Now that Bruce Wayne has gone on his time hopping journey and we are entering a new era for Batman I thought it was the perfect time to take a look at the Batbooks that came out while he was gone — and rank them!
(Note that the time that Bruce was gone and Dick had taken over as Batman was branded "Batman Reborn" by DC Comics and for the purposes of this article, I'm including all books that came out in that time period — not just the ones with the banner.)
(Also note that I have not included books like Batman Confidential and Superman/Batman for obvious reasons.)
10. Azreal
The first issue of Azreal took place at some point in the near future and revealed that the main character had died. The purpose of the series seemed to be to show how Azreal got to the point where he was killed. After a few issues I decided that Azreal's death could not come soon enough and so I took matters into my own hands and dropped the book.
9. The Outsiders
This one had an intriguing premise and one of my favorite writers. How did it all go wrong? In the wake of Bruce's "death" and Dick having his hands full being the new Batman, Peter J. Tomasi added a new twist to The Outsiders lore — he brought in Alfred Pennyworth as The Outsiders' badass behind-the-scenes commander. Sounded very cool… on paper. In execution it was severely lacking. I quickly found that without Batman (or Nightwing) around I didn't really care all that much about the rest of the team when they were in action. I ended up dropping this one too.
8. Gotham City Sirens
Paul Dini, one of the celebrated writers behind Batman: The Animated Series writing a book about Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn living together and getting into sexy misadventures? Should have been a sure fire winner, right? Wrong. For some reason this book never gelled. There was never any discernible plot between issues and then The Riddler showed up and we followed him for a while. It didn't help that the creative team was never stable either. This one ended up getting dropped.
7. Birds of Prey
A super late entry into the field but still, Birds of Prey was a Batbook in the Batman Reborn. This book is notable for being the first ever Birds of Prey book that I dropped since it premiered back in 1999. It's not that the book was bad, it was just that I didn't care what happened in it anymore.
6. Batman
You know what? I had completely forgotten that this book started off the Batman Reborn era with Judd Winick and Ed Benes as the creative team. I loved those issues! Five issues in, Tony Daniel took over as the writer and the artist and ever since then the book has been… okay? I don't dislike Daniel's work as much as most people seem to. I find the writing more average than anything else (with occasional sparks of interesting ideas), and I do like the art, though the quality can swing wildly from one issue to the next which I assume is related to how much time he has for each issue.
5. Detective Comics
A Tale of Two Books: The first book that Greg Rucka, J.H. Williams III, and Jock did would put Detective Comics in the top two. Everything that came after puts it near the bottom of the list. Average that out and here it is smack dab in the middle.
4. Batman: Streets of Gotham
Like Gotham City Sirens, this Paul Dini run book was maddeningly inconsistent. But when it hits, boy did it deliver. Dini spent a lot of time focusing on Hush and much to my shock and awe, he was able to take a character that I had up until that point hated, and made him an interesting and a worthy foe for Batman. He also explored hidden corners of Gotham City in issues that felt a hell of a lot like Batman: The Animated Series, focusing on characters like The Broker.
3. Batgirl
This one might have been the biggest and most pleasnt surprise of the Batman Reborn era. I've always been a fan of Stephanie's but Bryan Q. Miller gave her so much more depth and personality than ever before (and she had quite a bit to begin with). Miller and artist Lee Garbett turned Batgirl into a must read book.
2. Red Robin
Red Robin might have been the most unique of all the Batman Reborn Batbooks. After Bruce "died" Tim Drake was kind of left standing when the music stopped playing. He was no longer Robin, no longer Batman's partner, and he no longer had a place in Gotham City. He was also the only person who didn't believe that Bruce was actually dead. This book did a lot to chart the maturity of Tim Drake in the face of an almost complete and total breakdown of his life.
1. Batman and Robin
A modern day classic. I hoped that the new flagship Batbook would be good, but I wasn't prepared for just how good it would be.Not only did it continue and ultimately wrap up the Batman saga that Grant Morrison had been telling since 2006, but it did it in such a way that you could still enjoy the book if you hadn't been reading and remembering all the way through. It also featured the development of the relationship between Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne, one of the most fascinating dynamiics in all of comics. The arc of their relationship is just outstanding.
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Issue-to-issue, Red Robin, Batgirl, and Streets of Gotham switch places for me, but on average, this list is spot-on.
My top would be Red Robin. Batgirl and Batman & Robin round out the top 3, although B&R was tough for me the last few issues of the series.
I haven’t been a huge fan of Daniels’ Batman run (which is why I dropped it long ago), but man, that cover he had on this week’s issue was pretty awesome.
