#batman comic recs

[damianbugs]

hi saki hiii if it's not 2 much of a bother, do u have a link to a batman reading list w some of the older comics u often talk abt? despite The Disease I've only read maybe 4 actual Bruce Wayne centered runs

-Angel 🫶🏾

HI ANGEL !!! unfortunately i have not yet found a good reading list of older batman comics. most of them are just like "read every single thing published since 1940" and like, okay, fair enough, but also no one wants to do that.

fortunately this gave me an excuse to look through my own fav reads and compile a short list to get you started! the thing about older batman comics is that (personally) they are far more easier to follow compared to modern day comics, so once you get familiar with the older style and layouts, it's so easy to just find the kind of stories you want to read!

most of these are published after the 1970s but all of them are before the New 52 (2011) !!

for a more concise list (+content/trigger warnings) you can find this reading list on my comic geeks.

> Batman: Legends of The Dark Knight

now this collection features over 200 issues and a dozen writers BUT it's because it's full of 2-4 issue short stories. out of these, the ones i recommend most to begin with are; #16-20 (venom), #39-40 (mask), #100 (the choice).

if you like the tone of these, then i would recommend reading the other stories too. great thing is that they're not connected to each other at all, so if you don't like one then you can skip it no problem. i definitely jumped over a few writers and weird stories when reading.

> Batman 1940

now from the main run itself, the advice to just read everything published is not worth it. some of these stories really just drag or are super confusing.

some favourites of mine to start with are; #402-403 (One Batman Too Many), #423 (You Shoulda Seen Him...) and of course, #404-#408 (Batman Year One).

> Detective Comics

now i have always been of the opinion that tec is the better of the two main runs, and you can really see the quality of story telling shine in older comics !

a few of my favourite issues are: #408 (The House That Haunted Batman), #439 (The Night of the Stalker), #457 (There is No Hope in Crime Alley!), #573-574 (My Beginning... and my Probable End) and #598-#600 (Blind Justice).

> The Brave and The Bold

all runs of tbatb runs, whether that be the 1950, 1990, 2007 or even present 2023 run, are so good !!!

for an older story, #93 (published 1970) is my favourite !!

> Batman Black and White

okay so i know i have been giving singular issue recs up until now but i am so serious when i say you should just read every single issue of Batman Black and White. there are three runs, the 1996, 2014 and 2020 with only around 6 issues each. some of the best and truly life changing stories are within it.

in fact, my all time number one favourite batman comic EVER is published in #1 of the 1996 run (Perpetual Mourning). there will never be a batman story ever like it again.

> Other Stories

there was something in the air during the 1990s, because some of the best ever batman stories were published during that time. i fear there has truly never been such a stacked decade like that one.

a few essential must reads from 1980s-1990s; Batman The Cult, Batman: Night Cries, Batman: War on Crime, Batman: The Ultimate Evil, Batman: Son of the Demon.

happy reading!!!!

[gh99st]

I NEED JASON TODD COMIC RECS

I know there's the under the red hood thing but nothing else,I do know a bit about his backstory

I've lost all saved links Ive been given from the past so any batman comics in general would help

[distort-opia]

Hello! A friend of mine asked me which comic would be a good example (for newbies) to understand the conflict/character of Batman the best? W Joker especially

its a bit difficult for me to recomend them stuff because they don't have a lot of knowledge outside the movies.

Thank you!

Hey! For Batman's character, a decent starting point is simply Batman: Year One. After all, it's been very influential for Bruce's characterization in the Modern age, and despite Miller's misgivings, it is a good story. Although when it comes to a comic that encompasses the conflict at the heart of Batman (connecting to Joker, but not only)... my heart will always go to Batman: Ego. Absolutely suggest it to your friend, it's such a beautiful and in-depth character study of Bruce and the way he relates to Batman. It also doesn't require much detail in terms of setting, so it works for a beginner.

When it comes to Batman & Joker stories that might work well with someone starting to get into comics, I think it's best to go with the classics. So much of the current Batman & Joker dynamic has been defined by stories like Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on a Serious Earth, Batman: The Killing Joke, and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. These are also comics that can be read as standalone without knowing too much of the embedded timeline, a good thing for someone with a general knowledge of the Batman universe. Batman: The Man Who Laughs and Joker: Devil's Advocate would also be good stories to get into, for similar reasons (though if they'd like to read in a chronological order, tell your friend to read The Man Who Laughs first, then Arkham Asylum, then The Killing Joke, and then Devil's Advocate; Dark Knight Returns whenever, since it's not canon). For more good Batman & Joker stories, I also have a list of recs here, though some of these require more comic-specific context.

I hope this helps, Anon! It is indeed tough to recommend to people how to start with comics, since there's so many potential ways to do it, and it's such a confusing terrain sometimes. But I do think getting a taste of the essential reads and seeing if they spark more interest is a good way to go. If your friend likes these stories and wants to get more seriously into comics, they can try to follow more complex reading lists afterwards.

