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Batman Knightfall Reading Order

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Batman Knightfall Reading Order

The famous ’90s saga, during the Post-crisis era, the back-breaking introduction of Bane! “Knightfall” is a 1993–1994 story arc. More precisely, it’s a trilogy of storylines: “Knightfall”, “Knightquest”, and “KnightsEnd”. It’s the Batman equivalent of “The Death of Superman” storyline. An event that was destined to change the hero forever (to sell more comics). It’s the fall of Batman, his replacement by Jean-Paul Valley (a.k.a. Azrael) who ended up tarnishing Batman’s reputation, and Bruce Wayne comeback, with some Robin drama in the middle.

This is how the story started: the inmates of Arkham Asylum have broken free and Batman must push himself to the limits to re-apprehend the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Killer Croc, and more. Pushed to the limits, he comes face-to-face against the monstrosity known as Bane, who delivers a crippling blow destined to change the Caped Crusader forever!

What to read before Batman Knightfall?

There are two books you can read before Batman Knightfall. The First is Batman: Sword of Azrael, a storyline from Dennis O’Neil, Joe Quesada, and Kevin Nowlan that introduced Azrael, a prominent figure in the crossover. Then, the aptly named Batman: Prelude to Knightfall.

For more information and readings about the two big characters introduced at this time, check out:

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Watchmen Reading Order, from the Alan Moore books to the expanded universe

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Watchmen is considered one of the greatest graphic novels in the history of the medium. It is recognized in Time‘s List of the 100 Best Novels as one of the best English language novels published from 1923 to 2005, and for what it’s worth, it is also part of our 50 Best Comics to read!

Published by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987, Watchmen is a science fiction comic book limited series by the British writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colorist John Higgins. The story takes place in an alternate world in which superheroes emerged in the 1940s and 1940s, and their actions changed history. The all-powerful Doctor Manhattan has given the U.S. a strategic advantage over the rest of the world. But, by 1977, superheroes became unpopular and they were outlawed by the passage of the Keene Act.

In October 1985, costumed vigilante Rorschach discovered that Edward Blake, also known as The Comedian, a costumed hero employed by the U.S. government, had been murdered. Rorschach uncovered a plot to eliminate costumed heroes and warned some of his old friends. Something bigger is cooking, but the retired heroes have to first discover what it is.

Since its publication, many essays, reviews, and analyses have been written about Watchmen. The Symbol and imagery have been scrutinized and explained as much as the art and structure. Many discussions also emerged about ownership in the comic book field as the disagreements between Alan Moore and DC Comics about that subject are now fully part of history.

The World of Watchmen has also expanded. It has been adapted as a movie directed by Zack Snyder and has also inspired a one-season television series from Damon Lindelof for HBO. DC Comics also explored the universe by releasing Before Watchmen (2012), a prequel, and two sequels…

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DC Year of the Villain Reading Order

Year of the Villain Reading Order

You catch up on some comic book reading and arrive at the Year of The Villain, a big DC Event from the Rebirth Era published between May 2019 and March 2020. Well, to be honest, it’s more a concept than an event, with the main stories taking place in Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV’s Justice League. For that, it has been compared to Marvel’s Dark Reign. It’s also what I call a mess, with other crossovers and too many tie-ins.

But what is Year of The Villain? Per DC, Evil is winning! Lex Luthor and The Legion of Doom conspire with Cosmic Gods, bending mankind toward a dark destiny. Elsewhere, the scourge of Leviathan spreads unchecked, seizing power in every corner of the world. And all the while the Batman Who Laughs busies himself in the shadows, aligned with no one – yet with sinister plans for all. More precisely, Apex Lex recruits several supervillains to join Perpetua’s cause (an ancient goddess and the most feared being in the greater Omniverse), in exchange for giving them a source of unlimited power. In response, the Justice League recruits heroes around the universe to fight against the new Legion of Doom.

What to Read before Year of The Villain?

As it is more a companion event to Scott Snyder’s Justice League, it’s better to read that run. But it’s a lot of homework if you are not already invested in Scott Snyder’s DC stories.

