Prey

Going Sane

Heat

Batman by Matt Wagner

Strange Apparitions & Dark Knight Detective (collected in Legends of the Dark Knight by Marshall Rogers)

Demon Trilogy (Son, Wife, and Birth)

Dark Knight Dark City

The Cult

Elseworlds Batman vol 2

The Doom that Came to Gotham

Batman by Paul Dini (wasn't collected till now)

Noel (Christmas story)

Batman Earth One vol 1 - 2

Batman by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones vol 2

No Man’s Land

Bruce Wayne Murderer/Fugitive

Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle’s work

Year 100

Ego

Gotham Knights Transference

Morrison’s run (my favorite)

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Hush

Long Halloween

Knight fall

Court of owls

No mans land

These aren’t underrated but they’re some of the best

Here is what I most often recommand for Batman (good reads and necessary reads).

Each era can pretty much be read on its own.

For a Beginner I would start with the Hush Saga.

Early years

1. Batman: Year One by Frank Miller
2. Batman and the Monsters + Batman and the Mad Monk in Legends of the Dark Knight by Matt Wagner
3. Batman: Prey + Batman: Terror by Doug Moench
4. Batman: The Man Who Laught by Ed Brubaker
5. Batman: Gothic by Grant Morrison
6. Batman: Going Sane by J.M. DeMatteis
7. The Joker: Devil's Advocate by Chuck Dixon
8. Batman: Venom by Denis O'Neil

New comers in the Batfamily

1. The Long Halloween + Dark Victory + Catwoman: When in Rome by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
2. Robin: Year One
3. Batgirl: Year One
4. Batman: Strange Apparitions + Dark Detective by Steve Englehart
5. Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth by Grant Morrison & Dave McKean
6. The Killing Joke by Alan Moore & Brian Boland
7. Batman: The Cult by Jim Starling
8. Batman: A Death in the Family + A Lonely Place of Dying by George Perez, Jim Starling and Marv Wolfman in Death in the Family (new edition)
9. Batman: Birth of the Demon by Dennis O'Neil
10. Batman: Dark Knight, Dark City by Peter Milligan

Dark days for Gotham

1. The Sword of Azrael by Dennis O'Neil
2. Knightfall (new omnibus) by Various + Prodigual Son.
3. Batman: Contagion + Legacy by Chuck Dixon
4. Batman: Cataclysm + Batman: No Man's Land by Various
5. JLA: Year One by Mark Waid

The New Gotham

1. New Gotham by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
2. Turning Point by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
3. Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
4. Bruce Wayne: Murderer ? + Bruce Wayne Fugitive by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
5. Batman: War Drums + Batman: War Games by various

The Hush Saga

1. JLA: Tower of Babel by Mark Waid
2. Batman: Hush by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
3. Batman: Detective + Batman: Death and the City + Batman: Private Casebook + Batman: Heart of Hush + Streets of Gotham: Hush Money + Streets of Gotham: Leviathan + Streets of Gotham: The House of Hush by Paul Dini

The Damian Wayne Saga

1. Batman: Under the Red Hood + Red Hood: Lost Days by Judd Winick
2. Batman & Son + Batman & Robin + Batman Inc. by Grant Morrison
3. Batman Inc. New52 (by Morrison) + Batman & Robin New52 by Peter J. Tomasi + We Are Robin by Lee Bermejo + Robin, Son of Batman by Ray Fawkes

The New52 era

1. Batwoman: Hydrology by J.H. Williams III
2. Batman: Court of Owls + Batman: Night of Owls Saga by Scott Snyder
3. Batman: Death of the Family + Endgame by Scott Snyder
4. Batman: Zero Year by Scott Snyder
5. Penguin: Pain and Prejudice by Gregg Hurwitz
6. Batman: Cycle of Violence + Batman: Mad + Batman: Clay by Gregg Hurwitz
7. Batman by Buccellato & Francis Manupul

