Batman comics help! Best books for New Readers, Current titles & Trades

[nepenthes]

Nothing big, just DKR is 2 and RIP is 3 in the trades poll thread but it's in the wrong order in the cover wall here. I just found it amusing because I always check back to this thread to fill gaps in my Batman reading but I have never noticed this til recently

whoa thanks for pointing that out I dont know how I got that out of order. I need to count in a new vote by Crazy Quilt so I guess i'll do that sooner than later and then update the cover wall. thanks again. good to know the list's been helpful!

[sendingsignal]

Yeah I'd definitly consider a Batman Essentials tag - I'm sure a gargantuan list of every small cameo appearance will be interesting to some people, perhaps more as anovelty than anything else, but imo it's safe to say that most people who search "Batman" will be mainly interested in stories where he plays a defining role. Books about Batman rather than books featuring other characters where he just happens to pop in for a moment or two.

Yeah, I think I'll probably have to do essential lists for Batman and Superman at the very least. It will be fun though and won't take too long. I'll probably do it once the main list starts having too many cameos tagged on it, which isn't a problem right now since most books are only tagged with the main characters.

[onoturtle]

Got good advice for my 80's and 90's Batman posts, so here is one for the past decade. Might be my final one, unless I decide to dig deeper into the earlier decades... I'll list what I've read and I'll bold the ones that I enjoyed the most if that helps in giving me advice. I'm focused on Batman, but if there is some Bat-related trade that's good, I'll probably be open to checking it out.

What I've read so far:
...and the Monster Men, ...and the Mad Monk, The Man Who Laughs, Murderer?, Fugitive, Hush, Broken City, Death and the Maidens, War Drums, War Games, Under the Hood, War Crimes, Face the Face, Detective, ...and Son, Death and the City, Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, The Black Glove, Private Casebook, The Heart of Hush, R.I.P., Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?, Battle for the Cowl, Batman Reborn, Long Shadows, Life After Death, Batman vs. Robin

I have the following on hold at the library so will be reading them soon: Hush Returns, Joker, Batwoman: Elegy, and All-Star Batman and Robin.

Any great trades I ought to track down and read (hopefully from the library :D)? Regardless at this point I can probably say I'm caught up on (modern) Batman haha

I've been keeping up with the latest on Batman, Batman and Robin, Return of Bruce Wayne, and the recently finished Road Home, so don't need to mention those :D

THANKS!

[nepenthes]

Batman Year 100, Ego & Other Tails, Gotham Central and Dark Knight Strikes Again. These are actually imo some of the best books outside of Morrisons run of the last ten years, and you seem to have missed them all!

[onoturtle]

Batman Year 100, Ego & Other Tails, Gotham Central and Dark Knight Strikes Again. These are actually imo some of the best books outside of Morrisons run of the last ten years, and you seem to have missed them all!

Thanks! Yeah, I've haven't read any of them but I do have Year 100 and Dark Knight Strikes Again among my to read list. I've never heard of Ego and not in my library system, so I'll have to track that down some other way.

Are you recommending the entire Gotham Central series? My local library systems looks like it has all 5 volumes so I could read it all eventually. But they have different names from the ones I see on Amazon. Change of volume names with the new printing?

[nepenthes]

Are you recommending the entire Gotham Central series? My local library systems looks like it has all 5 volumes so I could read it all eventually. But they have different names from the ones I see on Amazon. Change of volume names with the new printing?

Yep, or at least start with vol.1 and up to the Joker arc and see if it's your thing. The newest editions are just hardcovers that collect more issues than the previous softcovers did, so that's probably what you're seeing on Amazon.

And yeah make sure you track down Ego & Other Tails (which also collects Selinas Big Score, the old tpb just had Ego and is simply called Ego)

[collex]

So I posted a message in another thread about recommendation without seeing this one. Basic newbie move. I'll just ask a few more question here:

I wanna get into monthly Batman comics starting in January. I want classic story, and I have no interest in reading or doing background reading on Morrison run. Somebody suggested Detective Comics (New arc in February, so I'll hop on that one), does anybody agree?

I'm also interested in Batman Beyond which start in January. I guess the miniseries about Hush Beyond is going to be released as a TPB so I can catch up on that, right? I also have no idea who is writing it, is he any good? And the artist?

I'm reading Gotham City Sirens right now but in TPB form, if that help anyone form suggestion.

