BatChat With Matt & Will: A Batman Ranking Podcast

The evolution of representation of queer characters in mainstream superhero comics is something that entire books can, and should, be written about. So I'm not going to wax rhapsodic about all the changes here, but it's June and thus Pride Month, and so we're back with queer Bat characters. First we wrap up Greg Rucka's run on Batwoman, next we see the first HarlIvy wedding (in the Injustice Universe of all places) and we read one of the DC Pride anthologies, the one that includes the brilliant story written by the one true voice of Batman, Kevin Conroy. Cutter (Detective Comics V.1 # 861-863) Injustice: Year Zero (Injustice: Year Zero Chapters 1-14) DC Pride 2022 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

We're getting near 200 episodes of this show, and many of those episodes have been experiences where we discover fun, fascinating comics. And then there is this week. Patreon backer and friend (?) of the show John Wickham made his pick for his return, and he decided to pick three stories related to the Joker and Joker related characters that could make it to the bottom of the Big Board. He he succeeded. The New 52 Harley, Joker's Daughter and her nonsense underground kingdom and Three Jokers all appear, all are terrible, and one takes it's spot in the opposite of rarified air at the very bottom of the Big Board. Try to guess which one. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Harley Lives! (Detective Comics V.2 #23.2) Down Under (Catwoman V.4 #22-24 & 26, Batman: The Dark Knight v.2 #23.4) Batman: The Three Jokers #1-3 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

We're back to our three runs we're following in order. In No Man's Land, we meet a new character who will be an important part of the Bat Family moving forward. In the Morrison run, we get some side stories in the run up to The Return of Bruce Wayne. And in Injustice, Renee Montoya hits Superman with the Washington Monument. Mark of Cain (Batman V.1 #567, Detective Comics V.1 #734) Time and Batman (Batman V.1 #700-703) Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Four V.1 (Injustice: Gods Among Us- Year Four #1-7) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight was a title like no other at the time, with its rotating creative teams of big name creators. As the series progressed, some of the creative teams featured less well known creators, but the series always tried to do something different, even if some themes came up over and over. Patreon backer and friend of the show Josh Weil stumbled across a trade featuring three LotDK stories of Batman fighting monsters called, well, Batman: Monsters, and those are the stories we cover this episode. Werewolf (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 71-73) Infected (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 83-84) Clay (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 89-90) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Y'know, sometimes you get an episode request, and you wind up with stories better than you could have expected. Patreon backer and friend of the show Matt McThorn specifically wanted to talk about the Batman annual with the origin of Clownhunter and art by James Stokoe. So we decided, what better theme than more annuals. And not to spoil too much, but we wound up with not one, but two new stories in the top 100 of the Big Board. And one very weird story quite a bit lower, but that's still a great showing for the night. There is Hope in Crime Alley (Batman V.3 Annual # 5) Everyday. (Batman V.3 Annual # 4) Slade's Demon (Batman V.1 Annual # 12) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Patreon backer Sam Hopper wanted to give us a nice, fun week, and we appreciate that. He requested three stories that inspired episodes of Batman '66. There are surprisingly few episodes of that show that were adaptations, but definitely enough or an episode. But these are really short stories, so we wanted to add a little something. So on top of ranking the comics on the Big Board, we are talking about the episodes, and adding them to the Little Board. And we made a special public post over on patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill, so you can check out all the media we have ranked there before we start getting even weirder with what we'll be adding to it this summer. The Riddler (Detective Comics V.1 # 140) Joker's Utility Belt (Batman V.1 # 73) The Mad Hatter of Gotham City (Detective Comics V.1 # 230) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

We're back with two of our favorite ladies this week: Patreon backer (and Will's wife) Abigale Heartbalm and Stephanie Brown. Abigale wanted to read three stories featuring Stephanie, and we wanted to go with something similar as the first time we did a Stephanie episode where we touch on different eras of the character, but we kinda wanted to avoid all those depressing stories where she's Robin. So this time, for her second appearance, it's all second stories: her second appearance, her second arc as Batgirl and the second arc of James Tynion IV's run on Detective Comics. Clueless (Robin V.2 # 3-5) Batgirl Rising: Core Requirements (Batgirl V.3 # 4-7) The Victim Syndicate (Detective Comics V.3 # 943-947) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

