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 Knight
Zdarsky, Chip
Paper Book
The origin of Batman and his never-ending fight against crime in Gotham City is modern mythology, but what of the story in between? Superstar writer Chip Zdarsky (Daredevil) and acclaimed artist Carmine Di Giandomenico (The Flash) will take Bruce Wayne on a fraught journey, making...
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 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....
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...
Batman. Universe
Bendis, Brian Michael
Paper Book
The Dark Knight embarks on a global adventure! Batman takes on an old foe outside of the Gotham City limits when the Riddler's theft of a Faberge egg leads the Dark Knight thousands of miles away in search of answers. When the immortal super-villain Vandal Savage joins forces...
Batman. Kings of fear
Peterson, Scott
Paper Book
What is Batman's greatest fears? When the Scarecrow orchestrates a riot at Arkham Asylum to conceal an escape, the chase will take the Dark Knight on a journey into the depths of his own mind. Batman has faced Jonathan Crane's fear gas before, but a dose of the...
Batman : the Dark Knight returns
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. Volume 3, Death of the Family
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times bestseller! One year ago, the Joker limped off the streets of Gotham, mutilated and scarred when someone had taken the pale white skin right off of his face. But now, the Dark Knight's greatest foe has returned but for once, Batman doesn't...
Batman. Volume 5, Zero Year - Dark City
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
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 into the light? From the critically acclaimed...
Batman. Volume 6, Graveyard shift
Snyder, Scott.
Paper Book
In the wake of the death of his son Damian, Batman is in danger of losing his humanity. However, the foes of this grief-ridden Dark Knight mean to strike him when he's at his weakest. Has Batman's worst foe become... Bruce Wayne? Plus, three pivotal chapters from the epic ZERO YEAR...
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...
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. 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 IV, James
Paper Book
Who has designs on the Dark Knight? It's a new day in Gotham. Bane has been vanquished, but both the city and its champion are still struggling to pick up the pieces. Deathstroke, the world's greatest mercenary, is back in town under a new contract. Soon other hired...
Batman Vol. 2: The Joker War
Tynion IV, James
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...
Batman. Vol. 3, Ghost stories
Tynion, James, IV
Paper Book
A new day dawns in Gotham, and the horrors of "The Joker War" are just being realized. A bold new direction for Batman begins as Bruce Wayne's circumstances are forever changed. How did The Joker's rampage affect the citizens of the city? Bruce Wayne and the city he...
Batman. Vol. 4, The cowardly lot
Tynion, James, IV
Paper Book
Following the tragic events in the Infinite Frontier special, Batman and his new ally Ghost-Maker must reckon with a new gang operating in Gotham City. The bestselling creative team behind last year's epic "The Joker War" returns for a thrill-packed, dangerous story...
Batman. Vol. 5, Fear state
Tynion, James, IV
Paper Book
Gotham City is on the brink of martial law as Batman fights a two-front battle! The Scarecrow is unleashing a devasting attack on the city while the Magistrate have made their move to invade! The BATMAN- THE JOKER WAR creative team of James Tynion IV and Jorge...
Batman : secret files
Tynion, James, IV
Paper Book
Dive into the depths of Gotham's underbelly with Batman- Secret Files! Collecting tales from all over Gotham...Huntress, the Gardener, Peacekeeper...even the history of Miracle Molly! It's all here! Discover a story so secret even Miracle Molly doesn't...
Batman Vol. 1: Failsafe
Zdarsky, Chip
Paper Book
Superstar writer Chip Zdarsky joins red-hot artist Jorge Jimenez to define a new era in Batman with their critically acclaimed and bestselling Failsafe arc! Batman has battled all manner of criminals, monsters, and super-villains, but nothing could have prepared him for what's...
Batman Vol. 2: The Bat-Man of Gotham
Zdarsky, Chip
Paper Book
Gotham City has never been darker or deadlier. And after Failsafe, there is no Batman to save it. The mean streets of Gotham City have gotten meaner as the likes of Harvey Dent and Killer Croc roam free, brutalizing the population. Where is Batman and why hasn't he responded to...
I Am Batman Vol. 1
Ridley, John R
Paper Book
The age of a new Dark Knight starts now! Spinning out of the events of The Next Batman- Second Son, Jace Fox thrusts himself into action when the Magistrate's crackdown on Alleytown begins! With his own Bat-Suit, Jace hits the streets to inspire and protect... ...
I Am Batman Vol. 2: Welcome to New York
Ridley, John R
Paper Book
Jace Fox is moving from Gotham City to the Big Apple...is New York City ready for Batman? Batman's arrival in New York City went even more smoothly than Jace could have hoped. The mayor and law enforcement are trying to cooperate with their new Dark Knight in ways Gotham never...

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