EDIT -- By the way, I'm wondering if there is any good story about the relationshi between Joker and Harley Quinn? I've read Mad Love and ow the first (and only, I think) tpb of Harley Quinn solo series in addition to the first volume of Gotham City Sirens, like I said

[V0nnegut]

Are you recommending the entire Gotham Central series?

The first 25 issues are the best ever written in the world of Batman, imo.

[BurtAlert]

Thank you, nepenthes! This is exactly what I was looking for when I came to this forum. I am fairly new to comics and am a huge fan of Batman and the Joker. So far I have read The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, The Man Who Laughs, Arkham Asylum: Madness, and some of the Gotham Central series. On Saturday I picked up Detective Comics #870 from my local comic book store without realizing that it was the final part of a series. Is Batman: Impostors any good? I am trying to decide if I should buy issues 867-869.

[nepenthes]

So I posted a message in another thread about recommendation without seeing this one. Basic newbie move. I'll just ask a few more question here:

I wanna get into monthly Batman comics starting in January. I want classic story, and I have no interest in reading or doing background reading on Morrison run. Somebody suggested Detective Comics (New arc in February, so I'll hop on that one), does anybody agree?

I'm also interested in Batman Beyond which start in January. I guess the miniseries about Hush Beyond is going to be released as a TPB so I can catch up on that, right? I also have no idea who is writing it, is he any good? And the artist?

I'm reading Gotham City Sirens right now but in TPB form, if that help anyone form suggestion.

EDIT -- By the way, I'm wondering if there is any good story about the relationshi between Joker and Harley Quinn? I've read Mad Love and ow the first (and only, I think) tpb of Harley Quinn solo series in addition to the first volume of Gotham City Sirens, like I said

I'll definitely be trying out Detective, I think quite a few people will, judging by the board there's alot of anticipation. What to make of it though we'll only know in a few weeks...

You shouldn't need to delve into the Morrison run to come aboard with the Batman Inc main series. From everything we've heard it's a fresh start, similar to what Batman & Robin #1 was, that ties into a larger picture only if you want it to. And you never know you may just feel like going back to the beginning once you're in

Make sure you get Batman: The Return which will be a launch pad for the whole line-up of new storylines in all titles, not just Batman Inc.

Batman Beyond has received mixed reviews. I can't say I'm fan personally, but they're definitely around. The trade will not be available by January so you'll just have to grab issue one and see from there. Here's the thread from the latest issue (with spoilers) Batman Beyond #5 and an interview with the writer about the new series starting next year

Thank you, nepenthes! This is exactly what I was looking for when I came to this forum. I am fairly new to comics and am a huge fan of Batman and the Joker. So far I have read The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, The Man Who Laughs, Arkham Asylum: Madness, and some of the Gotham Central series. On Saturday I picked up Detective Comics #870 from my local comic book store without realizing that it was the final part of a series. Is Batman: Impostors any good? I am trying to decide if I should buy issues 867-869.

Glad you found it useful . With Imposters, honestly I'm a huge fan of David Hine's work in Azrael and The Spirit but this Detective arc just missed the mark for me. You're better off buying Azrael 14 next week (fresh arc by David Hine featuring Dick Grayson, Bruce and Batman Inc) and Batman: The Return in two weeks. In trades look at getting Year One, Long Halloween and Hush before starting on Batman & Son and onwards, which will eventually bring you all the way to Batman & Robin and where we are now.

[coconutphone]

I know it's not out until tomorrow but does anyone think that "Batman: The Return" would be a good place to get the intial/in depth reactions to his return or has that been covered largely elsewhere?

[FHIZ]

I think that's the point of The Return/to bridge between the major arcs.

some reactions were covered in the Road Home, but I'm willing to bet most of those will go ignored really. The Batgirl one was the best. Tim and Bruce took a moment in the latest issue of Red Robin. And Dick/Damian seemed to have been expecting him in Batman and Robin 16.

[Karl O'Neill]

Anyone know where I can get a cheap copy of The Last Arkham TPB? It's quite expensive on Amazon!

[GothamAlleys]

My all time favorite story and a highly recommended read is "Identity Crisis" from 1990, by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. I know its a unique choice but this story was like reading a Hitchcock book. I loved its mystery and turned the pages as fast as I could. Its still my favorite..

[dancj]

My all time favorite story and a highly recommended read is "Identity Crisis" from 1990, by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle. I know its a unique choice but this story was like reading a Hitchcock book. I loved its mystery and turned the pages as fast as I could. Its still my favorite..

Wasn't that one Peter Milligan?