The Batman Who Laughs Reading Order

This reading order is designed to give an outline of major storylines featuring The Batman Who Laughs (Bruce Wayne from Earth -22) throughout DC Comics. It may not encompass every one of his appearances but is an outline of the major ones and the stories that affect them.
The continuity details relating to each specific storyline are explained in the “Review” of each storyline. Every “Review” link will provide a detailed continuity breakdown of that story and will explain any reference the story makes to other aspects of the DC Universe. All of this can be found under the “Continuity” section of each link.

Jump to: Rebirth – Universe – Infinite Frontier

Rebirth

The Batman Who Laughs was introduced in the Rebirth era and has no appearances prior to this era.
The Batman Who Laughs was introduced through the Dark Nights: Metal (Reading Order) event. He is one of the key players in this event and, by the end of it, significant pieces of his character motivation and origin are explained. The conclusion of this event then sets up the status quo for the next era.

Teen Titans issues are from the Vol. 6 series
Green Arrow issues are from the Vol. 6 series
The Flash issues are from the Vol. 4 series
Justice League issues are from the Vol. 3 series

Notes

1. The Batman Who Laughs only makes a very brief cameo here. However, since it is technically his first ever comic book appearance, we have included it as "Extra" in this reading order.
2. Each of these issues only features a brief appearance from the Batman Who Laughs. In addition, these appearances are explained in a general way through the main event. However, they may still be of interest for diehard fans.

Universe

In this era, the Batman Who Laughs' story is directly continued from the conclusion of the Dark Nights: Metal (Reading Order) event. His role in this event is mentioned routinely and forms a critical piece of his character during this time.

The Batman Who Laughs' appearances in this era mostly take place in comics related to the overarching conspiracy unfolding in the Justice League (Reading Order) series. He quickly appears in this series and then goes on to star in his own solo series, The Batman Who Laughs. The conclusion of this series directly leads to his appearance in Batman/Superman. From here, he takes on a main role in Year of the Villain: Hell Arisen, a miniseries that direct sets up the Dark Nights: Death Metal (Reading Order) event. This event is the Batman Who Laughs' most significant appearance of the era and directly continues plotlines stretching all the way back to his introduction.

DN:DM = Dark Nights: Death Metal

Justice League issues are from the Vol. 4 series
The Batman Who Laughs issues are from the Vol. 2 series
Supergirl issues are from the Vol. 7 series
Hawkman issues are from the Vol. 5 series

Notes

1. The Batman Who Laughs only makes a few supporting appearances here. These appearances do not advance his story much at all and, thus, can easily be skipped.
2. This issue only features a quick cameo from the Batman Who Laughs to set up the next issue. In addition, this quick cameo is mostly reviewed in the next issue anyway.
3. This issue is mostly about the Grim Knight, not the Batman Who Laughs. However, it helps expand upon the overall story from The Batman Who Laughs miniseries and, thus, may be interesting for some readers.
4. These issues only feature brief appearances from the Batman Who Laughs. However, they help explain his connections to "Infected".
5. This issue is unclear in its connections to the mainstream DC continuity. However, it reveals how the Batman Who Laughs did in voting for "Villain of the Year".
6. The Batman Who Laughs does not have a big role in this issue. However, it provides a flashback that explains how many aspects of his current plan came to fruition.

Infinite Frontier

The Batman Who Laughs makes two appearances in this era. He appears in the cliffhanger conclusion to Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point, which directly sets up his staring role in Batman/Fortnite: Foundation.

However, the way in which this crossover event connects back to the mainstream DC continuity is unclear. Because of this, we've placed all of these appearances in the "Extra" column until future issues provide more clarification about whether these appearances are in continuity or not.

Note: This era is currently in progress.

All DC Comics Reading Orders