The Wellington Comic Lover’s Guide to... Batman: Part 1

After witnessing the death of his parents at the hands of a petty crook, Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to avenging them. Deciding that Gotham City needs someone who can work outside the law to bring wrongdoers to justice, Bruce trains his mind and body to peak performance and adopts the bat as a symbol to strike fear in the hearts of criminals.

He is vengeance. He is the night. He is Batman!

Given that Batman is one of DC Comic’s most published heroes, this particular guide covers some classic Batman stories, young Batman, the new 52, and DC rebirth. See Part 2 for more Batman series, or read the full guide!

Updated September 24, 2024
W
Wellington City LibrariesYouth team at Wellington City Libraries
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Batman : year one
Miller, Frank
Paper Book
In 1986, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli produced this groundbreaking reinterpretation of the origin of Batman-who he is, and how he came to be. Sometimes careless and naive, this Dark Knight is far from the flawless vigilante he is today. In his first year on the job, Batman feels...
Batman. Volume 9, Bloom
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
As the new Batman, former police commissioner Jim Gordon is in for the fight of his life against the bizarre threat of Mr. Bloom, who controls plant life in Gotham City! At the same time, an amnesiac Bruce Wayne has discovered the truth of his past as the Dark Knight -- now, he must descend into the...
Batman the imposter
Tomlin, Mattson
Paper Book
A unique new vision of Gotham, built to be the logical next step for fans of the 2022 film THE BATMAN! Bruce Wayne's mission as the Batman has only been underway for a year or so, but he can tell he's making a difference in this city. Unfortunately, he's made some powerful...
Batman. Volume fourBlack and white
Adams, Neal
Paper Book
The legendary, Eisner Award-winning series BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE returns in a brand-new volume featuring tales of The Dark Knight by some of comics' greatest writers and artists such asChip Kidd, Michael Cho, Neal Adams, Joe Quinones, Maris Wicks, John Arcudi, Sean Murphy, Sean Murphy, Rafael...
Batman. Volume oneKnightfall
Moench, Doug
Paper Book
#1 New York Times Bestseller The villainous Bane breaks the Bat in one of the most popular and well-known Batman tales The inmates of Arkham Asylum have broken free and Batman must push himself to the limits to re-apprehend the Joker, Poison Ivy, the Riddler, Killer Croc and more....
Knightquest : Batman knightfall, 2
Dixon, Chuck.
Paper Book
Mentally defeated and physically broken, Bruce Wayne suffered a crippling blow while battling the brutal Bane. Now, the mantle of the Bat must be passed on to another, and Jean Paul Valley answers the call! But as the new Caped Crusader slowly loses his grip on sanity, his idea of justice takes a...
Hush
Loeb, Jeph.
Paper Book
Gotham City's worst criminals--Joker, Riddler, Ra's al Ghul, Clayface and others--have emerged to throw Batman's life into utter chaos. However, these villains are part of a much more elaborate, sinister scheme to destroy the Dark Knight once and for all, one headed by a mastermind much closer to...
Batman : his greatest adventures
Puckett, Kelley
Paper Book
The best of Batman's adventures and trials are here in BATMAN: HIS GREATEST ADVENTURES, an all-ages anthology graphic novel. With over seven decades of storytelling from some of the greatest writers and illustrators in comics industry, Batman has become one of the most beloved characters of all time...
Batman : night of the owls
Snyder, Scott.
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES #1 BESTSELLER As evil spreads across Gotham City, Batman's allies, including Red Robin, Batwing, Robin, Batgirl, the Birds of Prey, Nightwing and even Catwoman find themselves in a battle coming from all sides. The Court of Owls have shown their hand, and it...
The Dark Knight returns : Batman
Miller, Frank
Paper Book
Written by Frank Miller; Art and Cover by Miller and Klaus Janson It is ten years after an aging Batman has retired and Gotham City has sunk deeper into decadence and lawlessness. Now as his city needs him most, the Dark Knight returns in a blaze of glory. Joined by Carrie Kelly, a teenage female...
Batman. Last knight on Earth
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
Powerhouse creative team Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (Batman- The Court of Owls, Dark Nights- Metal) conclude a decade-long partnership with the Caped Crusader in Batman- Last Knight on Earth. Twenty years in the future, Bruce Wayne wakes up in Arkham...