[fanaticalthings]

just another night in gotham

<- Prev Masterlist Next ->

[abisalli]

Jason Todd and Stephanie Brown bestie solidarity!!

POV: you are Bruce Wayne

[batsandbirdsandothers]

Anyone know a fic where Jason (utrd era) bullies the hell out of Dick by acting as a hallucination and eventually tells him to dig up his grave?

Dick actually does and Bruce is seriously concerned.

Ring a bell??

Update: we got the answer!

Part two

[irn-bru]

my genuine reaction watching batman beat the ever loving fuck out of Jason in under the red hood when the only other batfam media I know is wayne family adventures

[itsarockyroad]

Need y’all to drop your fav “Tim doesn’t see himself as part of the batfam” angst fics

Idk if there’s a tag for that but I love the e fics where he either doesn’t go to them for help cause he thinks they don’t want to be bothered by him or fics where he plans to leave the fam because he doesn’t see himself as one of them.

[shrugsinchinese]

A sketch and doodle page for Bat Swap by @im-not-buying-it-ether!

Billy is truly Going Through It in this one, and Bruce is getting called out by every significant Fawcitizen it’s hilarious

[honeycombclaire]

Alfred walks into the kitchen one day and finds Dick, Jason, Cass, Tim, Duke, Steph, and Damian.

Everything is in various states of disarray. The table has been knocked on its side, two of the chairs are missing legs, there’s a new brown stain on the ceiling, the stove is covered in burnt water, and the backsplash looks like food exploded all over it. One of the countertops has a broken corner.

Dick is in a shirt and Batman boxers and, dear god, cooking something on the stove. Jason is missing his shirt but is wearing Wonder Woman pajama pants. Stephanie has a throw blanket pinned around her shoulders like a cape and is leaping off the counters in an attempt to fly. Duke is standing on the kitchen island, egging her on. Cass and Tim are having a handstand competition. Damian is trying to knock Tim over with his katana, but is failing. They all have on sunglasses, and they are listening to music full blast.

“The song made us do it,” claims Dick.

What’s the song called, which one of them made the playlist, and what’s the playlist called?

[sisaloofafump]

I want to see more superbat fics that incorporate their canonical* ways of approaching romantic relationships. I want to see a Bruce like the one who impulse proposed to Selina on a rooftop without sparing a thought to their “work” statuses or what a domestic future together would truly look like. I want to see him across from the same Clark that for decades did not allow himself an official, truthful, or committed relationship with Lois (or Lana) because of his paranoia and fear around identities and bringing them into further harm’s way.

So often in fics, Bruce is painted as the one overanalyzing every potential outcome, hiding his romantic approaches behind layers of masks and secret identities, any denying himself a relationship on the smallest of technicalities—but it’s Clark who tried that for years.

So often in fics, Clark is written as the one to take the leap, to enter relationships with deep hope and trust and commitment—when Bruce has had his heart broken by this too many times in the past.

The way their relationships are commonly written mimic their modern friendship’s development—it is in no way out of character—but I would love to see more that is based on their romantic styles, not just platonic.

*(obligatory disclaimer that this is a mass generalization of some canon and common fanfic depections)

[incorrectbatfam]

Barbara: Why would I want you as my assistant?

Kory: I will work for you. I’ll be on you 24/7. I’ll be like your family. I’m here when you get here in the morning, and sure enough, I’ll be there tucking you into bed at night. Don’t worry, it’s not gay. Do we have questions?

[frownyalfred]

you know what one of my favorite tropes is? forced identity reveal. and not just scenes where the villain will throw some poor civilian off a building if the Justice League doesn't stand up. I mean the kind where they're forced, through magic or powers or some sort of force, to reveal themselves.

Kryptonians are immediately identified in the crowd with kryptonite. Every Lantern hisses as their rings start to flare at the same time, glowing wildly on their hands. Glamours are forcibly dropped. Like that.

[himejoshiangels]

Duke Thomas fic rec list

I've scowered every tag relating to him, combed thru the 'duke centric tag' at least 8 times, this is what ive come back with, at least my personal faves

necessary reminders - duke pov, outsider pov, and some social media following duke as he gets used to his day job as a vigilante. flows really well, has a good balance of sad and happy, and gets dukes character rlly well

that which you cannot bear - THIS FIC WILL BREAK YYOU duke is kidnapped and its only down from there!! this is like, one of the first duke fics I read and it's still labeled as such in my mind. its well based, sooo cohesive plot wise, and stays completely in character w all its characters, especially duke, while exploring such an interesting facet of him > his tendency to self-isolate, insistence on being independent, and his stubbornness. sooo much good angst just incredible stuff while also staying hopeful and grounded. ALSO duke is an intelligent badass throughout the fic which is an important detail 2 me

