A Beginner’s Guide To Batman Comics (Best Reading Order)
For over 80 years, Batman has been a comic book icon, but finding a good place to start reading can be daunting. The order of reading Batman comics changes depending on how readers want to approach the story in The Dark Knight comics. Some began with his first appearance in Detective Comics 27 in 1939, while others began with the most popular and recent Batman stories, like The Dark Knight Returns. As a new version of the Dark Knight hits theaters in Batman: The Brave and the Bold, new fans will turn to the comics to discover the character and his extended family, despite the search over 80 years in a row can certainly be daunting without a helpful timeline to help navigate Batman’s comic book history.
While Batman mythology was developed years before Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s four-issue storyline, 1987’s Batman: Year One, it became the definitive origin story for Bruce Wayne’s evolution. Year One also details future Police Commissioner James Gordon’s first year in Gotham as well as other Gotham City characters such as Falcones and Catwoman. Year One also partly inspired Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, making it a must-read for fans of the previous series.
Batman: Year Two
Batman: Year Two seems to have had some influence on the timing and setting of the next Batman movie, and it has had a major influence on the entire Batman mythology. This 1987 story continues the story of Batman’s origins after the events of the Crisis On Infinite Earths story revision. The story pits him against The Reaper, forcing Batman to potentially use a gun, something he swore he would never do. Reaper provided some visual influence to The Phantasm from the animated film The Mask Of The Phantasm.
The Long Halloween
Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale teamed up for a few connected series that explored the early days of Batman’s mission in Gotham City while also exploring his allies and enemies in 1996’s The Long Halloween and 1999’s Dark Victory. The Long Halloween featured important moments in the development of Batman’s rogue’s gallery as he investigated the mysterious Holiday Killer, while Dark Victory serves as a direct sequel and highlights the new partnership between Batman and Dick Grayson/Robin.
Dark Victory
Batman: Dark Victory was the sequel to The Long Halloween. While the first Batman comic book story arc dealt with how his rogues’ gallery developed after he started his war on crime, this sequel dealt with him taking Dick Grayson under his wing and turning him into the new Robin. This was around the third or fourth year of Batman’s battle to protect Gotham City, and he had to solve a series of murders while also stopping a mob war between Two-Face and what was left of the Falcone crime family. For fans who want to follow the career or Robin, there is a Robin: Year One series that follows Dark Victory.
The War Of Jokes And Riddles
Another story that deals with Batman’s second year as a crime fighter is The War Of Jokes And Riddles from 2017. This story, from writer Tom King, author of The Vision, one of the comics that inspired WandaVision, pits the Joker and Riddler against each other. It seems like it could have some connection to the plot of the upcoming movie, though it doesn’t seem at the moment the Joker is involved. The eight-part story is told in flashbacks as Batman waits for Catwoman’s answer to his proposal for marriage.
Son of the Demon
One of Batman’s greatest enemies is Ra’s al Ghul AKA the Demon’s Head, the centuries-old leader of the League of Assassins whose relationship with Batman is unlike any of his other villains, as Ra’s originally chose Batman to be his successor. While the origins of Ra’s al Ghul weren’t revealed until 1999’s Birth of the Demon by Denny O’Neil and Norm Breyfogle, it was 1987’s Son of the Demon by Mike W. Barr and Jerry Bingham that explored his complicated relationship with Talia al Ghul that would go on to have a major impact on Batman’s mythology
Arkham Asylum
Released in 1989 by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean, Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth brought Batman and his fans inside the iconic hospital and introduced the many inmates who continued manage this facility. This Batman story is a perfect example of how all of Batman’s villains are mirror versions of the hero himself, and suggests that maybe they only exist because he’s there too. . For video game fans, the comics also influenced the franchise.
The Killing Joke
When it comes to Batman, he’s not the only crime-fighting hero in Gotham City. He has an entire supporting cast, and it is important to see how they all fit together in the puzzle. In Batman: Year One, the story mostly followed Jim Gordon arriving in Gotham and dealing with the new Batman fighting crime. In The Killing Joke, Gordon is pushed to the limit when Joker shoots and paralyzes his daughter Barbara, who is also Batgirl. This entire act of violence was just to try to drive Gordon over the edge, and it was all he could do to not kill Joker, and a lot of that was thanks to his reliance on Batman as a confidant.
Death In The Family
Batman’s extended family includes a number of costumed allies that play a large role in his storylines over the years, and there are a couple of essential storylines that not only affected the Bat-Family but also had a lasting impact on Batman, both released in 1988. A Death In The Family and The Killing Joke showcased the tragic loss of Robin and Batgirl, respectively, at the hands of Batman’s greatest enemy. Batman would stay in a dark place until 1989’s A Lonely Place of Dying introduced Tim Drake as the new Robin, launching a new era for the dynamic duo.
