Good starting point in recent Batman comicbooks?

[Finlandman]

I put this in recommendation thread, but:

Is there any good starting point in modern era? I don't have any single issues, only trades, but I'd like to read Batman regularly. But if I just buy some recent issue, I will just get confused about plot.

So again, Is there any way I could catch things up, before I start buying new comicbooks?

Thanks in advance!

 

[RobC]

Um, Hush is as good a jumping on point as any, it goes into Under The Hood which in turns goes into a Crisis. I forget which one... Then Face The Face picks up after that. Recently, there's been the Resurection Of R'as Al Ghul and Morrisons 'interesting' run which seems to be leading into yet another Crisis.

 

[Finlandman]

Thank's! I actually have Hush, but I thought that it wasn't in continuity.

 

[sclabguy]

hush is definitely in continuity

 

[Micah12345]

Detective Comics #27

Batman #1

You can find the entire run of both series quite easily on the internet.

 

[Finlandman]

Detective Comics #27

Batman #1

You can find the entire run of both series quite easily on the internet.

That would be long way to Now, but I have thought about getting Batman Archives Vol 1 and Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol 1.

I'll propably order that Jason Todd/ Red Hood story, and continue from it.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Batman Chronicles vol. one reprints Detective #27 to Batman #1 and it's much less expensive than the hardcover Archives.

 

[Finlandman]

Thank you.

 

[Tvar10]

just read detective....its just been one shots recently except for the occasional 2 parter (this past one was)....and there real good stories

 

[Nepenthes]

Grant Morrison is writing the Batman line and the first issues have been collected in a trade called Batman & Son. The second tpb should be out soon as well, there's enough issues for it, then you can start collecting the singles. You could even start collecting Batman at the beginning of Batman RIP, next month, and we can fill you in here on anything that confuses you.

Paul Dini is writing Detective Comics and these are issues are pretty self-contained so you should be able to jump in anywhere. The first collection of his run is called Batmanetective and I'd definitly reccomend it.

 

[Finlandman]

I watched this at Wiki, but didn't quite understand.

Are those 40s and 50s comicbooks in canon? Or is it only Year One, Long Halloween, etc in canon only. This whole Earth-One, Earth-Two thing confuses me.

 

[Nepenthes]

yah, that's a bit of a headache. It wasn't in canon, but now it is. Basically, everything before 1985 is considered out of mainline continuity............unless explicity stated. Once in a while DC has some kind of multi-universe "Crisis" event that wipes everything clean and starts it again. Naturally with Batman everyone assumed that all the wacky 50's stuff was out - it just didn't fit. But now Morrison has decided that Batmans entire publication history can be interesting to explore, so he's bought some bits back. Anything from before the Infinite Crisis can be bought back, you just have to explain it.

About the two earths.....the 1985 Infinite Crisis actually split the entire DC into two universes. That's your Earth One and Earth Two. Everything that happened before 1985 still existed, but only on Earth Two, and the main DC was now Earth One. However the Final Crisis - which is happening right now - has changed all that again. There are now 52 earths, and the main one, of all the DC heroes you read, is now called New Earth. All the Elsewords stories actually happen on one of those other Earths. Hope that kinda answers your question.

 

[The Guard]

BATMAN: YEAR ONE and THE MAN WHO FALLS. Start there. Then just read what you think might be interesting. Come to the boards with any questions. We'll set you straight.

 

[Finlandman]

Yeah, I have Year One. And I basically know the plot of Man who falls. as soon as Long Halloween comes from mail, I'll order Under the hood and climb up to present.

 

[Finlandman]

yah, that's a bit of a headache. It wasn't in canon, but now it is. Basically, everything before 1985 is considered out of mainline continuity............unless explicity stated. Once in a while DC has some kind of multi-universe "Crisis" event that wipes everything clean and starts it again. Naturally with Batman everyone assumed that all the wacky 50's stuff was out - it just didn't fit. But now Morrison has decided that Batmans entire publication history can be interesting to explore, so he's bought some bits back. Anything from before the Infinite Crisis can be bought back, you just have to explain it.

About the two earths.....the 1985 Infinite Crisis actually split the entire DC into two universes. That's your Earth One and Earth Two. Everything that happened before 1985 still existed, but only on Earth Two, and the main DC was now Earth One. However the Final Crisis - which is happening right now - has changed all that again. There are now 52 earths, and the main one, of all the DC heroes you read, is now called New Earth. All the Elsewords stories actually happen on one of those other Earths. Hope that kinda answers your question.