The Rebirth era

1. Detective Comics Rebirth by James Tynion IV (aka Rise and Fall of the Batmen)
2. Batman Rebirth by Tom King

The DC Univers era

1. Detective Comics by Peter J. Tomasi
2. Batman by James Tynion IV (aka Joker War)
3. Dark Knights: Metal + Batman: Who Laughs + Superman/Batman: The Infected + No Justice + Justice League by Scott Snyder + Year of the Villains: Hell Arisen + Death: Metal

Elseworlds and other good reads

• Batman: Mad Love by Paul Dini
• Batman: Ego by Darwyn Cooke
• Batman: White Knight + Batman: Curse of the White Knight by Sean Murphy
• Batman: Universe by Brian Micheal Bendis
• Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I, II, III by James Tynion IV
• The Brave and the Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman by Liam Sharp - canon
• Batman: Earth-One by Geoff Johns
• Gates of Gotham by Scott Snyder - canon
• Gotham by Gaslight by Brian Augustyn & Mike Mignola
• The Doom that Came to Gotham by Mike Mignola
• Tales of the Multiverse: Batman-Vampire by Doug Moench & Kelly Jones
• Li'l Gotham + Batman Tales: Once Upon A Crime by Dustin Nguyen

Have fun.

Detective Comics 1008 is a really fun single issue Joker story. "The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told" is out of print but easy to find cheap used on amazon, ebay, or your LCS. It's a great collection of Joker stories from 1940-early 80s, if you're interested in the history of Batman it's about the best book you can start with.

There's the standalone book Joker by Brian Azzarello that's decent.

As you enjoyed the Court of Owls story, I’d recommend continuing that run with Vol 3 “Death of the Family” (not to be confused with Death in the Family). This works out pretty well for you as The Joker is the main villain this time around.

The Man Who Laughs might interest you as well. It’s a stand alone story that takes place at the start of Batman’s career and shows a take on his first encounter with The Joker. It can be read directly after Year One as a bit of a sequel, but on its own is just fine, no context is required.

Referring back to my first suggestion, “A Death in the Family” is also another storyline focusing on the Joker as the main villain. It’s older than the other two stories and imo, doesn’t hold up quite as well, but is a very important story in Batman’s history.

The Nex Arc in that series is a Joker Arc, Death of the Family. It's by the Same creative team.

It's one volume but multiple different collections. If you find one called "Joker: Death of the Family." It's got some extra content/issues from other books from the other Batman titles.

The classics to start: Year One, Dark Knight Returns

Year one. I've also been enjoying reading Court of Owls recently

If I had to make just one recommendation, it would be Year One

Hush

Batman: Year One is widely considered the best starting point for new comic readers who want to get into Batman.

Hey there! I have previously written up a post aimed at getting new readers started on reading Batman. It's very detailed, I would recommend you check it out. It details the best comics to start with, and what makes them good comics for new readers.

In terms of a top 5 to understand the Batman, I'm going to go with the canon, often recommended stories that are also really great texts in Batman:

• Batman: Year One - the post-crisis origin of Batman, the influence of this one comic is huge, and continues to influence Batman to this day. (In a similar boat is The Dark Knight Returns, though I didn't put it, as it is not canon, and is supposed to be a satire of Batman's worst elements of the time, but it is still so greatly influential on Batman comics from the 80's and up until today, same author wrote both).

• Batman - The Long Halloween - one of the most popular mystery/detective comics of Batman, it follows Year One really well, and also greatly explores Bruce, Batman, and many of his different allies and rogues (and I know this is going to make more than 5, but it also has a really great sequel Dark Victory)

• Batman: The Killing Joke - this comic focuses greatly on Batman, the Joker, their conflict and their history, and is a great reflection on the ongoing nature of their conflict, though can also be read as a finale to their dark and violent history.

