Honestly, especially when it comes to Batman comics, I think the best way to get someone hooked is to just give them a random back issue that's part 3 of 6 or something like that. You read it having no clue what came before, no clue what came after, and a bunch of stuff and characters get referenced that you have no context for. And I think that setup can really encourage people to go around and build their knowledge based on wanting to understand a random reference that interested them.
@@chazbutcher honestly, I just dont think so lol phenomenal stories, but they’re hammered into the general audience’s brain to know, i wanted to direct ppl more to stuff that IS actually canon, and both arent necessarily to some degree
As someone who is wanting to get more into the Batman comics this video was extremely helpful thanks a lot bro, amazing video also. Your channel was a nice discovery, thanks again TH-cam algorithm 👍
Really great video and so many good recs! I've read & know like most of these except Gothic & a few runs. Also I think Grant Morrison gets nearly every character he wrotes lol.
@@Comicbroe405 Morrison hasnt a touched a character they can’t write, I know some folks hate their Talia, but it’s a mistake they’ve long apologized for so it is what it is
great list! i recommend working Peter J. Tomasi's Batman and Robin in alongside Snyder's run and the end of Morrison's run, also want to say i get why its controversial but Tom King's run is definitely worth reading at least once, and James Tynion IV's Detective Comics run that ran alongside it is excellent (better than Tynion's Batman run imo)
@@sodasalesman6822 Agreed! Tom King i didnt go too much into because I’m gonna make a video on that but def agree with the Tomasi/Gleason B&R, very fun run
The Cult, War on Crime, Night Cries, Death of the Innocents, Ultimate Evil, Strange Apparitions, Night of the Stalker, Going Sane, Blind Justice, Ego, Absolution, Venom, Batman Haunted Knight
My absolute favorite Batman villain is Ra’s al Ghul, so The Lazarus Affair (1981, Batman 332-335, uncollected as yet, I believe), Son of the Demon (fantastic), Bride of the Demon, and Birth of the Demon (not as good in my opinion, but still worthwhile, especially with Birth giving, I believe, the first origin of Ra’s).
@@OhItsLuCa they both were. Azrael was Batman until Knightsend. And often the KnightsEnd and Knightfall collections include Prodigal and thats when Nightwing was Batman.
I think someone starting Batman should read Dark Moon Rising and The Man who Laughs after Year One, since they all connect between each other and Year One, maybe also some issues of Legends of the Dark Knight since they are set in Batman early years
@@TheOneWhoSeesEverything something I will talk about a lil more in depth in another video but yeah, some good stuff there and both of the Wagner Batman series I actually just read recently
The Untold Legend of the Batman is a good starting point for new readers in my opinion. It is a great recap of Batman and his relationship to his villains. The story has a well plotted mystery, with fascinating secrets to be revealed!
While I respect your opinion, I find it interesting so many informed comic book readers have such a negative opinion of Hush. It’s the equivalent of a Fast and Furious installment (the very best ones), a blockbuster whose main plot thread (who is Hush?) exists just to bring all (or most) of Batman’s foes and friends together to explore his relationships with them. The story can only go so deep because of how much is squeezed in and how fast it moves. The actual climax and resolution of the mystery is rather anticlimactic and underwhelming - the story peaks with the Jason Todd/Clayface confrontation in the penultimate issue. But the story does a great job of showing a new reader why Batman rules (the opening few pages are an amazing introduction of Batman as if seeing him for the first time) and this story ushered in the modern era of the Bat-God, as Grant Morrison would call him
@@JesseMurphyactor i think the negativity comes more so from it’s popularity than it’s role as a book, at least thats how i see it. It’s a fine comic, but in general there are plenty other books that do a better job and it’s not even the best Hush story, that goes to Hearts of Hush. It deserves it spot and its why i included it, but there are just stronger stories out there
I'm with you. Hush was the comic that got me into the main DC canon when I started reading comics. I think people miscalculate its value as a story. No, it's not a Hush story. But it is an excellent primer for everything Batman in the modern age right before Jason and Damian entered the picture. You can follow every major Batman storyline from there into the present.
Awesome Batman reading order! But a little correction about Heart of Hush, that under the cowl of Batman is still Bruce Wayne! One of the great Dark Knight stories featuring Dick Grayson is Scott Snyder's Batman Black Mirror.
