Batman by Grant Morrison - Reading Order & Collecting Guide!

Updated April 12, 2026! This page tells you everything you need to know and buy to read Grant Morrison’s Batman epic saga from 2006 to 2013. It includes every issue in comprehensive order, listing all of the formats in which each issue has been published. Last updated April 2026 with titles scheduled for release through December 2026.

Batman has had several epic single-author runs in his modern history, from the likes of Denny O’Neil, Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, Scott Snyder, and more!

What makes Grant Morrison’s run any different or more notable?

It’s a question of history and of scope. Grant Morrison’s run is predicated on a knowledge and reference to past Batman stories, including some Pre-Crisis stories that had been in continuity limbo for several years. Also, no single author had previously had a Batman run of this scope – running across three titles and seven years and intersecting with one of DC’s biggest events along the way.

Plus, there’s the x-factor of Morrison himself. They is a psychedelic comic author as likely to mine continuity for details that deserve fresh exploitation as they are to take characters on inexplicable journeys with some of the steps missing or out of order.

Like him or not, Grant Morrison’s arrival on a superhero title almost always makes for appointment comics. Pairing him with the most-popular comic book hero in the world was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for DC.

Ready to get started?

The Batman by Grant Morrison Bookshelf
Reading Order
- Part 0: Pre-Reading
- Part 1: Batman & Son to Batman R.I.P. (and Final Crisis) (2006 – 2008)
- Part 2 (2009 – 2011)
  - Suggested Reading Orders
  - 2A: Batman & Robin
  - 2B: Time, The Batman, and The Return of Bruce Wayne
- Part 3: Batman, Incorporated (2011 – 2013)
References

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Both the “Bookshelf” section and the Reading Ordr break their contents up by type of collected release:

Absolute Edition: Ultra-oversized, slipcased editions meant for a refined bookshelf and reading in the home.
Omnibus Hardcover: These hardcovers are taller than standard collection and more than 600 pages in length.
Deluxe Hardcover: These hardcovers are taller than standard collection and high quality, but still portable.
Standard Size: These are the standard-sized collections that were most-readily available upon initial release.

I have omitted “greatest hits” style collections that only include partial runs.

The Batman by Grant Morrison Bookshelf

If you want to read this entire saga in the least number of books, you want the trio of Omnibus Hardcovers – which collect everything except the full Final Crisis (2008) event. Final Crisis has always collected on its own and never integrated with the main thread of Morrison material, despite him writing book.

DC Absolute Editions – Slipcased Oversize Hardcovers

Absolute Batman and Son by Grant Morrison
(2024 slipcased hardcover, ISBN 978-1779527363)
This collects Batman (1940) #655-658, 663-669, & 672-675 (and Batman Incorporated (2012) #5, though that issue is repeated in Absolute Batman Incorporated).

Absolute Batman: R.I.P.
(2026 slipcased oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1799507604)
Collects Batman (1940) #676-683 & 701-702 and DC Universe (2008) #0 (Note: Issues #701-702 are the next Bruce Wayne story, but in release order of the original story they should be read during Batman & Robin, below)

Absolute Final Crisis – See Guide to DC Universe Events – Final Crisis

Absolute Batman & Robin: Batman Reborn
(2013 slipcased hardcover, ISBN 978-1401237370 / 2026 slipcased hardcover, ISBN 978-1799508472)
Collects Batman & Robin (2009) #1-16, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (2010) #1-6, and Batman: The Return (2011) #1.

Absolute Batman Incorporated
(2015 slipcased oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1401251215 / 2026 slipcased oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1799509714)
Collects Batman Incorporated (2010) #1-8, Batman, Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes (2011) #1, Batman, Incorporated (2012) #1-13, and Batman Incorporated Special (2013) #1.

DC Omnibus – Oversize Hardcovers

Batman: Black Casebook: Deluxe Edition (2026 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1799509424)
This expanded, oversize edition of the stories that inspired Grant Morrison collects classic material from Batman (1940) #62, 65, 77, 86, 112-113, 134, 153, 156, 162, & 180; Detective Comics (1937) #148, 215, 233, 235, 241, 247, & 267, 356, & 452-454 (plus the Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham story from #1027); World’s Finest Comics (1941) #89 & #223, and “The Stalking” from Batman (UK) Annual 1986 – a three-page illustrated prose story that was Morrison’s first work on Batman!

Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1
(2018 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1401282998)
Collects 52 (2006) #30 & 47, Batman (1940) #655-658, 663-669, 670-671, & 672-683, a story from DC Universe (2008) #0, and two brand-new pages recapping “The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul” from the crossover surrounding #670-671 by one of Morrison’s collaborators, Chris Burnham.

Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 2
(2019 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1401288839)
Collects Batman & Robin (2009) #1-16, Batman (1940) #700-702, and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (2010) #1-6

Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 3
(2020 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1779502711)
Collects Batman: The Return (2010) #1, Batman Incorporated (2010) #1-8, Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes (2011) #1, Batman Incorporated (2012) #0-13, and Batman Incorporated Special (2013) #1.

Paperback – Comprehensive Paperback Reprints

Batman by Grant Morrison, Book One
(2024 paperback, ISBN 978-1779527516 / digital)
Collects two prologue stories from 52 (2006) #30 & 47, Batman (1940) #655-658, 663-669, 670-671, 672-675, two brand-new pages recapping “The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul,” and material from the hardcovers Batman Unwrapped by Andy Kubert (2014) and Batman Unwrapped: R.I.P. (2015).

Batman by Grant Morrison, Book Two
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799502685 / digital)
Collects DC Universe (2008) #0, Batman (1940) #676-683, Batman & Robin (2009) #1-9, and Batman (1940) #700

Batman by Grant Morrison Book Three
(2026 paperback, ISBN 978-1799509172 / digital TBA)
Collects Batman (1940) #701-702, Batman & Robin (2009) #10-16; and Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne (2010) #1-6.

Batman by Grant Morrison Book Four & Five
Pending solicitation. This will collect Batman: The Return (2010) #1, Batman Incorporated (2010) #1-8, Batman Incorporated: Leviathan Strikes (2011) #1, Batman Incorporated (2012) #0-13, and Batman Incorporated Special (2013) #1.

The Batman by Grant Morrison Reading Order

Part 0: Pre-Reading

The Black Casebook: Selected Pre-Crisis Batman

Grant Morrison’s run is predicated on them embracing some of Batman’s pre-Crisis history as canonical – or, at least, as being a hyper-exaggerated take on canonical tales. While Morrison never comes out and says, “based on story XYZ, Batman knows / believes / acts / feels a certain way,” there are many winking references and resurrected concepts from these Golden and Silver Age stories.

Morrison helpfully provided their own cheat-sheet on these tales in a collected called The Black Casebook. This is inessential reading when it comes to Morrison’s specific plot beats – they are not continuing any of these stories. However, they draw several central concepts and a handful of characters from these issues.

If your interest in the themes Morrison’s run borders on academic, this is an especially great place to start. ComicMix breaks it down for you in The Stories That Informed ‘Batman R.I.P.’ And, you can hear me break down these stories issue by issue (with a few extras) on YouTube!

Note that all of these issues have been or will be collected across Batman’s comprehensive collection lines like DC Finest and his Golden, Silver, and Bronze Age omnis! The Casebook is in no way the exclusive place to collect them – just a convention way to get them all in one place.

in oversize hardcover…

Batman: Black Casebook: Deluxe Edition (2026 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1799509424)
This expanded, oversize addition adds several additional stories and includes a Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham story celebrating their run from Detective Comics (1937 / 2016) #1027. This collects Batman (1940) #62, 65, 77, 86, 112-113, 134, 153, 156, 162, & 180; Detective Comics (1937) #148, 215, 233, 235, 241, 247, & 267, 356, & 452-454 (plus the Grant Morrison & Chris Burnham story from #1027); World’s Finest Comics (1941) #89 & #223, and “The Stalking” from Batman (UK) Annual 1986 – a three-page illustrated prose story that was Morrison’s first work on Batman!

in paperback…

Batman: The Black Casebook (2009 paperback, ISBN 978-1401222642)
Collects stories from Batman (1940) #65, 86, 112-113, 134, 156, & 162; Detective Comics (1937) #215, 235, 247, & 267, and World’s Finest Comics (1941) #89.

Batman and Talia al Ghul

Next, there’s the Talia al Ghul material. Though the daughter of Ra’s al Ghul isn’t a recurring character throughout Morrison’s run, Morrison draws on her history with Batman to cast their new Robin in a surprisingly believable retcon.

The Black Casebook does not contain the stories that setup Batman’s relationship to the al Ghuls – they are typically collected separately in two different chunks.

“Tales of the Demon” books typically collect the Bronze Age material that established the al Ghuls and their connection with Batman.