• Batman: Hush - This comic brought so many back into reading comics again in the 2000's. It is very flashy, and is supposed to be a detective/mystery series, written by the same author who did TLH/DV, it again has many great representations of Batman's allies and villains, incredible art by Jim Lee and serves as the first comic to so many modern readers.

• Batman: Court of Owls - The previous stories I listed were all post-crisis comics, however, DC rebooted in 2011 (and 2016). This comic (as well as it's part 2, City of Owls) was the first Batman story told in the New 52 reboot, and it is a great, dark mystery series that reframes Batman and Gotham in a modern light, and is a great start to understanding the modern Batman (no longer tied down to his introduction in the 80's, like Year ONe and the post-crisis timeline was).

I hope this information helps, and I know I gave just a bit more than 5, but hopefully it will give you some ideas on what to read next. I hope you enjoy reading Batman!

In my opinion it is

1. Year 1
2. Killing Joke
3. The Knightfall series
4. Long Halloween
5. A Death In The Family

my personal order

- Year One

- The Killing Joke

- Son of the Demon

- Batman: Shaman

- Court of Owls

1. Year 1

2. Long Halloween

3. Hush

4. ???

5. The Dark Knight Returns

1. Year One- still generally regarded as the definitive origin story for Batman

2. Long Halloween- Batman transitions from fighting mobsters to fighting super villains

3. Knightfall/Knightquest/Knightsend- the breaking of the Bat is a huge moment. It also gives a good understanding of how the family supports Batman.

4. Bruce Wayne: Murderer?/Bruce Wayne: Fugitive: further explores how the Bat Family functions in support of Batman. Also delves into the view that Batman is the dominant personality and Bruce Wayne is just a useful disguise. Most people will recommend Hush as your early 2000's Batman story but I think Murderer/Fugitive is better.

5. The Dark Knight Returns: Frank Miller's vision of an older Batman coming out of retirement to continue his crusade. Quintessential Batman story

Dead Reckoning is the best Batman story never reprinted, IMO. So glad you read and enjoyed it!

I really like Prey, from Legends of the Dark Knight 11-15. Detective Comics 610-611 is a fantastic little Penguin story by Grant and Breyfogle. Detective Comics 705-707 is a great Riddler story by Dixon and Nolan.

The Knightfall and No Man’s Land Sagas. The two best Batman crossovers of all time.

New Gotham by Greg Rucka. It's a great epilogue to No Man's Land.

So I totally get the hate it gets, but James Tynion’s run was what got me into comics in the first place, if only for the art alone. Not the most emotionally complex run, but it’s a super fun ride.

I'm a big fan of the Bruce Wayne: Murderer and Bruce Wayne: Fugitive arcs.

It's got some uneven bits, spread across multiple series and creative teams in its execution, but absolutely worth it. It is a very deep dive into the reality that Batman is absolutely, positively, not sane.

Especially the part where you get to see Dick Grayson's dawning horror as Batman explains to him that it's Bruce Wayne, not Batman, who is the mask.

3, 4, 7. I re-read these 3 constantly. Love me some Snyder/Capullo.

I would keep Knightfall, Court of Owls and Zero Year although I would've put Hush and Under the Red Hood on this list.

Storylines:

1. Knightfall
2. No Man's Land
3. Court / Night/ City of Owls
4. Zero Year / Dark City
5. Batman RIP / Battle for the Cowl / Time & The Batman / Return of Bruce Wayne
6. Metal
7. Death of the Family
8. Murderer? / Fugitive
9. War Drums / Games / Crimes

Knightfall, No Mans Land and Zero Year

If i could, Id strike War Games from history.

2, 3, and 5.

2 is just too unique and interesting to leave out. I personally think that 2000's era is the best era for comics when it comes to writing and art together.

3 I have a soft spot for, I think the Coo is a cool concept and the art from Capullo is top tier.

5 is my favorite Morrison story and I think the ideas he brings to the table are intriguing and recontextualizes the entire Batman mythos. Also the Black Glove are basically the CoO but satanic which brings and extra layer to their menace.

