1990s’ Batman comics reading guide – part 4

Batman #530

(Yep, I’m still posting about superheroes, even though the latest proto-apocalyptic events seem to have finally pushed the genre out of public consciousness, perhaps suitably.)

After the success of 1993-1994’s Knightfall, the different Batman books kept a closely articulated continuity, yet each of them also went its own way again, for a while. Indeed, although the point of this set of posts is to draw attention to the coherence and connectivity of 1990s’ comics, I should point out that – regardless of the occasional crossover events bringing all the strands together – each series still developed an autonomous narrative and peculiar tone.

In Detective Comics, Chuck Dixon wrote crime yarns featuring the Dynamic Duo and the Gotham City cops, mostly illustrated with a sharp, no-frills approach by Graham Nolan. In turn, Doug Moench treated Batman as a superhero horror title, in line with Kelley Jones’ über-gothic artwork (check out the hilariously impractical, physics-defying properties of Batman’s cape in the panel above…) and Greg Wright’s extravagant colors. Alan Grant’s Shadow of the Bat continued to spotlight members of the supporting cast, usually with a twisted sense of humor. Dixon also wrote Catwoman, about the titular thief’s heists (brought to life by Jim Balent’s graceful – if increasingly sexualized – pencils), and Robin, a lighthearted comedy about adolescence (not unlike the original Spider-Man formula) focusing on Tim Drake, with cartoony art by Mike Wieringo. The only stinker in the batch was Azrael, an adventure epic starring Jean Paul Valley, written by Dennis O’Neil and horribly illustrated by Barry Kitson in the exaggerated style popularized by Image at the time. Moreover, there were a bunch of one-shots and mini-series, plus the quarterly anthology The Batman Chronicles.

Thematically, it’s interesting to note that despite the writers’ clashing politics (O’Neil’s New Left liberalism, Dixon’s right-wing conservatism, Grant’s leftist anarchism, and Moench’s own brand of paranoid libertarianism), there was an overall vibe of Clinton-era progressivism, moving beyond Cold War dichotomies and gradually increasing the number of female characters in positions of power. (What can I say… reading politics into Batman comics is a gift that keeps on giving.)

         

LOOSE STORIES [Let’s start with a few loose stories that fit somewhere after Knightfall, even if Batman’s costume doesn’t always match his new look.]

Demon (v3) #52-54: ‘Suffer the Children’ (collected in The Demon, v2: The Longest Day) [Tommy Monaghan’s final encounter with Jason Blood and the demon Etrigan before meeting them again in Hitman. This was followed by Demon’s closing arc, ‘The Longest Day’ (#55-58), which is set in Hell, in the aftermath of The Sandman’s classic story ‘Season of Mists.’]

Huntress (v2) #1-4 [Dixon wrote this mini-series following the continuity from Joey Cavalieri’s and Joe Staton’s 1989 run on The Huntress.]

Legends of the Dark Knight #54: ‘Sanctum’ (collected in Dark Legends and DC Universe by Mike Mignola) [Mike Mignola and colorist Mike Chiarello explore the style they went on to develop in Hellboy]

Batman Annual #18: ‘Black Masterpiece’ [All of 1994’s annual issues are labelled as Elseworlds tales, but I don’t see why this underrated story can’t be canon. In turn, Shadow of the Bat Annual #2 (collected in Shadow of the Bat, v3) is certainly set in a different continuity, but it builds on so many of Alan Grant’s pet characters and themes that fans of his Batman comics should definitely check it out.]

Metropolis S.C.U. #1-4 [This excellent mini-series (by Cindy Goff and Peter Krause) about the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit has no direct connection to the Batman comics coming out at this time. However, one of the main characters, Maggie Sawyer, will become a key member of the Gotham cast a few years later, so fans may want to check it out, especially as this comic has a flavor similar to that of Batman stories about the GCPD.]

Green Arrow (v2) #89: ‘Forgotten Paths’ [Green Arrow comes to Gotham and meets Anarky.]