I feel like, except for Batman and Robin, they dropped the ball with Batman: Reborn. Some started out so strong and on a dime became terrible (ie: Daniel’s Batman) or quickly outlived their presence or didn’t fulfil it (Red Robin, Detective, and Outsiders)
Part of me wishes i picked up red robin; i was a die hard robin fan before my university induced comic break took hold, and when i was getting back into comics, i decided not to pick up robin for some reason, and when red robin came out i still decided not to; i think i disliked the premesis of tim being red robin and wasn’t to fond of that cotume. this was probably a dumb move on my part.
Great list, Conor! Outsiders was one of those books that I really wanted to like, but just did not deliver.
Personally, I might slide Batman & Robin down to the third spot, sliding RR and BG up. Loved the book most of the way through, and the dynamic between Dick and Damian was perfect, but even having read most of Morrison’s run I still felt super lost. At first I was blaming myself, but I’ve come to feel that the (great & epic) story just wasn’t presented very coherently, which is a shame.
But man, those first 3 issues…
I read issue #1 of Batwoman recently when DC re-released it. Another example of taking a 3-4 star book and launching it into a 6 star stratosphere. The hype was so huge on this, and undeserving. Yes the art was great, but 6 star hype?
Good list. I would have put Detective were Red Robin is mainly because of Greg Rucka/J.H.WIII/and Jock.
I totally agree with what you said about Winick’s run on Batman. I believe it was simply overshadowed, at the time, by Morrison’s B&R. Batman was really good, with some really great character moments with Dick Grayson.
Seeing how we are going into a new phase/era of the bat books, with changing creative teams, it might be fun to do predictive ranking of the new books. Personally, I wonder where people would rank Batman and Robin with Tomasi’s track record with The Outsiders. Also, where would Batwoman rank based on Williams writing and Haden drawing.
Here’s my predictive ranking: 10) Birds of Prey (Simon), 9) Batman (Daniel), 8) Streets of Gotham (Dini), 7) Outsiders (Didio), 6) Batman & Robin (Tomasi), 5) Red Robin (Nicieza), 4) Batgirl (Miller), 3) Batwoman (Williams), 2) Detective (Snyder), 1) Batman Incorporated (Morrision)
@ctrosejr: I liked Winnick’s run on Batman but I dropped it after Tony Daniel took over on writing.
Batman and Robin is certain 1, and if Return of Bruce Wayne counts it’s either tied for one or a very close 2nd.
After that, for me, Batgirl was far superior to Red Robin. Batgirl felt like a real character. Red Robin felt like a solid but unremarkable Robin story — the kind of thing you could expect from a professional like Dixon or Nicieza (or Yost), but not a lot of wit or heart.
I’m excited about the new era as well. Batman Incorported will undoubtedly be the best, but it’s always fun to see what other title best utilizes the status quo to tell their stories. I suspect Snyder’s Detective is going to be amazing, that Miller’s Batgirl will continue to be spectacular and that JH Williams III’s Batwoman is going to be gorgeous. I’m probably one of the very few that didn’t love Rucka’s run on the title though — obviously the artwork was beyond great, but the actual stories never grabbed me the way they should. I’m hoping that, whatever Black and Williams do, they manage to really create interesting concepts for me to sink my teeth into.
Good list. The only thing I would disagree with is the eponymous Batman book. Daniels was terrible on Battle For The Cowl but has really improved since he returned to the book. Winicks run with Bagley has to be the poorest Batman trade I’ve read in years. He just didn’t get Dick. It’s a pity as I thought the subject matter would have suited him and I like him on other projects.
Were there more than ten?!?!
Hoping for big things from snyders detective
I liked Dick’s story in Batman and Robin a lot. I really liked at the very beginning how taking over the Batman mantel was such a weight on him, specifically his interactions with the police. He said something about how as Nightwing he had established himself and had gain the respect of the police; but as the new Batman the cops didn’t know what to make of him and he was having to climb that mountain all over again. Plus I liked a little comment about how he wasn’t used to the cape, and it was throwing his whole action off. It was so many of these little things which made me feel like he was a real living and breathing character; and made the book so good.
I honestly didn’t read any of the other books (plus I’m very behind on the Batman and Robin issues — busy life), so we both have the same number 1; in my case it’s because mine is a list of one. Hahahaha!
Side note: Yesterday my local comic shop started referring to people who subscribe to ALL the Batman books as going "The Full Batman".
There might be some minor shuffling of the order from reader to reader, but it sounds like you nailed the ranking. I’d switch Red Robin and Batgirl, but I think its clear which are the Top 3 at the moment.
Spot on. This was a fun era in the Batman mythos.
Out of the books I do read of the Bat-Family.