People love Batman. People love Apes. So when you combine them, you're bound yo get some fun comics, right? Well, sometimes. Patreon backer Dan Grote asked us to read some Batman and apes stories, and we read a delightful Golden/Silver Age story, a 90s story that had it's fun moments and a story that is proof that the New 52 could suck the joy out of pretty much anything. And we discuss how few Batman/Detective Chimp stories there are, which is a travesty. The Bat-Ape (Batman V.1 #114) JLApe (Legends of the DC Universe #19, JLA Annual #3, Batman V.1 Annual #23, Aquaman V.5 Annual #5, Wonder Woman V.2 Annual #8, Flash V.2 Annual #12, Superman V.2 Annual #11, Green Lantern V.3 Annual #8, Martian Manhunter V.2 Annual #2) Time to Monkey Shine (Batman V.2 #23.1) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

This whole episode came about when Matt was looking for something else entirely, and he stumbled across an issue of Batman: Gotham Adventures, the animated series tie-in, written by Ed Brubaker. As he didn't remember that at all, he decided he had to read it, and since he has minimal time to read for pleasure, the best solution was to work it into an episode. Thus we have three stories about people telling stories about Batman and Bruce Wayne. Is it a stretch for a theme? Yes. Are the comics all very good? Also yes. The Autobiography of Bruce Wayne (The Brave and the Bold V.1 # 197) World Without Batman (Batman: Gotham Adventures # 33) Daydreams & Believers (Gotham Central # 11) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

We're back to the bookshelf Will keeps of random Batman trades he has picked up over the years (a shelf that for Matt is something he just calls his house). We start off as ever with a volume of Batman '66, follow that up with Batman meets The Da Vinci Code meets Last Crusade and wrap up with a mini-series that led into Final Crisis that is actually nowhere near as bad as much of those were. Batman '66 V.3 (Batman '66 # 11-16) Batman: The Chalice OGN Gotham Underground # 1-9 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

There are very few characters in comics that I, Matt, truly dislike. One of them is, sadly, a character with significant ties to the Bat family: Deathstroke the Terminator. A villain turned anti-hero who I don't feel like ever should have been, I decided it was time to bit the bullet and cover three stories featuring Deathstroke. We have his first meeting with Batman, a Chuck Dixon story of dueling assassins and a story where Batman and Deathstroke both feature, but don't actually meet. Content warning: this episode includes discussions of sexual assault and exploitation City of Assassins (Deathstroke the Terminator #6-9) The Death Lottery (Detective Comics V.1 #708-710) Identity Crisis #1-7 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

