Detective Comics


Detective Comics is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011, is best known for introducing the superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27.
A second series of the same title was launched in the fall of 2011, but in 2016, reverted to the original volume numbering. The series is the source of its publishing company's name, and—along with Action Comics, the series that launched with the debut of Superman—one of the medium's signature series. The series published 881 issues between 1937 and 2011 and is the longest continuously published comic book in the United States.

Publication history

Detective Comics was the final publication of the entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, whose comics company, National Allied Publications, would evolve into DC Comics, one of the world's two largest comic book publishers, though long after its founder had left it. Wheeler-Nicholson's first two titles were the landmark New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1, colloquially called New Fun Comics #1 and the first such early comic book to contain all-original content, rather than a mix of newspaper comic strips and comic-strip-style new material. His second effort, New Comics #1, would be retitled twice to become Adventure Comics, another seminal series that ran for decades until issue #503 in 1983, and was later revived in 2009.
The third and final title published under his aegis would be Detective Comics, advertised with a cover illustration dated December 1936, but eventually premiering three months later, with a March 1937 cover date. Wheeler-Nicholson was in debt to printing-plant owner and magazine distributor Harry Donenfeld, who was, as well, a pulp-magazine publisher and a principal in the magazine distributorship Independent News. Wheeler-Nicholson took Donenfeld on as a partner in order to publish Detective Comics #1 through the newly formed Detective Comics, Inc., with Wheeler-Nicholson and Jack S. Liebowitz, Donenfeld's accountant, listed as owners. Wheeler-Nicholson was forced out a year later.
Originally an anthology comic, in the manner of the times, Detective Comics #1 featured stories in the "hard-boiled detective" genre, with such stars as Ching Lung ; Slam Bradley ; and Speed Saunders, among others. Its first editor, Vin Sullivan, also drew the debut issue's cover. The Crimson Avenger debuted in issue #20.
Early issues of the series have been criticized for their racism and xenophobia.

Batman / Bruce Wayne

featured the first appearance of Batman. That superhero would eventually become the star of the title, the cover logo of which is often written as "Detective Comics featuring Batman". Because of its significance, issue #27 is widely considered one of the most valuable comic books in existence, with one copy selling for $1,075,000 in a February 2010 auction.
Batman's origin is first revealed in a two-page story in issue #33. Batman became the main cover feature of the title beginning with issue #35. Issue #38 introduced Batman's sidekick Robin, billed as "The Sensational Character Find of 1940" on the cover and the first of several characters that would make up the "Batman Family." Robin's appearance and the subsequent increase in sales of the book soon led to the trend of superheroes and young sidekicks that characterize the era that fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Several of Batman's best known villains debuted in the pages of Detective Comics during this era, including the Penguin in issue #58, Two-Face in issue #66, and the Riddler in issue #140.
Batwoman first appeared in Detective Comics #233. Since the family formula had proven very successful for the Superman franchise, editor Jack Schiff suggested to Batman co-creator Bob Kane that he create one for the Batman. A female was chosen first, to offset the charges made by Fredric Wertham that Batman and Robin were homosexual. Writer Bill Finger and artist Sheldon Moldoff introduced Bat-Mite in issue #267 and Clayface in #298.
In 1964, Julius Schwartz was made responsible for reviving the fading Batman titles. Writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino jettisoned the sillier aspects that had crept into the franchise such as Ace the Bathound and Bat-Mite and gave the character a "New Look" that premiered in Detective Comics #327. Schwartz, Gardner Fox, and Infantino introduced, from the William Dozier produced TV series, Barbara Gordon as a new version of Batgirl in a story titled "The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!" in issue #359. Mike Friedrich wrote the 30th anniversary Batman story in Detective Comics #387 which was drawn by Bob Brown.
Writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams had their first collaboration on Batman on the story "The Secret of the Waiting Graves" in issue #395. The duo, under the direction of Schwartz, would revitalize the character with a series of noteworthy stories reestablishing Batman's dark, brooding nature and taking the books away from the campy look and feel of the 1966–68 ABC TV series. Comics historian Les Daniels observed that "O'Neil's interpretation of Batman as a vengeful obsessive-compulsive, which he modestly describes as a return to the roots, was actually an act of creative imagination that has influenced every subsequent version of the Dark Knight." Adams introduced the Man-Bat with writer Frank Robbins in Detective Comics #400. O'Neil and artist Bob Brown crafted Batman's first encounter with the League of Assassins in Detective Comics #405 and created Talia al Ghul in issue #411.
After publishing on a monthly schedule throughout its run, Detective Comics became a bi-monthly book from issues #435 to #445. Issues #438 to #445 of the series were in the 100 Page Super Spectacular format. O'Neil and artist Dick Giordano created the Batman supporting character Leslie Thompkins in the story "There Is No Hope in Crime Alley" appearing in issue #457. Writer Steve Englehart and artist Marshall Rogers produced an acclaimed run of Batman stories in Detective Comics #471–476, and provided one of the definitive interpretations that influenced the 1989 Batman movie and would be adapted for the 1990s. The Englehart and Rogers pairing, was described in 2009 by comics writer and historian Robert Greenberger as "one of the greatest" creative teams to work on the Batman character. In their story "The Laughing Fish", the Joker is brazen enough to disfigure fish with a rictus grin, then expects to be granted a federal trademark on them, only to start killing the bureaucrats who try to explain to him that obtaining such a claim on a natural resource is legally impossible.
Writer Len Wein and Rogers co-created the third version of the supervillain Clayface in Detective Comics #478. From issue #481 through #495, the magazine adopted the expanded Dollar Comics format used by the canceled Batman Family, adding solo features including "Robin: the Teen Wonder", "Batgirl", the "Human Target" and the anthology "Tales of Gotham City", which featured stories of the city's ordinary people. Julius Schwartz, who had edited the title for most of its run since 1964, left the series as of issue #484 The original Katherine Kane also known as "Batwoman" was killed in the lead story in issue #485 by the League of Assassins.

