It's the start of a new year again, and so, as we do every year, it's time to look at some new visions of Batman in a handful of Elseworlds. We've got a pulpy adventure of Batman and Superman, the Bat-pirate Leatherwing sailing the seven seas and an issue of the Batman Chronicles anthology with a second tale of Leatherwing, a gumshoe Bruce Wayne investigating murders by a cat creature and an intellectual Batman who still has time to punch Nazis. Elseworld's Finest # 1-2 Leatherwing (Detective Comics V.1 Annual # 7) Batman Chronicles # 11 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

Happy holidays to all! As is our tradition, and as we aren't going to run out any time soon, the week of Christmas we read three stories of the holidays in Gotham. One is a little holiday kinda-noir from Bat legends Denny O'Neil and Frank Miller, one is a perplexing animated series style Brave and the Bold that might explain the intergalactic origins of Santa and the final is a mini-series where Batman teams up with one of the men who trained him: Kris Kringle himself. Wanted: Santa Claus- Dead or Alive! (DC Special Series #21) Final Christmas (Batman: The Brave and the Bold V.1 #12) Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #1-4 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

You walk down a set of stairs hidden behind a clock. You enter a large cavern. And there you see all manner of things. A large computer. A car like no other. Cases displaying costumes. And trophies. You have entered the Batcave, and this week we're reading three stories featuring the first appearances of those three most famous Batcave trophies: the robotic T-Rex, the giant Joker playing card and the giant penny. Here's the link to the article regarding the Joker Card as mentioned in the episode: https://www.cbr.com/batman-giant-joker-playing-card-batcave/ The Isle That Time Forgot (Batman V.1 # 10) Rackety-Rax Racket (Batman V.1 # 32) The Penny Plunderers (World's Finest Comics # 30) 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

You can start out as a Robin, but eventually you have to grow up, right? Well, maybe not Tim Drake, who's Robin again, but there was a period where he wasn't. And Dick Grayson and Jason Todd have left the Robin identity behind long ago. This week, Sam Hopper joins us again to talk about stories featuring those three former Robins in their later identities. We read the first arcs of Tim's time as Red Robin, Dick's as a super spy and Jason's Red Hood adventures on Webtoon. The Grail (Red Robin # 1-4) Agent of Spyral (Grayson # 1-4) Red Hood: Outlaws V.1 (Red Hood: Outlaws Webtoon Strips # 1-11) 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

Barbara Gordon was introduced to add some flair to the final season of Batman '66, to try to buoy the sagging ratings on the show. And while she didn't save that series, she has become the iconic Batgirl of the comics, a character who has had a long career in various identities. This week, friend of the show and Patreon backer John Wickham returns to talk about three different phases of Barbara's time as Batgirl. We get a retelling of her origin with a modern slant, one of the early stories from her return to the identity in the New 52 and the culmination of the "Batgirl of Burnside" era. Batgirl: Year One #1-9 Knightfall Rising (Batgirl V.4 # 10-13) Mindfield (Batgirl V.4 # 47-50) 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

It's time for our annual tradition here at BatChat, up there with cranberry sauce from a can, stuffing that's a little too dry and avoiding conversations about politics with your red baseball cap wearing relatives: it's all ages Thanksgiving. Three stories of Batman for the whole family come in some very different flavors this year: the next volume of the Webtoons Wayne Family Adventures Strips, a younger readers OGN that retells classic children's stories with a Batman twist and the second volume of the strangest concept we've ever talked about, the manga where Joker raises a de-aged baby Batman. Happy holidays to those who celebrate here in the states, and know we are thankful to all of you who listen. Wayne Family Adventures V.3 (Wayne Family Adventures # 52-71) Batman Tales: Once Upon a Crime OGN One Operation Joker V.2 (One Operation Joker Chapters 8-14) 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