The Bat family has grown considerably over the years. What started out as Batman and Robin now contains what seems to be a dozen or more characters. And recent years have seen many attempts to add characters who would be big hits and draw massive popularity. And while this has created some good characters, none of the characters created in period of the New 52 and early Rebirth eras took off to become characters who headlined their own books, for example. This week, we read stories about three of those characters: Harper Row, Duke Thomas, and Gotham Girl. Ghost in the Machine (Batman V.2 # 12) I Am Gotham (Batman: Rebirth # 1, Batman V.3 # 1-6) The Cursed Wheel (All-Star Batman # 1-4, 6-9 Back-Ups) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Mainstream superhero comics have been a boys' club since their invention, and while things have gotten better in recent years, it is telling how few Batman comics have women writers, outside the works of Devin Grayson and Mariko Tamaki. For the last week of March, of Women's History Month, we're reading three stories by other women who have written Bat titles. We have a fun and completely insane three issue arc of 90s Detective Comics from Louise Simonson, the first arc of Gail Simone's run on Birds of Prey, and a single issue of Gotham Academy that brings Damian Wayne to the school co-written by Becky Cloonan (who will be back in next week's episode for her art). Control Freak (Detective Comics V.1 #635-637) Of Like Minds (Birds of Prey V.1 #56-59) Curse of the Inishtree Quill (Gotham Academy #7) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Gotham villains seem to spend so much time fighting each other, it's a wonder they have any time to fight Batman. Friend of the show and Patreon backer John Wickham returns for three instances of villain on villain violence, with Blackgate Vs. Arkham during the Forever Evil crossover, Hush Vs. Talia in the run up to Infinite Crisis and The War of Jokes and Riddles, the Tom King story with the breakout star of Kite-Man. Arkham War (Batman V.2 # 23.4, Forever Evil: Arkham War # 1-6, Forever Evil Aftermath: Batman Vs. Bane) Job Termination (Batman: Gotham Knights # 66) The War of Jokes and Riddles/ The Ballad of Kite-Man (Batman V.3 # 25-32) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Friend of the show and Patreon backer Josh Weil is a busy guy these days. Josh is running in a special election as the Democratic nominee to be the new Representative for Florida's 6th District. But Josh is such a dedicated fan that he took some time off from his busy schedule to join us and talk about three Batman stories from the Golden Age of Comics: the first appearance of Dr. Death, the first super villain Batman ever fought; the first appearance of Hugo Strange; and a fun story where Batman and Robin solve murders that are using superstitions as the motif of the killings. Learn more about Josh's campaign website: https://joshweil.us/ Doctor Death (Detective Comics V.1 #29-30) Batman Meets Professor Hugo Strange (Detective Comics V.1 #36) The Superstition Murders (Batman V.1 #8) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

I have a soft spot for Wildcat, the Golden Age hero, member of the JSA, and trainer of heroes. And he has a connection to the Bat family, having trained more than one member. So this week we're reading a perfectly whacky issue of Brave and the Bold as only Bob Haney could write it, and two mini-series by Chuck Dixon that feature Bat characters teaming up with Wildcat May the Best Man Die! (The Brave and the Bold V.1 # 118) Batman/Wildcat # 1-3 Catwoman/Wildcat # 1-4 Also, we are adding a fourth story to the Big Board, as we are removing one. Due to the mounting sexual assault allegations against Neil Gaiman, it has become difficult to feature a book that he headlined at the very top of the list. While any other entry on the list that features Gaiman's work is an anthology, "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" Is a book that can't be discussed without Gaiman's contribution, and so it has been removed, and we are also reading "Succession" from Detective Comics V.1 Annual #4, by the wonderful and legendary Louise Simonson, so the Board remains evenly divisible by 3. Please listen to the cold open of the show for more details on our thinking. Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

I sit and write this introduction on a February morning where it is in the mid 40s and going up to the low 50s today, but it's still winter, and so we were thinking about the snow and cold when coming up with episodes, and when you think of cold and Gotham, who else do you think about but Mr. Freeze? We feature his first appearance this week, when he was Mr. Zero, as well as an animated series tie-on and the first arc of Gotham Central where Freeze is the antagonist. The Ice Crimes of Mr. Zero (Batman V.1 # 121) Polar Opposites (Batman: Gotham Adventures # 5) In the Line of Duty (Gotham Central # 1-2) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