I guess the entirety of Batman Vol 3 (so everything after Snyder) as all the major status quo shifts happened at the end of King and Tynion's runs. But you'll probably be able to get away with just Zdarsky's run if you don't want to read everything from the past 10 years.

Sometimes Batman gets the runs so bad he has to wear his underwear on the outside.

Dark Knight, Dark City

As someone who was in the same boat as you until recently, I'd say King's run is THE major batman run from the past decade or so, and I'd def prioritise that over anything else.

After that scoop up Joker War and Fear State, then jump ahead to Zdarksys recent run which is just wrapping up. There's plenty of other arcs and runs in between there, but those are the most 'essential' if you only want the big guns.

Good question. I tried to read some early Batman, but there is a lot of filler stuff from back then.

Detective Comics #45 - "The Case Of The Laughing Death"

Detective Comics #135 - "The True Story Of Frankenstein".

Detective Comics #180 - "The Joker's Millions". One of my favorite golden-age Joker stories.

Detective Comics #203 - "The Crimes Of The Catwoman!"

Detective Comics #211 - "The Jungle Cat Queen". Catwoman's last golden-age appearance.

Batman #47 - "Fashions In Crime!" and "The Origin Of The Batman!"

Batman #49 - "Batman's Arabian Nights!"

Batman #52 - All 3 stories. One of my favorite golden age books.

Batman #62 - "The Secret Life Of The Catwoman!"

Batman #66 - "The Joker's Comedy Of Errors!". That Joker story.

These are ones I remember enjoying. They are mostly early ones. One of the joys of reading Golden Age is coming across the first appearance of an important character. I have resisted the urge to list the first appearance of Penguin, Scarecrow, etc. Those things can be googled. I have only read Batman stories to July 1947, so there are probably more great ones out there. You have to read it with the right mentality as well. by the time Robin showed up, things kind of got campy until the Bronze age.

Detective Comics

#27 - The first one

#29 and #30 - First run in with a supervillain, Doctor Death!

#31 and #32 - Clashes with the Mad Monk. Early horror story for batman.

#33 - Gotham (well this story is actually pre-Gotham, but whatever) is attacked by a dictator with airships and death-rays. This issue also gives Batman's origin story for the first time.

#36 and #46- First clashes with Hugo Strange

#40 and #49- The Clayface Murders

#45 - I have read a lot of Golden Age Joker stories. This one stands out.

#66 #68 and #80- The first Two-Face stories are pretty good.

Detective Comics #77 And Batman #18 - The Crime Doctor is an interesting, morally dynamic villain.

World's Finest can be hit or miss, but I find most issues of Batman usually has at least one story I enjoy.

You're not going to get one definitive list, but I'll go ahead and chime in with my 10 best. In no particular order: The Long Halloween, Ego, Court of Owls, Gotham by Gaslight, Year One, Under the Red Hood, No Man's Land, Face the Face, White Knight, and Superfriends (from Tom King's run).

Haven't read everything yet, but here are some of my favourites:

The Cult, Night Cries, Birth of the Demon, Court of Owls, The Black Mirror, Gothic, Annual 14, Zero Year, Ten Nights of the Beast, Robin: Year One

My top 10 goes something like this: Year One, Dark Knight Dark City, Ego, Heart of Hush, The War of Jokes and Riddles, R.I.P., Death and the Maidens, Black Mirror, Gothic, and Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive.

*No Order*

No mans land

War of jokes and riddle

The dark knight returns

Killing Joke

Court of Owls

Knightfall

Long halloween

Hush

Year One

Serious House on Serious earth

Flashpoint Batman/Dark knights metal (Dont know if these are considered batman stories, but theyd replace two others if they are)

After you have read a healthy handful of Batbooks, the one I love the most is Grant Morrison’s Batman run. First two volumes are recently collected