Ok, I think I should be able to help. For the most part, it is the same story within, it just depends on your preference of how you wish to keep and store your comics for longevity purposes.

This is the standard trade paperback, it contains the standard four chapters (which is the complete story) featuring I believe the modern recolouring, plus a few extras like word from author or else glimpses of art as it was in development. Trade paper backs are probably the most convenient way to read a comic, as they collect all the single issues needed into one self contained book. Some people though feel that trade paper backs do not keep well over time due e.g. the way the pages are bound together. I still I have my versions I bought in 2016, and it appears to have kept well.

There is the recent Deluxe edition, which again contains the same story, which is similarly recoloured, though it appears there are a few extra material pages from other artist commentaries, more behind the scenes arts and the like (mostly trivial unless your really keen on knowing the behind the scenes process). The big difference though comes from it being hardback, and being a higher quality product i.e. binding is better. It will probably keep better over time. There are many fans who prefer to buy Deluxe editions for their favourite stories to preserve them better for longer, but it does make collecting more expensive. It really is up to you on how much you are willing to pay for, how you store your comics (i.e. keep them standing up right on a bookshelf rather than stacked lying down on the floor), how long you intend to keep your comics around, how many other comics you are considering getting. Trade paper backs are the easiest ways to start for newbies, Deluxe are usually for more serious investments and collectors.

There is another version available that I'm not sure whether you had seen, but I will explain for clarity, too. That would be the Absolute Edition. The Absolute edition is the most expensive, and hence most fancy-pants way of collecting comics. It comes with anything you could imagine wanting to collect. For example, this version of Year One collects the modern recolour, scans of the original in original colour, full artist break down of each chapter, etc. I believe it would even be a larger size (to take in more detail), it is obviously hard cover, probably comes with it's own box, and is a serious luxury item.

Why would they make three different versions of the same story? Because they know some fans will buy it first in single issue, might collect it later in trade (either paper back for casual fans, or Deluxe for more long term keeping), and again there will be some fans whose love for the comic is so great that on a significant anniversary they can release a luxury item like this and some fans again will buy it all over, to pour over all the details and more again, and to show how much they love particular stories. Not every comic story will get an Absolute (just really notable ones, like Watchmen, The Killing Joke, etc.), but the ones that do will most likely have a largely dedicated fan base that will surely buy it all over again (and it's not as if they aren't gaining something from it too, if they do love it, and want more from it. You know, I'm not trying to be too cynical or anything, because I do understand wanting to get more from what you like, just like how movies might come with Director's cut, Director's commentary, etc, Absolute's are like that).

So, I hope I have been able to help, or at least clarify what it is you are looking at there. Please let me know if there is anything else you would like extra information on!

Batman has been published non-stop since 1939, so yes, it is still being published, and there is a lot of it. As to reading most, you have tens of thousands of comics to read (if not more) so it is unlikely that you will be able to read all of the Batman comics. That reading list on the side is comprised of above average graphic novels (which are generally a "run" of comics that tell a self contained story, where as if you buy a single comic on its own it likely will not make sense because it will likely be in the middle of a story arc). So I recommend buying graphic novels because they are a self contained story, meaning that you don't need other comics to understand the plot. All of the ones on the side there are really great, but there are so many other great graphic novels, for instance, you mentioned that you liked the game Arkham Asylum, which was loosely based on the graphic novel of the same name. If you really want to try to read all the Batman stories in order I recommend The Batman Chronicles which is a republication of every Batman comic in order of publication, but you should really read some other graphic novels first because The Batman Chronicles starts with the 1939 comics, and the Batman mythos have changed a lot since then, also, because there are so many comics The Batman Chronicles are expensive, so far 10 volumes have been released and they have only gotten to 1943, so it will be many volumes before they reach some of the best Batman stories. I hope I helped and feel free to ask me any questions you may have. Also, I recommend the graphic novels Year One, The Dark Knight Returns, The Killing Joke, Hush, and The Long Halloween.

Definitely! My pleasure!

I would start with his New 52 Batman run (2011-2016) with artist Greg Capullo, Batman #1.

Here's a link from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Vol-Court-Comics-Paperback/dp/1401235425/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=new+52+batman&qid=1554919357&s=gateway&sr=8-3

The link is to the paperback edition because the first issue is worth a lot and hard to come by these days.