I usually try to put something witty or informative here. But this week, Patreon backer Matt McThorn is back, and he asked us to read Neal Adams's mad dream, Batman: Odyssey. He didn't know what he was getting himself or us into, so we have forgiven him, but this one feels like an all-timer. We also read two Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams stories from the 70s, as well as a classic EC Comics story that we don't rank since it's not a Batman story, but ties in with what we're talking about, and you can read it on-line HERE: https://from-dusk-till-drawn.com/2016/05/02/master-race-by-bernie-krigstein-usa-1955/. It ties in with Night of the Reaper, so if you haven't read that and a reading along, I would suggest reading that before reading this story. But aside from that homework, get ready for dinosaurs, the hollow Earth, stream of consciousness and Jazz wizards. A Vow From the Grave (Detective Comics V.1 #410) Night of the Reaper (Batman V.1 #237) Batman: Odyssey (Batman: Odyssey V.1 #1-6, V.2 #1-7) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Lightning can strike twice. But not often. The original Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight series was a collection of classic creators doing amazing stories. DC has tried to recapture that magic multiple times, and that lightning has never quite hit again. Legends of the DC Universe was another attempt to get that magic, but this time for the entire DC Universe. Three of the arcs of that series featured Batman related characters: one featuring Robin, one featuring Batgirl and one featuring the Joker. This week we read those three stories. Fear of God (Legends of the DC Universe #6) Folie a Deux (Legends of the DC Universe #9-10) The Fishy Laugh (Legends of the DC Universe #26-27) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Will wanted to talk about Paul Dini and Alex Ross's graphic album, Batman: War On Crime, so the logical episode theme was more Paul Dini stories, so this is not Matt 100% forcing more Dini on Will. And while Matt didn't do it intentionally, well, he did wind up picking a story with Zatanna, because there are so many of them. But he also picked a story with some fun characters that sadly have been forgotten that Dini created, and that's a point in his favor, right? Right? Batman: War on Crime OGN Opening Night (Detective Comics V.1 #843-844) Final Cut (Batman: Streets of Gotham #4, 7, 10-11) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

It's always a good time for us to return to the runs that we're following in order. This time, things go from bad to worse in No Man's Land, Dick Grayson investigates Wayne Manor for clues to Bruce Wayne's whereabouts while Damian has a strange encounter with Oberon Sexton, and the magical war in the Injustice world reaches its epic conclusion. Claim Jumping (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 119, Batman: Shadow of the Bat # 87) Batman Vs. Robin (Batman and Robin V.1 # 10-12) Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three V.2 (Injustice: Gods Among Us Year Three # 8-12, Annual # 1) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Over the past 169 episodes, we have covered work from a lot of creators. And I can't think of one that we have unanimously and consistently lauded than the late Darwyn Cooke. A writer artist like few others, Cooke passed away at a tragically young age, leaving a body of work that would have only grown. This week, we are covering the last comic Cooke was involved with that has any Batman related content, as well as two other comics that are related to it, one very directly, and one a bit more tangentially. Night of the Stalker (Detective Comics V.1 # 439) Solo # 5 The Bad News, or The Butterfly (The Question V.1 # 1-4) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

While nearly all of Gotham's vigilantes are affiliated in some way with Batman and his family, there are a few who stand on their own. One of those few is Ragman, one of the few canonically Jewish heroes in the DC Universe. Rory Reagan wears the suit of souls, a collection of patches that are made up of the souls of criminals. And even though he is not affiliated with the Bat family, he has met members of it on more than one occasion. This episode, we're reading three of those adventures. Snitch (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 51) Suit of Evil Souls (Batman V.1 # 551-552) The Unknowns (Batwoman V.2 # 35-40, Annual # 2) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Batman has teamed up with pretty much every hero in the DC Universe because he's, well, Batman. He's also teamed up with many a villain. We've read stories where he worked with Lex Luthor, Ra's al Ghul and Bane. But Patreon backer Ross Holmes very specifically wanted us to read a story where he teams up with the most unlikely of villains: The Joker. And as it turns out, that has happened more times than one might think... Death Has the Last Laugh (The Brave and the Bold V.1 # 111) The Batman Who Laughs V.2 # 1-7 Only Angels Have Wings (The Brave and the Bold V.1 # 191) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

It's the New Year's week, and if you've been listening to the podcast, you know what that means: New Year, New Batman. That's right, it's three more Elseworlds. We have Nosferatu (which is strangely more an adaptation of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari than Nosferatu), The Nail (which is more a Marvel-style What If? than most Elseworlds) and I, Joker, which does what Sean Gordon Murphy wanted to do, only better. Batman: Nosferatu Justice League: The Nail #1-3 Batman: I, Joker Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Happy holidays, BatChat listeners. It's the week of Christmas and Chanukah this year, so we're celebrating the holiday in the BatChat style. Patreon backer and friend of the show John Wickham is joining us to discuss three of Dc's modern holiday anthologies. Have yourself a merry everyone! DC Infinite Holiday Special # 1 DC Rebirth Holiday Special # 1 New Year's Evil Vol.2 # 1 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

