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The Best Batman Reading Order: Which Comics To Start With Today
As new Batman fans joining the DC fandom every day, the question of “where to start reading Batman comics” is not getting any easier. With 87 years of monthly stories under his utility belt, and with DC constantly rebooting, relaunching, and retconning Bruce Wayne’s entire family with every decade, to say the canon is intimidating for new readers would be an understatement. But we’re here to help.
Legendary classics like The Dark Knight Returns or Batman: The Long Halloween are regular mentions among the greatest Batman stories of all time, and their reputation precedes them. But for newcomers, lapsed readers, or those wondering the best way to start reading Batman comics today, we’ve selected series that stand out as must-reads. Not only for where the dark knight currently stands in DC canon, but the most talked-about relaunches making headlines.
“Batman: Zero Year” by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
You can’t go far in the modern world of Batman comics without encountering writer Scott Snyder, the creator largely responsible for returning the dark knight to mainstream glory through his New 52 relaunch (the most notable ‘success’ in DC’s flawed reboot). It wouldn’t be the last time Snyder pulled off the feat, but even if it isn’t mentioned as often as The Court of Owls or Death of the Family, the importance of Zero Year can’t be understated.
Delivered with his New 52 partner Greg Capullo, Zero Year delivers a new ‘origin story’ for the modern Batman, lifting and updating several unforgettable story beats of the past—and adding entirely new ones for modern readers. No amount of time can diminish Batman: Year One (1987), but for new readers looking to witness the origin of the current Bruce Wayne in today’s DC, then Zero Year is hard to beat. And of course, an outstanding read.
“Absolute Batman” by Scott Snyder & Nick Dragotta
Having locked in the first chapter of the modern Batman, every single new Batman reader should have Absolute Batman at the top of their pull list. The ongoing series from Snyder and Nick Dragotta has not only delivered enough commercial success to put DC ahead of Marvel for the first time in years, but is quickly becoming one of the most important Batman creations of the past century. And crucially, you don’t need to have read a single Batman comic to understand why.
In launching DC’s new “Absolute Universe,” Snyder and Dragotta have taken everything the world knows about Batman—rich orphan, trained abroad, fights crime with his fortune—and completely subverted every element. Re-imagining Bruce as the child of a single mother in Gotham’s working class, wielding brutal weapons against nightmarish monsters, Absolute Batman is a generational book people will be talking about for decades.
“Batman” (Current) by Matt Fraction & Jorge Jiménez
Thankfully for new readers, the creative storytellers at DC are also beginning a new era of Batman comics, handing the main flagship series to new writer Matt Fraction and star artist Jorge Jiménez. The mission has been clear from the start, setting aside more than a decade of ‘dark’ Batman adventures to shift the needle back towards the superheroic.
Relaunching in September 2025, Bruce has a new suit, new symbol, new arsenal of gadgets, and new spin on his most well-known characters. Even if newer readers never faced the darker chapters of Bruce’s recent fiction, the acclaimed Batman relaunch can be enjoyed just as much. No fan can ever predict how long a new status quo may last in DC’s Gotham City, but from the first half-dozen issues, it’s clear this relaunch is one every fan should be paying attention to.
“Batman: The Imposter” by Mattson Tomlin & Andrea Sorrentino
With the superheroic side of Batman covered, the caped crusader’s more grounded incarnations on films can’t be overlooked. After all, the critical and commercial success of Matt Reeves’ The Batman proved that the idea of a ‘real world version’ of Bruce Wayne’s alter ego still connects with a global audience. For those awaiting the sequel to Robert Pattinson’s Batman debut, there is no better comic than Batman: The Imposter.
Having crafted The Batman script along with Reeves, writer Mattson Tomlin pairs with artist Andrea Sorrentino to deliver a shocking challenge for its grounded, one-year-in Batman. While not officially linked to the canon of The Batman, the shared creative voice and goals are evident, and just as successful in this three-part miniseries. Make no mistake: The Imposter is a fresh take all should take note of, and which some are likely to name one of their favorite Batman stories of all time.
“Batman/Superman: World’s Finest” by Mark Waid & Dan Mora
Not strictly a ‘Batman comic’ in the technical sense, the idea of a Batman/Superman: World’s Finest series from heavyweights Mark Waid and Dan Mora would have seemed a pipe dream prior to its existence. And while no single comic can truly encapsulate ‘what makes DC great’ on its own, the blend of drama and fireworks seen in World’s Finest might be as close as one could possibly get.
Pairing Batman and Superman (and bringing them face-to-face with more variants of each than any fan would think possible), and pulling in multiple other heroes along the way, this series could almost sustain a fan of the DC Universe on its own. Thankfully, that isn’t the case. But if you like your Batman to embody the fun, the energy, and the event-level energy needed to stand lock-step with Superman, there is simply no better book being published.
“Batman: White Knight” by Sean Murphy & Matt Hollingsworth
The pantheon of DC Comics spawned from the mind of a single creator is a small collection, but the recent Batman: White Knight might be the most distinguished. No comic fan doubted writer/artist Sean Murphy’s abilities, but if the idea of launching a completely new version of the DC Universe—in which The Joker is cured, and runs for mayor of Gotham City—seemed like a long shot, Murphy struck a perfect bullseye.
Not only was White Knight the most inspired ‘fresh take’ on the dark knight’s universe since Batman Beyond, but immediately spawned multiple expansions into a certified ‘Murphyverse.’ As a self-proclaimed fan of the DC Animated Universe, the White Knight line is the perfect book for anyone who grew up with Batman: The Animated Series or Beyond. But that is no prerequisite for it earning a place among your favorite comics, period.
“Batman ’89” by Sam Hamm & Joe Quinones
There are surprise comics, and then there are comics nobody ever predicted possible. And Batman ’89 is certainly the latter, bringing the scrapped sequels to Tim Burton and Michael Keaton’s Batman Returns to life as never before. Written by screenwriter Sam Hamm and drawn in the likeness of the movie cast, the resurrected series and its sequel, Batman ’89: Echoes is simply a must-read comic for fans of the original films.
No longer will fans need to wonder where the series would have gone, what Marlon Wayans’ Robin looked like, how Madonna’s Harley Quinn would compliment Jack Nicholson’s Joker, or how Winona Ryder’s Batgirl would join the Bat-family. As not only an invaluable gem in DC’s recent catalogue, but one tailor-made for movie fans dipping a toe into comics, we have no doubt this book will find every reader it needs to.
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