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Batman Comics Reading Guide

The goal of this post is to provide a bunch of launching off points for people depending on what they're interested in. As such, this is not a checklist. These are just suggestions that hopefully provide some context to navigate different eras and get a proper scope of the Batman comic landscape.

The amount of background behind characters and arcs can make it hard to jump right in (though these recommendations are geared to be more beginner friendly than average), so sites like the dc fandom wiki and comicvine are invaluable resources to catch you up on context. However, you can also learn a lot by just opening up a series and picking up the character cues as you go along.

IF I HAD TO CHOOSE JUST ONE...

Batman: Hush (2002) is amazing at introducing so many important characters at an entry level: Bruce, Dick (Robin I/Nightwing), Tim (Robin III), Alfred, Harley Quinn and the Joker, and Gordon. It also reintroduces Catwoman and starts her relationship with Batman, and explores his friendship with Superman and Lois. It also gets into much more about his upbringing than just the night of his parent's murder. My only hesitation is that it came out right before the resurrection of the second Robin, Jason, and lays the early foundation for it, so it's important to have some backstory regarding that going in. The art and the writing is great and while the story line gets intense, it has plenty of lighter interactions and art. It was originally published as Batman #608-619.

FIRST, SOME CONTEXT

There are always 2 ongoing series about Batman/Bruce Wayne and his teams: Batman, and Detective Comics. Depending on the era, these are either totally independent stories (like they are currently) or meant to be read side-by-side. It can be worth reading collected volumes of arcs rather than one of these streams individually.

There are also a bunch of series dedicated to supporting characters and teams that often have a lot of crossover. There will be info panels in the comics that tell you where a storyline started if a crossover happens, and the wiki/comicvine can help guide you if you get lost.

GOLD/SILVER AGE

If you're interested in his goofy Gold and Silver Age comics-start with a highlight collection! I recommend Batman Annual #5 (1963) from the 1940 "Batman" run. My personal favourite sub-era to read is the early 60s because it is both weird and easy to read. This era was almost entirely anthology comics, so it is very easy to bounce around in read one or two stories at a time.

Prominent Series:

Detective Comics (1937–): It was originally an anthology series but (almost) each issue #27 onwards has Batman in it! There are stories about other characters like the Martian Manhunter, and various non-hero detectives in each issue too.

Batman (1940–): A Batman solo series. Often includes three stories in each issue.

World's Finest Comics (1941–): He has a solo story in the first 70 issues. Issue #71 onwards are team ups with Superman!

Batman Family (1975-78): A short bronze age anthology staring Batman, Batgirl (Barbara), and Robin (Dick), however it really focused on highlighting supporting characters like Vicki Vale, Huntress, and Ace the Bat-Hound. It mostly includes reprints but each issue should have an original story as well. This was later merged with Detective Comics for 15 issues.

Prominent Character Issues:

Detective Comics #27 (1939): Introduces Bruce/Batman

Batman #1 (1940): Introduces Selina/"The Cat"

Detective Comics #38 (1940): Introduces Dick Grayson/Robin

Batman #16 (1943): Introduces Alfred (although his last name is Beagle, not Pennyworth)

Superman #76 (1952): Oh no! There's only one room left on this cruise and we have to share (Batman & Superman's first meeting)

Detective Comics #233 (1956): Introduces Kathy Kane aka the first version of Batwoman

Batman #139 (1961): Introduces Bette Kane aka the first version of a Bat-Girl

Detective Comics #359 (1967): Introduces Barbara Gordon aka current canon's "first" Batgirl

Detective Comics #357 (1983): Introduces Jason Todd. (His backstory is rewritten a few years later however)

DARK AGE

These are a few very important comics to Batman's history and you'll often see them referenced. You don't have to read any of them but it's important to loosely familiarize yourself with the contents.

Batman: Year One (1987): When they reset all of DC's continuity, this was the Batman origin they created. It set a new gritty vibe that some people loved, some people hated, but needless to say it is one of the most influential comics DC has ever put out. Features Bruce, Gordon, Selina, Alfred, and Harvey.

Batman: The Killing Joke (1988): This is a majorly influential Joker story and quite dark. It solidified the Joker's modern characterization and parallels to Batman. Barbara Gordon/Batgirl is assaulted and permanently(ish) paralyzed in it.

Batman: A Death in the Family (1988): Robin 2/Jason's death arc. The readers had voted on whether he would live or die. This was the result. Also published as Batman #426-429

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth (1989): Dave McKean illustrated this!!. That's all I should need to tell you. It is a very interesting abstract exploration of Batman and Gotham's rogues and leans heavily on the horror aspect. I'll warn up front that there is a lot of demonization of mental health issues. It established Arkham Asylum as a major part of Gotham lore.

also the very famous but non-canonical:

The Dark Knight Returns (1986): A hypothetical future story where Bruce comes out of retirement. Carrie Kelley is the the new (and female!) Robin and helps him fight the Joker, Two-Face, and Superman. This is the first (and the best) of a trilogy.