1) Batman and Robin. Even if the Return of Bruce has been a bit shaky, this has continued to be a lot of fun to read each month. Can’t wait to see Paul Cornell take a stab at this.
2) Streets of Gotham. I kinda caught up with the series and even though the pacing is erratic, it’s a lot like Paul Dini’s old run of Detective. Plus having Dustin Nguyen do (most) of the art isn’t too shabby either.
3) Azrael. Again I caught up with this since I originally dropped it after Nicieza/Bachs left a few months ago. But this has been a great series on the new Azrael and I love the faith vs reality argument in every issue. It’s handled very well and both Nicieza and Hine has done a great job. Shame the art by Bachs killed a lot of the joy out of it…..March was a good replacement though.
4) Detective Comics (aka Batwoman). Amazing art, boring story.
5) Gotham City Sirens. Way too much cheesecake and not the best work coming from Dini.
6) Batgirl. I’ve read the first trade and the recent issue that came out…..I decided to not read the series again both times. Not a good sign.
this list is right on
Controversial opinion #1076: I like both Batman and Streets of Gotham more than Batman & Robin. I still really like B&R, just that I don’t quite think it jazzes me like it does everyone else. They’re all great series though.
Good list. I didn’t read Outsiders or Azrael (b/c the mini I read before it was awful). I enjoyed Gotham City Sirens until it just got all over the place around issue 12 or 13, I believe Catwoman’s sister Arc, followed by the the Poison Ivy Arc. I dropped it after that, and haven’t looked back.
I agree with the Top 3, but I’d put Batgirl 2nd, and B & R first. Detective Comics, was great during the Rucka/Williams Run, but the story was mostly forgettable when the book geared back to Batman, so much so that I dropped it during the last issue of Hine’s arc.
damn, i forgot about those first 5 issues of Batman during reborn. 687 was AMAZING. i think it came out the same week as B&R1 or maybe it was RR 1, but i just remember it being a hard week to pick a POTW. Great list. Amazing books.
I would rank Red Robin #1 and Batman and Robin #2, but that’s just me.
@conor are you going to give a run down of all the bat books like you did when Reborn started? That was a great rundown and I tried a lot of those books because of that article.
Agree on the top two, don’t read Batgirl but I think I should be. Agree on Birds, I plan to drop it because I simply don’t care about it or the characters.
I have quite enjoyed Batman though, and would rank it higher. I felt that after Rucka Detective really seemed to flounder a bit, but I didn’t find it as bad as Conor.
I think this is a completely fair assessment of the Bat Books. I have to agree with Batman and Winick, it was great and then not so great.
@Jediaxke: Hmmm. I don’t know that most of the books are different enough to warrant it but I’ll think about it.
I think Birds of Prey is a great book and one of the best DC books. With that being said it is my number 5 on the bat-family books. 1. Red Robin , 2. Batgirl , 3.Batman and Robin , 4.Detective Comic. 5. Birds of Prey and 6 Streets. (On a side note , I love the covers for Sirens )
Great list. Couldn’t agree more.
Wow. I would’ve never put SOG in front of that Detective run. It was good, but not that good…IMO. I probably would’ve put Batman a little lower. Outside of that, I agree completely.
Remember, the Detective Comics books we’re talking about include more than just the Batwoman sequence. That dilutes the sample a bit.
Right. I’m just saying that my love for those 7 comics exceeds my dislike for Hine’s work, therefore trumping SOG.
Conor, I totally agree with your take on Tony Daniel’s writing atman. It’s decent straight forward Batman…but following Grant Morrison, shouldn’t the actual BATMAN book have an a-list guy? I don’t get the logic behind keeping him on this, and I can’t imagine what to expect from a Finch Batman title.
I’m suprised that Chuck Dixon wasn’t writing one of the many Bat books
Making Catwoman’s sister into a villain was such a cheap shot that sort of ruined everything else that had gone before regarding their relationship, so that’s why i dropped GC Sirens, which to be honest never quite lived up to the idea of it.
I don’t get the love for SOG, it wasn’t bad, just OK.
B&R absolutely deserves the top spot in my opinion.
Oh, and the Question second feature in Detective was just plain cool too.
Hey Conor, any chance of getting an article running down of the make up on the bat books?
I’m confused as to which creative teams end up where, which Batman ends up where, which Robin ends up where…you know, all that stuff.
Like, I know Tony Daniel is doing Batman proper, and I think it’s Dick’s Batman, is he with Robin? Is the Batman and Robin book continuing?
THanks mang!
Great List
Personally I’d swap Birds of Prey and Red Robin – Just a big Gail Simonne fan, glad to see her back.
I would kick B&R to 3rd, but otherwise, I fully agree with this list =)