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dorothylarouge · 8 months ago

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Dorothy's Big List of Comic Book Recs - DC Comics Edition

I often get asks about getting into comic books, and how daunting it seems, given the huge back catalog of titles and issues available. I'm here to tell you it doesn't have to be scary! From miniseries that act as good introductions to characters to runs on ongoing titles by individual creators that serve on jumping-on points, there's lots of ways to get into comics without having to have a lot of background knowledge, and I'm going to give you a lot of potential places to start. Please note that this post only covers DC Comics; Marvel and indie lists will follow! Also note that I haven't read everything, and I won't recommend something I haven't read, so a few runs or books some consider must-reads may not be on here. This is based purely on books I have read and enjoy, and that I think are suitable for new readers. I'm also not including books from the Milestone and Wildstorm imprints as they're kind of a separate sphere to me, although some Vertigo books may be included.

SUPERMAN

All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely: This is the book that made me a Superman fan. It is an out-of-continuity celebration of Superman and his world, and an exploration of why Superman as a character has endured for nearly a century.

Superman For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale: A gorgeously-illustrated and Americana-flavored recounting of Superman's early years in Metropolis, anchored narratively by the changing of the seasons.

Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid and Lenil Francis Yu: For my money, the definitive origin story for Superman. Great characterization of the entire supporting cast, including Lex Luthor, make this a perfect entry point into the character and his world.

Action Comics (1939) and Superman (1939) by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster: The earliest Superman stories are still really great, and have a populist edge that many later stories sanded down. They're pulpy and fun and I recommend them!

Action Comics (2011) by Grant Morrison: This run spans issues 1-18, plus a special issue 0, of the series launched as part of DC's mostly-failed 2011 reboot, and covers Superman's early years in this continuity. The early issues bring back some of the edge that was present in the Golden Age comics, and the rest of the run is solid stuff as well. Morrison always comes highly recommended.

Superman: Red and Blue: An athology series that focuses on a broad sampling of Superman's world and supporting cast, written and drawn by various creators.

Action Comics (1939) by Geoff Johns: Specifically, I would say that issues 855 to 870 are a good span to be checking out for Geoff Johns' run on the book. These include some great stories focusing on classic Superman villains such as Bizarro, Toyman, and Brainiac.

Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Guruhiru: An adaptation of a classic Superman radio story set in the 1940s and focusing on Superman's place as an immigration narrative. And Superman gets to rough up some Klansmen!

Man and Superman by Marv Wolfman and Claudio Castellini: Another story of Superman's early years, this one focusing on his struggles to adapt to life in the big city after moving from Smallville, as well as his first encounters with Lois Lane and Lex Luthor.

Superman: Up in the Sky by Tom King and Andy Kubert: A lovely self-contained story which demonstrates just how far Superman will go to save a single life.

Superman (1939) by Elliot S! Maggin: This mammoth run spans issues 247 to 400 of the classic title, and includes some fantastic stories such as "Must There Be a Superman?" (issue 247), "The Greatest Green Lantern of All" (issue 257), and "The Living Legends of Superman" (issue 400)

Superman (1939), Adventure Comics (1938) and Action Comics (1939) by Mort Weisinger: This run spans a lot of the Silver Age era of Superman, including Action Comics #241-392, Superman #120-231, and Adventure Comics #247-396. It's a lot of issues, but in those days you can mostly read them in any order since they're pretty self-contained. This run includes a lot of classic villains and stories, as well as the earliest adventures of the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King and Bliquis Evely: A spacefaring take on a True Grit-style western with gorgeous art, and a definitive story for the Girl of Steel.

Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen (2019) by Matt Fraction and Steve Liber: a madcap romp and a delightful sendup of Silver Age weirdness.

BATMAN

Batman: The Long Halloween and Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale: Another Loeb/Sale joint, focusing on Batman's earlier years and the transition of Gotham's underworld from the mob to a coterie of costumed kooks.

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean: An examination of the facility housing Batman's rogues, and what those rogues symbolize in his world.

Batman (1940) by Dennis O'Neil: This is a classic run which re-established a dark tone for the Dark Knight which has endured to this day. The run spans Batman #224-268, along with a handful of issues of Detective Comics. Among the major developments of this run are the introduction of Ra's al Ghul and his daughter Talia.

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying by Marv Wolfman, George Perez, and Jim Aparo: The definitive story about why Batman needs Robin. Read it in trade since the story spans both the Batman and New Titans titles.

Batman by Grant Morrison: I'm hesitant to include this because it delves so deep into Batman lore, but it really is essential reading, introducing Damian Wayne along with other concepts. Please do disregard Morrison's frankly appalling characterization of Talia. Read in omnibus format as the run spans multiple titles.

Batman: The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland: It's cliche at this point but the story still is fantastic and one of the best Joker stories ever written.

Batman: No Man's Land: An epic storyline across many titles dealing with Gotham being cut off from the US after a massive earthquake and Batman's efforts to keep the peace in an abandoned city. Read in trade format.

Batman (2011) by Scott Snyder: This run spans issues 1 through 51 of the New 52 relaunch, and introduces concepts such as the Court of Owls. It's a fun run, including a brief period where Jim Gordon acts as Batman.

Batwoman (2011) by J.H. Williams III and W. Hayden Blackman: A gorgeously-illustrated book about Batman's cousin and her adventures as the Batwoman. Worth reading for the art alone.

Nightwing (1996) by Chuck Dixon: Dixon's a tool but this is still the definitive Nightwing run. This run includes volume 1 of Nightwing, a 4-issue mini, as well as issues 1-70 of volume 2, which establishes Dick's home base of Bludhaven as well as his rogues' gallery.

Detective Comics (1937) by Paul Dini: This run spans issues 821 to 852, and features some great stories by one of the great Batman writers and a co-creator of the classic animated series.

Robin (2021) by Joshua Williamson: A great run that helps to flesh out Damian Wayne's place in the DC Universe.

The Boy Wonder by Juni Ba: A great story with gorgeous art that focuses on Damian Wayne and his relationships with the other members of the Batman Family.

Batgirl (2000): The first series to focus on a Batgirl, specifically Cassandra Cain, the best Batgirl, as she struggles to adapt to life after an abusive childhood being raised as an assassin.

WONDER WOMAN

Wonder Woman (2006) by Gail Simone: Simone's run is the longest that a woman has ever written comics' premiere female superhero, and it's just good comic book fun. The run spans issues 14 to 44.

Wonder Woman (1987) by Phil Jimenez: Jimenez's childhood love of Wonder Woman shines through in his run, which placed a renewed focus on Diana's supporting cast and especially her family. The run spans issues 164 to 188.

Wonder Woman (1942) and Sensation Comics (1942) by William Moulton Marston: Wonder Woman's creator laid down the basics of the character and her world, and those early Golden Age stories are still a great read. They're fun, engaging - and more than a little kinky with hindsight.

Wonder Woman (1987) by Greg Rucka: In the early 21st century, Greg Rucka was The Guy for writing female superheroes, and his run on Wonder Woman is great. It features Diana becoming an ambassador, writing a book, fighting Medusa, and matching wits with Veronica Cale, her own Lex Luthor. The run spans 196-226. I must also mention Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia, also by Rucka, which is a Greek tragedy where Diana finds herself torn between duty and justice.

Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons by Kelly Sue DeConnick: A beautifully-illustrated story of the Amazons and the Greek goddesses, which lays the foundations for Wonder Woman's world.

Wonder Woman (1987) by George Perez: This run reintroduced Diana after Crisis on Infinite Earths, and the first 25 issues feature Perez's simply-unmatched artwork. The whole run spans the first 62 issues of the book, and serves as a blueprint for most subsequent takes on the character.

THE FLASH

Flash Comics (1940) and All-Flash (1941): The Golden Age Flash and his early stories by his creator Gardner Fox. Must-read if you're interested in Jay Garrick, the first Flash.

Showcase #4, 8, and 13, and The Flash (1959): The Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen, made his debut and early adventures here. Much of the art is by the great Carmine Infantino, and Gardner Fox returned to write some stories. The whole concept of the multiverse debuted in this run.

The Flash (1987) by Mark Waid (as well as Grant Morrison and Mark Millar): This run starts in issue 62 and lasts until 162, with a brief run by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar towards the end. This run is the definitive Flash run, focusing on Barry Allen's protege Wally West maturing in the role of the Flash and establishing himself as the true fastest man alive.

The Flash (1987) by Geoff Johns: This run spans issues 164 to 225, and refocuses the Flash's traditional rogues' gallery, offering modern origins for many of them, while also introducing new foes like Girder, Blacksmith, and a new Reverse-Flash.

