Looking for a way to start the Batman comics, but wow a lot of series and story lines
From our News Section
Where to Start Reading Batman
Comics
Joshua Lapin-Bertone
thursday April 11
Batman is everywhere these
days- games, toys, and countless other medie And the Dark Knight gains new comic book readers with his every appearance. If you’re just starting to read the Batman’s adventures and wondering where to begin, we’ve got a few ideas that may help. Just click on the links below to start your reading adventure.
Batman: Year One
THE STORY: Batman: Year One
is a modern retelling of the Dark
Knight’s origin, which has gone
on to become one of the most
celebrated comics in the medium. The story is about two
men, Bruce Wayne and Jim
Gordon. and how their arrival in the corrupt city of Gotham shakes the underworld. Bruce seeks to eradicate crime by becoming a masked vigilante; Jim wants to clean up the crooked police department. The two men eventually realize their missions won’t succeed unless they put aside their differences and work together. This masterpiece was written by Frank Miller and brilliantly penciled by David Mazzucchelli.
FOR FANS OF: The 2005
Batman Begins film and Fox’s
Gotham both took many of
the best elements from Batman:
Year One and brought them to
live-action life.
WHATS NEXT check out the Legends of the Dark Knight comic-book series. It picks up where"Year One" left off and tells a series of self-contained tales about Batman’s earliest adventures each of them crafted by some of the top creators in comics. And Frank Miller’s groundbreaking masterpiece (which be both wrote and illustrated) Batman The Dark Knight Returns is required reading for ALL pop culture fans. (It arrives on DC Universe on Tuesday, April 16th.)
WHERE TO FIND IT: Batman
#404-407
BONUS: Did you know that
Warner Brothers produced an
animated adaptation of Batman:
Year One in 2011? Fans of Fox’s
Gothamwill recognize Ben
McKenzie as the voice of Bruce
Wayne. Bryan Cranston did an
inspired job voicing Jim Gordon,
and. thanks to the aninmation
evoking Mazzucchelli’s pencils,
this is one of DC’s very best
animated films.
Batman Year two
THE STORY A costumed serial
killer named the Reaper is
slaying Gotham’s citizens and
evading the Dark Knight at
every turn. Batman wonders if
it’s time to rethink his “no guns,
no killing” policy and starts
carrying a firearm. As if the
Reaper wasn’t enough to deal
with, Bruce Wayne finds his
heart torn apart when he falls in
love with a girl named Rachel
and comes face to face with the
man who killed his parents.
Writer Mike W. Barr tells a
Batman story that breaks all the
rules, and leaves you guessing
what will happen next right up
until the final chapter.
FOR FANS OF: If you enjoyed
the animated Batman: Mask of
the Phantasm you’ll be thrilled
to discover some of the movie’s
best beats were inspired by this
Comic.
WHAT’S NEXT: Batman: Year
Three is the next chapter in the
chronicles of the Dark Knight’s
early career. And if you love the
team of writer Mike W. Barr and
penciler Alan Davis, check out
Detective Comics #574 another classic take on Batman’s origin that the two teamed up on, as well as the duo’s run on Batman and the Outsiders, starting with issue #21.
WHERE TO FIND IT Detective
Comics #575-578
BONUS: Some of this story’s chapters were illustrated
by a young Todd McFarlane, the
creator of Spawn.
Batman: Hush
THE STORY: A mysterious
bandaged villain begins
manipulating the people in
Batman’s life, setting the Dark
Knight up for one of his biggest
mysteries. Along the way,
Batman finds himself falling for
Catwoman, who is all too eager
to reciprocate those feelings.
But can Batman truly trust his
emotions when Hush is pulling
the strings? Batman: Hush is a
great primer on the Dark
Knight’s world, with new-reader
friendly introductions to most of
Gotham’s key heroes and
villains. Writer Jeph Loeb crafts
amystery with enough twists
and turns to keep even the
greatest of detectives guessing,
while artist Jim Lee illustrates
some of the most iconic images
of Batman and his allies in
recent history.
FOR FANS OF: Do the Batman
and Catwoman scenes from
Batman Returns warm your
heart? Are you shipping Bruce
and Selina in Fox’s Gotham? lf
you’re a fan of Batman and
Catwoman’s romance, then
you’ll love this story!
