Batman TPBs: The First Few Years

[CBF]

Correct me here if I am wrong or missing some TPBs or my continuity is out of order. What I am trying to do here is list the first few years of Batman's career, beginning with Year One, and also to have the origins of the main sidekicks Robin, Batgirl, and later Nightwing, and Jason Todd's death as well as Barbara Gordon's paralyzation at the hands of The Joker.

Batman: Year One
Batman: The Man Who Laughs
Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: Dark Victory
Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet
Robin: Year One
Batgirl: Year One
Nightwing: Year One
Batman: A Death in The Family
Batman: The Killing Joke

Here's the others, post-Killing Joke:

Batman: Knightfall
Batman: No Man’s Land
Hush 1
Hush 2
Superman/Batman v1: Public Enemies
Superman/Batman v2: Supergirl
City of Crime
Hush Returns
The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul

Are all of these in mainstream continuity? In the correct order?

[Vidocq]

Dark Moon rising series happens between Year One and Man Who Laughs. Two Face Year One happens during The Long Halloween, Catwoman: when in Rome happens during Dark Victory. Batman: Year Three, Which still is in continuity, happens sometime during or after Robin Year One. Killing Joke, Nightwing Year One and Death happen when Batman was in his Prime.

[CBF]

Cool, I knew about Catwoman: When in Rome, though I'm not a big fan of hers, and Batman: Haunted Knight, which both go with TLH and DV as they are done by Loeb and Sale. I figured I wouldn't add those.

I knew that they retconned Year Two: Fear the Reaper out of existing continuity, but I didn't know there was a Three.

I have about 10 more books that go in this list, after Killing Joke, that aren't his early years and that I also may need help with the order. I might go back and post them too.

[CBF]

I posted the others. You'll find that I added about 10 more books to the list after TKJ.

[nepenthes]

are not you counting the LotDK trades at all?

you have:
Shaman (before year one)
Gothic
Prey
Venom
Snow
Collected LotDK (Blades and Hothouse)

Terror
Faces
(these should probably fit in after LTH)

of these books I cannot recommend Collected LotDK and Gothic enough. if you want to discount certain LotDK arcs then fine, but these are classics imo. Both in the Top15 of all batman trades.

there also are Two Face and Huntress Year Ones being released as we speak, and they are TOP quality batman books. And the Four of A Kind tpb collects Year One's for Scarecrow, Ivy, ManBat and Riddler, and I think they're all still pretty solidly in continuity even if the qulaity is pretty mundane

The Cult is an classic tale that occurs before Death in the Family.

Batman Ego, I don't know if it was intended to be strictly continuity but it should be because it's fantastic and it doesn't mess with anything else in the early period. It seems to take place before Jason Todd was introduced and references the creation of Joker and Two-Face. The tpb also includes Selinas Big Score, which is clearly one of the best Catwoman stories ever produced making the trade well worth the purchase. It blows When in Rome and what I've read of Brubakers run, and certainly all of Pfeiffers run, clear out of the water.

I didn't think Year Three had ever been collected. though it should be :mad:. it's only three issues so they should include LotDk 100 which is another Dick Grayson origin retrospective. and maybe the issues where he hands over to Jason Todd.

[Mat001]

There is also "Turning Points" as it ties into the majority of your list, CBF.

[Don Quixote]

There's War Games as well, which would fit in before Hush Returns, I think. And I don't know if you're including The Prodigal storyline after Knightfall, there.

The Killing Joke is in continuity, but Alan Moore never really intended for it to be. He thought he was writing a possible Joker origin. Part of the controversy over Barbara Gordon's shooting is that people argue she need never have been wheelchair-bound in the first place, because Moore didn't intend his story to affect the mainstream Batman universe.

[CBF]

There is also "Turning Points" as it ties into the majority of your list, CBF.

Cool, thanks, Mat001, "Turning Points," right, have to check that out, maybe add it to the list.

There's War Games as well, which would fit in before Hush Returns, I think. And I don't know if you're including The Prodigal storyline after Knightfall, there. The Killing Joke is in continuity.