@@andreidavid8895 ah ykw I think I meant to say Dick was Batman in the beginning and forgot they swapped again later lol Black Mirror is fucking awesome, but that’ll be for another video!
Honestly I don’t think it is that tuff. The most notable Batman runs between 70s-to-mid 80s Pre-Crises Batman would be O’Neil-Adams, Englehart-Rogers, Moench-Newton/Colan.
@@ebenezeronile i think in general, its just a huge overtaking to direct people to comics during that age at least for as far as first comics go, like i said in the video, those are runs i’d rather tell ppl to read later
You forgot to include All Star Batman and Robin! 😆 (just kidding, don't hate me in the comments). Great list though! I am a little surprised The Dark Knight Returns or The Killing Joke are not mentioned but it hasn't aged as well for some people, so I can kind of understand. Also think Gotham by Gaslight should be an honorable mention.
@@jaybee414-d1l Lol I did consider adding TDKR, but i do think those stories have TOO much clout, everyone pretty much knows them, I really wanted to shine some light on runs and stories that don’t get mentioned much at all. Gotham by Gaslight is fucking great tho, I general was staying away from elseworld stories tho
“If you don’t like my opinion. I don’t care. Okay? Cool ” and THATS THAT LMAO loved the video
THANK YOU THANK YOU 🙏🏽🩷🩷🩷
Honestly, especially when it comes to Batman comics, I think the best way to get someone hooked is to just give them a random back issue that's part 3 of 6 or something like that. You read it having no clue what came before, no clue what came after, and a bunch of stuff and characters get referenced that you have no context for. And I think that setup can really encourage people to go around and build their knowledge based on wanting to understand a random reference that interested them.
@@anthonyfiordaliso5689 thats lowkey how i feel about most popular comic titles tbh
Killing Joke and Dark Knight Returns are two must reads.
@@chazbutcher honestly, I just dont think so lol phenomenal stories, but they’re hammered into the general audience’s brain to know, i wanted to direct ppl more to stuff that IS actually canon, and both arent necessarily to some degree
thank you - why i came to comment. must reads for comic fans in general let alone batman fans. truly transcendent of the genre.
Read all these runs except for the newest stuff but still I enjoyed listening to someone talk about Batman runs in a positive light.
@@Gardi93 aye thanks for watching!!
As someone who is wanting to get more into the Batman comics this video was extremely helpful thanks a lot bro, amazing video also. Your channel was a nice discovery, thanks again TH-cam algorithm 👍
@@KGBeast. ayye hell yeah, i’m glad and welcome to the family!!
Morrisons Batman and Robin is one of my all time favorites too. Frank Quietlys art in the first arc is some of the best and fits the story perfectly
Really great video and so many good recs! I've read & know like most of these except Gothic & a few runs. Also I think Grant Morrison gets nearly every character he wrotes lol.
@@Comicbroe405 Morrison hasnt a touched a character they can’t write, I know some folks hate their Talia, but it’s a mistake they’ve long apologized for so it is what it is
Great video, honestly surprised when I checked the sub count that there wasn't a k at the end of that 168, criminally underrated
@@miikaaeeel Lol I appreciate it! Still growing, def will get there soon 👊🏽
great list! i recommend working Peter J. Tomasi's Batman and Robin in alongside Snyder's run and the end of Morrison's run, also want to say i get why its controversial but Tom King's run is definitely worth reading at least once, and James Tynion IV's Detective Comics run that ran alongside it is excellent (better than Tynion's Batman run imo)
@@sodasalesman6822 Agreed! Tom King i didnt go too much into because I’m gonna make a video on that but def agree with the Tomasi/Gleason B&R, very fun run
Impressive catalog. Looks like I'm going to comic shop next week 😊
@@RyanMcCarthy826 love to see it 👏🏽👏🏽
The Cult, War on Crime, Night Cries, Death of the Innocents, Ultimate Evil, Strange Apparitions, Night of the Stalker, Going Sane, Blind Justice, Ego, Absolution, Venom, Batman Haunted Knight
@@ebenezeronile lots of excellent picks, Blind Justice and Going Sane some absolute gems
Finally!! Someone who likes the Murderer/Fugitive storyline. I thought I was the only one.
@@agent_meister477 same here 😭😭 legit thought i was crazy
My absolute favorite Batman villain is Ra’s al Ghul, so The Lazarus Affair (1981, Batman 332-335, uncollected as yet, I believe), Son of the Demon (fantastic), Bride of the Demon, and Birth of the Demon (not as good in my opinion, but still worthwhile, especially with Birth giving, I believe, the first origin of Ra’s).