There are several reasons I recommend Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's run on Batman. First, and foremost, it's great writing--Scott put his heart and soul into the 52 issues; it's deeply personal to him, and much of the stories deal with his own fears and experiences via metaphor/plot to the Batman issues he wrote.

I can say more, but I think it's best you read his work to see if it's your cup of tea. Everyone has their own particular tastes, and it's all subjective, which is why I think it's best to first get your reaction before delving more into Scott Snyder's Batman run.

If you have any comments or questions regarding Snyder's run on Batman, I'm more than glad to reply. As you can tell, I'm a huge admirer of his work.

No Man's Land - was originally collected into 5 trades but is being recollected into 4 much larger (including more issues) higher quality trades. Volume 1 was released in December, volume 2 comes out in april, 3 in august and 4 in this coming December. I read the original 5 volumes and it was a good story.

Heart of Hush - Hush Returns kinda sucked, Heart of Hush was a lot better.

Make sure you get the most recent release of Death in the Family as it includes A Lonely Place of Dying (Tim Drake's introduction as the 3rd Robin) which was not included in the many older versions.

JLA: Tower of Babel is a great Batman centric Justice League story. It is the inspiration for the recent Justice League: Doom animated movie but the source material has enough differences to be worth reading.

I think your best bet on finding anything age appropriate will be anything pre-1960/70. I have a nephew I love to buy comics for, and he's only just turned 5. I buy him the Batman Chronicles (http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Chronicles-Vol-Bill-Finger/dp/1401204457) and he kind of enjoys those. Some of the language might be a little out there; I mean I often have to read it to him because he doesn't understand some of the words. Other than that I always pick him up Young Justice which features Robin predominantly, and Batman pops up from here to there. Young Justice is very kid friendly too. If she wants to explore some other stuff DC also makes a pretty good Scooby Doo comic book for kids.

Most runs that have an overarching plot-line have been collected into trades.

Besides Snyder's work in DC and Batman, my favorite writer's run would be Alan Grant's run on the Shadow of the Bat title. It's 1-82 in the title, but unfortunately most issues were never collected. The floppies are fairly common on eBay, and the few local comic shops I frequent have had multiple copies of almost all of the issues. Also, they're available on Comixology, if you prefer digital reading.

Doug Moench's second run on Batman in the '90s was fairly solid, though there were some real dud issues. It ran from 481- 559. His run with artist Kelley Jones was recently collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones. These are some of the better issues from his run.

Loeb and Lee's run on the Batman title resulted in Hush, one of my favorite stories. Their run covered issues 608 - 619, and has been collected in multiple formats. This also segues nicely into Judd Winick's run from Batman 635-650, with a brief hiatus on issues 642-644. This was collected in the Under the Hood trade.

Paul Dini (The Animated Series writer) had a nice run on the Detective Comics title. It was a bit sporadic, but was 821-824, 826-828, 831, 833-834, 837-841, 843-850, and 852.

Both Moench & Jones and Under the Hood has plenty of Black Mask action. In the Moench trade, Batman is hunting down Black Mask after the events of Knightfall. In Under the Hood, Black Mask has become one of the top gang bosses in Gotham.

There have been plenty of other great runs, but these are fresh in my mind, as I just finished Moench's complete run a few days ago.

Also, for some pre new 52 stuff, id recommend

Batman underground
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1401219284/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1418977133&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Batman detective written by Paul dini
http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Detective-Paul-Dini/dp/1401212395

Another Paul dini book
http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Private-Casebook-Paul-Dini/dp/1401220096

The above two are like the books that contain mini stories in them.

Heart of hush. The followup of Hush.
http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Heart-Hush-Paul-Dini/dp/1401221246

And a personal favorite of mine
Tower of babel
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/156389727X/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1418977427&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SY200_QL40


All of these books are great imo.

Happy readings bat-friend.

I just read through Morrison's whole run, and the issue you're looking for is actually in a one-shot called "Batman: The Return". This issue is collected in Vol. 3 of Morrison's B&R run, "Batman & Robin Must Die! I gotta say, if you want to read Batman Inc., you really should read the rest of Morrison's run first, or you really won't get his full Batman run. I highly recommend getting the optional collection called Batman: The Black Casebook as well, it collects a lot of the silver age stories that Morrison was inspired by. Final Crisis isn't necessary and won't really enhance the run, but it does have a pretty big moment of it. Feel free to PM me for more details about his run! Also, as a bonus, here's a picture of his whole run that I took for the /r/comicbooks swag bag Friday a while back!

