1990s’ Batman comics reading guide – part 3

Vengeance of Bane

We’re back with another installment of the 1990s’ Batman comics reading guide! Sadly, in the meantime this feature has also become a tribute to the recently deceased group editor of these titles, Dennis O’Neil, whose vision was no doubt a key part of what made this era so great…

After a few years finding their feet, in 1993 the different strands of Batman comics finally converged into a sprawling crossover that clearly made them all part of the same saga: Knightfall (technically, ‘Knightfall’ is just the title of the crossover’s first stage – followed by ‘Knightquest’ and ‘KnightsEnd’ – but it has become common practice to use this label to refer to the whole thing). In this epic tale – masterfully edited not just by O’Neil, but also by Scott Peterson, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, and Darren Vincenzo – Batman (the character and, on a metafictional level, the intellectual property itself) finds himself exhausted and is temporarily replaced by an edgier version. The result is an essential read for fans of the Dark Knight.

Here is my suggested reading order:

INTRODUCING THE PLAYERS [The final months of 1992 and the first months of 1993 were all about putting the domino pieces in their exact places. Special issues introduced new characters who would play a decisive role in Knightfall while the regular series established the mindset of Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, Sarah Essen, Commissioner Gordon, and Mayor Krol going in. Moreover, DC’s new anthology, Showcase, joined the lineup, as each issue included one Batman-related feature.]

Sword of Azrael #1-4 (collected as Sword of Azrael) [Mini-series by Denny O’Neil and Joe Quesada introducing Jean Paul Valley (aka Azrael)]

Showcase ’93 #1-4: ‘Sorrow Street’

Showcase ’93 #5-6: ‘The Takedown/One Stone’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo) [Picks up where the badass Catwoman yarn ‘Sorrow Street’ left off, now focusing on Robin. Batman is out of town, so I assume this takes place during Sword of Azrael.]

Batman #488: ‘Costumes’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1 and Prelude to Knightfall)

Shadow of the Bat Annual #1: ‘Joe Public’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v2) [Parallel to Knightfall, DC had a separate crossover event running through its 1993 annual issues, called Bloodlines. This means that, every once in a while, we’ll get a story about alien vampires giving super-powers to random citizens. This is the first one.]

Vengeance of Bane (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall Omnibus, v1, Batman Versus Bane, and Prelude to Knightfall) [One-shot by Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan introducing Bane]

Detective Comics #654-656: ‘God of Battle/The Anvil of War/Besieged’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1 and Prelude to Knightfall)

Detective Comics #657-658: ‘Null and Void/Deciphered’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1 and Prelude to Knightfall)

Batman #489: ‘Killer’s Bane’(collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1, Arkham: Killer Croc, and Prelude to Knightfall)

Batman #490: ‘Who Riddled the Riddler?’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v1 and Prelude to Knightfall)

Batman #491: ‘The Freedom of Madness’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall Omnibus, v1, and Prelude to Knightfall) [Massive breakout at Arkham Asylum, which means that all sorts of rogues are loose in Gotham City at once. Chaos ensues!]

         

BROKEN BAT [The Dark Knight gradually breaks down, mentally and physically, while chasing the various villains. Despite the storyline’s growing intensity – and unlike what Kelley Jones’ and Sam Kieth’s overblown covers may suggest – the interior art remains quite restrained, with Norm Breyfogle, Jim Balent, Jim Aparo, and Graham Nolan sticking to a relatively ‘grounded’ visual style. (All these comics have been collected in the various editions of Knightfall, v1 and Knightfall Omnibus, v1.)]

Batman #492: ‘Crossed Eyes and Dotted Teas’

Detective Comics #659: ‘Puppets’

Batman #493: ‘Redslash’

Detective Comics #660: ‘Crocodile Tears’ (collected in Arkham: Killer Croc)

Batman #494: ‘Night Terrors’

Detective Comics #661: ‘City on Fire’

Batman #495: ‘Strange Deadfellows’

Detective Comics #662: ‘Burning Questions’

Batman #496: ‘Die Laughing’

Detective Comics #663: ‘No Rest for the Wicked’

Batman #497: ‘The Broken Bat’ (collected in Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years and Tales from the DC Dark Multiverse)

Detective Comics #664: ‘Who Rules the Night’

Showcase ’93 #7-8: ‘Double Cross/Bad Judgement’

         

ENTER AZBABTS [With Bruce Wayne severely injured, Jean Paul Valley takes on the mantle of Batman… He gradually proceeds to make the Dark Knight more similar to Azrael (whose techno looks and brutal methods seem more in tune with the zeitgeist), creating the version of the character that the fan community would come to label ‘Azbats.’ This effectively becomes the new status quo, for a while.]

