>>130201910Batman Year One and The Dark Knight Returns are indispensable. Dark Knight Returns is non-canon, but great. Year One is Batman’s first adventure (in post-crisis continuity)
Now, after Year One, usually people rec The Long Halloween next. That being said, there is the Monster Men, Mad Monk and Prey. Legends of The Dark Knight is a comics line immediately set after Year One and within that continuity, and very good.
Batman: The Man Who Laughs is a great first Year Two story. Batman Confidential did an excellent sequel to The Man Who Laughs. Then there’s Venom.
Here’s where you ought to read Long Halloween. Then When In Rome (Catwoman), then Dark Victory.
If you like those, check out Haunted Knight. Not essential, but it’s by the same people.
After Dark Victory, Robin Year One. Check out The Gauntlet, Batgirl Year One, Nightwing Year One, too.
I’d also rec Ego, and The Saga of Ras Al Ghul.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth, is a stand-alone that’s kinda hard to fit in continuity, but it’s really good and I highly recommend it. Highly highly highly.
Then maybe The Killing Joke.
Now you’re into the Jason Todd years of Robin. Before Death In The Family, read The Cult and For The Man Who Has Everything. Don’t make Death In The Family your first/only Jason Todd story. Do read it though.
Read some Justice League stuff here too I guess. I honestly don’t know much to rec for that.
Batman Year Three to read about Tim Drake, and A Lonely Place of Dying
Then Knightfall
Then No Man’s Land
Then Hush and Under The Hood for the return of Jason Todd
Then Batman And Son
The Black Glove
Batman RIP
Final Crisis
Batman and Robin
Batman Inc
(This is all just Morrison’s run, btw, from Batman and Son to Batman Inc)
After that, idk. They rebooted the whole continuity here. Snyder’s run was eh. Court Of Owls, you might as well read it just cause they’re everywhere now. I don’t really like them desu. I don’t like how they went backwards.
