is one of my favorite although it has no continuation with previously mentioned titles.

8. LotDK #65-68 or Going Sane has no clear continuation with the Man who Laughs. So I placed it second to the last.

9. Now, Legends of the Dark Knight #21-23 is very special. It foreshadowed Grayson. This is also the reason why LotDK #65-68 is only second to the last of the LotDK comics I recommend despite the issue number. Since everything I mentioned is Batman in his solo career, 'Faith' should be placed somewhere in the very last portion.

10. Batman Confidential #1-6 is argued to be a Year One with Lex Luthor. And I dunno where to put it so it goes before Dark Victory.

11. Dark Victory signified the End of Batman Solo career and a beginning for Grayson's part in Batman's life as Robin but does not detail it as extensive as my separate section of the Robins.





For Blades...I dunno, I sold it a long time ago and I can't remember the details.

[JBatmanFan05]

For Blades...I dunno, I sold it a long time ago and I can't remember the details.

I get your reasonings enough. Were not a Blades fan? Was recollected in Tales of the Batman – Tim Sale TPB, I think it's an amazing read and needs a spot on anyone's list.

[tombo]

I'll probably still get it, but I'll most likely let Man Who Laughs overrule it.

Its in a TPB called Dark Legend (LOTDK compilation) which is pretty good.

This is a great thread BTW, year one era Batman is my favourite genre and I've always wanted to read it all. I've been meaning to read Batgirl/Robin Year One for 10 years now as well as that Wagner stuff.

[Michael24]

I actually liked Her Sister's Keeper and will keep it in my list.

"Her Sister's Keeper" is really good. I finally read it earlier this year and loved it.

For me, the best modern Catwoman was Brubaker's first two years of the 2001 series and Cooke's Selina's Big Score.

I still need to check out the Brubaker run. The cartoony art was a bit of a turn-off when I picked up a trade once and thumbed through it, but if the stories are good I suppose that could make up for it.

Personally, "my" Catwoman is the first solo series in the '90s with Jim Balent as the artist. I really dug that book and thought it was a lot of fun.

[Lee Stone]

"Her Sister's Keeper" is really good. I finally read it earlier this year and loved it.


I still need to check out the Brubaker run. The cartoony art was a bit of a turn-off when I picked up a trade once and thumbed through it, but if the stories are good I suppose that could make up for it.

Personally, "my" Catwoman is the first solo series in the '90s with Jim Balent as the artist. I really dug that book and thought it was a lot of fun.

That was a good series, especially the Duffy issues.
It bordered on t&a too much for me, but the stories were pretty good, so I overlooked it.