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Heroes in Crisis Reading Order, Welcome to Tom King’s Sanctuary

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Heroes in Crisis Reading Order

Written by Tom King and penciled by Clay Mann, Heroes in Crisis is a 2018-2019 DC event from the Rebirth Era, dealing with trauma and murder.

The story takes place at the Sanctuary, an ultra-secret hospital for superheroes and reformed supervillains who’ve been traumatized by crime-fighting and cosmic combat. But something goes inexplicably wrong when many patients wind up dead, with two well-known operators as the prime suspects: Harley Quinn and Booster Gold!

It’s up to the DC Trinity of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman to investigate–but can they get the job done in the face of overwhelming opposition?

What to read before Heroes in Crisis?

Nothing is essential for understanding the story. For those who want a better picture and understanding of why specific characters are at the Sanctuary, you can read:

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Jason Todd Reading Order (Second Robin, Red Hood, Wingman and Arkham Knight)

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Jason Todd / Red Hood Reading Order

When Dick Grayson became Nightwing, Batman found himself without a Robin—until he met Jason Peter Todd in Batman #357 (1983). Created by Gerry Conway and Don Newton, Jason became the second Robin, the new sidekick to the Dark Knight. Initially introduced as a near-copy of Dick with a similar backstory as the son of circus acrobats killed by a criminal, the main difference was his red hair (which he no longer has).

Following Crisis on Infinite Earths, Jason was reimagined by writer Max Allan Collins. This version gave him a new origin: a street-smart kid with a troubled past and a lot of anger, but also a drive to learn. It will lead us to a tragedy and one of Batman’s most famous stories.

It would take more than 15 years (in our time) for Jason to come back—this time as the anti-hero Red Hood. And once again, things weren’t simple for Jason. Reboots and relaunches kept reshaping his backstory, personality, and relationships. Let’s just say it’s not easy being Jason Todd, a character deserving, who, if you ask me, deserves more love and stronger storylines.

From Batman’s sidekick to the anti-hero Red Hood, here’s your complete Jason Todd Reading Guide covering his complex history and all his adventures as a member of the Bat-Family, leader of the Outlaws, and more!

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The Green Lantern by Grant Morrison Reading Order

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Grant Morrison is back on a regular DC Comics series, but not on Batman. As part of the DC Rebirth relaunch in 2016, the regular Green Lantern series was canceled and replaced with “Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps” and “Green Lanterns.” After that, the Scottish writer teamed up with British comic book artist Liam Sharp to give us a new kind of Green Lantern series with a very European style.

This new series began when one of the famous Green Lanterns from Earth, the intrepid Hal Jordan, encountered an Alien hiding in plain sight. This set off a chain of events that rocks the Green Lantern Corps to its foundations.

The Green Lantern is divided into two “seasons” with a miniseries between them, for a total of 27 issues + 1 annual

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Doom Patrol Reading Order (The Silver Age, The Bronze Age, Grant Morrison, Gerard Way…)

Doom Patrol Reading Order

Created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, and artist Bruno Premiani, the Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The first iteration of the team appeared for the first time in My Greatest Adventure #80 (June 1963). At the time, the book was not selling well, and something was needed to revive it. Arnold had the idea about “freaks who banded together and the man in the wheelchair guiding them” (see American Comic Books Chronicles: The 1960s).

From the start, The Doom Patrol was not an ordinary superhero team. Also dubbed at first the Legion of the Strange, these were victims of catastrophic accidents who became freaks–the actress Rita “Elasti-Woman” Farr, the race car driver Cliff “Robotman” Steele, the pilot Larry “Negative Man” Trainor, and there was their leader, Niles “Chief” Caulder. Garfield “Beast Boy” Logan and Steve “Mento” Dayton joined soon after.

The Doom Patrol has known multiple iterations of the team, but this was always a group of super-powered misfits whose “gifts” caused them alienation and trauma. And this is why they have sometimes been dubbed the “World’s Strangest Heroes.”