The new 52 Batman series is really really great. Scott Snyder's brilliant writing paired with refreshing art by Greg Capullo sets the series apart. I recently finished volume 4 and I am constantly deciding which is my favorite so far.

The Killing Joke (I recommend getting the hardcover deluxe edition)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

I recently started the Batman Eternal series and I'm very impressed with the storyline.

Some extra stuff that wasn't mentioned already:

No Man's Land (1-4 + Road to No Man's Land 1 and 2)

Batman Murderer and Fugitive - The art was all over the place, but I really liked the story. Ed Brubaker is amazing!

Batman: Venom

Batman: The Cult

Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1 - one of the best Batman runs, and it all starts here!

Batman: Ego and Other Tails mostly for Ego.

Batman: The Court of Owls

Batman: War Games (1 and 2)

​

​

Right here is the best deal. Although I should mention that this is only the first half of the Court of Owls storyline. But regardless, this is one of the best Batman stories in years and also an easy place to start.

I think we owe Frank Miller a huge thank you because it was him who gave the caped crusader his darker persona we all love. I've read Year One several times, also recommend this for your collection.

http://www.amazon.com/Batman-The-Dark-Knight-Returns/dp/1563893428/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3

From Batman: What Ever Happened To The Caped Crusader?
>"I'm the Batman, I protect the city. I rescue people. I investigate crimes. I guard the innocent. I correct the guilty. And I GET it. I mean I REALLY get it. The end of the story of Batman is he's DEAD. Because in the end the Batman dies. What ELSE am I going to do? Retire and play golf? It doesn't work that way. It CAN'T. I fight until I drop. And one day, I WILL drop. But until then, I FIGHT."

The image

From Batman Year One
>"Ladies. Gentleman. You have eaten well. You've eaten Gotham's wealth. It's spirit. But you're feast is nearly over. From this moment on -- none of you are safe.

Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:

Amazon Smile Link: Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones


|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|France|www.amazon.fr||
|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
|Canada|www.amazon.ca||
|Italy|www.amazon.it||
|India|www.amazon.in||
|China|www.amazon.cn||




To help donate money to charity, please have a look at this thread.

This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.

That's the right one yeah. But like I said, it's not as easy a read as say...Batman Hush. It's not bad again, it's just kinda old.

And yeah I'm like you too. I've only recently started reading comic books. Which have you read? 8]

edit: This is the graphic novel

And this is the animated movie

They also made the movie split into two parts that I felt was better than that deluxe edition that combines them into one movie.

Part 1

Part 2

When they came out with Absolute Batman: Year One a couple years back, the coloring was back to Richmond Lewis’ original recoloring (the good coloring) for the trades. Hopefully, DC got the memo that the coloring for the 2012 deluxe edition, that went against Mazzucchelli’s wishes -and was ugly as hell — needed to be changed, and the Black Label edition is back to the pre-2012 editions. If you don’t want to wait, your best bet is to find the edition from 2005. It’s still available.

What Mazzucchelli had to say about the 2012 edition:

DC just sent me this book last week, and I really hope people don’t buy it. I didn’t even know they were making it, and I don’t understand why they thought it was necessary — several years ago, DC asked me if I’d help put together a deluxe edition ofBatman: Year One, and Dale Crain and I worked for months to try to make a definitive version. Now whoever’s in charge has thrown all that work in the garbage. First, they redesigned the cover, and recolored my artwork — probably to look more like their little DVD that came out last year; second, they printed the book on shiny paper, which was never a part of the original design, all the way back to the first hardcover in 1988; third — and worst — they printed the color from corrupted, out-of-focus digital files, completely obscuring all of Richmond’s hand-painted work. Anybody who’s already paid for this should send it back to DC and demand a refund.

To get the 2005 edition, if you want it, go here: https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Year-One-Frank-Miller/dp/1401207529

Mr. Freeze is my favorite villain and he actually has some good moments.

By far the best Mr. Freeze stories aren't comics at all, but episodes of Batman: the Animated Series: "Heart of Ice" was written by Paul Dini and set the fundamental origin of Mr. Freeze. Check it out here, episode 14.