Thanks Nepenthes! I finally got it now. Best thing about these boards is that everyone is so helpful.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Here's the list of the 52 Earths so you can get some idea of which Batman lives where and which Batman stories take place where. I hope this doesn't confuse you too much. I highlighted all the Earths with Batman's that I know of currently:
* New Earth: Home of Grant Morrison's Batman with Damian (this Batman's son) and Bat-Mite. The Earth that many of the monthly titles today take place on. Created in Infinite Crisis #6

* Earth-2: Home of the Justice Society of America. Revealed in 52 #52
* Earth-3: Home of the Crime Society of America. Revealed in 52 #52
* Earth-4: Home of the former Charlton Heroes/The Watchmen. Revealed in 52 #52
* Earth-5: Home of the Marvel Family. Revealed in 52 #52
* Earth-6: Unknown. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #2
* Earth-7: Unknown Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #2
* Earth-8: Home of the Extremists. Revealed in Countdown #29
* Earth-9: Home of the Tangent characters. Revealed in Countdown #41
* Earth-10: Home of the Freedom Fighters. Revealed in 52 #52
* Earth-11: Home of Superwoman, Batwoman and Wonder Man. Appearing in Countdown Presents The Search For Ray Palmer: Superwoman/Batwoman #1
* Earth-12: Home of Batman Beyond and, presumably, DC's animated characters. Revealed in Countdown to Final Crisis #21

* Earth-13: Home of some the characters in the Vertigo titles. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #1
* Earth-14: ?
* Earth-15: An Earth where society has become nearly perfect. Revealed in Countdown #30
* Earth-16: Home of the Super-Sons. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #1
* Earth-17: Home of the Atomic Knights and Kamandi. Revealed in 52 #52
* Earth-18: Home of the Justice Riders. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #2
*Earth-19: Home of the Victorian era Batman from Gotham By Gaslight by Mike Mignola. Revealed in Countdown #40

* Earth-20: ?
* Earth-21: Home of the Darwyn Cooke New Frontier characters including the New Frontier Batman. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #1

* Earth-22: Home of the Alex Ross Kingdom Come characters including the Kingdom Come Batman. Revealed in 52 #52

* Earth-23: ?
* Earth-24: ?
* Earth-25: ?
* Earth-26: Home of Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew. Revealed in Captain Carrot & His Amazing Zoo Crew: The Final Ark #1
* Earth-27: ?
* Earth-28: ?
* Earth-29: ?
* Earth-30: Home of the Russian Red Sun Superman. Revealed in Countdown #40
*Earth-31: Home of the "goddamn Batman" and all the characters in Frank Miller's Batman Year One/All-Star Batman/Dark Knight Returns/DK2. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #1

* Earth-32: Home of Bruce Wayne/Green Lantern. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #2
* Earth-33: The Conjurer's World. Home of magical versions of DC characters, including Bat-Mage, Kal-El & Lady Flash. Revealed in Countdown to Adventure #3
* Earth-34: Home of a 19th Century Wonder Woman from Wonder Woman: Amazonia and a Britain run by Jack The Ripper. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #2
* Earth-35: ?
* Earth-36: ?
* Earth-37: Home of the Thrillkiller characters. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #2
* Earth-38: Unknown. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #2
* Earth-39: Unknown. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #2
* Earth-40: Home of WWII Covert Agents, The Unholy Three. Revealed in COUNTDOWN: Arena #1
* Earth-41: ?
* Earth-42: ?
*Earth-43: Home of the Vampire Batman from Red Rain, Bloodstorm and Crimson Mist by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones. Revealed in Countdown #40

* Earth-44: ?
* Earth-45: ?
* Earth-46: ?
* Earth-47: ?
* Earth-48: Home of the Forerunners. Revealed in Countdown #46
* Earth-49: ?
* Earth-50: Home of the Wildstorm characters. Revealed in 52 #52
* Earth-51: An Earth where it appears that crime has been eradicated and all super-heroes have retired. Revealed in Countdown #19.
* Earth-52: ?
The new Multiverse has only recently began to be explored. Some of the Earths inhabitance are still unknown - as it is still unknown which Earths are the homes of many other DC characters from the various former Elseworlds series.

I hope that was helpful to your introduction to the DC Multiverse. It's a big place.

 

[Cain]

If you really want to start with the most recent stuff then Face the Face is the best starting point. The few arcs that came before that including Hush were extremely mixed bags at best.