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Sweet Tooth Comics, a Reading Guide for the Jeff Lemire series

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Originally presented as a limited series (and now a Netflix Show!), Sweet Tooth was written and drawn by Jeff Lemire — and published by Vertigo (DC Comics) between 2009 and 2013. Now the series came back, and there are multiple editions. Here is a guide to help you navigate all this.

But first, what’s the story? Here is the official Sweet Tooth Synopsis: Seven years ago, the Affliction raged like a forest fire, killing billions. The only children born since are part of a new breed of human-animal hybrids. Gus is one of these children: a boy with a sweet soul, a sweeter tooth—and the features of a deer. But kids like Gus have a price on their heads.

When vicious hunters descend on his isolated forest home, a mysterious and violent man called Jepperd rescues Gus. The hulking drifter promises to lead Gus to the Preserve, a fabled safe haven for hybrid children. As the two cross this dangerous new American frontier, will Jepperd corrupt the boy he’s nicknamed “Sweet Tooth,” or will Gus’ heart change Jepperd?

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Batman by Scott Snyder Reading Order, Dark Knight’s stories from the New 52 to Rebirth, Metal and beyond

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The end of Grant Morrison’s famous run on the main Batman comics series in 2011 also marked the end of the long post-Crisis era, also known as the Modern Age. After that came the New 52 and Scott Snyder. With stories about The Court of Howls, Batman Eternal, the Dark Nights: Metal & Death Metal events, and more, Snyder became one of the major authors of the decade.

During that time, Scott Snyder mostly worked with artist Greg Capullo and writer James Tynion IV. He gave us one of the best Batmans and many great adventures. The impact of his work on the character is important, and there are many great stories to read.

But this didn’t end with that. In the fall of 2024, Snyder came back to the DC Universe to launch the Darkseid-fueled universe called the Absolute Universe and started writing a new type of Batman comics.

Also, even if this reading guide covers a lot of New 52 Batman, it’s not a full reading order for this era. For Snyder and everyone else’s Bat-titles reading order, follow that guide.

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Batman Rebirth Reading Order (From the Monster Men to Batman’s Wedding, City of Bane, The Joker War and more)

Following the conclusion of the New 52/DC You publishing initiatives, DC Comics launched the Rebirth era, marking a soft relaunch of its continuity. As part of this initiative, Batman received a new creative team, signaling a fresh direction for the character and his ongoing series.

As part of the Rebirth initiative, the Batman series was relaunched and began publishing on a twice-monthly schedule. In August 2016, the third volume of Batman debuted with issue #1, written by Tom King with art by David Finch and Mikel Janín. Meanwhile, Detective Comics returned to its original numbering, resuming with issue #934 in June 2016 under writer James Tynion IV and artists Eddy Barrows and Álvaro Martínez.

While Batman continued to focus on the Dark Knight’s solo exploits, his relationship with Catwoman, and his ongoing struggle to protect Gotham City, Detective Comics was restructured as a team-based series. Under Batman and Batwoman’s leadership, the title featured a roster including Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, and Clayface.

In addition to the main titles, several other Batman-related series were published during the Rebirth era. Scott Snyder returned to the character with All-Star Batman, while additional titles such as Batman and the Outsiders further expanded the line. The period also featured major crossover events, including Dark Nights: Metal and its sequel Dark Nights: Death Metal, as well as storylines such as The Joker War, alongside a number of less notable events.

What to read before Batman Rebirth?

First, you can explore the Batman New 52 era or even follow The Batman Modern Age Reading Guide. However, as it is a new beginning, you’ll need an introduction to the famous DC Universe: Rebirth #1 that explains why it’s a reboot. It’s about how the world of the Watchmen collided with the DC Universe and the return of Wally West.

As Rebirth marked a fresh starting point, the most essential entry is DC Universe: Rebirth #1 (2016). This one-shot reintroduced elements of continuity, explained the circumstances of the relaunch, and revealed how the world of the Watchmen intersected with the DC Universe, culminating in the return of Wally West.

However, before going into the Rebirth era, if you want to explore older Batman stories, you can start with Scott Snyder’s run that was launched at the beginning of the preceding New 52 era of Batman, or explore our Modern Age reading guide to find some classic tales.

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