The Flash (2016) by Joshua Williamson: This run spans issues 1-88, as well as 750 to 762 of the relaunched volume 1 of the book. I hate the recentering of Barry Allen from 2009 to 2019, but Williamson's run is the most tolerable, and serves as a love letter to the Flash, while also setting the stage for Wally to return as the primary holder of the mantle.

The Flash (2023) by Simon Spurrier: The current run of the Flash, it focuses on Wally as the main Flash and the Flash Family as an ensemble. The extended first arc features a threat to time itself, and goes into some really surreal and experimental territory for a Flash book.

Impulse (1995) by Mark Waid, et al.: A more lighthearted and comedic companion book to Waid's run on Flash, this book focuses on Bart Allen, Barry's grandson, who was raised in the future and has the attention span of a goldfish, as well as his relationship with the zen guru of speed, Max Mercury.

GREEN LANTERN

The Green Lantern (2018) by Grant Morrison: A police procedural starring Hal Jordan that gets into some pretty freaky territory, with gorgeous interiors by Liam Sharp.

Green Lanterns (2016) by Sam Humphries: A buddy cop type title focusing on the team of Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz. Humphries' run spans the first 32 issues of the book.

Far Sector by N.K. Jemisin and Jamal Campbell: A murder mystery in space which establishes a new Green Lantern, Jo Mullein. Super easy to get ahold of since it was rereleased as part of DC's Compact Comics line of $9.99 trades.

Green Lantern/Green Arrow (1970) by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams: This run brought a social conscience to comics as Green Arrow was reinvented as a left-winger and a man of the 60s counterculture, joining Green Lantern on a quest across America. The run spans issues 76 to 89 of the book.

Green Lantern (1990) by Ron Marz. Marz's run starts in issue 48, and sees the Green Lantern paragon Hal Jordan descend into darkness before being replaced as defender of Earth by Kyle Rayner. The run lasts until issue 125, and as Kyle is my favorite Lantern I have a fondness for it.

Green Lantern (2005) 1-67 and (2011) 0-20 by Geoff Johns: Johns brought Hal Jordan back as the main GL, and his run expanded the world of Green Lantern by introducing the emotional spectrum. His run is the basis for most Green Lantern lore going forward, and is pretty essential reading.

Green Lantern: War Journal by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos: A 12-issue series featuring John Stewart as he ventures into space to fight a dark force corrupting life in the galaxy. The new definitive John Stewart run.

TEAMS AND TEAM-UPS

JLA by Grant Morrison, Mark Waid, Joe Kelly, et al.: This was a back-to-basics approach to the Justice League with a core group of characters. Morrison's run on the book is probably the best, but Waid and Kelly also bring in some good stories.

Justice League of America (2007) by Brad Meltzer and Dwayne McDuffie: Another relaunch of the time, this time with a large roster inspired by the classic 1970s era of the League. Some great stories in this run, including a crossover with the Milestone characters.

JSA (1999) by Geoff Johns, Paul Levitz: The first team in comics was relaunched in the 90s by Geoff Johns, who established the Justice Society as a family first, later bringing in the Marvel Family for some great stories fleshing out Black Adam's character.

Justice Society of America (2007) by Geoff Johns: Johns' second run on the JSA is a continuation of the first, with a focus on legacy and new heroes reclaiming the mantles of Golden Age heroes. Introduces the delightful Maxine Hunkel as the wind-powered Cyclone.

New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman and George Perez: Lightning in a bottle. This book likely saved DC after the disastrous DC Implosion. The best Titans run of all time, quality of art and writing that has never been recaptured with this team. If you loved the cartoon as a kid you will love this book.

Young Justice by Peter David and Todd Nauck: For all intents and purposes, the Teen Titans for the 90s generation. Funny, heartfelt, with great cartoony art by Nauck.

Doom Patrol (1987) by Grant Morrison, Rachel Pollack: A truly, wonderfully weird tale of the most off-beat superheroes of all, with themes of identity, life, and art woven throughout.

The Terrifics by Jeff Lemire, Gene Luen Yang: At a time when Marvel was treating the Fantastic Four like dirt, DC put out their own version, which captures the wonderous adventure of a Silver Age science fiction book with some great character work from a great core cast. A thoroughly underrated title.

Suicide Squad (1987) by John Ostrander: An often darkly-humorous book about a team of second-string supervillains coerced into doing the government's dirty work. The definitive Suicide Squad run.

Villains United (2005), Secret Six (2006), and Secret Six (2008) by Gail Simone: A group of supervillains forced together by circumstance and find themselves working together as mercenaries. A real found family of freaks type of situation.

Legion of Super-Heroes by Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen: This run spans issues 282 to 313 of the 1980 book, and 1 to 63 of the 1984 book. Includes some of the greatest Legion stories, including the Great Darkness Saga.

Birds of Prey (1999) by Gail Simone: This run covers issues 56 to 108, and focuses on female heroes kicking ass, basically Charlie's Angels with superheroes.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest by Mark Waid and Dan Mora: A team-up book between Batman, Superman, and the DC Universe, set earlier in their careers.

Justice League International (1987) by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis, and Kevin Maguire: As much a workplace comedy as a superhero book, this is a very different take on the Justice League, from the time when "bwa-ha-ha" ruled the DCU.

THE FOURTH WORLD

The Fourth World Epic by Jack Kirby: Read in omnibus or trade format. The first stories of the Fourth World from the King of Comics, Jack Kirby. The story spans Kirby's run on Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, The New Gods, The Forever People, and Mister Miracle, and ends in The Hunger Dogs.

Orion (2000) by Walt Simonson: A follow-up to Jack Kirby's epic, this book focuses on Orion, the son of Darkseid, and his quest to vanquish his father once and for all.

Bug! the Adventures of Forager by Lee Allred and Mike Allred: With Mike Allred's striking artwork, this book serves as a love letter to Kirby's time at DC Comics.

Mister Miracle (2017) by Tom King and Mitch Gerads: A slightly-psychedelic take on the Fourth World, focusing on Scott Free and his family with the backdrop of a bloody war unfolding between New Genesis and Apokolips

New Gods (1989) by Mark Evanier: This was a return to form for the New Gods, who hadn't had a lot of new stories to themselves since Kirby left DC, and it's a great read.

AND THE REST

Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters (1987) and Green Arrow (1988) issues 1-80, by Mike Grell: Probably the definitive Green Arrow run. Political, edgy, and mature.

Animal Man (1988) by Grant Morrison: A fun and surreal series of adventures featuring one of the DCU's unsung heroes.

Booster Gold (1986) by Dan Jurgens: A Reagan-era story of a money-obsessed celebrity superhero rediscovering the altruistic spirit of a true hero buried deep within him.

Zatanna: Bring Down the House by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez: A quest through the realms of magic as a reluctant witch gets caught in the crossfire of a mystical war.

Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld (1983, 1985, and 1987): For fans of magical girls and sword and sorcery, this is a must-read. A girl from Earth discovers she is the princess of a mystical realm and embarks on a quest to save it.

The Question (1987) by Dennis O'Neil: A grounded, philosophical story of a man trying his best to make things better in a city abandoned to corruption and decay.

Monkey Prince by Gene Luen Yang and Bernard Chang: Drawing on Chinese mythology, this book focuses on an unlikely superhero with connections to the monkey king, Sun Wukong.

Blue Beetle (2006) by John Rogers and Keith Giffen: Giffen leaves after issue 10, but Rogers continues until issue 25, and the rest of the volume is pretty decent as well. It establishes Jaime Reyes as the Blue Beetle, and if the cards had been better he could have easily become DC's answer to Spider-Man. Ah, well. It's always nice when he gets a book, and this is probably the best one.

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star by Jadzia Axelrod and Jess Taylor: a YA graphic novel featuring a transgender alien princess. What's not to like?

Hawkworld (1989 and 1990): A science fiction epic of Thanagar, world of the hawks. A great read on its own, but it unfortunately did a lot of damage to the continuity of the Hawkman family of characters.

Hawkgirl (2023) by Jadzia Axelrod and Amancay Nahuelpan: A fun little miniseries focusing on Kendra Saunders moving to Metropolis and having to deal with the trauma and hardship of her past. Guest starring Galaxy from that other book!

Starman (1994) by James Robinson: A grungy, Gen X book about legacy and what we leave behind, with plenty of hooks for the new reader to investigate regarding the Golden Age superheroes.

The Power of Shazam! by Jerry Ordway: The post-Crisis take on Captain Marvel and the Marvel family. A great read, and the last great run for the classic versions of these characters.

Sandman (1989) by Neil Gaiman. Obligatory Neil Gaiman is a piece of shit out of the way, his Sandman book is a beautiful and at times horrifying read, and its importance as a story manages to outweigh my disdain for its creator.