Batman #498: ‘Knights in Darkness’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

Batman Annual #17: ‘Ballistic’

Shadow of the Bat #16-18: ‘God of Fear’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), Knightfall Omnibus, v1, and Shadow of the Bat, v2)

Detective Comics #665: ‘Lightning Changes’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

Batman #499: ‘The Venom Connection’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #1: ‘Rough Diamonds’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #2: ‘Blast from the Past’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1) [Ends in a bit of a cliffhanger, but it makes sense to take a break here, since the events in the next issues take place after Batman #500.]

Detective Comics Annual #6: ‘Not Fade Away’

Detective Comics #666: ‘The Devil You Know’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

Batman #500: ‘Dark Angel’ (collected in Knightfall, v1 (2012 edition), Knightfall, v2 (2018 edition), and Knightfall Omnibus, v1)

         

KNIGHTQUEST [After the climactic Batman #500, the saga broke into two parallel storylines. ‘Knightquest: The Search’ followed the injured Bruce Wayne’s travels abroad (in search for Tim Drake’s father and for Shondra Kinsolving). ‘Knightquest: The Crusade’ followed AzBats’ crimefighting exploits (and spiraling mental instability) in Gotham City. I think it makes sense to alternate between sizeable chunks of the two lines.

Moreover, in addition to an ongoing series focused on Catwoman (by Jo Duffy and Jim Balent), we got one about Robin (by Chuck Dixon and Tom Grummett), thus further increasing the franchise’s overall variety.]

Justice League Task Force #5-6: ‘The Search’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2 and Knightquest: The Search) [Picks up where Catwoman (v2) #2 left off]

Catwoman (v2) #3: ‘Shadow of the Cat’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #4: ‘Full Circle’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Robin Annual #2: ‘Looking Sharp’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo)

Showcase ’93 #9-10: ‘Survival/Armageddon’

Showcase ’93 #11-12: ‘Raptors/Partners’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo)

Detective Comics #667-668: ‘Wild, Wild East/Runaway’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Robin (v4) #1-2: ‘Outcast/Busted!’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Batman #501-502: ‘Code Name: Mekros/Phoenix in Chaos’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Detective Comics #669: ‘Town Tamer’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #5: ‘Nun Better’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Detective Comics #670: ‘Cold Cases’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Robin (v4) #3-5: ‘Clueless/Breathless/Last Gasps’ (collected in Robin, v3: Solo)

Shadow of the Bat #19-20: ‘The Tally Man’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Shadow of the Bat #21-23: ‘The Hood/A Day in the Death of an English Village/Curse of the Bat’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v2, and Knightquest: The Search)

Detective Comics #671-673: ‘The Cutting Room Floor/Smash Cut/Losing the Light’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Demon #40: ‘The Wild One’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman) [No connection to Batman other than the fact this is the debut of Garth Ennis’ and John McCrea’s work on Demon, which will eventually lead to Hitman. Their run continues two issues later, after a cool (yet unconnected) fill-in by Kevin Altieri.]

Demon Annual #2: ‘Hitman’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman and Hitman, v1: A Rage in Arkham) [The origin of Hitman’s lead, Tommy Monaghan, in another one of those awful Bloodlines crossovers.]

Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #3: ‘Transformation’

Catwoman (v2) #6: ‘Animal Rites’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Batman #503-504: ‘Night Becomes Woman/Dark Dance’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v1)

Catwoman (v2) #7: ‘Body Chemistry’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Showcase ’94 #1-2: ‘The Great Pretender/King Joker’

Showcase ’94 #3-4: ‘Madmen Across The Water/What’s Your Twenty?/Banzai, Good Buddy’ [Besides the fun two-parter ‘Madmen Across the Water’ (collected in Tales of the Batman: Tim Sale) – about the captured rogues being sent to Blackgate Prison while Arkham Asylum is getting reconstructed – these issues include a rollicking adventure starring the Psyba-Rats, a team of techno-thieves introduced in Robin Annual #2.]