There was a time in the pre-Crisis days when Batman and Superman were the best of friends. But then the Crisis, and Frank Miller, came along, and things changed. For most of a decade, Batman and Superman's relationship ranged from confrontational to cordial. Patreon backer Josh Weil returns this week to trace the evolution of that relationship back to friendlier terms in three Superman stories guest starring Batman. Dark Knight Over Metropolis (Superman V.2 # 44, Adventures of Superman V.1 # 467, Action Comics V.1 # 654) Hazard's Choice (Action Comics V.1 # 719) Superman: The Wedding Album Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Last week was three random books from Will's collection. This week is three stories that Matt has wanted to cover that don't easily fit in with any themes he has come up with yet. We read some more black and white stories, the sequel to a highly ranked sorry by a late, great writer and an annual from some legendary creators. Batman: Black and White- The Gotham Knights Stories Vol. 2 (Batman: Gotham Knights # 17-49 or Batman: Black and White Vol. 3 TPB) Don't Blink (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 164-167) Villains in Love (Batman V.1 Annual # 11) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

We're back picking through random volumes of mostly weird stuff from Will's bookshelf that he hasn't read before. We return to the wonder that is the Batman '66 follow up series, a sequel to a classic Batman story that may not be as classic and some more Kevin Smith Batman that is something else. Trigger Warning: This episode was recorded on November 6th, so the opening bit is a lot of feelings about the US Presidential election. If you want to skip that and get to the comics, just start around the 9:18 mark. Batman '66 V.2 (Batman '66 # 6-10) Wrath Child (Batman Confidential # 13-16) Batman: Cacophony # 1-3 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Our annual all ages Thanksgiving episode is back, with a new volume of Wayne Family Adventures. the sequel to the charming Batman & Robin & Howard and a one off crime story from the animated universe. Wayne Family Adventures Vol. 2 (Wayne Family Adventures #26-51) Batman & Robin & Howard: Summer Breakdown OGN How This World Goes? (Batman: Gotham Adventures #21) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Batman rogues have some seriously strange evolutions. Some, like the Joker, have a path you can easily follow. Others, like Mr. Freeze, have just become completely different over the years. Another like that is Catman, created in the mid-Silver Age as yet another anti-Bat before becoming a joke character, and then evolving into a morally grey anti-villain (I'm coining that right here). Patreon backer Matt McThorn wanted to talk about some Catman stories, so we're reading his first appearance, his first post-Crisis appearance and the mini-series that redefined him for the modern era. Challenge of the Cat-Man (Detective Comics V.1 # 311) Cats (Detective Comics V.1 # 612) Villains United # 1-6 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

It's been a while, but we're returning to the three runs that we're following in order. In No Man's Land, we take a break from big story revelations for an anthology month of four of shots. In Grant Morrison's run, Dick Grayson brings Batman's corpse to England to a Lazarus Pit and learns something unexpected (by everyone but Tim Drake, because he's the best). And in the world of Injustice, John Constantine joins the resistance against Superman, as the moral darkness continues to spread The Calm Before (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 118, Batman: Shadow of the Bat # 86, Batman V.1 # 566, Detective Comics V.1 # 733) The Blackest Knight (Batman and Robin V.1 # 7-9) Injustice: Gods Among Us- Year Three Vol. 1 (Injustice: Gods Among Us - Year Three # 1-7) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

A fixture in the Bat titles from 1999-2011, and again since Rebirth, Cassandra Cain was the second full time Batgirl. Trained from birth to be a living weapon, Cassandra had to learn not just how to fit in with the Bat family, but how to fit in among normal people. This week, just in time for her new mini-series, we discuss two early stories of Cassandra Cain and the mini-series that tried to rehabilitate the character after editorial missteps left her in a bad way after One Year Later. Down With the Ship (Batman: Gotham Knights # 2) Speech & Consequences (Batgirl V.1 # 4-9) Redemption Road (Batgirl V.2 # 1-6) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