Batman / Spawn: War Devil [Not as good as the intercompany crossovers with the Punisher, but this crossover with Spawn has the particularity of being written by the trio of Moench, Dixon, and Grant. (And no, it has no relation to Frank Miller’s and Todd McFarland’s Spawn / Batman one-shot, which is actually set in the caricatural continuity of The Dark Knight Returns and its sequels/prequels.]

Showcase ’94 #11: ‘Man-Bat’ (collected in Arkham: Man-Bat) [Chuck Dixon and Flint Henry introduce their updated version of Man-Bat.]

Showcase ’94 #12: ‘A Little Knowledge’ [A nice tale spotlighting Barbara ‘Oracle’ Gordon, by Scott Peterson and Brian Stelfreeze]

Catwoman (v2) #15-18: ‘Catfile’ (collected in Catwoman: The Catfile and Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2)

Catwoman (v2) #19: ‘Jungle Cat’ (collected in Catwoman: The Catfile and Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2) [A coda to ‘Catfile’]

Azrael #1-7: ‘Fallen Angel’ [Since most of Azrael’s early solo adventures took place outside of Gotham City, you may as well read them separately, so that they don’t clutter the flow of the Gotham-based books in the next section.]

Azrael #8: ‘Azrael at Large’

Azrael #9: ‘Azrael on the Run: Breakout’

         

MAYORAL CAMPAIGN [After the ‘Troika’ crossover, the various series pursued separate storylines for a year. Ongoing subplots about the city institutions did carry over from series to series, though, most notably a mayoral campaign that gradually became an elaborate political thriller.]

 

Shadow of the Bat #36: ‘In the Name of the Father’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Robin (v4) #15: ‘Looking for Clues’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Robin (v4) #16: ‘All Fall Down’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Detective Comics #683: ‘Odds Against’ [This is the first issue of a two-parter, but it makes sense to read the next issue only after catching up with the other series, thus respecting the proper order of the ‘comatose Harvey Bullock’ subplot.]

Shadow of the Bat #37: ‘The King of Comedy’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Shadow of the Bat #38: ‘Tears of a Clown’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Batman #516-517: ‘Sleeper’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1) [Starts off with Batman recalling the events of Azrael #2.]

Detective Comics #684: ‘Darkest Day’

Showcase ’95 #4: ‘Fear No Man’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2) [Catwoman short story by Deborah Pomerantz and Jim Balent]

Batman #518: ‘Black Mask: The Spidered Face’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Detective Comics #685: ‘The Iron Dragon’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons) [First issue of the ‘War of the Dragons’ three-parter]

Robin (v4) #17: ‘The Silk Dragons’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons) [Second issue of ‘War of the Dragons’]

Batman #519: ‘Black Spider: Web of Scars’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1) [Continues the main storyline from Batman #518, but also the Tommy Mangles subplot brought up in Detective Comics #686. Sarah Essen-Gordon replaces her husband as police commissioner.]

Batman #520: ‘Fades to Black’

Detective Comics #686: ‘The Winged Dragon’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons) [Third issue of ‘War of the Dragons’ is set shortly after Sarah Essen takes over.]

Shadow of the Bat #39: ‘One Night in Slaughter Swamp’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4) [Detective Mackenzie ‘Hardback’ Bock is still surprised to find out about the new commissioner, so this story must run parallel to Batman #520 and Detective Comics #686.]

Showcase ’95 #5: ‘Uneven Parallels’ [Spoiler short story by Keri Kowalski and Yancey Labat]

Catwoman (v2) #20: ‘More Edge, More Heart’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2)

Catwoman (v2) #21: ‘Box Office Poison’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2)

Robin (v4) #18: ‘The Mouse That Ate Gotham’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

The Batman Chronicles #1: ‘Midnight Train/Tomorrow Belongs to Us/Death Mask’

Psyba Rats #1-3 [A very cool Robin spin-off]

Shadow of the Bat #40: ‘Prophet of Doom’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4 and Batman: Anarky)

Shadow of the Bat #41: ‘The Anarkist Manifesto’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4 and Batman: Anarky)

Detective Comics #687: ‘Red Tide’

Detective Comics #688: ‘The Rip’

Nightwing: Alfred’s Return (collected in Nightwing: Ties That Bind, Knightfall Omnibus, v3, and Troika) [One-shot about Alfred Pennyworth, who hasn’t been seen since ‘Knightquest.’ Ending leads to Batman #521.]