Chain Gang War #1-7: ‘Chain Reaction/The House of Correction/Weak Link/Cold Cuts/Reunion/Hangman/Jailbreak’ [This short-lived crime series (created by John Wagner and Dave Johnson) was set near Gotham City and had a few guest-appearances by AzBats.]

Shadow of the Bat #24: ‘The Immigrant: Rosemary’s Baby’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Batman #505: ‘Blood Kin’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Shadow of the Bat #25: ‘The Birth of a Hero’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v3, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Chain Gang War #7-12: ‘The Crooked Man/Meltdown’ [Set after AzBats’ latest upgrades, in Shadow of the Bat #25]

Batman/Punisher: ‘Lake of Fire’ (collected in DC/Marvel Crossover Classics, v2) [The rare intercompany crossover that genuinely seems to fit comfortably in the main continuity]

Showcase ’94 #5-6/Robin (v4) #6: ‘Benedictions’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Batman #506-507: ‘Malevolent Manaxe/Ballistic’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Showcase ’94 #7: ‘Cracks’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2 and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Shadow of the Bat #26-27: ‘Creatures of Clay’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v3, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Outsiders(v2) #7-9: ‘Friendly Fire/Shadows of Knight/Breakout’

Detective Comics #674: ‘Out-Gunned’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Batman #508: ‘Mortal Remains’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Shadow of the Bat #28: ‘The Long, Dark Night’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Shadow of the Bat, v3, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Detective Comics #675: ‘Midnight Duel’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, and Knightquest: The Crusade, v2)

Legends of the Dark Knight #59-61: ‘Quarry’ (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v2 and Knightquest: The Search)

Robin (v4) #7: ‘Turning Point’ (collected in Knightfall, v2, Knightfall Omnibus, v2, Robin, v4: Turning Point, and Knightquest: The Search)

Catwoman (v2) #8-9: ‘Zephyr/Happyland’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

         

KNIGHTSEND [Mid-1994 saw a recovered Bruce Wayne trying to take back Batman’s title from Jean Paul Valley, who put up one hell of a fight. The meta-subtext was clearer than ever, pitting different conceptions of the Dark Knight against each other. (These issues are collected in Knightfall, v3, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, and KnightsEnd.)]

Batman #509: ‘Spirit of the Bat’

Shadow of the Bat #29: ‘Proving Ground’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3)

Detective Comics #676: ‘Too Many Ninjas’

Legends of the Dark Knight #62: ‘Devils’

Robin (v4) #8: ‘Death’s Door’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Catwoman (v2) #10-12: ‘Falling Star/Tin Men/Fire in the Sky’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1)

Batman #510: ‘Return of the Bat’

Shadow of the Bat #30: ‘Wild City’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3)

Detective Comics #677: ‘Flesh and Steel’

Legends of the Dark Knight #63: ‘Climax’

 

AFTERMATH [A few epilogues to the Knightfall saga.]

Robin (v4) #9: ‘The Triumph’ (collected in Knightfall, v3, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, Robin, v4: Turning Point, and KnightsEnd)

Catwoman (v2) #13: ‘Catfish’ (collected in Knightfall, v3, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, Catwoman by Jim Balent, v1, and KnightsEnd)

Batman: Mitefall [Alan Grant and Kevin O’Neill present Bat-Mite’s version of Knightfall, which is essentially a slapstick parody of the whole thing.]

The Punisher/Batman: ‘Deadly Knights’ (collected in DC/Marvel Crossover Classics, v2) [After having faced AzBats, the Punisher finally gets to meet the real Batman in a comic written by Chuck Dixon (an expert in both characters).]

Demon (v3) #42-45: ‘Hell’s Hitman’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman) [Readers who aren’t caught up on Demon may be a bit lost, but it’s worth noting that this story features not only Tommy Monaghan, but also Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and Gotham City’s own demon, Gothodaemon. The next issues, however, are mostly of interest for completists or Demon fans.]

Demon (v3) #46-48: ‘Haunted Glory’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman)

Demon (v3) #49: ‘From Hell’ (collected in The Demon, v1: Hell’s Hitman)

Demon (v3) #50: ‘The Shanty of Captain Scumm’ (collected in The Demon, v2: The Longest Day)

Demon (v3) #51: ‘Sons & Lovers’ (collected in The Demon, v2: The Longest Day)

         

ZERO HOUR [DC’s line-wide crossover Zero Hour: Crisis in Time! (about Hal Jordan’s attempts to remake the DCU) involved all sorts of merged timelines, so several characters crossed paths with alternate versions of themselves. (The issues involving the Batman family are collected in Batman: Zero Hour.)]