@@charlesross6963 lot of the O’Neil stuff outside of the Neal Adams collections are hard to find but lots of really good stories here tho
Wasn’t it Azrael who was Batman in knightfall saga, not nightwing?
@@OhItsLuCa they both were. Azrael was Batman until Knightsend. And often the KnightsEnd and Knightfall collections include Prodigal and thats when Nightwing was Batman.
@ oh interesting, thanks. I read knightfall/quest/end but skipped prodigal and went to contagion
@ No problem! Prodigal and Troika are really fun sorta epilogue stories for that saga
Im glad you let that bias in cuz even with it you simply can't deny how pivotal it is to the mythos and supporting cast of the Bats
I think someone starting Batman should read Dark Moon Rising and The Man who Laughs after Year One, since they all connect between each other and Year One, maybe also some issues of Legends of the Dark Knight since they are set in Batman early years
@@TheOneWhoSeesEverything something I will talk about a lil more in depth in another video but yeah, some good stuff there and both of the Wagner Batman series I actually just read recently
The Untold Legend of the Batman is a good starting point for new readers in my opinion. It is a great recap of Batman and his relationship to his villains. The story has a well plotted mystery, with fascinating secrets to be revealed!
@@davidarchibald449 ooooo thats actually new to me i’ll have to give that a read!
Hard to recommend Hush but also totslly understand why you mentioned it. Love the Universe and Dini run mention! Great vid!
@@EvanVonDoom Universe and Dini fucking rock, had to include them cuz no other rec list does fr
While I respect your opinion, I find it interesting so many informed comic book readers have such a negative opinion of Hush. It’s the equivalent of a Fast and Furious installment (the very best ones), a blockbuster whose main plot thread (who is Hush?) exists just to bring all (or most) of Batman’s foes and friends together to explore his relationships with them. The story can only go so deep because of how much is squeezed in and how fast it moves. The actual climax and resolution of the mystery is rather anticlimactic and underwhelming - the story peaks with the Jason Todd/Clayface confrontation in the penultimate issue. But the story does a great job of showing a new reader why Batman rules (the opening few pages are an amazing introduction of Batman as if seeing him for the first time) and this story ushered in the modern era of the Bat-God, as Grant Morrison would call him
@@JesseMurphyactor i think the negativity comes more so from it’s popularity than it’s role as a book, at least thats how i see it. It’s a fine comic, but in general there are plenty other books that do a better job and it’s not even the best Hush story, that goes to Hearts of Hush. It deserves it spot and its why i included it, but there are just stronger stories out there
I'm with you. Hush was the comic that got me into the main DC canon when I started reading comics. I think people miscalculate its value as a story. No, it's not a Hush story. But it is an excellent primer for everything Batman in the modern age right before Jason and Damian entered the picture. You can follow every major Batman storyline from there into the present.
Awesome Batman reading order! But a little correction about Heart of Hush, that under the cowl of Batman is still Bruce Wayne! One of the great Dark Knight stories featuring Dick Grayson is Scott Snyder's Batman Black Mirror.
@@andreidavid8895 ah ykw I think I meant to say Dick was Batman in the beginning and forgot they swapped again later lol Black Mirror is fucking awesome, but that’ll be for another video!
really goodc recs here and yeah them 80s 70 reads....tuff to get thru
Honestly I don’t think it is that tuff. The most notable Batman runs between 70s-to-mid 80s Pre-Crises Batman would be O’Neil-Adams, Englehart-Rogers, Moench-Newton/Colan.
@@ebenezeronile i think in general, its just a huge overtaking to direct people to comics during that age at least for as far as first comics go, like i said in the video, those are runs i’d rather tell ppl to read later
You forgot to include All Star Batman and Robin! 😆 (just kidding, don't hate me in the comments). Great list though! I am a little surprised The Dark Knight Returns or The Killing Joke are not mentioned but it hasn't aged as well for some people, so I can kind of understand. Also think Gotham by Gaslight should be an honorable mention.
@@jaybee414-d1l Lol I did consider adding TDKR, but i do think those stories have TOO much clout, everyone pretty much knows them, I really wanted to shine some light on runs and stories that don’t get mentioned much at all. Gotham by Gaslight is fucking great tho, I general was staying away from elseworld stories tho