The General FAQ
This FAQ consists of some answers to some of the questions
that people ask most in alt.comics.batman.
If you've got any comments or can think of any questions that you think
should be here, mail me. For
answers to questions such as 'Who Is The New Batgirl?' please see the
No Man's Land FAQ. Additional thanks to Loren Di
Iorio for proof-reading and sarcastic comments.
What Does Each Batman Title
Deal With, and Which Titles Will I Need To Follow the Storylines?
Who Knows Batman's Secret Identity?
Who Killed Batman's Parents ?
Who's Going To Be In The New Batman Movie?
I Want To Read Some Batman - What Do You
Recommend?
What Comics Made Up The Whole Knightfall/Quest/End
saga?
What Comics Made Up The Storylines From Cataclysm
To Road To No Mans Land?
What Mini-Series Did Birds Of Prey Appear
In Prior To The Current On-Going Series?
What Does Each
Batman Title Deal With, and Which Titles Will I Need To Follow The Storylines?
Don't know which Bat-books to get into? Read the following descriptions to find the
monthlies that sound interesting to you:
Batman, Detective Comics, Gotham Knights, and Legends of the Dark
Knight are the four main Bat-titles, each with their own independent story arcs.
Batman currently deals with Batman as a hero. It focuses more on his
action and adventure in Gotham.
Detective Comics is a monthly which involves mysteries, organized
crime, and the GCPD, with Batman in the thick of things. It contains a few more pages than
a standard monthly, to add more story each month.
Gotham Knights takes a look at Batman and the rest of Gotham's
vigilantes as a group, and how they respond to crime, criminals, and each other.
Legends of the Dark Knight is a title which isn't usually set in the
regular continuity of the rest of the Bat-books. Since it does not have the Comics Code
Authority seal on it, it can include material that the regular books may not be allowed
to. The tales are often set in the early years of Batman's history.
Other Bat-books include:
Azrael: Agent of the Bat, which surrounds the character of Jean Paul
Valley, who substituted for Batman, after Bruce Wayne broke his back. It concerns JP's
search for identity and purpose.
Batgirl is a new monthly about the latest addition to the Bat-crew,
Cassandra Cain. She was an assassin taught only in the language of violence, and as such,
she has never learned how to speak. Now, as a non-killing Gotham vigilante, Cassie must
explore her past to determine her future.
The Batman Chronicles is a quarterly title that features stand-alone
short stories which don't often deal directly with Batman, but of Bat-related characters
who don't usually get the opportunity for their own tale.
Birds of Prey is an ongoing title which features Barbara Gordon and
Dinah Lance, otherwise known as Oracle and Black Canary. It's more of an
espionage/adventure story.
Catwoman relates the story of Selina Kyle, one of the world's best
thieves. She can alternate from hero to criminal on a whim, but in her soul, she is a
moral character.
Gotham Adventures is a title set in the animated continuity of the
DCU. Each issue is self-contained, where the stories are completed in one issue, and do
not continue into the next one.
Nightwing focuses on Dick Grayson, who was the original Robin. He
watches over the crime-infested city of Bludhaven (not far from Batman's city), which is
said to be worse than Gotham.
Robin is a monthly whose central character is Tim Drake, the third
youth to wear the costume of the Boy Wonder. Tim's toils have taken him to Brentwood
Academy, just north of Gotham.
Some of the Bat-crew can be found in JLA, The Titans, and Young
Justice, as well.
Who Knows Batman's
Secret Identity?
Answer by Chris Small
This list is post-crisis, comics continuity only, and is still probably far from complete,
given characters seem to die after finding out. . .
| Definite |
Alfred Pennyworth
Leslie Thompkins
Clark Kent/Superman
Wonder Woman
J'onn J'onzz /Martian Manhunter
Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing
Barbara Gordon/Batgirl/Oracle
Jason Todd/Robin II (Deceased)
Tim Drake/Robin III
Harold
Henri Ducard
Jean Paul Valley/Azrael
Deadman
Ra's Al Ghul
Talia
Bane
Jeannie Bowen
Roy Kane
Thomas Woodley
Tsunetomo
Silver St Cloud
Spectre
Bird (Possibly Deceased) |
| Possible |
Hugo Strange (In LOTDK, so may or may not be in continuity)
The Shaman and his granddaughter from "Shaman" (Also from LOTDK)
Lady Shiva
Jim Gordon probably suspects the truth.