WHAT’S NEXT: This story sets
the stage for the return of the
second Robin, Jason Todd. who
had died in the classic “A Death
in the Family” storyline. If you’d
like to see how that goes down,
check out the classic"Under the
Hood. )
WHERE TO FIND IT Batman
#608-619
BONUS: Warner Brothers wil
release an animated film
adaptation of Batman: Hush this
summer, making this the perfect
time to read the fan-favorite
story.
“Daughter of the Demon”
THE STORY: When Robin is
kidnapped, Batman is
approached by a man named
Ra’s al Ghul, whose daughter
Talia has also been kidnapped.
(Batman had met Talia in
Detective Comics #411’s"Into
the Den of the Death
Dealers!") The two men agree to
work together to find their
missing loved ones in a journey
that takes the Dark Knight
across the globe. This issue
introduces the rivalry between
Ra’s and the Caped Crusader.
In the Bronze Age of comics,
writer Denny O’ Neil and atist
Neal Adams redefined the
Batman from the campy figure
in the 1966 Batman TV series
into a dread avenger of the
night. This story is one of the
high points of their legendary
run.
FOR FANS OF: Batman: The
Animated Series patterned its
tone after this issue’s era,
drawing heavy inspiration from
the stories of O’Neil and Adams,
which featured a grimly
determined Batman. but one
who still possessed a sly sense
of humor. When you read their
classic stories, you’ll feel like
you’re watching an episode of
the show.
WHAT’S NEXT: If you love the
team of Denny O’Neil and Neal
Adams check out their
collaboration on Batman #234
which features one of the
best Two-Face stories. If you
want to see Batman and Ra’s
second encounter. then be sure
to read the O’Neil scripted Batman #235 O’Neil and Adams both returned to Ra’s for an epic two-parter in issue #243 and issue #244.
WHERE TO FIND IT Batman
#232
BONUS: Check out the Batman
The Animated Series episode
“The Demon’s Quest” which
brilliantly adapts this issue
Batman: The Long Halloween
(Arriving on DC Universe on
Tuesday, April 16th)
THE STORY: Set in the early
days of Batman’s career, the
Dark Knight teams up with Jim
Gordon and District Attorney
Harvey Dent to stop the
mysterious Holiday Killer.
Nobody knows who this
murderer is, but on each holiday
they leave behindanew
victim. The case becomes more
complicated when Harvey Dent
falls from grace and begins to
transform into the villainous Two-Face. Writer Jeph Loebtells an eerie whodunit, one perfectly
complimented by the moody art
of Tim Sale. Together, Loeb and
Sale wound up telling one of the
most unforgettable Batman
sagas of the Modern Age.
FOR FANS OF: Christopher
Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy
borrowed some elements from
this story, including Harvey
Dent’s fall from grace and the
intrigue from Carmine Falcone
and Gotham’s crime families.
WHAT’S NEXT: Jeph Loeb and
Tim Sale reunited to craft a
sequel to this story called
Batman: Dark Victory, The
sequel picked up where The
Long Halloween’s crime saga
left off, adding a mysterious new
killer and introducing the first
Robin, Dick Grayson.
WHERE TO FIND IT: Batman:
The Long Halloween #1-13
BONUS: Are you a gamer? The
video game Batman: Arkham
City features an unlockable skin
for Catwoman based on Tim
Sale’s design for the character in
this story. Meow!
Batman: Strange Apparitions
THE STORY. This classic run of
Bronze Age Batman stories
features the Dark Knight going
up against mob boss Rupert
Thorne, mad professor Hugo
Strange, and the Clown Prince
of Crime himself The
Joker. Italso introduces Silver
St. Cloud, setting up Bruce
Wayne’s first truly adult
romance, The team of writer
Steve Englehart and artist
Marshall Rogers didn’t have a
very long run on Detective
Comics, but in their short time
together they wound up
producing some of Batman’s
most memorable Bronze Age
stories. This thrilling run of
stories also features the work of
famed writer Len Wejin and
celebrated artist Walt
Simonson.
FOR FANS OF This is another
run of comics that Batman: The
Animated Series fans will
love. Many elements from this
era, including mob boss Rupert
Thorne, helped build the status
quo for the TV favorite. And
devotees won’t regret checking
out the tales that inspired
their favorite cartoon.
WHAT’S NEXT: If you’re curious
Rupert Thorne/Hugo Strange
feud. check out Detective
Comics #513. The saga gets
even more (pardon the pun)
strange!
