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Stephanie Brown Reading Order (Spoiler, Robin, Batgirl)

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Stephanie Brown Reading Order (Spoiler, Robin IV, Batgirl III)

Created in 1992 by Chuck Dixon and Tom Lyle as a plot device in Detective Comics #647-649, Stephanie Brown is a DC Comics superheroine considered part of the Batfamily. She is first introduced as the vigilante Spoiler, had a brief stint as Robin, and has also taken the mantle of Batgirl.

Before the New 52 reboot, Stephanie Brown had a difficult life, one that had some similarities with Jason Todd’s. Her mother was a drug addict and her father was the third-rate villain known as Cluemaster. It was in order to stop him that Stephanie Brown became the vigilante named Spoiler (as she was trying to ‘spoil’ things for her abusive father), starting out with little training, relying on her determination and natural agility. She lived in poverty and didn’t have a great track record when it comes to her love life.

Initially seen as an amateur, Spoiler’s tenacity caught the attention of Tim Drake/Robin II, with whom she developed a romantic relationship–though she didn’t know his real name for a long time. Stephanie’s relationship with Batman was a difficult one, a sort of reflection of the way some people at DC Comics seemed to perceive her–leading us to some mistreatment of her character.

During the DC New 52 era, Stephanie Brown’s story was rewritten, her past and her relationship with Batman were way less harsh and complicated than it has been before. In the subsequent reboots of the DC line of comics, she remained part of the Bat Family, sometimes questioning Batman’s methods but ultimately establishing herself as a valuable ally.

Right now, Stephanie Brown is protecting Gotham City as one of the Batgirls, alongside Cassandra Cain, while being guided by Oracle/Barbara Gordon.

The following is Stephanie Brown’s reading order to discover all her adventures.

Stephanie Brown Reading Order

Stephanie Brown, the Early Years (1992-2003)

Introduced in 1992 in Detective Comics, Stephanie Brown is first and foremost defined by her mission to foil her father’s machinations, as well as her growing relationship with Robin. She first made sporadic appearances in the Robin comics, before becoming more and more present and simply being a recurring presence. After the first few years, she also began to pop up in other series. Most of those issues are not collected, though you can find the entirety of Robin on Kindle & comiXology.

  • Detective Comics vol. 1 #647-649 (her first appearance)
  • Robin vol. 4 #3-5, first team-up with Robin collected in Robin Vol. 3: Solo
  • Robin vol. 4 #15-16, collected in Robin Vol. 5: War of the Dragons
  • Showcase ‘95 #5 (second story)
  • Robin vol. 4 #25-26
  • Robin vol. 4 #35 is part of The Final Night (no need to read the story for Stephanie)
  • Robin vol. 4 #40-41; #43-45
  • Robin/Argent Double-Shot #1
  • Robin vol. 4 #50
  • Batman: Huntress/Spoiler #1 is part of Batman: Cataclysm (no prior knowledge required)
  • Robin vol. 4 #54-55

One of the most notable storylines featuring Stephanie Brown during all those years was, without a doubt, her pregnancy from 1998-1999. The next few years saw her be a regular character on Robin and being trained by Batman, Batgirl, and Black Canary.

  • Robin #56-61 (pregnancy storyline begins here)
  • Secret Origins 80 Page Giant (backstory)
  • Robin #62; #64-65 (the end of the pregnancy storyline)
  • Robin vol. 4 #68-69, #71-72 are part of Batman: No Man’s Land
  • Batman Chronicles #22 (second story)
  • Robin vol. 4 #74-75
  • Robin 80-Page Giant
  • Young Justice vol. 1 #30 (Stephanie meets Secret)
  • Robin vol. 4 #80, #82-84, #87-88 (She meets Cass/Batgirl for the first time in #88)
  • Green Arrow vol 3 #5, collected in Green Arrow: Quiver
  • Batgirl vol. 2 #20, collected in Batgirl: Death Wish
  • Robin vol. 4 #92-94

Joker Batman New 52 Reading OrderThe comic book event Joker: Last Laugh starts here. The Joker is going to die. Facing this news, The Joker decides he wants to go out with a bang. He concocts a scheme to carry on his legacy by transforming his fellow villains into “jokerized” versions of themselves.

The comic book event Bruce Wayne: Murderer/Fugitive starts here. After being found with the dead body of Vesper Fairchild in his arms, Bruce Wayne is arrested for her murder. Looking to prove Bruce’s innocence, Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl quickly begin an investigation to discover the true killer.

  • Stephanie is mostly present in the first part, working with the Birds of Prey for a short period. The storyline has recently been collected in the Batman Bruce Wayne: Murderer Turned Fugitive Omnibus.
    • Birds of Prey #39
    • Robin vol. 4 #98-99
    • Birds of Prey #40
    • Batgirl vol. 2 #27
    • Birds of Prey #43
  • Robin vol. 4 #100-105
  • Batgirl vol. 2 #28, #31-32, collected in Batgirl Vol. 3: Point Blank
  • Robin vol. 4 #106-111
  • Batman: Family (2002) #2, #8
  • Young Justice #50-51 (a few panels about Steph/Secret dynamics)
  • Batman: Gotham Knights #37, collected in Batman Black and White Volume 3
  • Batgirl vol. 2 #38
  • Robin vol. 4 #112-113, #116, #119, #120
  • Young Justice #54 (the story concludes in the next issue, but Steph is not present in it)

Stephanie Brown (Spoiler, Batgirl, Robin) Icon Reading Order

Stephanie Brown, The Girl Wonder and War Games (2004)

After Jack Drake discovered his son was Robin, Tim Drake hung up the cape in favor of a normal life for a few issues. During that short period, Stephanie convinced Batman to train her as the new Robin and she endured intensive training (in the comics Robin #126-128). But for whatever reason, Batman fired her when she ignored one of his orders. As a result, Steph was determined to prove her worth. This is what led to the comic book event known as Batman: War Games, during which — spoiler alert — poor Stephanie is tortured and killed and blamed for everything. It was, pure and simple, a character’s assassination.

