5 Perfect Batman Comics For Brand-New Fans

Batman has been around since 1939, and with his 90th anniversary right around the corner, there are a lot of comics out there for fans to read. This might make things overwhelming for a new reader who wants to start reading Batman comics but has no idea where to start. It is important to understand that, in the Golden Age, Batman basically fought gangsters and regular criminals, and it wasn’t until later that supervillains were introduced into his books. It should also be noted that there is no reason to read those older comics, since DC has retconned most of them with some more recent retellings that are good stories.

From the retelling of Batman’s origin story to some of his most important moments, here are five great comics for brand new readers to pick up to learn everything they need to know about Batman to start reading him regularly.

5) Batman: Year One

The best story for new readers who want to learn about Batman’s origin is the series Batman: Year One. Released in 1987 by the creative team of Frank Miller and Dave Mazzucchelli, this was a great retelling of Batman’s first year as the Caped Crusader, years after his parents were murdered in Crime Alley. This comic was the first Batman story released after Crisis on Infinite Earths and basically rewrote his origin.

Even with all the retcons, such as the New 52, Batman’s lineage has changed little, and this remains his primary origin to this day. The series ran from Batman #404 through #407 and streamlines an otherwise complicated history for Batman and his Bat Family. The origin remains faithful to Bill Finger and Bob Kane’s original story, but things change when Frank Miller shows how Batman fought to create his image and begin his war on crime. This is where all new Batman readers should start.

4) The Long Halloween

While Batman: Year One is a great starting point for new readers, anyone who wants to learn more about the villains should then move on to The Long Halloween. This was a 1996-97 storyline with Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale serving as the creative team. Released as a limited series, this brings back mobster Carmine Falcone from Batman: Year One and then revolves around the rise of Batman’s famous rogues’ gallery.

Reading Batman is not just about following the Caped Crusader. It is also about following his various villains, who remain among the most iconic in comic book history, regardless of company or hero. This series brings in the “freaks” to battle Batman, including Riddler, Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, Mad Hatter, and Two-Face, and that is just the start. This is the second story all new fans should read to familiarize themselves with Batman’s villains.

3) The War Of Jokes And Riddles

The most famous and persistent of Batman’s villains go to war in this Batman series, as Joker and Riddler have an all-out gang war in The War of Jokes and Riddles. Released in 2017 by Tom King and Mikel Janin, this was a storyline from Batman’s second year as a hero, which means, in the timeline, it follows Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween.

This is an essential comic book series for fans of Batman’s rogues’ gallery, as it features the Joker and Riddler rising through the ranks, and neither wants to let the other get in their way. This plays out across Batman Vol. 3 #25-32, bringing in a ton of villains who choose sides, and leaving Batman caught in the middle. For fans of the Harley Quinn animated series, this series also has a fantastic role for Kite-Man, and it is well worth the read for fans of Batman’s villains. This is also the series that finally broke Batman.

2) Batman/Superman: The World’s Finest

This isn’t so much a storyline as a comic book series, with several versions over the years. World’s Finest was the comic that finally brought Superman and Batman together in a team-up, where they had to work together to fight villains month after month. However, out of all these books, there is one storyline that stands above the rest. That would be the first story arc in the 2003 series, titled “Public Enemies.”

Superman wanted to let the American public make the right decision, but the public still voted for Lex Luthor to become President of the United States. In this story arc, a six-issue run, President Luthor names Batman and Superman enemies of the state and puts a $1 billion bounty on their heads. Superman almost kills Luthor, and Batman is going to allow him to do it. However, both men prove to be heroes and expose Luthor as a criminal to the world once again. For Batman and Superman team-ups, this shows how to do it right.

1) Batman And Robin: Year One

For new readers who want something relatively new to read, but still something that tells an origin story to catch up on the Batman mythology, Batman and Robin: Year One was released in 2024 and tells the origin story of the first Robin, Dick Grayson. Batman: Year One was Batman’s origin, The Long Halloween introduced his villains, and The War of Jokes and Riddles brought in those two heavy hitters. This series showed how Batman’s first sidekick got his start.

Of course, Dick Grayson is Nightwing now, and there have been other Robins, with Damian Wayne the current youngster in the role. However, seeing Batman working with a teen hero for the first time is fun, and having villains like Two-Face makes it even more exciting. After reading these five storylines, any new reader should now be an expert on what makes Batman tick, and then it is time to delve into the deeper realms of Batman comics.

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