Batman beyond. Vol. 1, Escaping the grave
Jurgens, Dan
Paper Book
Writer Dan Jurgens (Action Comics), artist Bernard Chang (Green Lantern Corps) and colorist Marcelo Maiolo (Green Lantern Corps) bring Terry McGinnis' Batman back to the future in Batman Beyond Volume 1: Escaping the Grave as a part of DC Rebirth!    As the...
Batman. Volume 3, Death of the Family
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
The first printing of this new hardcover will feature a special acetate dust jacket showcasing the face of The Joker. A #1 New York Times Bestseller! After having his face sliced off one year ago, the Joker makes his horrifying return to Gotham City!...
Batman. Volume 4, Zero Year-Secret City
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
In this first volume of the critically acclaimed ZERO YEAR storyline, the #1 New York Times bestselling creative team of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo present an astonishing new vision of the Dark Knight's origin--and his first encounters with the Riddler, the Red Hood, and others! ...
Batman. Volume 5, Zero Year - Dark City
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Before the Batcave and Robin, the Joker and the Batmobile ... there was ZERO YEAR. The Riddler has plunged Gotham City into darkness. How will a young Dark Knight bring his beloved hometown from the brink of chaos and madness and back...
Batman. Volume 7, Endgame
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
HA. HA. HA.    Batman's greatest foe has returned for one last gag. But this time, not even the Joker is laughing. In their last encounter, the Dark Knight failed to live up to Joker's grand plans, so now the Joker is deadly serious. The games are over, and for their final...
Batman. Volume 8, Superheavy
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
COMMISSIONER GORDON IS THE NEW BATMAN!   Following the disappearance and presumed death of Batman, former police commissioner Jim Gordon has been called to carry on the Dark Knight's legacy and become the Dark Knight's successor.   But while the name and what it...
Batman. Volume 9, Bloom
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
As the new Batman, former police commissioner Jim Gordon is in for the fight of his life against the bizarre threat of Mr. Bloom, who controls plant life in Gotham City! At the same time, an amnesiac Bruce Wayne has discovered the truth of his past as the Dark Knight -- now, he must descend into the...
Batman. Volume 10, Epilogue
Fawkes, Ray
Paper Book
The conclusion of creative team Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's #1New York Timesbest-selling run! The people of Gotham all know who truly runs their city- GothamisBatman. The fate of their home is time and time again tied to that of the Dark Knight, who would do anything to...
All-star Batman. Vol. 1, My own worst enemy
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
The #1 New York Times best-selling author of BATMAN returns to the Dark Knight in ALL-STAR BATMAN VOL. 1! But he's not alone. Critically acclaimed, legendary illustrator John Romita Jr. joins him on this epic new series! In this new graphic novel, Batman finds himself trying to help old...
All-star Batman. Vol. 2, Ends of the earth
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES best-selling BATMAN author Scott Snyder's ALL STAR BATMAN continues with a new volume featuring new stories drawn by some of the top artists in all of comics! For more than 75 years, Batman has been one of the most widely-recognized and revered super-heroes in all of...
All-star Batman. Vol. 3, The first ally
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
In the third volume of Scott Snyder's best-selling ALL-STAR BATMAN, a rotating team of all-star artists join the Bat-scribe to tell tales featuring some of Batman's most deadly foes! For more than 75 years, Batman has been one of the most widely recognized and revered superheroes in all of comics....
Batman. Vol. 1, I am Gotham
King, Tom
Paper Book
Batman is Gotham City's greatest protector. But now he's not alone. There are two new heroes in town-a pair of masked metahumans with the powers of Superman and a devotion to preserving all that is good about this twisted city. Calling themselves Gotham and Gotham Girl, they've saved Batman's life,...
Batman : night of the monster men
Orlando, Steve (Comic book writer)
Paper Book