MODERN AGE

A lot of new characters were introduced in the mid/late 90s and early 2000s. These include Tim Drake (Robin 3), Cassandra Cain (Batgirl 4/Orphan), Stephanie Brown (Robin 4/Batgirl 5/Spoiler), Kate Kane (Batwoman), Damian Wayne (Robin 5), as well as a focus on Helena Bertinelli (Batgirl 3/Huntress). It also started a third continuous series called Batman: Shadow of the Bat which ran from 1992–2000.

It would probably be illegal for me to not mention the series Batgirl (2000) here for the writing is incredible. However, the hyper-stylized art may make it better as a series to read later on.

There are many prominent story arcs, and you can find collected versions of them as the individual issues were split accross various character's series. Some important ones are:

Knightfall (1993): The villain Bane breaks Batman's back, and a religious zealot vigilante Azreal takes over for Bruce.

No Man's Land (1999): An earthquake destroys Gotham and the vigilantes work to restore order to the quarantined city. Introduces Cassandra Cain and highlights Barbara, Tim, Helena, and Bruce.

Under the Hood (2005): The bloody return of Jason Todd/Robin 2, very often referenced in fandom

Batman and Son (2006): The introduction of Damian Wayne/Robin 5.

Batman R.I.P. and following (2008–9): During this era, Batman is presumed to have died during a major crossover event The Final Crisis. Dick Grayson (the now grown-up Robin 1) takes over as Batman, Stephanie Brown becomes Batgirl, Damian Wayne is Robin, and everyone else is doing weird stuff. A major sub arc is Battle for the Cowl where the former Robins fight for the right to take over as Batman.

There is also a lot of fun crossovers with the justice league if you'd rather not stay in Gotham, here are some good ones:

World's Finest (1990): This is a wonderful Superman & Batman team up from the early 90s and has really great interactions between everyone's various personas. Steve Rude's art is so much fun and his versions of Lois and Bruce Wayne make me want to cry with how beautiful they are.

Kingdom Come (1996): a hypothetical story about the Justice League dealing with a new generation of morally careless heroes. Deeply influential and famous but more importantly, absolutely gorgeous. Do yourself a favour and just go stare and Alex Ross' art for a while (including in 2005's series Justice)

Trinity (2008): A great look at Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League. The first half focuses on the Trinity's similarities and differences in what they symbolize. It has a very interesting integration of Tarot too. However, they're absent for the vast majority of the second half—focusing on what the rest of the JL does in their absence. You don't need to read all of it.

Superman/Batman (2003–2011): A team up book of the title characters. The first arc is an all time favourite, and it has little crossover with their solo series, making for a read with little need for background context.

NEW 52

The New 52 (2011) relaunch event made a few major backstory changes to the Batfamily. It unparalyzed Barbara and reinstated her as Batgirl. Cass and Stephanie both lost their Batgirl (and Robin) histories and were completely set back to ground zero, ready to be reintroduced with new origins. It does introduce Duke Thomas/Signal to the team, as well as Harper Row/Bluebird (though she is not in many non-N52 books).

Honestly just avoid all of the New-52 for as long as you can, but if you do get tempted later on:

We are Robin (2015) and Robin War (2016): Features Duke Thomas, his friends, and later Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian. If you're going to read anything, read this. It is genuinely very good and worthwhile.

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015) focuses on the whole family (including Harper Row/ Bluebird!!) and re-introduces Cass and Azreal. It has a LOT of family bickering and team ups. Ironically, it doesn't really have Bruce or Damian in it.

REBIRTH & PRESENT

The Rebirth era and following (2016-) does mostly keep the same canon as the New 52 created. However, following the Dark Crisis event (2022), everyone's backstories were merged with their previous incarnations. It is not clear to what degree this effects each character, however Stephanie is back to having been Robin now.

If you're reading the Rebirth era, I recommend starting with the Detective Comics run rather than Batman. This is just personal preference but I strongly stand by it. It highlights lesser known characters (initially Kate/Batwoman, Steph, Cass, Azreal and Batwing, with Tim and Bruce) but most importantly, it's way better written. There are a lot of batfamily crossover events (like Joker War, or Fear State). So yourself a favour and read the collected editions so you catch all of it in one place.

Three major events happen that effect all Batman-adjacent comics, that (because they still fairly recent) I will not detail for spoiler reasons, however: Batman #50 (Sep 2018) and #77 (Oct 2019), and to a lesser degree Detective Comics #940 (Nov 2016), have lasting impacts on the series.

COMIC RECS

Batman and the Outsiders (2019) is amazing. It focuses on Cassandra and Duke. Read Detective Comics #983-987 first. B&tO is continuing off from it.

Batman: The Knight: a 10 issue series about Bruce's training years and the friendships he made. Introduces a prominent character who shows up a lot in Batman #100 onwards. This is just really great

Batgirls: If you like Barbara, Cass, and Stephanie, I highly recommend reading the first arc of this. The art and the story are a lot of fun

All-Star Batman (2016): features Duke Thomas with Batman blasting heavy metal music out of his chest. It's a series of contained stories and doesn't require context from other runs

Task Force Z: Jason is roped into leading a government team of resurrected villains. It is quite an interesting exploration of his current ethics. The rest of the family do make appearances as well.