Nightwing's comrades in the Titans probably know, but it's unspoken.
Dr. Kenneth Harbinger might have known in "Blind Justice" but they never
actually say so.....
The Joker MIGHT suspect (Death in the Family) (Editor's Note - I think the Joker
knows, but I've no proof)
I've always had this funny idea that Harvey Dent might know, but he somehow keeps it a
secret from Two-Face, but that's just me ;-)..... |
Who Killed
Batman's Parents ?
Pre-Crisis (Crisis was a big shake-up of the DCU that removed a lot of old
stories from continuity), Batman's parents were killed by Joe Chill, a petty thug hired
for the job. Post-Crisis, Joe Chill was still the killer.
Post-Zero Hour (Zero Hour was a smaller shake-up of the DC Universe
that removed some more old stories from continuity), we're no longer sure. It might still
be Joe Chill, but it might not be, because he was ill that day on an alternate Earth, so
he might have been ill in the main DC Earth. Also, after seeing his parents during Zero
Hour, Bruce doubts that he really knows the killer's identity at all.
Who's Going To Be
In The New Batman Movie?
Nobody knows. There's lots of rumors about it, but that's all they are at the moment.
I Want To Read
Some Batman - What Do You Recommend?
Some of the best are -
The Dark Knight Returns
Year One
The Long Halloween
The Killing Joke
The Many Deaths Of Batman
To Kill A Legend (In Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told)
Arkham Asylum
Batman - Haunted Knight (Collection of Loeb & Sale's three LOTDK specials)
Detective Comics #725 (Should be easy enough to find)
Fear Of Faith (Second No Mans Land Story Arc)
What Comics
Made Up The Whole Knightfall/Quest/End saga?
Answer by jayembee (and Loren)
| Knighfall |
BATMAN #491 (Prologue)
BATMAN #492-500 (Parts 1,3,5,7,9,11,15,17,19)
DETECTIVE #659-666 (Parts 2,4,5,8,10,12,16,18)
SHOWCASE '93 #7-8 (Parts 13,14)
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #16-18 (these were "unnumbered" parts
tangential to the main story)Collected as two trade
paperbacks, Knightfall: Part One: Broken Bat and Knightfall: Part Two: Who
Rules The Night |
| Knightquest: The Crusade |
DETECTIVE COMICS #667-675 (#670 mislabeled "The Search")
BATMAN #501-508
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #19-20,24-28
CATWOMAN #6-7 (#6 mislabeled "The Search")
ROBIN #7 (labeled "The Conclusion") |
| Knightquest: The Search |
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #59-61
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #21-23
JUSTICE LEAGUE TASK FORCE #5-6 |
| KnightsEnd |
BATMAN #509-511 (Parts 1,7)
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #29-30 (Parts 2,8)
DETECTIVE COMICS #676-677 (Parts 3,9)
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #62-63 (Parts 4,10)
ROBIN #8-9 (Part 5, Aftermath 1)
CATWOMAN #12-13 (Part 6, Aftermath 2)Collected as a trade
paperback |
| Prodigal |
BATMAN #512-514 (Parts 1,5,9)
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #32-34 (Parts 2,6,10)
DETECTIVE #679-681 (Parts 3,7,11)
ROBIN #11-13 (Parts 4,8,Conclusion)Collected as a trade
paperback |
What Comics Made
Up The Storylines From Cataclysm To Road To No Man's Land?
Answer by jayembee
| Cataclysm |
[0] DETECTIVE COMICS #719 Not bannered. The main story
has nothing to do with "Cataclysm", but the epilogue serves as a prologue to the
quake storyline.