Paul Dini also wrote a graphic novel (I don't know if it's standalone or not) called Mr. Freeze. It's kind of hard to find off the net, and I've never read it, but how bad could Dini on Freeze be? :)

Mr. Freeze is one of the villains in Loeb/Sale's Dark Victory, the sequel to Long Halloween. He is very visually interesting in the story, but not the main villain.

There was a miniseries told within Legends of the Dark Knight, I think it went for 3-5 issues or something, called Batman: Snow. It's been collected since.

In the New 52, Snyder and Capullo did Mr. Freeze in Batman Annual #1, rebooting his origin. It was pretty good, but I have problems with his new look. That issue is collected in Volume 2 of Snyder and Capullo's Batman series, The City of Owls.

Freeze was also the main villain in one of Batman: Dark Knight villain month issues, though I didn't read it.

Hope that helps!

P.S. Speaking of Loeb/Sale, they also did a graphic novel called Haunted Knight, which focuses mainly on Scarecrow and Mad Hatter. I don't know if you've ever read any Loeb/Sale team ups, but they're consistently awesome.

I hope you enjoy it! Here are some of my favorites that I prefer over the Frank Miller stuff:

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (These are my favorites, lots of stuff taken from these in The Dark Knight film):

The Long Halloween

Dark Victory

Haunted Knight


Others:

The Killing Joke (You simply must read this one)

Batman and Son

Identity Crisis (Haven't read this one yet, but the plot sounds awesome!)

Non-Batman stuff:

Maximum Carnage (My first graphic novel that someone gave to me. It's spectacular!)

Watchmen

Hush is often regarded as one of the best Batman trades out there, so you're off to a good start.

Here's a rough list of other books you might enjoy, all widly embraced by fans of Batman while staying with a darker tone similar to Hush.

• Batman: Year One
  
• Batman: The Long Halloween
  
• Batman: Dark Victory
  
• Batman: The Killing Joke
  
• Batman: Haunted Knight
  
• Batman: A Death in the Family
  
• Arkham Asylum
  
• JLA: Tower of Babel
  
  I''d also suggest reading Identity Crisis. Batman isn't the only character of the story, and while he doesn't make many appearances when he does he certainly makes an impact. Lastly, Gotham Central is also a great read, but it focuses on the GCPD MCU rather than on Batman himself, and how they deal with supervillains and working in a city with a masked vigilante.
  
  Hope this helps.

I LOVE Doug Moench and Kelley Jones' run on Batman. Really makes me feel like kid reading it.

If you're interested.

21 I believe is the start of the run titled Zero Year, so they are the same thing. I'd start with 1 so you're not jumping into it in the middle. Here are some links for you.

1-6

7-12

supplemental material for the above

13-17

supplemental material for 13-17

The supplemental material isn't required to get what's going on (I'm not really worrying about it, I've only read 1-12 to this point and am waiting for 13-17 to come out in one volume), but it does help give you a greater understanding of the full story, from what I've heard.

edit: not sure why ppl are downvoting? If there's any inaccuracy in this please comment by all means.

The Recommended Reading side bar on this sub has some pretty good suggestions.

Additionally, when looking to purchase books make sure you are buying what is known as the trade paperback (this may or may not be an actual paperback book). These are collected editions of a comic series containing multiple issues in a single book format.

Here's an example.

Nope, don’t buy these. The first volume shown here isn’t even the same edition as the other two.

Your best bet is to buy the 25th Anniversary Editions of Knightfall. These are the most complete collections of the Knightfall saga and they were recently collected by DC in nine volumes:

• Prelude to Knightfall
  
• Knightfall Vol 1
  
• Knightfall Vol 2
  
• Knightquest Vol 1
  
• Knightquest Vol 2
  
• Knightquest The Search
  
• Knightsend
  
• Prodigal
  
• Troika
  
  You really only need to read Knightfall Vol 1-2 and Knightsend to get the general story, but the whole thing’s a fun read. The middle part (Knightquest) is basically Azrael’s run as Batman before Bruce returns. After Knightsend is Prodigal, when Dick takes over as Batman for a while, and then Troika when Batman finally returns.
  