Swamp Thing (1982) by Alan Moore and Steve Bissette: Moore's run begins in issue 19 and ends in issue 64. This is the definitive Swamp Thing run, which set the standard for all to follow. It's a creepy and often touching story which remains some of Moore's best work in the medium.

#comics #long post

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athenanfaymont · 3 months ago

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🔥 The Superbat Slow Burn: A Love Story Decades in the Making 🦇❤️🦸‍♂️

The relationship between Superman and Batman is one of the most fascinating and emotionally charged dynamics in comic book history. From their early interactions to their most recent team-ups, their bond has evolved into something deeply layered—what some might call the ultimate slow burn romance.

💥 The Early Days: From Allies to Something More

📖 First major team-ups: “World’s Finest Comics” (1940s - 1986)

Back in the Golden Age of Comics, Superman and Batman were just two heroes who happened to exist in the same universe. Their team-ups in "World’s Finest Comics" started as fun, lighthearted adventures, but as DC storytelling matured, so did their relationship. Over the years, their trust in each other grew, laying the foundation for the bond we see today.

⚡ Opposites Attract: Tension in "The Dark Knight Returns"

📖 Key moment: “The Dark Knight Returns” (1986) by Frank Miller

If the World’s Finest era was their “getting to know each other” phase, The Dark Knight Returns was their first big fight™. Frank Miller redefined their dynamic by pushing them to ideological extremes—Bruce as the rogue vigilante, Clark as the government’s golden boy. But despite the brutal showdown, there was still an understanding beneath the conflict. It was never about hatred, but about two men who refused to let go of their beliefs… and of each other.

🖤 Trust, Understanding, and... Inner Monologues?

📖 Best Superbat character studies: “Superman/Batman” (2003-2011)

The "Superman/Batman" series gave us one of the best insights into their relationship, told through their own internal monologues. And guess what? They think about each other A LOT.

"Superman/Batman #1-6: Public Enemies" → Peak we against the world energy. These two face off against the entire world (literally) because they trust each other above everything else.

"Superman/Batman #26" → A heartbreaking issue featuring multiple guest writers, dedicated to Sam Loeb (Jeph Loeb’s late son). The way Bruce and Clark understand each other in this one? Devastating. Beautiful. Unmatched.

💫 A Bond That Defies Time

Through every crisis, betrayal, and universe reset, Bruce and Clark’s connection has only gotten stronger. They challenge each other, they fight, they save each other (sometimes literally, sometimes emotionally). Their relationship is built on contrasts—light and dark, hope and cynicism, steel and shadows.

Superman and Batman may not call it love, but… we all know better. 😉

[Dan Mora]

#superbat #batman x superman #dc comics #batman #superman #worlds finest #public enemies #bruce wayne #clark kent #batfam #superfam #superbat agenda #slow burn #otp of otp #they are everything

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lureofthesea · 4 months ago

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Source: klebitz99

Superman/Batman #26: Sam's Story Review - Comic Book Revolution/26

Sam's Story [Superman/Batman #26]

#DC #DC comics #Sam's Story written by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale #Sam Loeb had plotted this issue but passed away before it was published. Sam was Jeph Loeb's son. See link above for further information #Thank you for the edit klebitz99!

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house-on-sand · 2 months ago

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the (hopefully) helpful guide to comic book terminology:

getting into comics can seem daunting at first but have no fear! here i'll explain a little bit about different terms you might hear thrown around that can be confusing if you're not sure what they mean. this is by no means going to be a completely a fully exhaustive guide and i'm certainly not an expert, so i welcome any additions and i'm open to questions! i hope this helps someone! (any titles, characters, and writers used or referenced are first and foremost just to provide an example, not to get into fights about the best character or a bad writer. remember, just because you disagree doesn't mean you have to be a dickhead.)

referencing what you're reading and such;

[comic] run: this one can mean a few things, so it can depend on context for how someone is using it, but its not too hard to figure out once you know the term! in some cases, it's being used to describe the series of issues where a specific character acts as the lead, especially in roles where the title can be passed down or taken over by someone else. for example, a character like green lantern, who's title can be passed down AND has multiple holders, you could consider times where a different lantern is the lead in the ongoing series it's own run. a specific example (for me) would be looking at green lantern (1990) from #51 onward i would consider it's own run, since that's the first issue where kyle rayner takes over as the last green lantern. the prior issues (#1 thru #50 but not #0 because that's part of the zero hour event and focuses more on kyle so i'd group it with his stuff) would be hal jordan's run as green lantern. a run can also be referencing a specific writer or artist's tenure on that specific comic! (typically i think people use it for consecutive issues but honestly i think it can be applied for their entire tenure on the comic). a specific example would be jeph loeb's batman run or judd winnick's batman run (and by extension his red hood run).

solo: this one is pretty easy but it's a series where one character acts as the standalone lead. whether it's a well established hero or a sidekick / side character that's finally getting their own time to shine, it's a series all about them! for example, damage (1994) is his solo series! or the red robin run, that's another one of tim's solo series.

mini [series]: a short series, usually only a few issues long. it wraps up the entire storyline in those few issues. (also called a limited series). in my experience with dc, a mini series can also include the core storyline for a crisis event or other big events, so you get the main gist of the story without having to read every related issue. titans united: bloodpact is a mini series, it only has 6 issues which feels pretty common for a mini! the zero hour: crisis in time event is a mini series, with multiple tie in issues across quite a few different titles that you don't technically have to read if you don't want to but reading them gives you additional content and context.

annual(s): a longer than normal / special issue in an ongoing series that can feature standalone stories and/or continuing storylines, it just depends on the series and annual. not every comic is going to have an annual either, or some might have more than others, it all really depends. they're also numbered differently than the other comics in a series, so you can go from issue #20 to annual #1. for example, in batman (1940) you go from #650 to batman annual (1961) #25! (that's the end of the under the red hood arc lmao) originally they were released as an extra issue for a popular series or character to fill the gap that a publishing company would otherwise experience in months with five release days (new comic book days <3). it meant they'd still be able to release comics weekly without having to shift any release dates to fill the gap or have one week where they don't publish anything.

series [and volume]: an ongoing comic. superboy (1994) is it's own series <3. now i included this one in my explanation for volume because it just helps! usually when people reference a volume in comics they mean a specific version of a series that's been restarted or continued in a new series. red hood and the outlaws (2011) [😔] is volume one of rhato! when it's restarted later during rebirth, that would be it's second volume and so on and so forth. lots of long running series are split up like this. that's also why when referencing a title people usually tack on the year it was released or started, so you know what volume/series it was from.

one-shot: a standalone story that's wrapped up in one issue.

collections;

single issue: what it says on the tin! one issue of a comic series.

trade paperback [tpb]: several issues into one book. they're anywhere from five to eight issues, but that's not a hard and fast rule, some might have more (not much more) some might have less. a mini series might collect all it's issues into one book so they can sell them together and/or label it a special edition and what not. for instance, the trade paperback for batman: three jokers collects all three issues of the series into one place. they can also collect all the issues in specific arcs, like the tpb for hush! it's got all the issues that make up the hush arc altogether. some tpbs will also contain issues that serve as a good jumping in point for the series; i have nightwing vol 1: better than batman which collects 8 issues from the rebirth nightwing series and works as a decent starting point for that series. (also the tagline was better than batman which was a great selling point). great for collecting and saving money because you don't have to pay for each issue separately or track down specific issues. so they save money and you get a little profit in convenience because you're not having to put in extra work to find issues and keep up with a series. they can be hardcover or soft. they also don't have the ads that a single issue would have + sometimes there's extra art included. all in all, tpbs are pretty great!

omnibus or compendium: both are fairly similar and they're nice way to collect a series without hunting down individual issues. they're multiple issues, usually an entire series or run depending on the length of the series/run – sometimes they're split into multiple omnibuses/compendiums – gathered together into one book. the first invincible compendium collects issues #0 through #47 and is 1000+ pages long, as a kind of gauge for how long a compendium and/or omnibus can be. they're usually fairly pricey depending on what series and how many issues are being collected. both terms can be used interchangeably but the way i've seen it explained is that most often your omnibuses will be hardcover and taller than a standard trade paperback, whereas a compendium tends to not be hardcover and will be a little shorter height wise. compendiums might also be longer sometimes but there's no hard and fast rule for that. most of the time whether it's an omnibus or compendium will be written on the cover! though i don't think it really matters if you use them interchangeably or not, they both equate to about the same thing.

variants: comics are released with a few different covers ft. different art and art styles you can get. with one main cover and a few variant ones! the variant covers can also be more expensive than the standard one because they're special edition or a limited cover. mostly for collecting purposes honestly. i am not immune to the allure of the variant cover 😔 sometimes the art is prettier than on the main cover.