Batman #521: ‘Fast Train to the Wet Dark’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Batman #522: ‘Swamp Things’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Shadow of the Bat #42: ‘The Day the Music Died’ (collected Shadow of the Bat, v4)

Catwoman (v2) #22-24: ‘Family Ties’ (collected in Catwoman by Jim Balent, v2) [A fun fill-in written by Deborah Pomerantz]

Detective Comics #689: ‘The Blazing Heart’

Detective Comics #690: ‘Burning Love’

Batman #523: ‘Dark Wings Fly Away In Fear’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1 and Arkham: Scarecrow)

Batman #524: ‘Haunted Houses of the Head’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1 and Arkham: Scarecrow)

Azrael Annual #1: ‘Requiem’ [A flashback that leads up to Azrael in the desert, where he has been since #9.]

Vengeance of Bane II: The Redemption (collected in Knightfall Omnibus, v3 and Troika) [This one-shot about Bane’s life in prison is both a sort of coda to Knightfall and a set-up for the character’s upcoming adventures.]

Showcase ’95 #11: ‘Escape’ [Arkham Asylum short story by Archie Goodwin and Gene Ha]

Nightwing #1-4: ‘The Resignation/The Renewal/The Oubliette/Dead Simple’ (collected in Nightwing: Ties That Bind and Nightwing, v1: Blüdhaven (2014 edition)) [This mini by Denny O’Neil and Greg Land is Nightwing’s first solo series (and much lamer that the next effort…)]

Catwoman (v2) #25: ‘The Crooked House/Endangered Species’

The Batman Chronicles #2: ‘The Space Between Good and Evil/Goin’ Downtown/Commissions’

Robin (v4) #19: ‘War Gods in the Hood’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Robin (v4) #20: ‘The Empire Strikes Out’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Robin (v4) #21: ‘Shadows’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

Robin (v4) #22: ‘I Was a Teenage Ninja’ (collected in Robin, v5: War of the Dragons)

         

UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED [This mega-crossover has a full-on superhero fantasy tone that is quite different from the more street-level stuff of the Batman family of books, but it includes some neat moments involving the Gotham cast. That said, the overall premise (Devil-like demon Neron upgrades a bunch of villains) is so simple that you don’t really have to read the main book – by Mark Waid and Howard Porter – to pick up the ramifications in Batman comics.]

 

Underworld Unleashed #1 (collected in Underworld Unleashed)

Azrael #10: ‘Arena’ [Azrael is back in Gotham (and so is the Question, last seen in a punchy story in Showcase ’95 #3). Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed.]

Shadow of the Bat #43-44/Catwoman (v2) #26: ‘The Secret of the Universe’

Azrael #11-12: ‘Azrael Rising/Angel Rising’ [Runs parallel with ‘The Secret of the Universe.’]

Underworld Unleashed #2 (collected in Underworld Unleashed)

Batman #525: ‘Frozen Assets’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1 and Arkham: Mister Freeze) [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed]

Underworld Unleashed: Devil’s Asylum [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed set in Arkham Asylum]

Batman #526: ‘Constant Whitewater’ (collected in Tales of the Batman: J.H. Williams III)

Robin (v4) #23: ‘Buggin’’ [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed]

Robin (v4) #24: ‘Insects and Violence’

Green Arrow (2) #105: ‘Open Season’ [The new Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) comes to Gotham.]

Robin (v4) #25: ‘Sophomore Lethal’ [Connor Hawke is still in Gotham.]

Robin (v4) #26: ‘The Hard Lessons’

Catwoman (v2) #27: ‘Groddspell’ [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed]

Detective Comics #691: ‘Will It Go ‘Round in Circles’ [Tie-in to Underworld Unleashed]

Detective Comics #692: ‘Lying Eyes’

Underworld Unleashed #3 (collected in Underworld Unleashed)

Azrael #13-14: ‘Demon Time’

Catwoman (v2) #28: ‘Larceny Loves Company’

Catwoman (v2) #29: ‘Thieves’

Catwoman (v2) #30: ‘The Great Plane Robbery’

Shadow of the Bat #45: ‘Wayne Manor: Anatomy of a Murder’ [I’ve discussed this incredible issue here.]