And we have reached the end of October, the spookiest of months, and this the end of villains month. And to wrap it up, we're getting one of the spookiest of Batman villains: Man-Bat. Dr. Kirk Langstrom has an origin really out of the pages of Spider-Man, but someone has wound up a fixture in the Batman titles. Also, he has had more mini-series than any other Bat rogue. Go figure. We read his first appearance, a bizarre prestige format mini that feels straight out of 90s Vertigo and another mini that, while featuring some beautiful Man-Bat art, doesn't feature a ton of Man-Bat, alas. Man or Bat? (Detective Comics V.1 # 400, 402,407) The Subterraneans (Batman: Man-Bat # 1-3) Legends of the World's Finest # 1-3 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Black Mask was Hush before Hush: a villains obsessed not with Batman but with Bruce Wayne, seeking to bring down Bruce for childhood grudges. But over the years he has evolved into a more sadistic figure. As villains month nears its end, we read three stories featuring Roman Sionis: his first appearance, his return in the run up to Knightfall and the story that establishes his modern rivalry with Catwoman. Losing Face (Batman V.1 # 386-387, Detective Comics V.1 # 553) Warpaint (Batman V.1 # 484-485) Relentless (Catwoman V.3 # 12-16) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Killer Croc is a character who has evolved a great deal over his time, and that pun is only half unintended. He has been a mobster, a monster and an anti-hero. This week, for Villains Month, we look at three different interpretations of Croc. In one, he's a barely human monster running from humanity. In another, he's a supervillain on a killing spree. And in the third, he is the mayor of Monstertown in the sewers of Gotham during Joker War. Swamp Things (Batman V.1 # 521-522) Batman In Barcelona: Dragon's Knight Monsters of Men (Detective Comics V.3 # 1026) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

The second week of villains month, and we love a theme, so why not use this week to have our second Two-Face episode? We've covered a lot of Two-Face stories both for the podcast and the column, and we're swinging back to some classics. We have the first appearance of Two-Face (a two-parter, of course), the annual that redefined Two-Face in the post-Crisis era and an animated series story that puts a spin on that very annual. The Crimes of Two-Face (Detective Comics V.1 # 66,68) The Eye of the Beholder (Batman V.1 Annual # 14) Lucky Day (Batman: Gotham Adventures # 2) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

It's October, the spookiest month of the year. So, what better time to focus on the villains of the Batman universe? There are five Thursdays and we'll be focusing on five villains, all but one we haven't had a spotlight on before. The first villain is a favorite of Matt's, one who has appeared in some of the higher ranked stories on the big board: Mr. Zsasz. The (as Will calls him in the episode) "knife pervert" of the rogue's gallery, we read the story of his origin, a story of him and Batman both being hunted by the GCPD, and a lost tale that was found and printed in an odd manor. The First Cut is the Deepest: The Secret Origin of Mr. Zsasz (Batman Chronicles # 3) Victims (Detective Comics V.1 # 815-816) Draining (Batman: Arkham- Mr. Zsasz [originally intended for Batman: Gotham Knights # 12]) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