reprint(s): this just means they're rereleasing a comic or tpb or omnibus/compendium again. usually for an anniversary or prior to the release of a sequel or a show/movie based off of it.

grading;

what is grading? grading is when a professional appraises/examines a comic book's quality and appearance and assigns it a number rating based on it's condition. they look for tears, stains, bent or missing pages, fading, and any sort of deformation caused by handling or not being stored somewhere protected from the elements. a comic's grade not only indicates the quality of the comic, it also influences the price you could get should you sell it. this is a big thing for serious collectors honestly and your comics don't need to be graded or anything to mean something to you OR have value. it's always good to look at grading (if available) when buying comics so you know the condition the comic you're buying is in. the higher the grade the better the condition. the lower grade comics aren't bad! they just might have a little more damage or wear than a higher grade one would. it'll still read the same in the end. what is slabbing? when you're getting a comic professionally graded, you can have it encased in a hard plastic case with the grade on it to insure that it stays the same grade forever. (an example of what a slabbed comic looks like here). it's a way of making sure your comic doesn't lose value over the years because of deteriorating condition. you can't open the case ("slab") or the grade will be voided, so if you're getting something graded and want it slabbed make sure you're alright with not reading or handling it again. this is something that i'd only care about if you're getting serious about collecting and you value what your collect looks like and is worth over reading / handling your books. it's not something i would personally do because i like being able to read my comics whenever i want. they'll sell for a higher price than a raw comic. so if you're looking to sell anything from your collection and you think they're in decent enough condition + youre willing to pay for it, you might look at getting your stuff graded and slabbed to make sure you get the best price. ↪️ raw comics? graded but unslabbed comics <3

the scale;

(while the scale is fairly standard, there are some differences between the different versions out there so i'll be going off of the grading scale provided by cgc! & the grading guide by mycomicshop.com bc i buy from them. if you want even more in depth answers and/or additional terms specific for condition and grading i would suggest checking out the mycomicshop guide! & sidenote: if you're looking for a decent place online to buy from they're a reputable shop in my experience! and they have a great selection to look through; i bought damage's entire solo from them!)

(second addition: you'll see i've included abbreviations by each grade, i did that so you know what they mean if you see them on a comic! since the tags usually don't say "very fine" or "near mint" on them. you can kinda see what a raw comic looks like in the first picture here just to kinda give you the idea of what the sticker or whatever is gonna look like.)

gem mint [GM] and mint [M]: the highest tiered grades are comics that are virtually brand new and in perfect condition. they'll have no damage, staining, fading, or other signs of age and/or handling. basically they looks as good as they did coming off the printer. comics considered mint can have a number grade of up to 9.9, whereas a gem mint comic will be graded as a 10.0. there's not a whole lot of difference in grading between these two, it depends on who's grading the comic and how they're determining it. mint comics are allowed some minor defects but are otherwise indistinguishable from a gem mint comic. these are the ones that people would want to get slabbed to keep their value!

near mint [NM]: comics in this tier are a step down from gem mint/mint comics but are still in very good condition. they can have some signs of handling, wear and tear, and manufacturing defects. this tier (and the ones to follow) can also be broken down further, with near mint+ [NM+] being exceptionally high quality, near mint [NM] a step down in condition, and near mint- [NM-] is the next step down and is closer to the next grading tier. the differences in tier are based off of the amount and size or seriousness of any defects or wear. comics that are near mint(+/-) can have a number grade as low as 9.2 and as high as 9.6.

very fine [VF]: these comics are still in pretty okay condition and make for great issues to collect but they won't get as much money if you were to sell them as ones in the grades above since their condition is another step down. they can have all the same issues as above and worse; they're allowed to have more small defects or a larger defect depending on who and how it's being graded. this is a pretty standard grade if you're taking care of your comics but still handling them tbh. they still look nice but they might have a little fold on a corner or dents & bends and such. they can have number grades between 7.5 [VF-] to 8.5 [VF+].

fine [FN]: comics with quite a few defects, including major defects and multiple smaller signs of damage. they're still in decent condition and easy to read but you can tell they've been loved. they can have splits in the spin and/or fading and staining, different signs of age and handling. they can have number grades between 5.5 [FN-] and 6.5 [FN+].

very good [VG]: more damage and wear is allowed including multiple large defects. they can have staining or fading, bent corners, and missing staples and small tears. it's a nice quality comic to have and read and still pretty decently desirable, but its not the best condition. they can have a number grade between 3.5 [VG-] and 4.5 [VG+].

good [GD]: they're very clearly handled, can have multiple major defects, missing covers or centerfolds. they can have creases, staining, and water damage. they're still readable and the story is gonna be intact but they might not be the prettiest to look at. very, very obviously been read and enjoyed. they can have a number grade between 1.8 [GD-] and 2.5 [GD+].

fair [FR]: can have discoloration, missing ads/coupons, folds, creases, and tears, water damage, staining, signs of mold, things like that. if it has full missing pages it would be knocked down to poor. they will have a number grade of 1.0 [FR].

poor [PR]: a comic that's in really, really bad condition. it can have all sorts of defects and such and will be missing pages or pieces of pages. they'd get a number grade of 0.5.

final note: for each tier there is a higher end grade where the person grading them could go either way. starting with the highest tiers, a comic with a number grade of 9.8 could be considered near mint or mint, it's kind of somewhere in between the two tiers and again all depends on the person grading and how they look at it. in a similar fashion, comics with a number grade of 9.0 could be either near mint or very fine, with a grade of 7.0 they could be very fine or fine, 5.0 is fine or very good, 3.0 is very good or good, and 1.5 is good or fair.

closing;

a few closing comments: don't be afraid to ask questions! if you're starting a collection just for yourself don't worry about finding the highest grade issues, as long as you can read them and enjoy them! if you're thinking about selling any of them in the future then take care of them, be gentle AND invest in some bags and boards (they're just clear sleeves with a cardboard backing inside that you can slip a comic into. a lot of the time you can buy them from a shop already in a bag OR you can ask for them! they're also available online to buy if you don't have a local shop!), and a box or boxes to keep them in if you really want to, that's really all you need to protect them. if there's anything you think i should add let me know and i will!

#personal post #levi's comicposting #sort of #sans i hope this helps you <3

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haithhegimp · 11 days ago

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Judd Winick's Introduction to Under The Red Hood

From the Deluxe Edition of [Batman: Under The Red Hood], here is an introduction written by Judd Winick. I transcribed this manually so please let me know if there are any errors.

“It would be a really sleazy stunt to bring him back.”

–Dennis O’Neil, editor of Batman, speaking about the death of Jason Todd

Jason Todd returning from the dead wasn’t my idea. But then, after a fashion, it was.

So I’ll take the blame.

We in the superhero-comic game often, and justifiably, get accused of employing the dumb trope of bringing characters back to life. We are guilty as charged. We do it a lot. We sometimes kill characters off because it gives us this amazing dramatic turn, but we tend to bring them back because the characters were so amazing in the first place that we miss having a chance to tell their stories. I freely admit this. But. Jason Todd is and was different.

Jason Todd was distinctive because of the legendary way that he died. The readers voted him out! They pulled the trigger! They pushed the button! In 1988, there was a legendary moment in comic book history when DC Comics ended Batman #427 with a cliffhanger to top all cliffhangers. The Joker blew up a building with Robin–a.k.a Jason Todd–inside. And the creators and editorial team left it up to the readers to vote by calling one of two phone numbers. One number for Jason to live, and another number for him to die. And they voted for him to die. It was amazing. It was historic! Who would want to screw that up?

Apparently, me.

Many years later, in 2003, I was, like many, excitedly reading the Batman story arc “Hush” by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee. It was amazing. It was a rollercoaster. All the major heroes and villains from across the DC Universe showed up and took a swing throughout the story.

The most pivotal turn in the tale revolved around the titular villain, Hush– the mysterious antagonist with skills and, most importantly, so much knowledge of Bruce Wayne’s past. A climactic scene rolled out where Batman and Hush faced each other down in a cemetery and our antagonist revealed himself. Hush pulled his bandages from his face, exposing his identity, and we and Batman learned that he was Jason Todd! Revived by a trip to Ra’s al Ghul’s Lazarus Pit and returned to Gotham City to wreak havoc on his father figure and mentor. And oh my god– I was just knocked flat! Just bowled over. I loved it.