WHERE TO FIND IT Writer
Steve Englehart comes on board
with Detective Comics #469-
479, but things really get
cooking when artist Marshall
Rogers joins him for issue #471
through the team’s fınal issue,
#476.
BONUS: Check out the Batman:
The AnimatedSeries episode
The Laughing Fish which
adapts Detective Comics #475
“The Court of Owls”
THE STTORY: Batman knows
Gotham like the back of his
hand, and there aren’t many
secrets the city can keep from
him. So how can a secret society
be operating for ages right
under his nose? Who are the
Court of Owls, and can they
have mnore control over Gotham
than Batman does? See the Dark
Knight solve the mystery he
didn’teven know existed in this
blockbuster tale from writer
Scott Snyder and artist Greg
Capullo.
FOR FANS OF: Did you enjoy
the “Court of Owls” saga
in season 3 of Fox’s Gotham?
Were you intrigued by their
cameo in the Young Justice:
Outsiders episode"True
Heroes? Are youa fan of
conspiracy stories and secret
societies? If the answer to any of these questions is "yes, then
this is the story for you!
WHAT’S NEXT: To see what
happens next, check out “Night
of The Owls” (Batman #8-12),
the next chapter in Scott Snyder
and Greg Capullo’s epic Batman
run
WHERE TO FIND IT: Batman
(2011) #1-7
BONUS: If you enjoyed this
story, be sure to watch the 2015
animated film Batman vs. Robin,
which brought the Court of
Owls into the DC animated
universe.
“To Kill a Legend”
THE STORY: The Phantom
Stranger sends Batman and
Robin to a parallel world where
ayoung version of Bruce Wayne
hasn’t lost his parents yet. Robin
isn’t sure if they should
interfere. After all, doesn’t
this world need a Batman? But
Bruce Wayne isn’t about to sit
back and let his parents die
again…or is he?“To Kill A
Legend” celebrated Detective
Comics 500th issue with a story
that questioned what it means
to be a hero. Writer Alan
Brennert’s single-issue story is a
favorite of many Batfans, who
still ponder its implications to
this very day.
FOR FANS OF: If you enjoy tales
of alternate realities and/or
philosophical questions then
this story is for you. If this comic
feels like an episode of The
Twili Zone, don’t be too
surprised…Alan Brennert was a
frequent writer for the show in
its 1980s incarnation.
WHAT’S NEXT: If you love Alan
Brennert’s take on alternate
realities. check out the
writer’s Brave and the Bold
#197 a Batman tale set on
Earth-Two, where the Dark
Knight marries Catwoman!
WHERE TO FIND IT Detective
Comics #500
BONUS: Did you know that Alan
Brennert also wrote for the
1970’s Wonder Woman TV
series? Check out"Disco
Devil one of his most
memorable episodes.
HONORABLE MENTION
Batman: The Dark Knight
Returns
The defning work of writer-
artist Frank Miller’s career. and
in the eyes of many the fınest
Batman story every crafted, is
the 1986 four-issue linmited
series Batman: The Dark Knight
Returns. It’s certainly excellent enough to be the fiırst
Batman comic a new fan
reads, but its story- a much older Bruce Wayne coming out of retirement to don the mantle of the Bat one last time probably resonates even more powerfully if one has read a few of the above titles first.
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There’s a whole lot of things you can read! I will make one recommendation, to keep it simple. Try Batman: Black & White, a monochrome anthology of short Batman stories by a wide variety of writers and artists. There are two collections on DCU, from 1996 and 2013. Both are great.
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I always suggest following up Year One with The Long Halloween and Dark Victory. They continue many of the plot threads.
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Depending on time commitments, I’d start at either the Scott Snyder Batman run, or Tom king (less to read) if you want to put more time in, year one, killing joke, Morrison’s run are all worth reading…
If you want to understand the modern Batman, I suggest the O’Neil/Adams rum from the early 70’s. It is the foundation stone of the modern Batman we know today, and embraces the world’s greatest detective angle that so often is missing from some more modern takes. Batman’s greatest, almost true superhero ability is as a detective.
Does the catwoman 4 issues series in 89 coincide with year one?
I’ve come from all over the DCU. And really id start with any of the new 52 stuff. They relaunched and reset everything. Great jumping on points.