It's strange to think that Jason Todd has been back from the dead longer than he was actually dead now. For those of us who read Batman comics in the 90s, the death of Jason was possibly the most important moment in Batman's life after the death of his parents. But he is back, and is now a member on good standing of the Bat family. That was not always the case either. John Wickham joins the podcast to talk about the stories that bridge the gap between "Under the Red Hood" and Grant Morrison's "Revenge of the Red Hood" They are... certainly something, including himbo Dick Grayson, the Brickhouse and not as much battling for the cowl as a story name might imply. Brothers in Blood (Nightwing V.2 #118-122) Seeing Red (Green Arrow V.3 #69-72) Batman: Battle for the Cowl #1-3/ Gotham Gazette: Batman Dead?/Batman Alive? Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Our very first Dick Grayson backer, Josh Weil, makes his return to the podcast this week, but he's not picking the stories. Instead, he has gifted his picks this month to our youngest backers, his sons, David and Alexander. They give us stories that show they love sidekicks, young butlers, and giant monsters. Robin War (Robin War # 1-2, Grayson # 15, Detective Comics V.2 # 47, We Are Robin # 7, Robin: Son of Batman # 17, Gotham Academy # 13, Red Hood/Arsenal # 7, Teen Titans V.5 # 15) Young Alfred: Pain in the Butler OGN Justice League Vs. Godzilla Vs Kong Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Batman is a loner. Except for Alfred, the Robins, the Batgirls, Signal, Batwoman and the Justice League. But before many of those characters, there was Ace the Bathound, the first of numerous Bat pets, mostly brought into the cave by Damian, another noted loner , and that club now includes Titus, Alfred the tuxedo cat and Batcow. Another noted dog lover is this week's Patreon backer, Dan Grote, who asked us for stories about Bat pets. So we're going into all ages territory for some Scooby Doo and Tiny Titans, and then reading what might be the most heart warming story Mark Russell ever wrote. A Dog-gone Crisis (Scooby-Doo Team-Up # 18 [Digital 35-36]) Aw Yeah, Pet Club! (Tiny Titans # 13,17,21,23,28,33) Hounded (Batman: Urban Legends # 11-16) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

We've talked about it for a while, and here it is. This week, Matt and Will each picked three stories that they felt were too low on the Big Board, and they discussed them again and moved them to spots they felt more appropriate. It's a lot of the creators we talk about regularly, and a lot of the stories that have served as benchmarks for lower on the board, now moved into some more prime real estate Batman: Holy Terror Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment in Gotham Blades (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #32-34) The Clown at Midnight (Batman V.1 #663) A Clash of Symbols (Detective Comics V.1 #617) Batman in Bethlehem (Batman V.1 #666) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

It's a celebration over here as we hit episode 150! We started out with a theme of anniversary issues, ones that were numbers leading up to 150, so a 50, a 100 and a 150. And we did do that. But somehow, we wound up with a second theme: stories where Batman trips balls. Sometimes you find the theme. Sometimes the theme finds you. We have a Shadow of the Bat arc where a new villain poisons some milk, The Joker War (which we both liked more than we thought we would) and a story where a little old lady tries to tempt Dick Grayson to the dark side. Nightmare in Gotham (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #50-52) The Joker War (Batman V.3 #95-100, Batman: The Joker War Zone) Grimm (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #149-153) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Welcome to the world of tomorrow! Like, way tomorrow. Matt McThorn is back, and we are talking about the 853rd century and Grant Morrison's first DC crossover, DC One Million. It's a wild, sci-fi epic, which we all know if completely Will's jam. But you might be surprised as we talk about the core mini-series, as well as the arc of Bruce Wayne in the future and the Batman of the future in Gotham right after the cataclysm. DC One Million (DC One Million #1-4, JLA #1M) Dark Planet (Batman #1M, Catwoman #1M, Robin #1M) The Bat of the Future- Today! (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1M, Nightwing #1M, Detective Comics #1M) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

I have heard it said that every writer has a Batman story they want to tell. Only a few get to tell them. And sadly not all of them are great. This week we're reading three stories from writers not usually associated with Batman, Harlan Ellison, Eddie Campbell and David Lapham. And, well, none of these really are going down as central to the canon. The Night of Thanks, But No Thanks (Detective Comics V.1 # 567) Gotham Emergency (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight # 200) City of Crime (Detective Comics V.1 # 800-808,811-814) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