As a reader, the top of my head blew off. As a storyteller, my heart exploded inside my chest. Because this made so much sense, and I saw the story laid out like 100 miles of broken road. It read like an opera. Jason Todd, the fallen son, the ruined one, the one that Bruce could never manage to control. His greatest failure. His partner who was brutally murdered and taken from him by his worst enemy. Jason embodied all of what Batman perceived to be his own failings and weaknesses. Batman lived with the massive scar, every day, that it was he who got Jason killed. He tortured himself by displaying Jason’s uniform in the Batcave This memorial to his pain! A totem of loss. He didn’t want to forget. He wanted it to hurt. And now: Jason’s returned! He’s returned with all the skills, and strength, and power that Batman taught him. And he’s using it to do wrong. Jason Todd has become a villain.

This was exquisitely painful. It was heartbreaking. It was beautiful. I couldn’t wait to read what was next. And then, in the next issue of “Hush,” it turned out that Jason Todd was actually just Clayface in disguise.

And I thought, “Okay. Well. That’s another way to go, I guess.”

It was a huge twist. And I wasn’t disappointed. Because the remainder of the story continued its exciting, action-packed free fall. But I couldn’t let go of the idea of Jason Todd.

So two years later, when Batman group editor and my pal Bob Schreck tapped me to take over writing duties on Batman, I had to take a swing at it, I told Bob that I wanted to bring Jason Todd back to life for real.

When talking about writing superhero comics, it’s often said we stand on the shoulders of giants. That’s never been more true than when it comes to the Under the Red Hood story arc, and of all the Jason Todd/Red Hood stories that would follow.

Jason Todd was born out of the minds and artistry of Gerry Conway and Don Newton. They were the ones who brought us this tough kid in the first place. And it was Jim Starlin and Jim Aparo, under the watchful editorial guidance of Denny O’Neil, that brought us ��A Death in the Family.”

Jason Todd as a character and his murder, in my opinion, were the clear turning point for Batman as a character in the modern mythos. The Dark Knight, as we know him today–this tortured, vengeful, driven, and electrifying character–owes so much to the loss that these storytellers provided him. Batman just got darker after Jason died.

And here I was, planning on screwing that up.

But the lightning strike of inspiration that I’d had when I read “Hush” just wouldn’t leave me. I saw it was a story that seemed to practically tell itself. And! I felt comfortable that we weren’t going to be just tumbling down the trope of a dead character coming back to life. This was more than that. Jason Todd’s loss was never going to leave Batman. He was still going to carry the wound. But now it would get worse. Whereas before he was haunted by the memories of the mistakes he’d made, now we were going to explore what would happen if his mistakes came back to face him. Now that the prodigal son had truly returned, and was doing wrong. Jason is making the claim to Batman that he would be “a better Batman than you.”

In all modesty, I don’t feel like we screwed it up. I take a lot of pride in the fact that years later, people are still enjoying “Under the Red Hood” and Lost Days and that Jason Todd/Red Hood is still kicking around. I’ve said many times that for those of us who write superhero comics now, it’s all fan fiction. We were children when we began reading comic books, and many of us dreamed up stories in our heads. And for those who are lucky enough to finally get to tell the stories, it’s a gift. Well, I wasn’t a kid when I was digging through the pages of “Hush” and the story of the Red Hood popped into my head. But I was still a fan, reading a comic, and seeing a story unfold in front of me.

But this time–I got to make it happen.

So. I’ll take the blame.

Judd Winick

April 2023

#hai rambles #dc comics #jason todd #bruce wayne #under the red hood #utrh #red hood lost days #rhld #judd winick

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kilforheaven · 3 months ago

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Batman: Dark Victory appreciation post

Not enough people are talking about how beautiful this comic is, literally one of my favorite art styles along with The Long Halloween. Tim Sale really outdid himself with this one and I really love his more cartoony and sometimes grotesque art style. His convention of emotions through colors (whether it's the red grief or ice blue tension) strikes me in the rawest way possible. His art style compliments Jeph Loeb's story telling perfectly. The mystery elements lure you into the story and when you see Bruce Wayne for who he actually is -and not just batman- through his interractions with Dick, you're officially hooked to the story and can't let it go. This comic really helped me form an empathetic bond with both Bruce and Dick. Not to mention how jarring the joker was written, in some comics joker is represented as a force of pure evil but for me joker is an element of complete chaos which is what makes him terrifying. In this comic joker was exactly that: chaotic, unreasonable and unpredictable.

(Also as a little side note without giving too much spoilers, the Falcone family storyline was a personal highlight of mine 'I once believed that the end of the Falcone Organization would come with a broken woman in a wheelchair. I was wrong. It ended with a broken man')

So let's not treat dark victory as a 'sequal to the long halloween' but as what it actually is, a comic true to the spirit of batman filled with mystery, compassion and tragedy.

#richard grayson #bruce wayne #nightwing #dick grayson #dark victory #the long halloween #comics #comic books #batman #robin #tim sale #jeph loeb #joker #alberto falcone #falcone family #dc batfam #the batfamily

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keycomicbooks · 5 months ago

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Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #3 (2024) Mark Chiarello Art, Jeph Loeb Story

#Batman: #TheLongHalloween – #TheLastHalloween #3 (2024) #MarkChiarello Art, #JephLoeb Story "Witness" As the noose tightens around Gotham City, Robin seeks aid from an unlikely ally and Batman confronts a deadly specter from the past! https://www.rarecomicbooks.fashionablewebs.com/Batman%20The%20Long%20Halloween%20The%20Last%20Halloween.html @rarecomicbooks Website Link In Bio Page If Applicable. SAVE ON SHIPPING COST - NOW AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL PICK UP IN DELTONA, FLORIDA #KeyComicBooks #DCComics #DCU #DCUniverse #KeyIssue

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aanews69 · 9 months ago

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Unleash the chaos and dive into the wild world of Hit Monkey's Revenge: From Japan to New York Chaos! 🌍🐒 In this thrilling adventure, meet Hit Monkey, the ...

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librarylexicon · 4 months ago

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hi! i'm one of those insane people who got into dc via seeing tumblr posts and going "huh these tropes seem like they are tailor made to get me obsessed" but was too intimidated by the volume of comics, and instead read the wikipedia pages of like 20 characters and dove right into fanfiction after. but i've been finding myself getting more and more frustrated with fanfics that are of the "i ignore canon entirely" variety and more and more curious about aspects of canon that are only brushed upon in fanfic. i kinda want to get into the comics but the amount is just. overwhelming. i don't really know where to start, both in regards to the timeline and where to actually find the comics to read. can i ask you for recommendations? if you don't have the time or inclination, no pressure, just delete this ask XD. thank you!

Hi! I'm glad you asked! I've had this ask sitting in my box for a little while because I've been working on redoing a Batfamily comics reading guide I made for my sister back in 2019 to get her into reading comics (it worked). Here is the reading guide, which is currently complete up to the No Man's Land section:

There's a lot of info in the guide to get you started (especially regarding your second point of where to actually find the comics to read), so I'll just address your first point (the timeline) here under the cut by providing an extended summary of events. There are spoilers ahead, but it's a useful read if you're the kind of person who likes to see the big picture before delving in. Warning: it's long!

The Timeline

(Most of the comics mentioned below have been bolded in the reading guide, so should be easy to find and read.)

Batman and Batfamily comics are old. Batman and Robin have both been around for over 80 years. Does this mean you need to read every comic since 1940? Absolutely not! For comic book reasons, there have been several mainstream continuities throughout the years, one after the other, but the best place to start is directly after the universe-rebooting event called Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1986, which established a new continuity known as Post-Crisis. Don't try to read that comic, just trust that it happened. You don't have to read every single one of the comics listed here, especially if you already know some context from fandom (like who's who), but these are the ones most important to the Batfamily mythos.

Origin and early years

Start your Batman reading journey with Batman: Year One, which documents the origin and first year of Batman, establishes his working relationship with Jim Gordon and introduces Selina Kyle (Catwoman). There are many stories capturing Batman's earliest years, the best of which are Batman: The Man Who Laughs (where he meets the Joker for the first time), Batman: The Long Halloween and its sequel Batman: Dark Victory.

Dick as Robin

Dick Grayson, a young acrobat, is introduced in Batman: Dark Victory when Haly's Circus comes to Gotham and his parents fall to their deaths before his (and Bruce's) eyes during their trapeze act, and he comes into his own as the first Robin in the superb one-shot Batman Chronicles: The Gauntlet. You should also read Batman: Ego for an excellent dissection of both Bruce and Batman. Other high quality Dick!Robin stories that flesh out this period and establish Bruce and Dick's relationship are Robin: Year One, Batman: Grimm (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #149-153) and Year One: Batman/Scarecrow. Also a good read around this time are the three Halloween stories by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale (who created The Long Halloween and Dark Victory) collected in Batman: Haunted Knight. Lastly, a natural companion to Robin: Year One is Batgirl: Year One, starring Barbara Gordon, Jim's daughter-slash-adopted-niece.