  Here’s the Amazon link to Batman Knightfall Vol 1 so you know what these 25th Anniversary editions look like:
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Knightfall-Vol-25th-Anniversary/dp/1401284299/ref=pd_aw_fbt_14_img_2/146-1505662-5375934?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1401284299&pd_rd_r=7a7bcd44-6c02-4006-88e3-627a046c46ec&pd_rd_w=kahj1&pd_rd_wg=KwQLf&pf_rd_p=3ecc74bd-d08f-44bd-96f3-d0c2b89f563a&pf_rd_r=HNXM4TNN3ESSQAMTHSN4&psc=1&refRID=HNXM4TNN3ESSQAMTHSN4

I always liked A Serious House on Serious Earth, it wasn't strictly Joker by any means. BUT I thought he was the driving force behind it, and played a huge role. Also, the art freaked me out, which is always cool.

good choices!

May I also recommend Arkham Asylum, Long Halloween and Killing Joke for some more quality Bat-reading!

Being a big fan of the Joker myself... couple of recommendations on that front...

The Killing Joke

Considered by many to be one of the best Joker stories around... A pretty twisted story, very dark subject matter. The Joker's idea/plan is to prove that it only takes one really bad day to drive someone insane. This was also used as a theme of the Joker in Nolan's The Dark Knight

The Joker

A noir-esque take on the Batman mythos... Worth the read if you're looking for something a bit different...

Batman: A Death in the Family

Another somewhat darker story... this one is the [spoiler](Death of Jason Todd/Robin) and the Joker plays a very central role in it all

Also, there's a comic "companion" to the Arkham games...

Issue 1

Issue 2

Issue 3

Issue 4

I really dig the cover art for issue 3... be sure to check that one out

Hope this helps a little

although not same writers and what not to follow that "story" on

theres

Hush Returns - http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Returns-A-J-Liberman/dp/1401209009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377916882&sr=8-1&keywords=hush+returns

Heart of Hush - http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Heart-Hush-Paul-Dini/dp/1401221246/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1377916882&sr=8-2&keywords=hush+returns

then the Streets of Gotham trilogy

Hush Money - http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Streets-Gotham-Vol-Money/dp/1401227228/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377916939&sr=8-1&keywords=streets+of+gotham

Leviatan - http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Streets-Gotham-Vol-Money/dp/1401227228/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377916939&sr=8-1&keywords=streets+of+gotham

House of Hush - http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Streets-Gotham-Comics-Paperback/dp/1401231306/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1377917010&sr=8-4&keywords=streets+of+gotham

followed by

Gates of Gotham - http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Gates-Gotham-Scott-Snyder/dp/1401233414/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1377917036&sr=8-1&keywords=gates+of+gotham

to finish it up

Court of Owls is the first story arc in the main series. Just pick up these two books. It's just a great place to start reading some relatively new books.

Batman Vol 1: Court of Owls

Batman Vol 2: City of Owls

The Batman and Robin series is pretty good too, my personal favorite.

Check out /r/DCcomics and /r/comicbooks as well. Batman Eternal is a weekly series and it's gonna be a little price and intimidating to get into, but check out the first issue and see if you want more.

Well then, it looks like I will have to order some books from a local comic book store! Hopefully it won't be too expensive :)

And yeah, I didn't like Resurrection too much. Or Batman: RIP, actually. Should I buy the RIP collection? Also, what is this? I already have Hush, don't feel like buying another copy, but this intrigues me. Is Hush in any other arc?

Also thinking about picking up Knightfall Vol. 1-3. With so many series, maybe I should just buy all of them from Amazon...

For the record I want Arrow to be successful and be favored over Marvel's Hawkeye. I just dislike season 3. Enjoyed the second thoroughly.

"Arrow Fighting Ra's shirtless in a sword fight? Hmm remind you of a certain BTAS episode? lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUJxaewOISA - BTAS

http://youtu.be/mUAPBuOBwag?t=1m23s - Arrow

It's Bruce's Iconic showdown with Ra's Al Ghul from Neal Adam's comic and various other Books.
http://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/10/101204/1894746-batman_vs._ra_s_al_ghul.jpg - Batman
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/27306/RA'S_AL_GHUL_fights_batman.jpg - Batman
https://atomicwanderers.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/batman-244-scorpion.jpg - Batman "

Oh and for the sake of this threads Bat-Arrow theme:

Batman with a Bow - http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Vol-Zero-Year-Dark/dp/1401248853

I guess he got jealous of Olly

Okay, I think I know what you are talking about. It all the Batman stories in chronological order, right? I don't think people know you mean this

Read them all, they are all important. Basically Detective Comics was around and had (monthly or weekly) mysteries, and Batman had his first appearance, just as many other DC characters did. However he proved to be so popular that they introduces a concurrent book of "Batman". They were written at the point where there aren't big overarching plots, and each issue had its own story that would be wrapped up by the end. But you should really read them both so you can get an idea of how Batman evolved in his early years, I find them extremely entertaining.