Batman #511: ‘The Night Before Zero’

Shadow of the Bat #31: ‘The Battling Butler!’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3 and Batman Allies: Alfred Pennyworth)

Detective Comics #678: ‘Yesterdays Gone’

Robin (v4) #10: ‘Two Birds One Stone’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Catwoman (v2) #14: ‘Broken Mirrors’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2)

 

THE BEGINNING OF TOMORROW [Zero Hour served as a way to softly reboot specific aspects of DC continuity (it’s the kind of retconning event that inspired the classic Astro City short story ‘The Nearness of You’). This was then followed by a set of #0 issues in which characters recalled their (now revised) origins. One of the changes was that Batman was now considered an urban legend, thus revising the fact that he had shown up on television in Detective Comics #622 and #629.]

Showcase ’94 #8-9: ‘The Secret Origin of Scarface’

Demon (v3) #0: ‘Zero Hour’ (collected in The Demon, v2: The Longest Day)

Catwoman #0: ‘Cat Shadows’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2 and Batman: Zero Hour)

Catwoman Annual #2: ‘Catwoman: Year One’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2) [Although this issue only came out the following year, this seems like the logical place to read it, as it expands the new, less downbeat version of Catwoman’s origin (thus replacing Her Sister’s Keeper) while introducing the ridiculous-looking Hellhound, who will later show up in both Catwoman and Birds of Prey. There is also a cameo by Harvey Bullock, who looks closer to his present-day persona, thus cancelling out Legends of the Dark Knight #105-106.]

Showcase ’94 #10: ‘Aftermath’ (collected in Knightfall, v3, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, and KnightsEnd) [Yet another epilogue to Knightfall, focusing on Jean Paul Valley]

Batman #0: ‘Creature of the Night’ (collected in Batman: Zero Hour)

Shadow of the Bat #0: ‘The Beginning of Tomorrow’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3 and Batman: Zero Hour)

Detective Comics #0: ‘Choice of Weapons’ (collected in Batman: Zero Hour)

Robin (v4) #0: ‘Brothers in Arms’ (collected in Prodigal, Robin, v4: Turning Point, and Batman: Zero Hour)

         

PRODIGAL [Before Bruce Wayne fully returned to his Batman persona, Dick Grayson took over for a bit, capturing the villains that were still on the loose. Not only is the plot continuity tight in these stories, but they also look super-slick, thanks to the artwork of Mike Gustovich, Bret Blevins, Lee Weeks, Phil Jimenez, Graham Nolan, Ron Wagner, and Mark Bright, beautifully colored by the great Adrienne Roy. (These issues are collected in Prodigal, Knightfall, v3, and Knightfall Omnibus, v3.)]

Batman #512: ‘Robin and Batman’ (collected in Arkham: Killer Croc)

Shadow of the Bat #32: ‘Prodigal – Part Two’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Detective Comics #679: ‘The Vermin Factor’

Robin (v4) #11: ‘Two in Every Crowd’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Batman #513: ‘Double Deuce’

Shadow of the Bat #33: ‘Prodigal – Part Six’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Detective Comics #680: ‘A Twice Told Tale’

Robin (v4) #12: ‘Bullies’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

Batman #514: ‘One Night in the War Zone’

Shadow of the Bat #34: ‘Prodigal – Part Ten’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Detective Comics #681: ‘Knight without Armor’

Robin (v4) #13: ‘Wings over Gotham’ (collected in Robin, v4: Turning Point)

 

TROIKA [Besides establishing the new status quo and creative teams, this small crossover served as a post-Cold War coda to Soviet villains Dark Rider and KGBeast (who henceforth became more of a minor villain, mostly serving time in Blackgate Prison). (These issues are collected in Troika and Knightfall Omnibus, v3.)]

Batman #515: ‘Dark Rider, Cold Warrior’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1) [Picks up right after Robin (v4) #13.]

Shadow of the Bat #35: ‘Troika – Part Two’ (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Detective Comics #682: ‘The Doomsday Clock’

Robin (v4) #14: ‘Big City Bomber’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)