Jason as Robin

Bit of a timeskip here. By now, Dick's been Robin for six years or so (sources vary), and Jason Todd is introduced in Batman (1940) #408-409 and faces Two-Face in #410-411. There are some fun Jason stories in Detective Comics (1937) #569-574. To see what Dick's up to at this time, read Nightwing: Year One, and also check out Batman #416 for an alternate story of how Dick and Jason meet.

A new Gotham vigilante, Huntress (Helena Bertinelli) is introduced right around here in Huntress: Year One, and Barbara Gordon (who by now has retired from being Batgirl) is shot by the Joker and left paralysed from the waist down in Batman: The Killing Joke. A good Jason!Robin story that slots in here is Batman: The Cult, before the tension between Bruce and Jason is raised in Batman #425-426. Finally, Jason's life and short-lived career as Robin are permanently ended by the Joker in Batman: A Death in the Family.

Aftermath

Bruce is straight up not having a good time right now. He's mourning his kid, the Joker is still at large, he's sans both a Robin and a Batgirl, and he's accused of treason in the character study comic Batman: Blind Justice (Detective Comics #598-600). Sometime later, Dick Grayson (who is sort of estranged from Bruce and has been hanging out with his Titans friends for years) returns to Gotham in the fantastic Batman: Year Three (Batman #436-439), which retells Dick's origin (with some contradictions to other stories listed here, because that's just the nature of comics) and deals with Dick's parents' killer, Tony Zucco, possibly getting parole. Look out for a cute cameo in this one, but don't worry if you miss it – it'll come up again.

Noticing Batman's increased brutality in the wake of Robin's death, a precocious thirteen-year-old named Tim Drake bursts into the narrative when he hunts down Dick at Haly's Circus in the seminal Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying. Batman: Dark Knight, Dark City (Batman #452-454) is a good solo Batman story from around this period, and Batman: Rite of Passage (Detective Comics #618-621) and Batman: Identity Crisis (Batman #455-457) are defining stories for Tim's pre-Robin period as he explores who he is and who he wants to be. (Specifically, Tim's mother is killed and his father is left paralysed.)

Tim as Robin

(Note: Tim is Robin up until Damian is, but I've split Tim's Robin tenure into multiple sections so that it's easier to follow.)

Now that Tim has officially taken up the mantle, Bruce sends him to train in Paris, where he makes enemies of his own and chooses the bo staff for his weapon in the 1991 Robin miniseries. Around this time, Barbara Gordon reinvents herself as Oracle in Oracle: Year One (The Batman Chronicles #5). Tim debuts as Robin with Batman in Gotham in Batman #465, works cases with Bruce in stories like Batman: Shadow Box (Batman #467-469), and even tackles the Joker when Batman is out of town in Robin II: The Joker's Wild.

Other good stories from this period are Batman: Electric City (Detective Comics #644-646), a character study of Tim's relationship with his dad in Batman #480, and a Batfamily teamup and Nightwing cameo in Batman: The Last Arkham (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-4). Stephanie Brown dubs herself the Spoiler to spoil the plans of her father, third-rate villain Cluemaster, in Detective Comics #647-649, and Huntress returns with her unorthodox methods in Detective Comics #652-653.

Next up, the sprawling epic that is the Knightfall Saga. Jean-Paul Valley, a graduate student with a family legacy causing him to be beholden to a lifetime of conditioning known as "the System", debuts in Batman: Sword of Azrael. Batman, who has been overworking himself due to increasing pressures from all sides, finds himself increasingly worn out in the stories collected in Batman: Prelude to Knightfall. (Around this time, Robin also forges an unlikely friendship with Huntress in Robin III: Cry of the Huntress.)

In Batman: Knightfall, a huge Arkham Asylum breakout pushes Batman to his limits, and when he finally returns home, mentally and physically depleted, he finds a new enemy waiting to destroy him. It's not pretty. While Bruce recovers, he appoints Jean-Paul Valley to be Batman to Tim's Robin in Batman: Knightquest. Unfortunately, with the System still active, Tim finds himself increasingly sidelined and Jim Gordon breaks ties with this new, inappropriately ruthless Batman. A lot of things happen, but Bruce eventually returns (and so does Nightwing, yay!) in Batman: KnightsEnd.

Right after KnightsEnd but before the next story, there's a DC-wide event called Zero Hour, in which the universe is destroyed and remade. From a Doylist perspective, this is an opportunity for DC to smooth out some oddities with their Post-Crisis timeline and eliminate any plot elements they were dissatisfied with. Among other things, the murderer of Bruce's parents, who had previously been established as a random mugger named Joe Chill, is retconned to be unconfirmed (naturally, this changed later). You don't have to read the main Zero Hour comic, which is a five-issue limited series numbered in reverse order, but there are interesting crossover issues in the various Batfamily comics that are ongoing at this time, including Tim!Robin solving a case with Dick!Robin in Robin (1993) #10. The main reason I mention Zero Hour is because it explains why there are key differences between early Post-Crisis comics like most of Jason's run and post-Zero Hour comics like Nightwing: Year One. The answer is retconning, and it'll come up again and again. Such is the nature of trying to maintain longevity and internal consistency for comics that never end.

Okay, back to the main events! In what is my favourite comic of all time, Bruce rights wrongs by asking Dick to temporarily be Batman instead of Jean-Paul (yay!), and Dick and Tim grow close as Batman and Robin and as honorary brothers before Dick and Bruce finally see eye to eye in Batman: Prodigal. When Bruce is ready to be Batman again, he dons a new, darker suit (which is very close to the suit in the Tim Burton movies that were popular at the time) in Batman: Troika. Alfred, who voluntarily left Bruce's employ in Knightquest, is persuaded to return to Gotham by his best friend, none other than Dick Grayson, in Nightwing: Alfred's Return. Later, Dick does some soul-searching of his own (and gains a new costume!) in the 1995 Nightwing miniseries, and three concurrent stories in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #46-47, Batman #527-528 and Detective Comics #693-694 lay the groundwork for the dramatic next stage of Gotham history.

No Man's Land

What's up next for Gotham? It's a plague! Dubbed the Apocalypse Virus and otherwise known as the Clench, this plague ravages Gotham in the Batfamily crossover Batman: Contagion, which is followed by a resurgence in Batman: Legacy. It's dramatic, it's whumpy, it's mesmerising and it's pretty great.

By this point, you'll be familiar with the regular cast of characters and can read more of their solo comics at your leisure. There's Batman for Bruce and Detective Comics and Batman: Shadow of the Bat for higher chances of him teaming up with others. Tim's solo comic, Robin (1993), has been going since Knightfall, and Dick's excellent long-running comic Nightwing (1996) begins here. Read Robin for Tim's teenage adventures (skateboarding, making friends in school), family ups and downs (his dad is mercurial, but at least he has a cool stepmother, Dana) and love life (he starts dating Steph) and read Nightwing for Dick striking out on his own in the neighbouring city of Blüdhaven, where he eventually joins the police academy to fight crime from a different angle. (There's also the Azrael comic, which may appeal if you find yourself liking Jean-Paul Valley, but as I haven't read much of it, I make no promises about its quality.)

Continuing the notable Batfamily crossover events, Nightwing has a dalliance with Huntress in Nightwing/Huntress, and a massive earthquake devastates Gotham in Batman: Cataclysm. The consequences of this spin into Batman: Aftershock, Batman: Road to No Man's Land and the sprawling, ambitious epic that is Batman: No Man's Land, in which Gotham is declared no longer part of the United States. Within this year of danger, chaos and political limbo, we are introduced to a silent young woman, daughter of the assassin David Cain. With Barbara's blessing, she comes to live at Oracle's base (the Clock Tower) and becomes the second Batgirl. (Also during this period, Steph gives birth to a baby from a former boyfriend, and Tim – in disguise – gets himself stuck in No Man's Land to help her. It's complicated.)

New Gotham

This, along with the previous section, is one of my favourite periods in Batfamily comics. Many of the solo comics just mentioned are at their peak in terms of storytelling, characterisation and plot development, and several more excellent series begin here, including the family-focused Batman: Gotham Knights and the first ever perpetual Batgirl series for the new Batgirl, who would come to be known as Cassandra Cain. Both series are well worth reading!

Batman: Evolution (Detective Comics #742-750) touches on the fallout of the No Man's Land and rebuilding "New Gotham", and Bruce unwillingly gains a personal bodyguard named Sasha Bordeaux in Batman: A Walk in the Park (Detective Comics #751-752), which of course complicates his nocturnal activities as Batman. Soon after, Jim Gordon is shot in Batman: Offcer Down, and (unrelatedly) Dick and Barbara, who have been having off-the-chart levels of UST for years, finally call their flirting what it is: dating. Also at this time, Bruce has been rekindling his relationship with his pre-No Man's Land girlfriend, Vesper Fairchild.