“Birth of Demon” or “The Demon Trilogy” collect a trio of late-80s/early-90s original graphic novels (OGNs) that revisited the history of the al Ghuls and Ra’s’ pitch to Batman to become his protégé – which will feel familiar to you if you’ve ever seen the film Batman Begins!

For a bare-bones, essentials read of Talia, try her first two appearances in Detective Comics (1937) #411 and Batman (1940) #232, an initial wedding to Batman in DC Special Series (1977) #15, and – most significantly – Son of the Demon OGN (1987), the story that gave Morrison the plot hooks for their Robin plot line.

in oversize hardcover…

Batman: The Demon Trilogy (2025 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1799502692 / digital)
Collects the three graphic novels focused on the al Ghuls – Son of the Demon (1987), Bride of the Demon (1990) OGN, and Birth of the Demon (1992) OGN.

in standard size collection…

Batman: Tales of the Demon
(2005 paperback, ISBN 978-0930289942 / 2020 hardcover, ISBN 978-1401299439 / digital)
Collects al Ghul stories from Batman (1940) #232, 235, 240, & 242-244, DC Special Series (1977) #15, and Detective Comics (1937) #411, 485, & 489-490

Batman: Son of the Demon (1987) OGN
(1987 paperback, ISBN 978-0930289256 / 1987 hardcover, ISBN 0-930289-24-2 / digital)
Recollected in Batman: Birth of the Demon (2012 paperback, ISBN 978-1401233815) along with the Birth of the Demon and Bride of the Demon OGNs.

Previous Morrison Batman

Morrison had only written Batman twice before this landmark run, and both prior stories have also achieved legendary status in the nearly 30 years since their release.

While these prior comics are generally unrelated to this 2006-2013 run, if you’re settling in for 7 years worth of comics reading there’s no harm in adding two more stories to the start.

Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth OGN
Morrison’s landmark exploration of the psyche of Batman’s villains cemented Arkham in comic reader’s consciousness. This has been reprinted many times over – I suggest picking up either the 15th Anniversary (2005 paperback, ISBN 978-1401204259) or the 25th Anniversary (2014 deluxe hardcover, ISBN 978-1401251253 / 2014 paperback, ISBN 978-1401251246 / digital) editions. DC continues to reissue the book (2020 paperback, ISBN 978-1779504333 / digital / 2021 hardcover (a re-issue of the 25th Anniversary version), ISBN 978-1779513175), including a remastered & restored edition (2024 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1779526106) and in compact form (2025 digest-size paperback, ISBN 978-1799506997)

Legends of the Dark Knight (1989): Gothic
Morrison penned the second arc on this direct market Bat-book that created specific for high-profile creators to write short runs that fit anywhere in continuity. (2018 paperback, ISBN 978-1401278458 / digital / 2015 deluxe hardcover, ISBN 978-1401255169 / 2007 paperback, ISBN 978-1401215491 / digital / 1992 paperback, ISBN 978-0446394284)

Prologue stories in 52

Finally, you can read a more traditional prologue in two issues of the weekly series 52 (2006), of which Morrison was one of a cast of rotating writers. Morrison provides some ticklers for their run in issues #30 and #47. See Guide to DC Universe Events – One Year Later.

Part 1: Batman and Son to Batman R.I.P. (and Final Crisis)

The first portion of Grant Morrison’s run encompasses Batman (1940) #655-658 & 663-683 and Final Crisis (2008) #1-7. The proper reading order placement of #682-683 is between Final Crisis #5-6.

Why the gaps?

Batman (1940) #659-662 are a John Ostrander story titled “Grotesque,” which is not connected to Morrison’s epic and are not collected.

Also, note that Batman (1940) #670-671 are the “The Resurrection of Ra’s al Ghul” crossover in which Morrison pens two chapter but which is not generally considered to be required reading as part of their run.

It’s not necessary to read all of Final Crisis to understand Batman’s story. However, Final Crisis is entirely written by Morrison and there is one absolutely critical Batman scene in issue #6 which is not duplicated in any Batman issue. The ramifications of that scene effectively ends Part 1 of Morrison’s epic and launches Part 2. (There’s also a minor Batman tease in the epilogue to FC #7).

in slipcased absolute format…

Absolute Batman and Son by Grant Morrison
(2024 slipcased hardcover, ISBN 978-1779527363)
This collects Batman (1940) #655-658, 663-669, & 672-675, which mirrors what was originally titled as “The Black Glove” but has later been consistently billed as “Batman and Son.” This Absolute adds Batman Incorporated (2012) #5, though that issue is later repeated in Absolute Batman Incorporated.