The first Batman crossover of DC Rebirth is here in BATMAN: NIGHT OF THE MONSTER MEN!   It's the storm of the century, and it's headed straight for Gotham City. The guardians of this sprawling urban center--Nightwing, Batwoman and the Batman himself--think they've prepared...
Batman. Vol. 2, I am suicide
King, Tom
Paper Book
Bestselling writer Tom King continues his epic run on the Dark Knight! Still reeling from a cataclysmic battle, Batman finds himself up against some of the biggest (literally) threats he's ever faced within the city limits of Gotham. To save the city he loves, Batman enlists the help of the toughest...
Batman. Vol. 3, I am Bane
King, Tom
Paper Book
Monster Men. New costumed vigilantes. Mad doctors. Each new threat has brought Batman--and Gotham City--to the brink. But it was all a smokescreen for the real threat in the shadows... Bane. The man who has physically tested the Dark Knight like no man before is back to finally...
Batman/The Flash. The button
Williamson, Joshua
Paper Book
The road to Doomsday Clock begins here, with the invasion of the Watchmen into the DC Universe! Batman/The Flash: The Button Deluxe Edition is the prelude to this epic story from Geoff Johns and Gark Frank.    During the unforgettable events of DC...
Batman. Vol. 4, The war of jokes and riddles
King, Tom
Paper Book
Zero Year. 12 months in which Gotham City was left without power, without laws, without hope. 365 days in which the Riddler ruled the streets. But once again, Batman was victorious. In the aftermath of Zero Year? War. The Joker vs. The Riddler. They called it the War of Jokes and...
Batman. Vol. 5, The rules of engagement
King, Tom
Paper Book
When Catwoman accepted Batman's marriage proposal, she changed more lives than just Bruce Wayne's and Selina Kyle's. A union between the World's Greatest Detective and one of Gotham City's fiercest criminals is a shake-up that will rattle everyone in the Dark Knight's life--from the young...
Batman. Vol. 6, Bride or burglar?
King, Tom
Paper Book
The path to the altar has never been so dangerous! Not long after Batman announces his engagement to Catwoman, he and Wonder Woman are called to honor an old commitment requiring them to fight for Earth in a distant, magical realm. But time flows strangely in this new land, and...
Batman. Vol. 7, The wedding
King, Tom
Paper Book
Batman and Catwoman are about to have the wedding of the century... or are they? For these star-crossed crime-fighters, nothing ever comes easy. As Bruce and Selina prepare to tie the knot, the time-traveling hero called Booster Gold crashes the party with a dangerous and deadly...
Batman. Vol. 8, Cold days
King, Tom
Paper Book
Author Tom King pens the next epic volume of his critically acclaimed, best-selling Batman series in Batman Vol. 8- Cold Days! Bruce Wayne has been selected for jury duty in a chilling court case involving Mr. Freeze! Freeze claims the charges should be dismissed...
Batman. Vol. 9, The tyrant wing
King, Tom
Paper Book
The Penguin claims Bane, the man who broke the Bat, is the one pulling the strings in Batman's life. But how could that be when Bane is safely locked away in Arkham Asylum--and a broken man himself? He's been in a padded room, in a nearly catatonic state, since his last encounter with the Bat.<...
Batman. Vol. 10, Knightmares
King, Tom
Paper Book
Eisner Award winner Tom King's explosive Batman run continues as he plunges the Dark Knight's world further into a spiral of madness from which he may never return. There are strange goings-on in the dark alleys of Gotham City, mysteries that will require a different skill set...
Batman. Vol. 11, The fall and the fallen
King, Tom
Paper Book
Bruce and Thomas Wayne, THE BATMEN OF TWO WORLDS! Batman has uncovered the mastermind behind his recent (and not-so-recent) troubles- Bane. But Batman's closest allies refuse to believe Bane is active again, and even after battling the villain himself, puzzlingly, there's no...
Batman. Vol. 1, Their dark designs
Tynion, James, IV
Paper Book
Beginning a whole new chapter in the life of the Dark Knight, the epic art team of Tony S. Daniel and Danny Miki are joined by new series writer James Tynion IV! It's a new day in Gotham City, but not the same old Batman. With Bane vanquished and one of his longtime allies gone,...
Batman. Vol. 2 The Joker War
Tynion, James, IV
Paper Book
This is it- the Clown Prince of Crime battles the Dark Knight Detective head-to-head for the last time. And one way or another, this will be the final chapter of their agelong conflict. The Clown Prince of Crime and the Dark Knight Detective go head-to-head for the last time. The...

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