In Joker: Last Laugh, the Joker decides to go out with a bang in when he finds out he's apparently suffering from terminal brain cancer. The theme of family is explored in Batman: Gotham Knights, with Bruce offering to adopt Dick (at long last) in Batman: Matatoa (Batman: Gotham Knights #16-17). And then a secret threatens to tear the Batfamily apart when Bruce is accused of murdering Vesper Fairchild in Bruce Wayne: Murderer?, eventually prompting him to drop the Bruce Wayne identity completely (this made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move) and become Batman full-time as he goes on the run in Bruce Wayne: Fugitive. Eventually the murder is solved and the murderer is accounted for, and these two stories are probably my favourite Batfamily crossovers ever. They're so juicy and get to the heart of everything I love about each member!

The excellent Bruce & Dick comic Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne fits somewhere around here, as well as Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's beautifully drawn and critically acclaimed Batman: Hush, which touches on Bruce's on-again, off-again relationship with Selina Kyle. Around this time in the Nightwing comic, Dick's life has been on a downward spiral for months because of a multitude of factors, including losing his girlfriend, his day job, his circus family, his apartment building and more. This is also where the villains Blockbuster and Tarantula are prominent.

Over in Robin, Tim's father discovers that Tim is Robin and demands that Tim give up the mantle, which he reluctantly does. This results in Bruce offering the job to Steph, driving a wedge between her and Tim. Her tenure as Robin is short-lived for several reasons, and all this leads into the mega-crossover Batman: War Games, in which a massive gang war breaks out in Gotham and Tim's sort-of girlfriend, Darla Aquista, is killed. By the time the dust settles, Steph is (believed) dead, Dick temporarily gives up his Nightwing mantle to work for the mafia (yup), Barbara and Jim leave Gotham and Tim's father is murdered in the DC-wide crossover Identity Crisis, resulting in Tim and Cassandra relocating to Blüdhaven, effectively sealing the breakup of the Batfamily. War Games is followed up by Batman: War Crimes, which is included here for timeline reasons and not much else.

Batman's pretty much all alone in Gotham again, right? Time for somebody else to return. Someone who's been haunting the narrative all these years. Yup, in the wake of the gang war, when rival mob bosses are vying to wrest control of the city, a new crime lord emerges in Batman: Under the Hood: the Red Hood, who turns out to be Jason Todd, back from the dead, and no longer a boy in a yellow cape but instead a ruthless, hypocritical murderer with a chip on his shoulder and no qualms about stabbing Batman's allies. (For more about Jason between his death and return to Gotham, read Red Hood: Lost Days.)

Lastly, there's a DC-wide event called Infinite Crisis, which shakes up the whole DC Universe and leads to Batman, Nightwing and Robin taking a trip around the world for a whole year. (Infinite Crisis also kills off Tim's best friend, Conner Kent/Superboy. Tim's really going through it at this time, poor guy.) Oh, and Blüdhaven is razed by a bomb during Infinite Crisis as well. Yup.

One Year Later

(Disclaimer: it's been a while since I read this period and this one beyond it.) After a year away from Gotham, Batman, Nightwing and Robin return, and Bruce adopts Tim (at long last) in Batman: Face the Face. I'm sure this happy-ish period is going to last, right? Well, the very next story is Batman and Son, in which Bruce learns he has a young son named Damian, who is the child of Talia, daughter of Ra's al Ghul (Batman's currently dead, formerly immortal nemesis of League of Assassins fame). Damian and Tim instantly don't hit it off – rather, Tim is friendly until the bratty and hostile Damian reveals himself to be a murderer and attempts to kill Tim. Of course, Bruce doesn't take kindly to this, and Damian eventually goes back to live with his mother.

Also, during the year the others were away, Cassandra was brainwashed and became evil because of Deathstroke and DC Editorial (this made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move). Later, Bruce adopts her in the otherwise mediocre 2008 Batgirl miniseries. There's a lot of complicated stuff around this time, such as Steph being retconned as Alive All Along and returning to Gotham in Robin: Violent Tendencies (Robin #170-175, Robin/Spoiler Special), Dick relocating to New York and having a mediocre run in Nightwing, Tim having a new black and red Robin suit to honour Superboy's death, Tim struggling mentally and trying to clone Conner(!) and revive Steph, his dad and Conner, Ra's al Ghul coming back from the dead (again) and trying to use a younger body (Damian or Tim) to stabilise his form in Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul, and Bruce tackling the criminal organisation known as the Black Glove in Grant Morrison's Batman R.I.P.

DC-wide events once again have consequences (hooray) in Final Crisis, in which Batman dies. Is he dead for good? Well, this is comic book land, so probably not, but in the meantime, the public can't know that either Batman or Bruce Wayne have died. Hush masquerades as Bruce Wayne (long story) and the Robins battle it out for the mantle in Batman: Battle for the Cowl. Despite Tim's pleas, Dick refuses to become Batman, resulting in an imposter Batman who shoots to kill taking centre stage. This impostor turns out to be Jason, who fights first Tim, then Dick, the latter of whom defeats him. Against Bruce's wishes in his will, Dick becomes the new Batman, and Damian becomes Robin at his side.

Damian as Robin

This new status quo, also known as Batman: Reborn, marks the start of several new series, including Red Robin and Batgirl (2009). Red Robin stars Tim as a deeply unreliable narrator in his new title of Red Robin in his grief-fuelled efforts to gather evidence that Bruce is not dead, while Batgirl follows Stephanie Brown as she becomes the third Batgirl under Oracle's tutelage, the pair of them working out of the Batcave.

Dick, Damian and Alfred have relocated to the penthouse in Wayne Tower and operate out of the underground bunker. Dick and Damian's rocky partnership develops into an unlikely yet compelling and heartfelt bond in Batman and Robin (2009) as they tackle a plethora of villains, including Professor Pyg and Red Hood (again). And where is Cassandra Cain? Sidelined again! She gave up Batgirl for Steph, on Bruce's request, and now goes by Black Bat, though we don't see much of her for Editorial Reasons (sigh).

This being comics, Bruce doesn't stay dead for long, and with both Tim and Dick (separately) discovering evidence that Bruce is not dead, just lost in time (yup), they work together to bring him back alive. I don't pretend to remember all the intricacies of how this works, but you can read about Bruce's journey in Batman: Time and the Batman (Batman #700-703), Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne and Bruce Wayne: The Road Home. It's long and complex and honestly reading Grant Morrison's writing tends to do my head in.

There are a handful more stories after Bruce's return, including some hugs and heartfelt reunions (yes, really!) and the excellent Batman: The Black Mirror story starring Dick as Batman, but even though this is a really cool new status quo with a bunch of interesting implications going forward, the universe doesn't really stabilise, because we're up to 2011 by now, and the world gets hit by another DC-wide crossover called Flashpoint. Except, this is the biggest one since Crisis on Infinite Earths that I mentioned way back at the beginning, and so everything gets rebooted. EVERYTHING.

Batman and Detective Comics and other long-running comics are cancelled and their number restarted from #1, and many series are cancelled and just never reinstated. This new universe, known as the New 52, sets a new status quo that worked in some aspects but not so much in others. Many changes from the universe we just came from are just jumps that happen without explanation, such as Dick's return to being Nightwing (except now he's red instead of blue), Jason being an anti-hero with a bat on his chest instead of a villain, everyone being younger and closer in age, Steph and Cass being minimised and essentially replaced, and many more frustrating retcons that are confusing and/or illogical. But hey, at least the new Batman and Robin comic (starring Bruce and Damian) and Scott Snyder's Batman run (introducing the Court of Owls) are good! Note: the New 52 was soft rebooted in 2016 to become the current continuity, known at its inception as DC Rebirth, which reintroduced many Post-Crisis elements to mainstream canon.

Duke Thomas? He wasn't introduced until the New 52. Harper and Cullen Row? New 52. Tim being bisexual and dating Bernard? Rebirth, though Bernard was inspired by a very minor character of the same name from Tim's long-running Robin comic. Forever Evil, Spyral and the Grayson comic? New 52. Kate Kane (Batwoman)? She appeared during Batman: Reborn, but she wasn't established as Bruce's cousin until the New 52. Many such cases.

And so, right before Flashpoint is where the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths continuity ends after twenty-five years, with Bruce as Batman and running a worldwide initiative called Batman Incorporated in Batman Incorporated (2010), Dick as Batman in Gotham, Damian as Robin, Tim as Red Robin, Steph as Batgirl, Cassandra as Black Bat, Barbara as Oracle and Jason as Red Hood (and full villain, not reformed in any way, shape or form). In this continuity, Bruce adopted (in order) Jason, Dick, Tim and Cassandra, and of course Damian is his biological son. It's my favourite continuity, and I hope you enjoy it too.

