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Batman Comics |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 4,867
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Batman Comics
Im an absoloutly huge chuffing fan of batman i love Arkham Asylum and all the movies and the rest of the games,. But have never read any of the comics. I know saying that probably doesnt make me sound like a fan but can anyone tell me whether i should buy them or any certain ones i should get or how many there are in total i would really appreciate it.
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#2 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 13,064
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There are loads...
You've got all the ongoing monthly titles featuring Batman, such as "Detective Comics", "Batman", "Batman & Robin", etc.; plus all the ongoing monthly titles which have appearances by Batman... DC, like Marvel, likes to have a big "event" each year, sometimes using a limited series, sometimes using a big crossover (something I often hate, as you have to get books you don't normally get, plus it sometimes means the more fantastical parts of the DC Universe, such as aliens & metahumans, stray into Batman's world). This year there was "Batman: RIP" & the "Final Crisis", followed by "Batman: Battle for the Cowl". End result (for Batman) was that Bruce Wayne was apparently "killed" by the alien Darkseid Dick Grayson (the original Robin, then Nightwing) is now Batman, Damian Wayne (Bruce's son by Talia al Ghul) is Robin, & Tim Drake (the 3rd Robin) is the Red Robin. Oh, and Jason Todd, who came back from the grave after "Infinite Crisis" a few years ago is now the Red Hood. IMO, you'd be better off starting with some of the classic Batman graphic novels & trade paperbacks, rather than trying to jump into Batman's current monthly titles. Some recommendations (in reading order): Batman: Year One (post-Crisis retelling of Batman's origin & 1st year, by Frank Miller) Batman: The Man Who Laughs (1st appearance of the Joker, following on from Year One) Batman: The Long Halloween (by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale, set after Year One, covers the fall of the mob & rise of the "freaks", & Two Face's origin) Batman: Dark Victory (Loeb & Sale's sequel to The Long Halloween) Batman: The Killing Joke (classic Joker story by Alan Moore, cover's his [possible] origin, plus his shooting of Barbara Gordon [which eventually lead to her becoming Oracle]) Batman: A Death in the Family (the death of the 2nd Robin, Jason Todd, at the hands of the Joker) Some of the others I'd recommend would be (in order, following on from the above, albeit with a gap): Batman: The Sword of Azrael (introduces Azrael) Batman: Knightfall (1&2) & Knightsend (Bane breaks Batman's back, Azrael takes up the mantle of the Bat temporarily) Batman: Prodigal (Dick takes up the mantle of the Bat temporarily) Batman: Contagion (an Ebola type plague strikes Gotham) Batman: Legacy (sequel to Contagion) Batman: Cataclysm (massive earthquake strikes Gotham) Batman: No Man's Land (after the quake, & the plague before it, the US Govt. abandons Gotham for a year) Batman: Hush (new villain appears, who seems to be manipulating other Batman villains as part of some grand scheme) After "Hush" there's also been stuff such as "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?", "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive", "War Games", "War Crimes". Can't think what else. I actually stopped buying the Bat-books regularly a few years ago. Was tempted to go back, but was put off by reading about "Infinite Crisis" and "Final Crisis". |
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#3 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 4,867
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Quote:
Some recommendations (in reading order): Batman: Year One (post-Crisis retelling of Batman's origin & 1st year, by Frank Miller) Batman: The Man Who Laughs (1st appearance of the Joker, following on from Year One) Batman: The Long Halloween (by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale, set after Year One, covers the fall of the mob & rise of the "freaks", & Two Face's origin) Batman: Dark Victory (Loeb & Sale's sequel to The Long Halloween) Batman: The Killing Joke (classic Joker story by Alan Moore, cover's his [possible] origin, plus his shooting of Barbara Gordon [which eventually lead to her becoming Oracle]) Batman: A Death in the Family (the death of the 2nd Robin, Jason Todd, at the hands of the Joker) Some of the others I'd recommend would be (in order, following on from the above, albeit with a gap): Batman: The Sword of Azrael (introduces Azrael) Batman: Knightfall (1&2) & Knightsend (Bane breaks Batman's back, Azrael takes up the mantle of the Bat temporarily) Batman: Prodigal (Dick takes up the mantle of the Bat temporarily) Batman: Contagion (an Ebola type plague strikes Gotham) Batman: Legacy (sequel to Contagion) Batman: Cataclysm (massive earthquake strikes Gotham) Batman: No Man's Land (after the quake, & the plague before it, the US Govt. abandons Gotham for a year) Batman: Hush (new villain appears, who seems to be manipulating other Batman villains as part of some grand scheme) After "Hush" there's also been stuff such as "Bruce Wayne: Murderer?", "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive", "War Games", "War Crimes". Can't think what else. I actually stopped buying the Bat-books regularly a few years ago. Was tempted to go back, but was put off by reading about "Infinite Crisis" and "Final Crisis". |
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#4 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Dartford
Posts: 171
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Quote:
Thanks alot!!! I will probably start getting them next week they sound brilliant the ones i made bold i will probably definatly read. 1 questions does Gordon and Scarecrow make an apperance i would enjoy to see them in it looking 4ward to getting them now.
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#5 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 13,064
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Quote:
Thanks alot!!! I will probably start getting them next week they sound brilliant the ones i made bold i will probably definatly read. 1 questions does Gordon and Scarecrow make an apperance i would enjoy to see them in it looking 4ward to getting them now.
Yep, they're very good ![]() "Year One" & "The Long Halloween" in particular were among the inspirations for Chris Nolan's recent Batman movies. Gordon makes regular appearances in the comics, including the ones I mentioned. Scarecrow is in, IIRC, "The Long Halloween" & "Dark Victory". Another I forgot to mention is "Batman: Haunted Knight". It's by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale, & is a collection of the "Legends of the Dark Knight" Halloween Specials they had done prior to "The Long Halloween". One is a Scarecrow story. ["Legends" was a monthly Batman comic which covered his early years] |
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#6 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,476
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Quote:
Im an absoloutly huge chuffing fan of batman i love Arkham Asylum and all the movies and the rest of the games,. But have never read any of the comics. I know saying that probably doesnt make me sound like a fan but can anyone tell me whether i should buy them or any certain ones i should get or how many there are in total i would really appreciate it.
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#7 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 4,867
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Quote:
Forget Arkham Asylum the game.Arkham Asylum the graphic novel is a work of genius.
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: In the southstand
Posts: 87,590
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Try and get hold of the issues of Swamp Thing that feature Batman. It's not a massive crossover or anything, but Alan Moore is so far ahead of his time with his portrayal of the Dark Knight.
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#9 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 357
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I'd definitely add 'Hush' to your shortlist - it's a great story with a whole load of the regular Gotham villians thrown in for good measure
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,865
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Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
Certainly the greatest Batman story ever told - and (fighting it out with Watchmen) probably the greatest graphic novel ever. |
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#11 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 4,867
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Quote:
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
Certainly the greatest Batman story ever told - and (fighting it out with Watchmen) probably the greatest graphic novel ever. |
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#12 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Cambridge
Posts: 13,064
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Quote:
I have heard of it. It's meant to be brilliant do the books have to be read in order if so what should this be after
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#13 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 7,928
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Try the Grant Morrison Arkham Asylum mini - the game devs were supposed to take inspiration from it.
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