For a brief, shining moment just before the New 52 rewrote the DC Universe, Batman was everywhere. You might say to me, "Hey, podcast guy, Batman is everywhere now. And he has been since at least 1989, probably since 1966." But I'm talking in universe here. Grant Morrison had created Batman Incorporated, where Batman travelled the world, making an international team of heroes. And while it came back after, the continuity mess of the New 52 definitely interfered. But this week, friend of the show and Patreon Backer Josh Weil is here to talk about that glorious 8 issue and one shot run, along with one of the stories that inspired it, and one that followed up on it. The Club of Heroes (World's Finest Comics # 89) Leviathan Strikes (Batman Incorporated V.1 # 1-8, Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes One-Shot) No More Teachers (Batman Annual 2022, Batman Incorporated V.3 # 1-5) 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

While in comics circles the most well known alternate future for Batman is The Dark Knight Returns, in the public consciousness, that title has to be held by Batman Beyond. Three seasons of young Terry McGinnis and crotchety old Bruce Wayne in the DCAU, plus appearances on Justice League Unlimited, left a mark for this particular iteration of Batman. This week, with Terry returning to comics in Batman/Static: Beyond, we do our first episode focused on stories featuring Terry McGinnis; two are animated series tie-ins, and one is an arc from the series that followed that continuity in a more traditional DC style. Commissioner of Fear (Batman Beyond V.2 # 13) Terry's Mom Dates a Splicer (Batman Beyond V.2 # 24) 10,000 Clowns (Batman Beyond Unlimited # 1-13) 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

Friend of the show and Patreon backer Matt McThorn is back this week, and he wanted to return to one of is earlier themes, with three more stories featuring Thomas Blake, the Bat rogue known as Catman. We get a 90s story featuring Catman and Ratcatcher from before Catman turned super cool under the pen of Gail Simone. Then we see Blake meet Huntress and try to come off as suave in a Birds of Prey vs. the Secret Six story. And we wrap up with Catman and Bane in Gotham during Battle for the Cowl, trying really hard to honor the memory of Batman. It goes about as well as you'd expect. The Secret of the Universe (Batman: Shadow of the Bat # 43-44, Catwoman V.2 # 26) Whitewater (Birds of Prey V.1 # 104-108) A Debt of Significant Blood (Secret Six V.3 # 9) 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

Welcome to your annual, spooky Halloween week BatChat. We've done weeks with vampires, with Man-Bats, with Demons. This year, we're dipping into stories featuring Matt's favorite classic monster: the werewolf. Batman fights the beast under a full moon over the city, and maybe even turns into one... Moon of the Wolf (Batman V.1 # 255) Werewolf Moon (Detective Comics V.1 # 505) Batman: Full Moon # 1-4 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

For you out there, it has only been one week since our last episode. But we took a week off recording so we could really pack in the comics. This week, we're covering the entire, 26 issue run of Batman & Robin Eternal, the weekly series that ran at the end of the New 52 era. It sees the return of some Bat characters lost in the rest of that era, has a lot of flashbacks and gives us a lot to talk about. Plus? Two one shots starring Cassandra Cain. Batman & Robin Eternal # 1-26 Help Me Not To Die (Batgirl V.1 # 2) Thicker Than Water (Batgirl V.1 # 37) 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

Jim Gordon made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27. You know, the same comic that Batman made his first appearance. So, you can imagine the number of stories that Gordon has been featured in. But especially since Frank Miller made "Batman: Year One" as much about Gordon as it is about Batman, that number has exploded, and the history of that character, and his connection to Batman, has been fertile ground for various creators. This week we're looking at three stories about the life and times of Jim Gordon. These are some gritty and dark tales, and they come with some specific trigger warnings, so if you need to skip over some of this, we understand, but these are some fine comics. Batman: Night Cries OGN [Trigger Warning: Childhood physical and sexual abuse] Batman: Gordon of Gotham # 1-4 [Trigger Warning: Political violence] Batman: Turning Points # 1-5 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 following the three runs we've been reading in order for a while now. No Man's Land reaches its midpoint as the Bat family comes home to Gotham and the identity of the new Batgirl is revealed. Dick Grayson and Damian Wayne face their ultimate challenge as they are trapped between Dr. Hurt and the Joker in the final arc of Grant Morrison's Batman and Robin. And Injustice lurches to the conclusion of Year Four as the Justice League and the Resistance find themselves at war not just with each other, but with the Greek Gods. Assembly (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120) Batman and Robin Must Die! (Batman and Robin V.1 #13-16, Batman: The Return) Injustice Year 4 V.2 (Injustice: Gods Among Us- Year Four #8-12, Annual #1) 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