I am not too familiar with "War Games," but by not including "Prodigal" I was attempting to avoid the Azrael storyline, even though there's probably some of it included within my list anyway. My favorite character is Dick Grayson, but I felt that that seemed like a storyline to adheer to the fans' outcry of Dick not picking up the mantle when Bane broke Bruce's back in "Knightfall." And yes, TKJ was one of my fav stories, just being a classic. And had Barbara not been shot and paralyzed becoming Oracle, who knows what other path she could have taken? Maybe a political role like her (adoptive) father?

I'll have to Wikipedia those ones I don't know of, then maybe add them to my list if relevant to my timeline enough.

Thanks, guys, for the input. Much appreciated.:cool:

[nepenthes]

http://www.batmantrades.com/

might help :smile:

[Captain Jim]

The Killing Joke is in continuity, but Alan Moore never really intended for it to be. He thought he was writing a possible Joker origin. Part of the controversy over Barbara Gordon's shooting is that people argue she need never have been wheelchair-bound in the first place, because Moore didn't intend his story to affect the mainstream Batman universe.

What's your source for this?

[nepenthes]

I seem to remember reading that in a few places as well, can't remember the exact sources though or how legit they were supposed to be

[Don Quixote]

I can't recall where I read it, to be honest. It was in an article about Barbara Gordon and the depiction of disabilities in comics. I think it was on Comics Bulletin or a similar site.

And there are direct quotes from Moore saying he doesn't even like the book himself. He seems pretty dismissive of the story in interviews, saying it isn't really anything 'interesting'.

[Captain Jim]

there are direct quotes from Moore saying he doesn't even like the book himself. He seems pretty dismissive of the story in interviews, saying it isn't really anything 'interesting'.

Yeah, but that's a very different thing that saying it wasn't intended to be in continuity.

[CBF]

Yeah, but that's a very different thing that saying it wasn't intended to be in continuity.

Yeah, I mean, if it's not accepted as continuity, then I will most likely take it off my list. I know it's a classic, but I already have both the normal and Deluxe digital versions anyway. I'm just looking for books that fit the main "Official" story.

One thing I really hate about comic books is the retcons and alternate timelines and erasing continuities. I understand once an era changes, "let's reintroduce this character for the new era," like Silver Age to Modern, but things like Spidey's current predicament, or books that are outside a timeline, I don't.

[earl]

"The Killing Joke is in continuity, but Alan Moore never really intended for it to be."

Working in a comic store way back then, I seem to remember this being how it was described when it first came out. I also remember reading somewhere that The Killing Joke started out as Batman Annual and was moved into the 'The Dark Knight' format after it's success.

I think the idea was that Batgirl was just going to vanish along with a bunch of old Silver Age things did from DC after the first crisis and the restarts of titles, most of which came back one by one, but the popularity of The Killing Joke caught on and then John Ostrander and Kim Yale started to use Barbara Gordon in a totally different way and that is that.

It doesn't really matter, it is obvious that The Killing Joke is 'in continuity' as there have been bunches upon bunches of other DC comics that refer to it as such, which is all continuity really is in the first place.

[Mat001]

I am not too familiar with "War Games," but by not including "Prodigal" I was attempting to avoid the Azrael storyline, even though there's probably some of it included within my list anyway. My favorite character is Dick Grayson, but I felt that that seemed like a storyline to adheer to the fans' outcry of Dick not picking up the mantle when Bane broke Bruce's back in "Knightfall." And yes, TKJ was one of my fav stories, just being a classic. And had Barbara not been shot and paralyzed becoming Oracle, who knows what other path she could have taken? Maybe a political role like her (adoptive) father?

Azreal is in "Knightfall" and "No Man's Land". "Prodigal" only has Jean Paul for one page, while the rest is just Dick and Tim with a little of Bruce. Yes, technically it was done for the fans and it was also done to show why Dick wasn't ready to be Batman yet. As well as set up for the new artists as Mike Manley and Brett Bevlins were ending their run to be replaced by Kelly Jones and Barry Kitson respectively. It's not a bad story overall and helped to set the stage for Nightwing's solo series.

[Darth Pipes]

Been reading a bunch of Batman trade paperbacks lately. The Killing Joke, Hush, Hush Returns, Knightfall II...nothing is better than a Batman story arc.