How to Start Reading Batman Comics

Batman is DC Comics' biggest flagship character. With his 80-plus years of history in comics, he's amassed countless worthwhile stories for fans to read, but knowing where to start can be intimidating. Comic books and the superhero genre don't always welcome newcomers. That can make it hard to even figure out which version of a character like Batman to start with.

Between multiple decades of comics that may or may not conflict with each other and universal reboots throwing Batman's continuity up in the air, this and other superhero comics can feel confusing. Nonetheless, the best Batman comics offer plenty of memorable storylines and characters for fans to invest themselves in. Both in mainstream DC books and in several alternate timelines, readers have an incredible number of stories to dive into after they begin with some essentials.

This article was updated on November 4, 2024, by Christopher Raley: The Batman franchise still appeals to the popular imagination and, as a result, pulls in new readers. But it can be hard to figure out where to start. More details about where to start reading Batman have been added to this article, and it's been updated to conform to CBR's current publishing standards.

Begin With "Post-Crisis" Batman

Fortunately, Year One is a Great Place to Start

While greats like Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams returned Batman to his more grounded, street-level roots in the 1970s, DC Comics' first major brand-wide reboot came in the form of 1985's Crisis on Infinite Earths. It's one of the publisher's most popular story arcs, but it was also done to streamline the state of DC's canon, which had already grown complicated in the intervening years. The series, written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by George Pérez, simplified the publisher's timeline and characters, including The Dark Knight, resulting in an opportunity for writers to begin again.

That makes industry legends Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's Batman: Year One (1987) an ideal starting point for prospective fans looking to delve into Batman's vast mythos. Batman: Year One's reimagined origin story for the Caped Crusader imbues Gotham with a crime-noir atmosphere. Setting the tone for the modern age of Batman, Gotham City's inherent corruption becomes his, and his ally Jim Gordon's, original enemy.

Arguably Miller's most iconic Batman story, Year One is the perfect baseline and springboard for the most celebrated stories that followed it. Some of its most natural successors include Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween (1996) and, by extension, the sequel, Dark Victory (1999). The former is sometimes thought of as the greatest Batman comic written to date, giving readers a terrific showcase for the World's Greatest Detective in an unforgettable mystery thriller that can almost be thought of as "Year Two." Both stories have inspired years of Batman comics, and even animated shows and movies.

More Great Comics From The "Post-Crisis" Era Include Killing Joke

But It Includes Several Other Great Stories

Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween are some of the best comics chronicling Batman's early years as Gotham's definitive vigilante. However, other critical stories from this era delve into Batman the veteran crime fighter. One of these is The Killing Joke (1988), which revisits The Joker's origin as the Clown Prince of Crime as he attacks both Police Commissioner Gordon and his daughter Barbara, paralyzing her from the waist down and ending her career as Batgirl. The Killing Joke is typically regarded as one of the darkest Batman comics ever written.

Collectively, these stories provide an entry point to other milestone stories from the '80s and '90s, including A Death in the Family (1988). This Joker-forward comic features the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin who replaced Dick Grayson. Because of his impulsive and rebellious tendencies, Batman relieves Todd of his duties, but the Joker kidnaps and tortures him. In Knightfall (1993), Bane breaks out the high-security prisoners at Arkham Asylum. Batman weakens under the resulting flood of crime and Bane cripples him in a battle, forcing the Bat to call on a replacement while he heals.

No Man's Land (1999), was a huge storyline that played out over most of 1999 and told of Gotham's near destruction by an earthquake. In the aftermath, the government leaves those who won't evacuate to the criminals. This leaves Batman, the Gotham Police, and members of the Bat Family to take back Gotham the harder way. Finally, the blockbuster Hush (2002) features Batman tracking down a stalker whose origins are unknown but who seems intent on taking down The Dark Knight.

The New 52 Was The Next DC Reboot

This Reboot Paved the Way For Batman's Best Modern Comics

The New 52 (2011-2016) was the second major reboot of DC Comics' shared universe. Despite being divisive, it managed to spawn some of the greatest Batman comics of the 2010s. The first arc of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's beloved run on the flagship book, The Court of Owls (2012), is the easiest and best starting point of this era. It tells an inventive story introducing some of Batman's most compelling contemporary villains.