...And I apologise belatedly for the wall of text.

#dc #dc comics #batman #batfamily #post crisis #asks #afanbeingatheart

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blessedgirthma · 2 months ago

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Joker Needs To Die

Back again with another DC-centric post! This time we'll be continuing my rambling about the Joker and Batman.

Spoilers are down below for a number of Batman stories, including the first issue of Hush 2.

So, I was reading the first issue of Hush 2 and watched as the Joker was taken by the Silence to Thomas Elliot and tortured.

I am sure this was very cathartic for you Jason Todd and Barbara Gordon fans. Even I have to admit that there's a little bit of sweetness in the Joker getting a little bit of torture for all the stuff he's done. Regardless, Hush ends up torturing him until Batman shows back up and finds him.

So the choice is simple. Whether it'd be Joker or Hush, personally, I'm leaning toward Joker since he seems to be the one speaking in the recording, but at the end of the day, Batman is given the chance to let his nemesis die. He doesn't have to bloody his hands; Hush has already done all the dirty work, and now all he has to do is let the Joker die.

Some believe that the Joker is already dead here, but given the cover of the next issue,

And the synopsis: "H2SH WITH JEPH LOEB AND JIM LEE CONTINUES! After the shocking events of the last issue, Batman must make the hardest decision of his life! Guest-starring Nightwing, Batgirl, and Red Hood!"

I think the Joker is definitely still alive here.

For me, I have the theory that both Joker and Hush orchestrated all of this, with Hush using the Silence to incapacitate the Joker so he doesn't pull any wild card moves, all for this little test to push Batman since we all know he's going to save the Joker. But given the cover of the next issue, I also believe that Jason will show up and he and Batman will have a conflict where the ex-Robin will try to stop his old mentor and father figure from saving the clown prince of crime since by all means, this seems to be as good a chance as any to finally finish things.

They can finally wash their hands of the freak. They don't even have to do anything, and the Joker will die all on his own. But with Batman being Batman, he still tries to save the clown since even though the Caped Crusader probably hates the clown prince of crime more than anyone else, to him, leaving Joker to die is still murder. They'll probably fight, with Batman agonizing over the chance to finally let Joker die, which is one of the reasons why I believe the Joker himself is a part of this whole plan. But eventually, the time will come where we'll be able to finally see if the clown bites it.

Now, let's get to the point of this post, where I believe that,

THE JOKER SHOULD DIE!!!!

Over the past few decades, I feel like we've been going nowhere with the relationship between Batman and the Joker. Heck, I even made a separate post about it. But to go into further detail, I want to ask the question of what was the most significant thing Joker has done in the past 20 or so years of comic history.

In 1988, we got the Killing Joke, where the Joker was at his absolute worst. Paralyzing Barbara and traumatizing Jim, he was an utter monster. I do want to make a separate post about the story and how we finally got a glimpse at the man behind the clown makeup and saw an actual calm interaction between him and the Bat.

Funnily enough, 1988 was also the year the Death in the Family story came out with Joker killing Jason. It's probably one of the most important Batman stories to come out, right alongside the Killing Joke. But to ask another question, when's the last time we've gotten a story like that?

Now, I might not be as big of a Joker fan as I think I am because there could be stories like those out there that are just as extreme as those, but from what I've seen, only those two are the real stand-out stories, right alongside Knightfall.

Sure, we've had stories like Death of the Family, where the Joker cuts his face off. But that time around, he more or less targeted the Bat-family rather than Batman directly and instead damages his relationships with the rest of the family. After that, we had Endgame, where both Batman and Joker die in their 'final' battle.

From there, the most notable Joker story after that was Joker War, where he takes all of Batman's money and uses it against him. In the end, this left the Caped Crusader broke and without a lot of his resources. After that, we then have the two Joker comics, which were fun, especially the first, where we see Jim Gordon finally manage to find some peace with his experiences with the Joker.

The second Joker story was also fun, but it was pretty confusing with the whole 2 Joker's angle. But at the end, when the Joker emerges from the water and he's asked which one he is between the two, I love how he simply said that he was the Joker. That it didn't matter who he was, only that he kept the people of Gotham smiling at the end of the day.

Dark Prisons then came and went, and we got a taste of the Joker's first year after falling into the vat of acid. I'm personally conflicted about the story, but I think it was fine, and it was also pretty fun to see the Joker finally come into his own as the clown prince of crime.

Now, here we are, Hush 2 and Joker has to be saved by Batman. Whether or not he does it is still up in the air. But I'm personally leaning toward him surviving. I could be wrong, however.

But throughout all of these stories, prior to Hush 2 and after the Killing Joke and Death in the Family fiasco, what impact has Joker really made in that time?

Sure, he hurt the relationship between Batman and his family and even took all his money. But the thing about comics is that it all has to return to the status quo at the end of the day. Batman reformed his relationships with his family, something he had to do a couple of times, thanks to people like Bane, Thomas Wayne Batman, and Zur-En-Arrh, and now more recently, he's gotten his money back and is back to living in a mansion.

All in all, besides Alfred being gone, which was something that was due to Bane and Thomas Wayne Batman, nothing has changed since the 1980s when Death in the Family and Killing Joke came out. Sure, Jason might be back now, but Under the Red Hood was more or less his story rather than the Joker's.

All of this to say that the Joker hasn't really done anything all that noteworthy in that time besides a few instances where he does some messed up or funny stuff. This leads me to my final point in how the Joker should die for his relationship with Batman to progress.

For those who are in the know about the deeper parts of the relationship between Batman and Joker, you know that the obsession the Joker has with the Caped Crusader goes both ways. There's a cover for Death of the Family that fits this perfectly.

Joker is on Batman's mind as much as Batman is on Joker's. The relationship between the two of them is equal parts hate, love, and obsession.

So, having the Joker kick the bucket is to remove a relationship that has been a part of Batman's life since he first put on the cowl. Some might say he wouldn't care, but with the obsene amount of times he's gone out of his way to save the Joker's life whether it'd be throwing him into the Lazerus pit to bring him back to life, or deciding to help him while he was bleeding out instead of chasing a criminal it's clear that no matter what he might try to believe, Batman cares to an extent for the Joker.

This would then give Batman the chance to feel something different about his role as Gotham's protector. Sure, people like Bane or the Penguin might be bad, but the Joker is supposed to be the worst out of all of them. He has to be the one to push Batman to his absolute limits, whether it'd be copywriting fish or beating one of his sidekicks to death. The Joker's unpredictability is what made him such a fearsome foe for the level-headed and strategic-minded person that Batman is.

This is a relationship that has been 80+ years in the making, and there hasn't been any real change between the two of them beyond the Joker doing something and Batman having to come and stop him. And sure, there's something to that. Having this eternal relationship where it'll continue for more decades to come.

But I think now more than ever we need a flagpole moment, similar to the Killing Joke and Death in the Family. And I think the best we could get is for Joker to finally die and just let Batman and the rest of the DC world sit on that.

Imagine Harley Quinn feeling a mix of relief and sadness. Relief that the Joker was now gone, but still having that part of herself that loves him even after everything he did to her grieve after his death. Or maybe Jason realized that even after the Joker's death, he's still angry and bitter, and that fire inside him isn't something necessarily attached to the Joker, and he has to work through it some other way.

But I think the most important effect would be on Batman himself. He'd have to change a few things about how he went after crime since the worst of the worst in the form of the Joker is finally gone. Of course, he won't stay gone forever.

The Joker is still one of DC's main cash cows, and I feel like they wouldn't want to keep him shelved for too long. But when he does come back, Batman will once again have to change along with the Joker since they've finally seen what happens when he dies and the peace and change that comes from such a thing.

Perhaps Batman will kill the Joker again to keep the peace of mind he once had when he was gone. Or maybe the Joker will be more vicious and violent than ever before since he's gotten a taste for death and is no longer afraid of it, if he ever was. In any case, the Joker dying would undoubtedly shift the dynamic between him and Batman into new directions that could really spark some new life and excitement between the two of them.

That's why I'm excited to see this new Joker in the Absolute universe and watch how their relationship grows just as close as it is in the main DC universe. But for what we're getting now in the main continuity, it's always just been the same stuff. I think the Joker himself put it best when he said in the Batman Arkham Knight DLC A Matter of Family when he's getting ready to fire a rocket at Batgirl and Robin,

"Oh, see. It used to be simple. I blow things up. He shows up. Start all over again."

But for the relationship between Batman and Joker to continue surviving for as long as it has and stand the test of time, there needs to be a change to that dynamic. We've had the age of Batman stopping the Joker; now, we need something new.

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