Get the volumes to catch up and then either buy the ones not released in volumes yet digitally or try to find them on ebay to catch up.

Vol. 1 (Issues 1-7)

Vol. 2 (Issue 8-12)

I hope I was somewhat of a help.

The best way is to read the Batman Chronicles. They're cheap, and they're meant to publish every single Batman story in chronological order: http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Chronicles-Vol-Bill-Finger/dp/1401204457/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320435216&sr=8-1

New 52 Batman (By Scott Snyder) is fantastic! You can get the 1st 6 issues in hardcover now.

http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Vol-The-Court-Owls/dp/1401235417/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342114906&sr=8-1&keywords=court+of+owls

As far as I know, and I hope I'm right because that's how I'm buying them, the graphic novels (Court of Owls, City of Owls, Death of the Family, and Zero-Year - Secret City) are mostly complete. There are three issues that come between Death of the Family and Zero Year - Secret City that are not included in either. To be honest, I don't know how much they contribute to any story arc because I have had some trouble finding them online. I'm waiting until I can get back home from college to try to find them in store. Amazon tells you which issues are included in each graphic novel in the description of the product.

Court of Owls

The City of Owls

Death of the Family

Zero Year - Secret City

Additionally, click here for the complete list of the issues published in the New 52 Batman so you know what is not included in the graphic novels. I hope this helps!

Edit: After looking at some other threads in this sub I found this site. You can buy a digital copy of each issue individually in case they are not included in the graphic novel volumes.

Last year, DC relaunched its entire line with #1 issues. So I'd recommend starting there with the main Batman title. There's 11 issues and 1 annual issue that have been released. The hardcover Court of Owls collects issues #1-7. You can also pick up all the issues digitally via Comixology.


If you want a chronological listing of the major Batman events, I'd check out this article on Wikipedia

You could start at the New 52, which is the reboot that happened in 2011. The reboot is a good starting point because there's not much necessary background information needed. Volume 1 and Volume 2 are out, and Volume 3 will be out in less than two weeks. After this, you could wait for Volume 4 to come out in May or start buying the individual issues that come out.

It looks like it'll be released into 2 volumes, hardback and paperback.

Batman Vol. 4 is #21-24, #0 and Batman Annual #2


Batman Vol. 5 is #25-31. Comes out in Oct. 2014

Piratebay? I would recommend buying the comic, though.

I would recommend this then if you want to read more of these stories. http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Chronicles-Vol-Bill-Finger/dp/1401204457

OT: I'm new to this sub, is it ok to ask questions about books written about Batman and stuff in this sub?

I'm looking at buying these two

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401216676/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I39AOU46QGU50L&colid=3DH9847ACMM1J

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1401215815/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=II3I9QT8M4CTE&colid=3DH9847ACMM1J

Batman Chronicles. It looks like there are 11 volumes. This may be the closest to what you are asking for.

If they were going to fast-forward a few decades and do it The Dark Knight Returns style (which they won't), I would have to choose Kurt Russell to play the caped crusader.

For some reason the paperbacks take longer to come out. But the hardcover of Volume 5 is out now as well as the Kindle edition. http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Vol-Zero-Year-Dark/dp/1401248853/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1414244589

Is this the right one? I want to read it. http://www.amazon.com/dp/1401235417/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8

You'll want to click on Add to Cart now.

Yes, it's Oliver Queen.

These animated films are based on Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: The Dark Knight Strikes Again, both by Frank Miller. The second book goes into more detail about what happened with Superman and Green Arrow.

Batman vol. 4: Zero Year - Secret City comes out May 13th, and Batman vol. 5: Zero Year - Dark City comes out October 21st.

If you're wondering, The Dark Knight Returns

I did mean that book. Here's the current edition.

Batman: Year One |1987| #404-407 | Miller

Batman: the Long Halloween |1996-1997| #1-13 | Loeb

Batman: Dark Victory |1999-2000| #0-13 | Loeb

Batman: Hush |2002-2003| #609-619 | Loeb

Batman |2011-2016| #1-52 | Snyder

Here's the trade paperback

http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Robin-Vol-Must-Die/dp/1401235085/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_z

Read the Court of Owls story arc from the new 52 Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls

Morrison's run starts with Batman and Son(which is Damian's first appearance), and Peter Tomasi's run starts with Batman and Robin: Born to Kill

Amazon

Edit for more information. Originally this was collected in two books: Batman and Son and Batman: The Black Glove. This new edition combines them into one book.