The Batman Chronicles #3: ‘Riddle of the Jinxed Sphinx/The First Cut is the Deepest/Workin’ My Way Back to You’

Man-Bat #1-3 (collected in Arkham: Man-Bat) [Chuck Dixon and Flint Henry finally explore their version of Man-Bat in this mini-series featuring several regular players from the GCPD.]

         

GOTHAM CITY ELECTION [The various subplots about the mayoral campaign culminated in the issues cover-dated January-February 1996. As usual, each title followed its own major storyline while secondary plots developed across different series. The three stories take place more or less simultaneously, so you have to choose whether to follow the main narratives (linked by cliffhangers) or the political machinations in the immediate aftermath of the election. I suggest the compromise below …]

 

Shadow of the Bat #46: ‘Cornelius Stirk – part 1’

Batman #527: ‘The Face Schism’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Batman #528: ‘Schismed Faces’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Detective Comics #693: ‘Systemic Shock’

Detective Comics #694: ‘Violent Reactions’

Shadow of the Bat #47: ‘Cornelius Stirk – part 2’

 

CONTAGION [After a full year of parallel storylines, editors Denny O’Neil, Scott Peterson, Archie Goodwin, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, and Darren Vincenzo brought all the series together into an expanded crossover (about an epidemic of the deadly Clench virus), with the main story now moving across the series. (These issues are collected in Batman: Contagion.)]

Shadow of the Bat #48: ‘The Apocalypse Plague’

Detective Comics #695: ‘The Gray Area’

Robin (v4) #27: ‘Natural Born Healer’

Catwoman (v2) #31: ‘Flesh and Fire’

Azrael #15: ‘Requiem for an Immortal’

Batman #529: ‘Tears of Blood’ (collected in Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Shadow of the Bat #49: ‘Angel of Death’

Detective Comics #696: ‘Babylon Falls’

The Batman Chronicles #4: ‘Hitman/Exposure/Beggar’s Banquet’ [Includes Batman’s first encounter with Tommy Monaghan, setting up the spin-off Hitman.]

Catwoman (v2) #32: ‘Fever Pitch’

Azrael #16: ‘Contagion’

Robin (v4) #28: ‘Bitter Dregs’

         

POST-CONTAGION [Following the Contagion blockbuster, we got separate storylines for three months before the next crossover.]

Robin (v4) #29: ‘Hit and Myths’ (collected in Contagion (2016 edition))

Robin (v4) #30: ‘Iliads and Oddities’  (collected in Contagion (2016 edition))

Black Canary / Oracle: Birds of Prey: ‘One Man’s Hell’ (collected in Birds of Prey, v1) [The original one-shot that launched the lasting partnership between Barbara Gordon and Black Canary actually came out before Contagion, but if the two women had already been working together at the time then Barbara would’ve brought her agent into that crisis, so it makes more sense to read this here.]

Batman #530-532: ‘The Deadman Connection’ (collected in Contagion (2016 edition) and Batman by Doug Moench & Kelley Jones, v1)

Azrael #17-20: ‘Angel in Flames’

Showcase’96 #5: ‘Birds of a Feather’ (collected in Birds of Prey, v1) [Birds of Prey short story by Jordan B. Gorfinkel and Jennifer Graves]

Shadow of the Bat #50-52 (collected in Contagion (2016 edition))

Birds of Prey: Revolution (collected in Birds of Prey, v1) [The second Birds of Prey one-shot actually came out a year later, but it seems to be set not too long after the ending of the first one, so I’m sticking it here. (Yes, the Birds of Prey: Manhunt mini-series came out in the meantime, but I like how this one-shot dovetails with the first one, so I’m pushing that mini to the next post.)]

Catwoman (v2) #33: ‘Devil Does Your Dog Bite’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition)) [This three-issue arc sets up the stage for the Legacy crossover.]