  • Robin: Unmasked!
    Collects Robin (vol. 4) #121–125.
  • Batman: War Games Omnibus (Coming in summer 2025)
    Collects Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #182, 183, 184; Batman #631-633 & 634, #642-644; Detective Comics #790-797, 798-800, #809-810; Robin #126-131; Nightwing #96, 97, 98; Batman: Gotham Knights #56, 57, 58; Batgirl #53, #55, 56 & 57; Catwoman #34, 35, 36; Solo #10; Batman Allies Secret Files 2005 #1; Batman: The 12 Cent Adventure #1; Batman Villains Secret Files 2005 #1

    • Batgirl #54 is not collected here, but the issue can serve as a transition between Stephanie’s tenure as Robin and the official launch of War Games.

Those comics were previously collected in Batman: War Games Book One and Batman: War Games Book Two.

Following the tragic end of War Games, the next issues of Robin and Batgirl deal with the characters’ grief in a crossover story.

For Cassandra Cain, Steph will be a sort of haunting presence after that, as Stephanie will appear twice, in Batgirl #62 and #72-73, each time when Cass is close to death. Tim’s life at this stage is just a series of tragedies.

Stephanie Brown, The Return (2007-2008)

Spoiler makes her comeback during Grant Morrison’s run on the Batman comics. Her return takes place after The Resurrection of Ra’s Al Ghul. When a purple hooded figure appears in Gotham, Robin and Batman track her down only to discover that the person imitating Spoiler is indeed Stephanie.  After some explanations, Steph resumes her life in Gotham, reconnecting with her mother, enrolling in high school, and saving lives as a member of the Bat-family.

Stephanie Brown as Batgirl (2009-2011)

Bruce Wayne is “dead.” Who will be the new Batman? Stephanie Brown is not directly implicated in the events taking place in Battle for the Cowl, but the conclusion of this arc sets up a new status quo in Gotham. Dick Grayson took the mantle of Batman and chose Damian Wayne as Robin. Hurt by Dick’s choice and convinced that Bruce is still alive, Tim assumes the identity of Red Robin and leaves Gotham to travel the globe looking for a dead man. And what about Stephanie, you ask? After being pushed back by Tim just before he leaves town, she finally headlines her own comics, becoming the new Batgirl (written by Bryan Q. Miller) after Cass left her the costume before vanishing.

Stephanie Brown’s run as Batgirl has since been reprinted in two trade paperbacks:

Stephanie Brown during New 52 (2014-2016)

The New 52 era was launched in 2011 but it took a few years before Stephanie Brown made her comeback in the DC Comics Universe, where her new history is introduced and developed in the Batman Eternal comics where she’s still the daughter of Cluemaster who stumbled into a meeting between her father and his criminal associates and decides to ‘spoil’ her father’s plans. For more context, you can take a look at our article about the Batman New 52 Reading Order.

Or in trade paperbacks:

Stephanie Brown/Spoiler by Dustin Nguyen

When the Joker makes his comeback for one last gag during the Batman: Endgame story, Spoiler helped other teens fight the Joker’s chaos in Detective Comics: Endgame #1, before being trained first by Selina Kyle and Eiko Hasigawa in the Catwoman comics, then by Barbara Gordon in the Batgirl comics.

The three former male Robins — Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake — deal with an enemy from the past in the Batman and Robin Eternal comics, a follow-up to Batman Eternal where Spoiler makes a few appearances to help the group fight their enemy. This is also in this comic book series that Cassandra Cain resurfaced, as the character was absent from the New 52 era until now.

  • Batman & Robin Eternal Omnibus
    Collects Batman & Robin Eternal issues #1-26 and Batman: Endgame Special Edition #1. Stephanie Brown appears in #1-4 and #23-26.

Or in trade paperbacks:

Stephanie Brown Rebirth (2016-2020)

Unlike during the New 52 era, Stephanie Brown was present from the beginning of the Rebirth era, as a member of the Gotham Knights (with Cassandra Cain, Tim Drake, and Clayface), a team supervised by Batman and Batwoman in Detective Comics, by James Tynion IV. After that story concluded, she took the road with Tim Drake and joined the Young Justice comics by Brian Michael Bendis.

Or in trade paperbacks:

Joker Batman New 52 Reading OrderLike the other members of the BatFamily, Stephanie Brown took part in The Joker War comics event (in a very limited role). The Joker’s plan to assemble an army materializes, the only person who can save Batman from the brink of true madness is Harley Quinn. And while all this is happening, the villains of Gotham City are waiting out the carnage Joker has unleashed—and Catwoman assembles an army of her own!

Stephanie Brown (Spoiler, Batgirl, Robin) Icon Reading Order

Stephanie Brown during the Infinite Frontier

A new era begins with more of the same as James Tynion IV’s run on Batman coming to an end with another crossover event: Fear State. Steph played a small part necessary to launching her new comics: Batgirls.

Mentored by Oracle, the Batgirls Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown move to the other side of town where Barbara Gordon can keep a better eye on them.

The story continues…

Did we forget an important issue? Did we make a mistake? Write to us or let us know in the comments!

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