For the first time in a very long time, this week was supposed to see the publication of a collection of Marvel and DC collaborations, so Will and I decided that this would be a good time to read some of that. But these are big omnibuses, so as is often the case, they have been delayed. But we here at BatChat aren't following suit. We planned this weird episode, and we're doing it. This week, it's three Amalgam comics, stories where DC and Marvel characters are smooshed together to make one strange hybrid character. Batman and Wolverine become Dark Claw. Jubilee and Robin become Sparrow. And Bruce Wayne and sort of Nick Fury become Bruce Wayne, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Legends of the Dark Claw # 1 Bruce Wayne, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. # 1 Dark Claw Adventures # 1 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Gotham is a city of shadows. A city where good and evil blend together. It's a city made for Noir storytelling. And while some Batman stories have some elements of a Noir, most are very much superhero stories. But to tie-in with the 40s themed animated series, Batman: The Caped Crusader, debuting this week, and because Will has wanted to do this episode since somewhere around episode 3, we're reading three Batman Elseworlds that absolutely embrace Noir and crime storytelling. We read Batman meets the Untouchables, the grimmest Jim Gordon you will ever see, and Dick Grayson, the gumshoe. It's a damn fine week. Batman: Scar of the Bat Batman: Gotham Noir Batman: Nine Lives Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Over his thirty plus year career in comics, Archie Goodwin racked up a lot of accomplishments. He wrote horror stories for lots of Warren Publishing's anthologies. At DC, he wrote Detective Comics, Manhunter (more on both of those later), and was the editor behind Batman: Black and White, the early issues of Legends of the Dark Knight and James Robinson's Starman. At Marvel, he co-created The New Universe (they can't all be winners...). But possibly the biggest accomplishment, before his untimely passing in 1998, was that he was regarded as the nicest guy in comics. Everyone loved Archie. So this week, we're reading his first story on Detective, the Manhunter backups he wrote for that same series and a loving, tongue in cheek tribute done in the animated series style. Deathmask! (Detective Comics V.1 # 437) Manhunter (Detective Comics V.1 # 437-443, Manhunter Special Edition) The Threatening Three! (Batman Adventures Vol. 1 # 10,20, 30, Batman: Gotham Adventures # 13) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Generally speaking, the episodes we do here are carefully curated. We try to take a theme, a character, and thoroughly dig through the 85 years of Batman stories to find the ones that best fit that theme. But then there are the weeks where Will just picks three random books off his bookshelf and wants to cover them, and Matt just says sure. Batman '66 V.1 (Batman '66 # 1-5) A New Dawn/King Tut's Tomb (Batman Confidential # 26-28) Golden Dawn (Batman: The Dark Knight V.1 # 1-5) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

We've all seen the memes and the jokes: Batman's real super power is his wallet. Batman has, historically, been from the moneyed class, and that's how he gets all those wonderful toys. But what happens when Batman doesn't have all that cash? That's what friend of the show, Patreon backer, and financial adviser Abigale Heartbalm wanted to look into in this week's episode. We have a charming Golden Age tale of Batman having to pawn his diamonds, a story where Ra's al Ghul tanks Wayne stock and on of the few stories featuring broke AND amnesiac Bruce from that period at the end of the New 52 we haven't covered. The Batman Goes Broke (Detective Comics V.1 # 105) Return of the Batman (Legends of the Dark Knight V.1 # 13 [Digital # 34-37]) Madhouse (Batman V.2 Annual # 4) Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill

Batman works outside the law pretty much all the time. And while he often runs afoul of civic authorities in Gotham City, it's surprising how rarely he winds up in the crosshairs of the feds (well, we're just starting Absolute Power in the main line, but again, exception that proves the rule). But it has happened a few times, and since this episode is going to drop to on July 4th, we thought this week we'd look at some times Batman has had run ins with the federal government. First, one Earth-2, the diary of Batman might bring down the JSA. In 1984, the Outsiders meet the Force of July (in 1984. Get it. 1984). And finally, the Bat-fam has to deal with an anti-vigilante government task force. America Vs. the Justice Society #1-4 ... Land Where Our Fathers Died...! (Batman and the Outsiders V.1 Annual #1) Batman: Outlaw #1-3 Check out our current ranking list at www.comicsxf.com/batchat-rankings/ Thanks to Geri Nonnewitz for our podcast logo Follow the show on Twitter @BatChatComics and support the show on Patreon at www.patreon.com/batchatwithmattandwill