Catwoman (v2) #34: ‘The Razor’s Edge’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Catwoman (v2) #35: ‘The Wheel of Plagues’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Detective Comics #697: ‘Deadbolt’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Detective Comics #698: ‘The Tomb’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Detective Comics #699: ‘The Chain’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition)) [The death of former Mayor Armand Krol raises the specter of a new Clench outbreak.]

Robin (v4) #31: ‘Up to Speed’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition)) [The ending leads directly into Legacy.]

         

LEGACY [Just like experts now fear a second wave of Covid-19, back in 1996 the Gotham books explored the dramatic potential of Clench’s return in this sequel to Contagion. (These issues are collected in Batman: Legacy.)]

Shadow of the Bat #53: ‘Hobson’s Choice’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Batman #533: ‘Twelve Steps to the Heart of Hell’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Detective Comics #700: ‘Progeny of the Demon’ (collected in Legacy, v1 (2017 edition))

Catwoman (v2) #36: ‘The Best of Enemies’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Robin (v4) #32: ‘Born with Teeth’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Shadow of the Bat #54: ‘The Power of the Picts’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Batman #534: ‘A Wound on the Heart of Heaven’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Detective Comics #701: ‘Gotham’s Scourge’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Robin (v4) #33: ‘Riptide’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

Detective Comics #702: ‘Second Chances’ (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition))

 

POST-LEGACY [A few reads to wrap up this era before moving on to the late ‘90s…]

Bane of the Demon #1-4 (collected in Legacy, v2 (2018 edition) and Batman Versus Bane) [Done a couple of years later, this nifty mini-series is actually a prequel to Legacy, but like many prequels it works better as a flashback, otherwise it would spoil some of the original’s surprises.]

Shadow of the Bat #55: ‘Standard Operating Procedure’ [Wraps up the Madolyn Corbett subplot that had popped up in different titles.]

Birds of Prey: Wolves (collected in Birds of Prey, v1 (2015 edition)) [The third Birds of Prey one-shot is still dealing with the fallout from the second one (Revolution), so not too much time has passed since then.]

Catwoman (v2) #37: ‘Fang and Claw’ [Dixon’s final issue on the series.]

Batman versus Predator II #1-4 (collected as Batman versus Predator II: Bloodmatch) [This mini-series came out in 1994, but in order for Alfred’s and Jim Gordon’s roles to properly fit, it must take place either before Knightfall or after Contagion. Since it ends with a reference to the Joker being on the loose, I like to imagine it occurs shortly before Devil’s Advocate (even if the Huntress’ costume doesn’t match her look at the time, which I explain away with an acknowledgement that everything inevitably looks sleazier when drawn by modern-era Paul Gulacy).]

The Joker: Devil’s Advocate [One of my favorite Batman comics, this one-shot is basically a spin-off of Dixon’s and Nolan’s Detective Comics, featuring many of that series’ supporting cast.]

GCPD #1-4 (collected in Gordon of Gotham) [The same goes for this awesome mini-series about the Gotham City Police Department, illustrated by Jim Aparo.]

Gotham Nights II #1-4 [John Ostrander’s and Mary Mitchell’s second Gotham Nights mini-series has no connection to the first one, but it’s just as good. It’s set around this time, with James Gordon back as police commissioner.]

Batman / Demon [A one-shot by Alan Grant and David Roach in which Etrigan takes Batman to Hell, with callbacks to Knightfall and A Death in the Family.]

Batman: Two-Face – Crime and Punishment (collected in Arkham: Two-Face) [One-shot by J.M. DeMatteis and Scott McDaniel delving into Two-Face’s connection with child abuse (which harkens back to Batman Annual #14)]

Batman: Riddler – The Riddle Factory [In this one-shot (which, like the Two-Face special above, was clearly meant to capitalize on the release of the movie Batman Forever), Matt Wagner and Dave Taylor use the Riddler to satirize television.]

Azrael Annual #2: ‘Night’s Fall’ [Like other 1996 annuals, this is basically an Elseworlds tale in the guise of a misremembered future retelling of DC history (a gimmick titled Legends of the Dead Earth). While other series reimagined their characters in pretty radical-yet-generic terms, however, this one is full of specific nods to Knightfall and to Azrael’s early adventures, which should make it particularly interesting for fans of those storylines.]