A Lonely Place Of Dying
A Lonely Place Of Dying is a 1989 crossover between the Batman and The New Teen Titans titles that introduced a third version of Robin Tim Drake. This follows the gruesome death of the second Robin, Jason Todd, at the hands of the Joker in A Death In The Family. Batman has yet to recover from the devastating loss of Jason Todd, becoming more careless, which is unsettling for Nightwing, the first Robin. During his battle with Two-Face, Tim Drake deduced Batman’s true identity and named himself the new Robin. The revolutionary hat, which transports Batman and his allies to a lawless Gotham City – cut off from the rest of the world – is the prequel that sets the stage for the story. It’s Cataclysm, and it’s hard to get into No Man’s Land without reading the above.
Knightfall
Even 30 years after its first publication, Knightfall remains one of the most impactful stories in the Dark Knight’s career. Bane stages a breakout at Arkham Asylum, unleashing all the villains on Gotham City. Batman struggles to maintain order, but Bane proves to be too much, and after a confrontation with Batman in the Batcave, Bane breaks his back. But Gotham still needed a protector. Enter Jean-Paul Valley, who became Azrael and donned the mantle of Batman, and defeated Bane. However, Azrael was unstable and violent, and after he crossed the line and let someone die, Bruce Wayne came back to reclaim the mantle.
Cataclysm/No Man’s Land
In the mid-1990s, DC Comics began to challenge the status quo of most of its iconic heroes. In the epic Cataclysm and No Man’s Land events, they challenged the status quo of Gotham itself. In Cataclysm, a massive earthquake shakes Gotham, causing great destruction. Then, in No Man’s Land, the government cut off Gotham City from the rest of the country, declaring it lost. While Gotham will eventually rebuild itself, Cataclysm and No Man’s Land remain among the best Batman stories, and there are elements that will inform Christopher Nolan about The Dark Knight Rises.
Hush – Under The Red Hood
Batman’s past will come back to haunt him over and over again in storylines like 2002’s Batman: Hush or 2005’s Under The Red Hood, both of which were adapted into live-action animated films. Hush introduced an all-new villain who manipulated some of Batman’s greatest foes to take down the Dark Knight in a deeply personal attack aimed at uncovering Bruce Wayne’s past. while the return of the villain Red Hood (Joker’s old identity) completely shakes the world of Batman and revisits one of its most tragic moments.
Batman And Son – Batman, Inc.
When Grant Morrison took over the main Batman titles, they drew inspiration from classic stories to help them integrate with modern continuity while further evolving Batman and his family with The introduction of his son Damian Wayne in Batman And Son 2006. Damian Wayne proved popular with fans and will make his live-action debut in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. 2008’s Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis led to huge changes and a brand-new Batman and Robin following 2009’s Battle For The Cowl. 2010’s Batman Incorporated further evolved Batman’s organization before the entire DC Universe was rewritten by the Flashpoint event.
New 52 Era
While Batman and his related characters aren’t quite as rebooted as the rest of the DC Universe, The New 52 serves as a good starting point for new readers while capturing much of Batman’s established history. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo introduced readers to the mysterious Owl Court ahead of the epic showdown with the Joker in Endgame. Batman’s debut also got a modern overhaul in Year 0, while the Super Heavy storyline introduces another brand new Armored Batman.
DC Rebirth
Tom King took over Batman following the 2016 DC Reincarnation event, which brought a light reboot to the DC Universe, which resulted in Batman teaming up with Barry Allen/The Flash to investigate the storyline. The Button. Batman and Catwoman’s romantic relationship that was first made official in Hush would be further developed over the course of his run. His rivalry with Bane would also be taken to new levels with City of Bane which would lead to one of the biggest tragedies in Bruce Wayne’s life that the Bat-Family is still recovering from in current issues.
The Dark Knight Returns
While Frank Miller’s iconic graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns was released in 1986 and helped usher in a new, darker era of Batman, it’s set in the future when retired Bruce Wayne is forced to resume his role as an expensive crime fighter. The Dark Knight Returns features some of Batman’s most famous villains along with a dangerous new army to match the time period. Batman gets a new Robin as young Carrie Kelley as he continues his mission to protect Gotham City in a storyline that has been adapted into two live-to-video animated parts.
Mad Love
Harley Quinn looks adorable on the cover of Mad Love comics. One big reason new fans might be coming to Batman is Harley Quinn, who stars in her own animated movies and series. Mad Love is absolutely the place these fans should watch in their reading order. This 1993 comic by Bruce Timm and Paul Dini introduces one of Batman: The Animated Series’ most popular characters in the comics for the first time. Although set in the world of B:TAS, it is the first step in the larger world of Batman legends. She has never looked back since, becoming one of the most popular comic book characters in recent years.
Gotham By Gaslight
Batman isn’t the only version of the Dark Knight appearing in the film. Thanks to the Multiverse, Michael Keaton returns as Bruce Wayne in Flashpoint. Comics have long relied on the concept of Elseworlds, making Gotham By Gaslight a compelling starting point for curious readers. This 1989 graphic novel by writer Brian Augustyn and artist Mike Mignola helped pioneer the concept by showing a steampunk-style Batman in a 19th-century Gotham City. The comic has been adapted into an animated movie as well. With a character with almost a century of history, getting started can be a daunting challenge for new fans, but these Batman stories are the perfect jump-on points for new readers who want to dive into the world of one of the most popular comic book characters of all time.