Snyder and Capullo do an excellent job of building on this early high-water mark with their follow-up storylines, including the high-stakes Joker arcs Death of the Family (2014) and Endgame​​​ (2014). This mainline Batman run is great for both long-time fans and new readers. That's largely thanks to its combination of accessible plots and organic worldbuilding, including Batman's alternate origin story, Zero Year (2013). Elsewhere in the New 52 continuity, Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason's Batman and Robin (2011) run is a superb look at Bruce and his biological son Damian Wayne's growing bond.

Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham's Batman Incorporated (2010) is inspired by everything from James Bond to Agatha Christie and is full of swashbuckling international exploits. Although, both Batman and Robin and Batman Incorporated were heavily influenced by Morrison and Andy Kubert's 2006 story Batman & Son before the New 52 ever started. Even though it's not technically part of this timeline, Batman & Son introduces Damian as Batman's most savage Robin and is essential reading for Batman fans interested in the New 52.

DC Rebirth Relaunches the Series

Batman Writer Tom King Penned a Few Standouts

In 2016, DC Rebirth was a sort of soft reset, and Batman began again under Tom King's pen. The writer's overall run was a mixed bag, but early arcs like I Am Suicide (2016) and I Am Bane (2017) were compelling spiritual continuations of The Dark Knight's early quarrels with Bane in Knightfall. Later, The War of Jokes and Riddles (2017) was a meaningful flashback arc about a crime war between The Joker and The Riddler (which Bruce tells to Selina Kyle) that helped readers (and, by extension, Kyle) understand Bruce's conflicted psyche.

Writer James Tynion IV's long-form storyline The Rise and Fall of the Batmen (2016-2019) from Detective Comics was another highlight of DC Rebirth. A Bat-Family epic, it focuses on the Gotham Knights, a team of young heroes ranging from Robin to Spoiler to even Clayface, and it should satisfy readers' questions about supporting characters in Batman's orbit. All these books provide a foundation for fans who want to follow Chip Zdarksy and Jorge Jiménez's current Batman (2022-) run, much of which has to do with an android Batman that Batman created to take down himself if he finally goes bonkers. These comics are also more than enough background info to follow Ram V's gothic-opera-themed Detective Comics​​​​​​ (2022-2024) run or even Tom King's ongoing stint on the book.

Alternate-Canon Miniseries/Limited Series

One-off, Non-Canon Stories Can Be Great Places to Start

DC's canon has numerous worthwhile miniseries, but one of the best ways for readers to ease themselves into the Caped Crusader's stories is by reading through the character's alternate-timeline catalog. These comics are predominantly found in the classic DC Elseworlds imprint and the ongoing Black Label. With these limited, one-off series, there is no pressure on readers to fit the stories into the larger arc of the Caped Crusader. Sometimes just the word "continuity" strikes fear in the hearts of fans who only want a good Batman story.

Among Batman's alternate-timeline books, Frank Miller, Lynn Varley, and Klaus Janson's The Dark Knight Returns (1986) is the most famous. While it hasn't aged perfectly, The Dark Knight Returns is still a fantastic stand-alone read featuring an unconventional, dystopic variant of the hero, confronted with Gotham's continuing poverty crime against the razzle-dazzle backdrop of the Superman-supported Regan era. More recently, Sean Murphy's White Knight series (2017-) has blossomed into a dense pocket universe all its own, inviting longtime fans looking for something fresh and newcomers alike with its reimagined versions of Batman and the Joker.

However, there are even wilder story concepts found under these imprints. They include a Victorian-inspired Batman hunting Jack the Ripper in Brian Augustyn, Mike Mignola, and P. Craig Russell's Gotham by Gaslight (1989). Readers can also find Batman fighting off Dracula's vampiric invasion in Doug Moench and Kelley Jones' Batman & Dracula trilogy (1991-1998). While they aren't officially part of Bruce Wayne's mainline continuity, they're always fun and interesting, showing how Batman can be reinvented throughout the ages while still retaining his core as DC's Dark Detective.