Batman In Five Seasons, Season 2: Caped Crusader

Batman as a TV show with defined modern seasons is a cool conceit that somehow hasn't translated well to TV. Batman The Animated Season, a series that freely bounced around the timeline was way more fun than Gotham, or really any of the live action DC shows so far.

What I've tried to do here is present whole season arcs that can either be watched from season one to ten, or you can just read a single season and get a satisfying story without needing to move on to the next one. Also, I'm not doing these chronologically by when they were published. I find more modern comics tend to be either much better or much worse reads. Sometimes an old story doesn't age well, so it's nice to see it in updated language and themes. Sometimes, the updates don't work, as they tack on weird continuity retcons that just seem forced. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the way I've set this season out.

Season Two:
Caped Crusader
showrunners: Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, Matt Wagner, Darwyn Cooke, Jeff Lemire, Grant Morrison

Serial 1: When In Rome
(Like the first episode of season one, this is taken from two sources which take place at the same time and have some crossover. Here we start with Batman: Dark Victory and Catwoman: When In Rome.)
both titles by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale

Organized crime in Gotham is still very healthy, despite the events of The Long Halloween, but the new generation of supervillains: The Joker, The Riddler, Two Face, Poison Ivy, and more, are starting to take over the streets and the headlines. Batman must change his methods a bit to fight wars with both types of villain simultaneously. Plus, Catwoman goes to Italy to find out more about her own connection with the Falcones.

2 episodes

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Episode 3: Trinity
(collected in Trinity: Batman/Superman/Wonder Woman)
by Matt Wagner

This is sort of a Year Zero for The Justice League as Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman meet for the first time. We mercifully skip over their origin stories, and just see them teaming up to fight a rogue from each of their pantheons. But instead of Joker, Luthor, and Cheetah, we get Ra's Al Ghul, Bizarro, and Artemis, which makes for a much more interesting story. We also get a peek at Robin, who was rescued during the last episode.

1 episode

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Episode 4: Robin & Batman
(collected in Robin & Batman)
by Jeff Lemire & Dustin Nguyen

It's a watercolored look at the early days of Dick Grayson as Robin. This is essentialy the bonding between an adoptive father and son when they struggle to figure out how they fit into each others' lives. I guess it's heartwarming at times, but that's not the point. This book really shows how Bruce Wayne manipulates a child into being a soldier in his army, much to the disappointment of Alfred. We also get a WEIRD take on the origin of Young Justice/Teen Titans but I like it.

1 episode

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Serial 2: New Frontier
(collected in DC: The New Frontier)
by Darwyn Cooke

We're not going to spend too much time with The Justice League, but we will see them a few times in continuity, and this is one of the best versions of a Justice League Origin Story. You'll have to exercise a little suspension of disbelief as this takes place in the 1960s when the rest of the chronology is set in a muddled late 20th/early 21st century. It's still a blast to see how Batman fits into the superpowered community as they tean up to take on an otherworldly enemy.

​2 episodes

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If it's ever available again for around cover price, I would put Nightwing: Year One here, as it's a fun look at Grayson's transition from Robin to Nightwing, and it gives a much briefer introduction to Jason Todd, who we should meet this season, even if he's not sticking around for long. Alas, it is currently out of print.

In it's place I offer:

Episode 7: Nightwing
(collected in Nightwing: A Knight In Blüdhaven)
by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel

Having been fired by Batman, Dick Grayson takes off for Blüdhaven to restart his life as a new hero in a new city with a mostly new pantheon of villains.

1 episode

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Episode 8: A Death In The Family
(collected in Batman: A Death In The Family)
by Jim Starlin, Marv Wolfman, Jim Aporo, and George Perez

I'm trying to avoid putting historically important comic storylines that, in hindsight, kinda suck, on this list. But here we are. The actual buildup to and death of a semi-important character is a decent 1980s comic title. The aftermath, involving the Joker in the UN is absolutely bonkers in a truly terrible way. Were I able to edit this chronology to just the parts of the story I wanted, this volume would be ripped in half, and you wouldn't have to encounter the very stupid aftermath.

​1 episode

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Episode 9: The Killing Joke
(collected in Batman: The Killing Joke)
by Alan Moore & Brian Bolland

​The Joker is on an absolute tear through Batman's life during this season, as he sets off to kill Jim Gordon, only to gravely wound Batgirl instead. This is a very short but intense book that rocked the Batman universe much harder than the death that preceded it.

There's also a really good J Michael Straczynski take on this episode in Team Ups Of The Brave & The Bold that's worth a readthrough, if not a purchase. 

1 episode

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Episode 10: Arkham Asylum
(collected in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth)
by Grant Morrison & Dave McKean

I like to imagine this book takes place just after The Joker's wave of destruction, as Batman goes to visit him in Arkham to try and prevent a mass escape. We see a ton of members of Batman's rogues' gallery, and we learn the history of Arkham Asylum. It's a cool closer to a season that first pushes the boundaries of what the Batfamily is, and then ends up with The Joker tearing it apart.

​1 episode