signal, n. a divine act - same author as the last one, absolutely insane concepts are explored and its just so well written srsly it's like poetry. digs into some of dukes ideologies so well. if u like holy imagery??? kind of but not rlly?? ig you'll love this

this whole series is just so fucking incredible but something about my bodies made of crushed little stars I don't fucking know it messed w my brain chemistry, I've recced it b 4 bcs it made me cry but read the whole series, it's all duke centric and just so good. Saki writes bruce and duke in a way that fizzes u up w emotion and focuses on such unique facets of dukes character/dynamics and sleep well my little sunshine is soo cute and fun and soft >when earth finds the stars - bonus presignal duke and jason fic, balances being incredibly fun with a realistic zoom in on duke before we are robin. he's quippy and witty and always at the edge of his rope

not mutually exclusive - tired of bruce being kinda shoved into the role of dukes capital F father when that's not quite what their dynamic is? Then this is the fic for you!! Just good duke and Bruce interactions overall, it's sad and hilarious with just incredible dialogue and peak Bruce and Duke interactions

signals and symptoms - a classic sickfic and like one of my fave bruce bonding fic ever ever EVERRR!! really introspective abt dukes character and just so well done

even exchanges - some of u are gonna hate me for reccing an incomplete fic and esp one that doesn't look like it's gonna be finished anytime soon but even exchanges is so formative to my duke characterizationalong with portraying such a fascinating dynamic w him and his new family. it delves into his messy and angsty experiences pre-becoming the signal and is overall written like several subsequent punches to the stomach. promise ur gonna bitch and moan about this fic as much as I do

scientific method - extremely cute fic, watch Duke bond w the bats and slowly get more comfortable with them over time as they all tru to figure out what the fuck this guys powers are. Really fun dynamic wise, the dialogue is crafty and captures the familiarity between the characters. Really realistic about day to day vigilante life and how genius the bats truly are. really slice of life fluffy shit w some bonus sciencey stuff

turn my voice human torch remind people what I’m fantastic for - truly a classic, Duke invites cass to slam poetry night. short n sweet I LOVE BUMBLEBATS RAHHHHHH

tradition - pure duke n bruce ice cream fluff

meal prep - real sad angst one shot ft. alfred

occupational health and safety violations - duke pov reverse robins but it's way out of order

write about flowers (at a time like this) - duke and dick fic where they meet pre we are robin. yes I just found this one yesterday yes I'm absolutely obsessed. it characterizes him so well and understands his thought process and motives and UGHH just tune in yall

sidequest: the viper pit - WE ARE ROBIN DND JUMANJI

signals of fear and hope - duke centric reverse robins, caters TTOME specifically it's so fire

and now here are fics that arent duke centric but he's in it and in character/well written and now forced into the back of the room aka some of my general faves that feature duke

gotham aviary - the batman fic where he just adopts a bunch of em truly adorable like the cutest thing you'll read

I walk the streets at night (with monsters in my mind) - dragon fic, absolutely goated 10/10

fight, flight - cass centric but duke plays a big role, they mean everything to me

[blooms-in-april]

They’re going to fuck.” Bruce says.

“Bruce!” Clark rebukes him. “They’re not going to do anything.”

“Don’t tell me you can’t see it coming. With your enhanced senses, you can probably smell it coming.”

“You know I try not to use my powers like that.” Clark says. “They’re not going to sleep together. Barry is married, and Hal is straight as far as I know.”

Bruce snorts. “Hal Jordan is not straight. He routinely fucks up his relationships with women due to his internalized homophobia of his stronger attraction to men. And Barry is trying his best to fit himself into the comfortable cookie-cutter mold of a midwestern family. A pressure you might understand.”

Clark looks away but doesn't disagree.

“Clark.” Bruce says. “I’m a detective. It’s going to happen. I’d bet my company on it.”

“I hope it doesn’t.” Clark whispers. “If only for their sake. It would be such a hurtful mess.”

“A mess, a mistake, a bad idea.” Bruce says. “The closeted bisexual and the married man. Makes even us sound like a good idea.”

Clark flushes slightly. “Well, given the fact neither of us is married and both of us are comfortable with who we are, then yes, we are the better idea.”

The admission weighs heavy on the air between them.

Bruce leans in closer. “It’s going to happen.”

Clark flushes deeper but doesn’t back away. “Barry’s not going to cheat.”

“I give them a month.” Bruce breathes in Clark’s ear. “Bet.”

In the tense stillness, Bruce can hear Clark swallow and wet his lips. “Bet.”

[batsandbirdsandothers]

Inspired by Burning Ashes - The Rise of a Phoenix (by Dreaming_Writer)

Jason Feniks was born August 16, almost one and a half years after Jason Peter Todd-Wayne died.

And he remembered everything.