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Batman New 52 Reading Order (Maybe?)

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There has been some real difficulty getting a comprehensive reading order or continuity for Batman in the New 52.  I really have focused just on Scott Snyder’s Batman since it has just been so great, but with Batman Eternal going on and the new Bat books that have recently been released it has been a little confusing on what to read when so that you aren’t completely lost by the new books.  I am going to put down what I know, and most of this is coming directly from The Ultimate Batman Comics Website The New 42 Timeline.

Night-of-the-Owls

Batman Night of Owls

Prologue

Optional: Nightwing #1-6

01 Batman #1

02 Batman #2

03 Batman #3

04 Batman #4

05 Batman #5

06 Batman #6

07 Batman #7

08 Nightwing #7

09 Batman #8 (7:01 p.m.)

1800’s

10 All-Star Western #9

Main Event

11 Batgirl #9 (6:07 p.m.)

12 Batman and Robin #9 (7:38 p.m.)

13 Nightwing #8 (7:40 p.m.)

14 Batwing #9 (7:40 p.m.)

15 Batman #9 (7:51 p.m.)

16 Red Hood and The Outlaws #9 (8:18 p.m.)

17 Birds of Prey #9 (8:20 p.m.)

18 Nightwing #9 (8:22 p.m.)

19 Detective Comics #9 (8:51 p.m.)

20 Batman: The Dark Knight (10:55 p.m.)

21 Batman Annual #1(12:02 a.m.)

22 Catwoman #9 (2:03 a.m.)

Death_of_the_Family_Promo

Death of the Family

Prelude
000a Detective Comics #1 (2012)
000b Suicide Squad #6
000c Suicide Squad #7
001 Batgirl #13
002 Catwoman #13
003 Catwoman #14

Chapter 1: The Joker is Back
004 Batman #13
005 Batman and Robin #13
006 Batman and Robin #14
007 Suicide Squad #14
008 Suicide Squad #15 

Chapter 2: The Jokes on You
009 Batman #14
010 Detective Comics #15
011 Batgirl #14
012 Batgirl #15
013 Batgirl #16
014 Batman #15
015 Batman and Robin #15
016 Batman and Robin #16
017 Detective Comics #16
Detective Comics #17 (Optional, Highly Recommended)
018 Nightwing #15
019 Nightwing #16
020 Red Hood and The Outlaws #15
021 Teen Titans #15
022 Red Hood and The Outlaws #16
023 Teen Titans #16
024 Batman #16
025 Batman #17 

Epilogue
026 Red Hood and The Outlaws #17
027 Red Hood and The Outlaws #18

Batman-Requiem-enfrentando-la-muerte-de-un-ser-querido-2

Batman: Requiem

  • Batman Incorporated #1-8 (The arc leading up to Damian Wayne’s death);
  • Batman #18;
  • Batman & Robin #18;
  • Batman Incorporated #9;
  • Batgirl #18;
  • Detective Comics #18;
  • Nightwing #18;
  • Worlds’ Finest #10;
  • Red Hood & The Outlaws #18;
  • Teen Titans #18;
  • Catwoman #18;

Batman: Zero Year

Batman #21-27, 29-33

Tie-Ins

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  • Action Comics #25
  • Batgirl #25
  • Batman Annual #2
  • Batwing #25
  • Batwoman #25
  • Birds of Prey #25
  • Catwoman #25
  • Detective Comics #25
  • The Flash #25
  • Green Arrow #25
  • Green Lantern Corps #25
  • Nightwing #25
  • Red Hood & The Outlaws #25
batman_eternal_cover_art_a_p
This is where it starts to get a little confusing.
Batman Eternal #1-36
Batman Arkham Manor Begins
Batman Eternal #37-52
Batman Gotham by Midnight Begins
Batman: Endgame (Batman #36- ) Begins
There are a lot of questions here.  One, where does Batman Incorporated fit into this?  It seems that Grant Morrison’s run starts before the New 52, but it continues into the New 52, which shouldn’t make sense.  Second, where does Gotham Academy begin?  Third, why would they start Batman: Endgame before the end of Batman Eternal if you need to read Eternal to know what is going on in the regular Batman title.  Four, where does the rest of Detective Comics play into the new Batman Eternal storyline?  Some of this may seem like nitpicking, but it really is difficult to just figure out what is going on.  I didn’t even realize Damian Wayne had died until much later, mainly because I didn’t understand all of the tie-ins and how the continuity was working.  Generally, I would prefer to just stick with one title, which in this case would be the main Batman title because of the outstanding quality, but it seems like I need to pick up a whole stack every month just to avoid confusion.  The big crossover collections they have been doing for Night of Owls, Death of the Family, and Zero Year have been useful, but difficult if you don’t want to read all the tie-ins.
If you have any insight into these questions, please comment and let us know!
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There are 9 comments

  2. siha

    hey! umm I don’t know if this is much to ask but is there a more actualized version of the reading order anywhere? I can’t find it ;-; If you can find or do one I’d be forever grateful!!!

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      1. siha

        Well it is! Thanks! Up until the latest event I could understand all the continuity, but then I got confused with recent events but I guess I have to wait until the arcs are finished. Thanks again, and yeah this is quite complete good job!

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