What Batman to read?

**Stewie32887** · 15 Jul 2010, 09:21 AM

Hey. So I find myself reading comic books en masse for the first time since I stopped collecting Sonic the Hedgehog back in the 90s. My main interest thus far has been running through the major Batman works. I feel like I've hit a lot of the obvious big ones: Dark Knight Returns, Year One, Long Halloween, Dark Victory, Haunted Knight, Hush, Arkham Asylum, Killing Joke... sigh, let me think...Gothic, Blind Justice, Knightfall... is that it? I think that's it.

Anywho, if anyone would have recommendations for any further reading material within the franchise it would be appreciated. Oh a note though, I dislike crossovers. I know it's a bit unrealistic to expect to avoid them entirely, but somehow it just seems wrong for Batman and Superman to exist in the same world for me.

I always just wind up wondering why, when Metropolis always seems to be doing relatively well, Superman would just Gotham to rot. I mean I love Batman, but we all know Superman could probably due the job better and faster just on account of him basically being a god on Earth.

**Chux** · 15 Jul 2010, 09:45 AM

No Man's Land is good. Batman RIP is good when read alltogether those are the only two that jump out if you don't like crossovers.

**Some Stupid Japanese Name** · 15 Jul 2010, 10:59 AM

Get Paul Dini's run on Detective. It's great and mostly single issue stories. So it doesn't matter if you can only find an issue at a time. I've never been a fan of Batman's monthlies, but most of the Elseworlds stuff was pretty decent, and a lot of the Legends of the Dark Knight stories were really good.

**Geo** · 15 Jul 2010, 11:41 AM

You've already read Year One, great.

I would recommend reading what Grant Morrison is doing with the character, it's fantastic stuff. Just yesterday I read Batman and Robin 13 (for a third time) and Batman 701, both are awesome. I could keep going on and on with the superlatives about it. This is one of the greatest runs in comics.

Anyways, depending on how you acquire the reading material, I've listed the available books collecting the issues of it all:

Batman and Son
[Batman 655-658, 663-666]

Batman: The Black Glove
[Batman 667-675]

Batman R.I.P.
[Batman 676-683]

*Final Crisis
[Final Crisis 1-7]

Batman and Robin: Batman Reborn
[Batman and Robin 1-6]

Batman and Robin: Batman vs. Robin (November 2010)
[Batman and Robin 7-12]

Batman: Time of the Batman (March 2011)
[Batman 700-703]

Batman: Return of Bruce Wayne (April 2011)
[Batman Return of Bruce Wayne 1-6]

*Final Crisis isn't a Batman-specific/centered story like the rest of the work, it is a DC Universe encompassing tale, just so you know.

**Chux** · 15 Jul 2010, 02:58 PM

701 was pretty fucking good.

**Some Stupid Japanese Name** · 15 Jul 2010, 03:35 PM

really? Not that Comics Should Be Good is the be all and end all of comic reviews, but the article they had on Batman 701 was pretty harsh.

**PaCrappa** · 15 Jul 2010, 06:59 PM

Does your illustrated reading material need to be Batman?

If it does then I suggest The Cult because it has art by Berni Wrightson. Which will put you much closer to reading good comics than anything else listed thus far.