Batman Vol 5 "Dark City" is out. That volume will complete the Zero Year story.

Batman Vol 6 "Graveyard Shift", out in May 2015, will collect a couple of random Batman issues.

Birth of the Demon is a collection of three stories that center around him. Leads into Damien's conception.

Death and the Maidens isn't necessarily about him, but adds to his backstory.

JLA: Tower of Babel features him.

The Ressurection of Ra's Al Ghul, as you can imagine features him prominently.

There's also Tales of the Demon. I'm not sure what all happens in this specific book because I haven't read it.

EDIT: haven't read

Good choice.
I'd also recommend (in no particular order):

• [Year One] (http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Year-One-Frank-Miller/dp/1401207529/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1405986279&sr=8-1&keywords=batman+year+one)
  
• Joker
  
• Arkham Asylum
  
• The Dark Knight Returns
  
• The Killing Joke
  
• Knightfall
  
• The Long Halloween
  
• No Man's Land
  
  Aaand...that's it...those are all the Batman comics I've read. *sob*

Trust me, this is how I wish people would have told me how to start.

To an outsider, comic books are difficult to delve into. There's so many series and you don't know how they fit into the overall timeline and you know you can't just jump into the middle. I get it :P

Let me go a step further and help you out. I'm going to link the "trade paperbacks" of each of these story arcs I listed. These are thicker books that combine the issues together, so you don't have to track down each issue individually.

• Court of Owls Volume One (Batman #1-#7)
  
  
• City of Owls Volume Two (Batman #8-#12)
  
  Then with the Death of the Family storyline, you can go of it two ways.
  
  You can stick to only Batman's involvement. So you'd collect these comics:
  
  
• Detective Comics #1
  
• Death of The Family (Batman #13-#17)
  
  Or you could get really deep into Joker.
  
  DC released a book that not only collected Detective Comics #1 and Batman #13-#17, but collected Joker's appearances in Nightwing, Robin, Suicide Squad, Batgirl and the rest of the whole damn family.
  
  The book puts all the comics in reading order and trust me, Joker is much more maniacal in the total story than the small amount of Batman comics. The things he does to Harley...Nightwing...ROBIN?! So good. But you wouldn't know unless you read it.
  
  So I recommend this. It's not for everyone, but it's a comprehensive tale that deserves to be read in entirety.
  
  
• The Joker: Death of the Family
  
  It's probably more-so a companion piece to the Death of the Family (Batman #13-#17) book, so if you consider going this route then I would still recommend reading the Batman-only arc first.
  
  Hope I helped more than confused!

If you want the lead up to his death too, you need the whole Morrison run.

http://comicsastonish.com/2012/01/04/a-readers-guide-to-grant-morrisons-batman/

If you want some amazon links:

Batman: Batman and Son

Batman R.I.P.

Batman: Time and the Batman

[Final Crisis] (http://www.amazon.com/Final-Crisis-New-Grant-Morrison/dp/140124517X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422589571&sr=8-1&keywords=final+crisis) Somewhat optional

Battle for the Cowl Also optional

Batman & Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn

Batman & Robin, Vol. 2: Batman vs. Robin

Batman & Robin, Vol. 3: Batman & Robin Must Die

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

Batman Incorporated

Batman Incorporated Vol. 1: Demon Star (The New 52)

Batman Incorporated Vol. 2: Gotham's Most Wanted (The New 52)

It appears they are doing that with New 52. The first runs have been collected via Batman Vol. 1: Court of Owls (Batman #1-7), Batman: Night of Owls, (Batman #8-9 + assorted Bat family titles) and Batman Vol. 2: City of Owls (Batman #8-12 + Annual #1).

Batman #13-17 will be collected in Batman Vol 3: Death of the Family and its accompanying stories in Joker: Death of the Family.

Admittedly, I torrented something called 'Night of the Owls' but it felt severely disjointed from all the crossovers included. I'm desperately trying to get into the current run of comics having been out of the loop for some time.

So if I buy this, this is purely Batman, no Nightwing crossover etc? But what is this Is this the next part? If so, how many parts are there?