1 BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #73
2 NIGHTWING #19
3 BATMAN #553
4 AZRAEL #40
5 DETECTIVE COMICS #720
6 CATWOMAN #56
7 ROBIN #52 Though this is bannered, the only connection to "Cataclysm" appears
on the last page. The rest of the issue concerns Robin's adventures in Europe.
8 BATMAN: BLACKGATE -- ISLE OF MEN #1 [one-shot]
9 BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #74
10 THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #12
11 NIGHTWING #20
12 BATMAN #554
[-] AZRAEL #41 Not bannered. Part of the story deals with the quake, but most of it is
peripheral.
13 BATMAN: SPOILER/HUNTRESS--BLUNT TRAUMA #1 [one-shot]
14 DETECTIVE COMICS #721
15 CATWOMAN #57
16 BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM--TALES OF MADNESS #1 [one-shot]
17 ROBIN #53
THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #16 Includes a short story set during the quake. |
| Aftershock
(Bannered) |
BATMAN #555-559
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #75-79
THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #14
DETECTIVE COMICS #722,724-726
ROBIN #54 |
| Aftershock
(Unbannered) |
THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #15 Huntress and The Question
fight a black-market operation against the quake background. The other two stories have no
connection to "Aftershock" other than showing some quake damage.
CATWOMAN #63-65 Catwoman, with Batman's help, tangles with the Joker in quake- damaged
Gotham. Other than that, there's no real connection to "Aftershock" [#58-62 show
virtually no damage to Gotham, and the bulk of #61 is set in Europe].
CHASE #7-8 Cameron Chase of the DEO tries to uncover Batman's ID in the ruins of Gotham.
Other than the setting, there's no real connection to "Aftershock"
THE CREEPER [#7-8] The Creeper, with Batman's help, tangles with the Joker at Arkham [I
don't have these issues, so I'm unsure of how much they tie into "Aftershock"].
NIGHTWING #21-22,24-25 ROBIN #56-61 These have nothing to do with "Aftershock"
other than occasionally showing quake damage in Gotham & Bludhaven.
THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #16 Includes a story set during Aftershock. |
| Brotherhood Of The
Fist |
GREEN ARROW #134-135
DETECTIVE COMICS #723
ROBIN #55
NIGHTWING #23
The bulk of this story arc is set in quake-damaged Gotham. The connection to
"Aftershock" is otherwise tenuous. |
| DC One Million |
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #1,000,000
NIGHTWING #1,000,000
DETECTIVE COMICS #1,000,000
In these issues, the Batman of the 853rd Century, with Nightwing's help, deal with
criminals in quake-damaged Gotham while the 20th Century Batman is sent to the 853rd
Century [those adventures appear in the BATMAN, CATWOMAN, and ROBIN #1,000,000 issues]. |
| Road To No Man's
Land |
BATMAN #560-562
DETECTIVE COMICS #727-729
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #80-82
AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT #47-49
B:SOTB #80 and A:AOTB #47 were published as a single back-to-back "flip book". |
For information about which comics
make up the No Man's Land arcs see the NML FAQ.
What Mini-Series Did
Birds Of Prey Appear In Prior To The Current On-Going Series?
Answer by Chris Small
Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey; The first one-shot
Birds of Prey: Revolution; the follow-up, in Santa Prisca, my personal favorite
thus far.
Showcase '96 #3: 'Birds of a Feather'; Lois Lane guests in the most disappointing
episode.
Birds of Prey: Manhunt #1-4; The mini-series, also featuring Catwoman, Huntress,
Lady Shiva, and briefly, Batman and Robin.
These 7 issues are contained in the Birds of Prey Trade Paperback.
Birds of Prey: Wolves; not my favorite, but a decent story
none-the-less
Birds of Prey: Batgirl; Might not be what you expect.
Birds of Prey: Ravens; one of the 'Girlfrenzy' one-shots, this does not include
BoP, but the new villains (well, old villains being re-introduced as a new team.)
appearing in BoP #4.
|