And additionally:

Wayne Family Adventures: an official (but non-canonical) Webtoon about the various domestic shenanigans of the Batfamily. It's light and funny and heartfelt and updates every Thursday.

-------

Lastly, I want to recommend my favourite oneshot, and it has absolutely no bearing on any plot, characters, or world:

Batman: Dreamland (2000): It's Batman exploring Area 51 and he looks like this:

What more could you possibly want?

i haven’t even touched the group chat yet, y’all aren’t ready for that one

DC as actual things my friends have said: Part 2

~

Dick: Woah! What’s with the face?

Jason: It’s Bruce. He never leaves me alone! I swear he’s so far up my ass I can feel him in my ovaries

Dick: You don’t have ovaries?

Jason: Exactly

~

Tim:

~at 3 in the morning~

Tim: Did you know that only 5% of the ocean has been uncovered? For all we know, there could wild JoJo Siwas in the ocean

Kon: And she attacks your boat and violently humps you

Bart: Or there could be glowing squids! That’d be pretty cool

Cassie: Have any of you ever heard of inside thoughts??

~

Tim: Why are you crying!? What’s wrong?!?

A very pregnant Stephanie: Sometimes when my eyes get lonely I cry because they’re friends with my tears :(

Tim:

yep! I took them all from Jason’s death and Tim’s introduction

It’s kind of a constant topic of discussion that the Robins look similar, but what I think is really interesting is the effort the artists put into there designs so that they look similar alone, but totally distinguishable when they’re next to each other. (this doesn’t include steph obviously or damian because he was made to look like Bruce and talia)

Dick, for instance, clearly has the straightest hair as well as lighter eyes than Jason, but darker eyes than Tim (that sounds a bit fickle but trust, you’ll understand when you see the two of them). His nose is also very clearly straighter and narrower than the other two.

Jason, on the other hand easily has the curliest hair out of the three and his eyes are the darkest blue. His nose is also the widest of the three.

Finally Tim who has the waviest (i’m not totally sure how to describe his hair) out of the three. His eyes are also very clearly the lightest and he has a much smaller button nose (this is probably due to his age but it’s still a nice distinction)

I think it’s super interesting how they chose to do this because it allows each Robin to feel like a separate character, but the second they put on the costume they all become the same Robin everyone knows and loves. Idk i just think it’s neat

tim drake, robin from 1989 until forever

I’d tell them you said that, but they really don’t need that kind of ego boost

DC as actual things my friends have said: Part 2

~

Dick: Woah! What’s with the face?

Jason: It’s Bruce. He never leaves me alone! I swear he’s so far up my ass I can feel him in my ovaries

Dick: You don’t have ovaries?

Jason: Exactly

~

Tim:

~at 3 in the morning~

Tim: Did you know that only 5% of the ocean has been uncovered? For all we know, there could wild JoJo Siwas in the ocean

Kon: And she attacks your boat and violently humps you

Bart: Or there could be glowing squids! That’d be pretty cool

Cassie: Have any of you ever heard of inside thoughts??

~

Tim: Why are you crying!? What’s wrong?!?

A very pregnant Stephanie: Sometimes when my eyes get lonely I cry because they’re friends with my tears :(

Tim:

we go way back

this man wouldn’t know what self-care and positive habits were if they tap-danced in front of him wearing nothing but the bat-cowl

Batman: Fortress (2022) #3

I find it really funny that people take a panel out of any comic to say "see?? X is not like fanon says, actually he is like this". Bestie, the first thing I've learned from DC is that canon's fucked. Not in the sense that it's bad (sometimes it is), but in the sense that is inconsistent at best.

I'm talking about Batfam right now, so the thing is people want to say x or y robin was the chaotic one and... They all are. They all are very polite or absolute menaces. And It's a staple of the genre. Obviously if you read Tim's run as robin or his comics you're gonna get the impression that he is the main character. Just the coolest, most nuanced, goes through every single event ever kind of character. But if you read Dick's comics...surprise! He is also the smartest coolest funniest robin ever. And omg isn't Jason traumatized when you read his story? But also isn't Steph even more so? Or Cass?

Jason's og backstory was so similar to Dick's they had to change it. Like sure they give each robin/batfam their own traits and backstory, but they also end up with really similar abilities/going through similar events a lot of the time. And personality wise it's not much better because you would think that's one of the things they'd want to keep stable but no.

Tim swings wildly between Batman's most obedient good little soldier and feral child that lies to his face. The evolution sometimes is non existent or not coherent with the plot but that's because a new writer picked it up and he doesn't want to focus on that. Even their unique characteristics get fucked around in canon. Paraphrasing "the characters will do what the writer wants them to do".

If you're afraid of misrepresenting the character I would fall back on these core traits and build up from them. As long as you keep that in mind it's gonna be more canon compliant than some parts of canon. I'm also big on "let people fuck around with fanon" because truly, I might hate some interpretations of the characters...but it's not like it's canon. That's someone playing dolls with a comic character, who cares? I say let them. Simply don't engage if you dislike it.

Love batgirl 2000 cause sometimes its just Cassandra bests another foe with minimal effort but can she best the perils of dyslexia? find out next time!