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 1957-
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
New York Timesbestselling series! Bruce Wayne has a nearly perfect life. He's in love with an amazing woman and works by her side every day at one of Gotham's youth centers, helping the children of the city he loves. His memory has been patchy ever since he nearly died in the...
Arkham Asylum : a serious house on serious earth
Morrison, Grant
Paper Book
The inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over Gotham's detention center for the criminally insane on April Fool's Day, demanding Batman in exchange for their hostages. Accepting their demented challenge, Batman is forced to endure the personal hells of the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two-Face and...
Batman. The return of Bruce Wayne
Morrison, Grant.
Paper Book
Written by GRANT MORRISON Art by CHRIS SPROUSE, FRAZER IRVING, RYAN SOOK, YANICK PAQUETTE, LEE GARBETT, GEORGES JEANTY KARL STORY and MICK GRAY Cover by ANDY KUBERT Grant Morrison's best-selling multipart Batman epic continues with this collection of the six-issue miniseries!Witness Bruce Wayne's...
Batman : night of the owls
Snyder, Scott.
Paper Book
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's up to the collective effort of these heroes, some...
Batman : the Dark Knight returns
Miller, Frank 1957-
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. with other tales of the Dark Knight Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader?
Gaiman, Neil.
Paper Book
Written by Neil Gaiman Art by Andy Kubert & Scott Williams, Mark Buckingham, Bernie Mireault & Matt Wagner and Simon Bisley Cover by Andy Kubert & Scott Williams Best-selling author Neil Gaiman (THE SANDMAN) joins a murderer's row of talented artists in lending his unique touch to the Batman mythos...
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 4, Zero year-secret city
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
ANew York Timesbestseller! Before the era of superheroes began-before the Batman spread his wings to protect the innocent and punish the evil-Gotham City's prodigal son, Bruce Wayne, had been missing for years. But this was exactly the cover of darkness Bruce needed....
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 9 Bloom
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
New York Timesbestselling series! Bruce Wayne has a nearly perfect life. He's in love with an amazing woman and works by her side every day at one of Gotham's youth centers, helping the children of the city he loves. His memory has been patchy ever since he nearly died in the...
Batman. Volume 10 Epilogue
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES best-selling series!   THE LAST CHAPTERS... As acclaimed writer Scott Snyder draws the final curtain on his game-changing Batman series, the newly returned Dark Knight battles familiar foes and new enemies. These exquisite stand-alone stories take the...
All-star Batman. Vol. 1, My own worst enemy
Snyder, Scott
Paper Book
From the #1 NEW YORK TIMES best-selling author of BATMAN, Scott Snyder, comes his newest Dark Knight project as a part of DC Universe Rebirth, ALL-STAR BATMAN VOL. 1- MY OWN WORST ENEMY! Snyder is one of the most critically acclaimed authors in the comics world, with titles that include...
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. 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
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 : City of Bane
King, Tom
Paper Book
The complete collection of Batman- City of Bane from Eisner Award winner Tom King and Mikel Janin! Batman faces his most personal and epic showdowns! The Caped Crusader had a sinking suspicion there was someone lurking in the shadows plotting against him. There has been an...
Batman/Catwoman
King, Tom
Paper Book
The Bat and the Cat's past, present, and future collide in a thrilling and romantic epic from the superstar team of writer Tom King and artist Clay Mann! Tom King returns to the rocky, romantic saga of Batman and Catwoman with his frequent collaborator, superstar artist Clay Mann...
Batman. Vol. 1 Their dark designs
Tynion, James IV
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, 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...
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...
The next Batman. Second son
Ridley, John
Paper Book
Discover the origin of the new Dark Knight, Tim "Jace" Fox! The estranged son of billionaire Lucius Fox has returned to Gotham City and taken on the mantle of Batman after being away for years. Where has the eldest son of one Gotham's premiere families been for these 'missing' years and how did...
I am Batman. vol. 1
Ridley, John 1965-
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... ...

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