Gotham Academy returns to comic shops this week with a new prequel series, so we're reading three stories about teens in Gotham. Tim Drake faces a major challenge with his first confrontation with the man who killed the previous Robin, the Joker. Duke Thomas is recruited into the We Are Robin movement in a Gotham with a very different Batman. And the mystery of Gotham Academy deepens. Robin II: The Joker's Wild # 1-4 We Are Robin (We Are Robin # 1-6) Calamity (Gotham Academy # 8-12) 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

Time moves ever forward. I can't believe that Batman Begins is 20 years old this year. As I question my mortality and life choices, this week we read three stories from the Batman Begins trade, including the movie adaptation, a retelling of Batman's origin by Denny O'Neil and a one off by Greg Rucka. Batman Begins: The Official Movie Adaptation The Man Who Falls (Secret Origins of the World's Greatest Super Heroes TPB) Air Time (Detective Comics V.1 #757) 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

This week, Deadpool/Batman will be released, the first Marvel/DC crossover in well over a decade. And as anyone who knows how comics work, the biggest characters are the ones who get crossed over, and no one at DC is bigger than Batman. So to tie in, we're reading three Batman/Marvel team-ups. These are some fun books, and we have a good time. Plus, Will finally gets us to reverse the way the show works, and it confuses us both. Glad that's over... Batman Vs. The Incredible Hulk: The Monster and the Madman (DC Specials Series # 27) Batman/Captain America New Age Dawning (Batman/Spider-Man) 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 joined by first time guest and long time Patreon backer Sam Hopper to read some Damian Wayne stories from earlier in the character's life. Back when Damian was a truly insufferable brat. I know, for many of his haters he still is, but man, in these stories he is really something else. We read his first encounter with a member of the Superman family, his first adventure as Robin with his father and his first team-up with his best friend, Jon Kent. Fright Night (Superman/Batman V.1 # 77) Born to Kill (Batman and Robin V.2 # 1-8) In the Name of the Father (Superman V.4 # 10-11) 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

There are periods where certain characters have more of a spotlight than others. Sure, there are always a lot of Batman stories, Joker stories. But then there are pockets of time when we get lots of stories focused on Jim Gordon or the Riddler. Between 2003 and 2006, Mr. Freeze had his day. He appeared in major stories like "Under the Hood" and "City of Crime" in supporting roles, and was central to other stories. This week, John Wickham joins us again to talk about three of these stories: the final arc of the first Batgirl series where Freeze is a small player, a one off fill-in issue and a Legends of the Dark Knight arc with a different vision of Freeze's origin. Destruction's Daughter (Batgirl V.1 #66-73) Fire & Ice (Batman: Gotham Knights #59) Snow (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #192-196) 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

Lady Shiva walks through the world, leaving a trail of bodies behind her. Not a hero, but often not quite a villain, Shiva has developed relationships with many members of the Bat Family: trainer to Tim Drake, rival and sometimes member of the Birds of Prey, mother to Cassandra Cain. Josh Weill joins the show to take on three of these stories. One is one of her earliest modern appearances with Tim Drake, one where she and Black Canary must avenge their fallen sensei and one where she takes command of the League of Shadows and in the end she must face down her own daughter to bring her plan to fruition. Going Solo (Robin V.1 #1-5) Sensei and Student (Birds of Prey V.1 #62-67) League of Shadows (Detective Comics V.3 #950-956) 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

It's a very special week on BatChat. We have now recorded 200 episodes. 600 stories. It's a whole lot. And to celebrate, Matt and Will are together in one room, face to face, along with our first fan, our first Patreon backer, Matt's bestest pal in the whole world, Dan Grote, to read a milestone Batman story, Grant Morrison's The Return of Bruce Wayne, along with two of the stories that inspired it. We're talking Morrison, so there are some deep dives, and Dan brings his expertise about babies, which Matt and Will are sorely lacking. Since this is an in person recording, the sound quality is different and a little rough, but stick with it because this is a lot of fun. It Happened in Rome (Batman V.1 #24) Dark Knight, Dark City (Batman V.1 #452-454) Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1-6 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