Absolute Final Crisis – See Guide to DC Universe Events – Final Crisis

in omnibus oversize hardcover format…

in a 2024 line of paperbacks…

Batman by Grant Morrison, Book Two
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799502685 / digital)
Collects DC Universe (2008) #0, Batman (1940) #676-683, Batman & Robin (2009) #1-9, and Batman (1940) #700

in deluxe hardcover format… Click to expand this section.

in other standard-size collections… Click to expand this section.

in Compact Comics format… Click to expand this section.

in artist-centric formats… Click to expand this section.

Part 2: Suggested Reading Orders

If you have the Grant Morrison omnibuses or the comprehensive “Book One, Two, Three, Four” paperbacks, you can skip this section! Just read the books in the order they are presented!

However, if you are reading in Absolute, original paperbacks, or digital, keep reading for some guidance on reading order.

Click to expand this section.

Part 2A: Batman & Robin (2010) #1-16

After the mysterious and somewhat shocking climax of Morrison’s first act, his second is split between a straight-up superhero story with many chuckles (that’s this part!) and a typically labyrinthine Morrison opus about time (that’s 2B).

Part 2A works perfectly as its own story without any supporting elements. Note that this series continues to Batman & Robin (2009) #17-26, but they are not written by Morrison and not part of their saga.

in slipcased absolute format…

in omnibus oversize hardcover format…

in a 2024 line of paperbacks…

Batman by Grant Morrison, Book Two
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799502685 / digital)
Collects DC Universe (2008) #0, Batman (1940) #676-683, Batman & Robin (2009) #1-9, and Batman (1940) #700

in deluxe hardcover format… Click to expand this section.

in standard-size collections… Click to expand this section.

Part 2B: Time, The Batman, and The Return of Bruce Wayne

While a new Batman wore the cowl and became Damian’s guardian in Batman & Robin, there was the little matter of Bruce Wayne. Spoiler: Did he really die in a fight that was far above his typical weight class by facing down Darkseid in Final Crisis?

There is some dispute as to where you should read Batman #700-702 and The Return of Bruce Wayne (2010) #1-6. Though they occur chronologically prior Batman & Robin run, these runs were released beginning at Batman & Robin #12. To read them earlier would be correct in a chronological sense, but will spoil some of the tension in that story. See my notes on reading order above for more thoughts on that!

in slipcased absolute format…

Absolute Batman: R.I.P.
(2026 slipcased oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1799507604)
Collects Batman (1940) #676-683 & 701-702 and DC Universe (2008) #0

in omnibus oversize hardcover format…

in a 2024 line of paperbacks…

Batman by Grant Morrison, Book Two
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1799502685 / digital)
Collects DC Universe (2008) #0, Batman (1940) #676-683, Batman & Robin (2009) #1-9, and Batman (1940) #700

in deluxe hardcover format… Click to expand this section.

in standard-size collections… Click to expand this section.

Part 3: Batman Incorporated (Jan 2011 – Dec 2013)

The third act of Morrison’s run on Batman has a greatly expanded scope and cast, as Batman decides to franchise his crime-fighting across the globe even as a vast conspiracy begins to close in around him.

Morrison’s endgame for Batman was slightly disrupted by Flashpoint and the advent of DC New 52. His 2011 title Batman Incorporated ended early with #8 in August 2011 due to the interruption of Flashpoint. It was later capped by a double-length one-shot called Leviathan Strikes that effectively rolled up the intended final issues of his arc into one.

Then, midway through 2012, Batman Incorporated relaunched and charged through 15 issues in 14 months to complete Morrison’s opus. It ends just after the end of the “Death of the Family” story in all of the New 52 Bat-books.

in slipcased absolute format…

Absolute Batman Incorporated
(2015 slipcased oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1401251215 / 2026 slipcased oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1799509714)
Collects this entire period in a single hardcover – Batman Incorporated (2010) #1-8, Batman, Incorporated Leviathan Strikes (2011) #1, Batman, Incorporated (2012) #1-13, and Batman Incorporated Special (2013) #1.

in omnibus oversize hardcover format…

in a 2024 line of paperbacks…

Pending Books Four & Five!

in deluxe hardcover format… Click to expand this section.

in standard-size collections… Click to expand this section.