The title's 500th issue featured stories by several well-known creators including television writer Alan Brennert and Walter B. Gibson best known for his work on the pulp fiction character The Shadow. Also used during the 1980s was the use of serialization of the main Batman story, with stories from Detective Comics and Batman directly flowing from one book to another, with cliffhangers at the end of each book's monthly story that would be resolved in the other title of that month. A single writer handled both books during that time beginning with Gerry Conway and followed up by Doug Moench. The supervillain Killer Croc made a shadowy cameo in issue #523. Noted author Harlan Ellison wrote the Batman story in issue #567.
Writer Mike W. Barr and artists Alan Davis and Todd McFarlane crafted the "" storyline in Detective Comics #575–578 which followed up on Frank Miller's "". Writer Alan Grant and artist Norm Breyfogle introduced the Ventriloquist in their first Batman story together and the Ratcatcher in their third. Sam Hamm, who wrote the screenplay for Tim Burton's Batman, wrote the "Blind Justice" story in Detective Comics issues #598–600. Chuck Dixon became the writer of the series with issue #644. He and Tom Lyle co-created the Electrocutioner in Detective Comics #644 and Stephanie Brown in Detective Comics #647.
The "" storyline began in issue #700. The "No Man's Land" storyline crossed over into Detective Comics in issues #730–741. Writer Greg Rucka and artist Shawn Martinbrough became the creative team as of issue #742 and created the Sasha Bordeaux character in issue #751. Issue #800 was written by Andersen Gabrych and drawn by Pete Woods. Paul Dini became the writer of the series as of issue #821 and created a new version of the Ventriloquist in #827. Scott Snyder became the writer of Detective Comics with issue #871.

Backup features

In addition to the Batman stories, the title has had numerous back-up strips. The Boy Commandos by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby debuted in Detective Comics #64 and were then soon spun off into their own title. The character Roy Raymond first appeared in issue #153. The Martian Manhunter was created by writer Joseph Samachson and artist Joe Certa in the back-up story "The Strange Experiment of Dr. Erdel" in Detective Comics #225. After issue #326, the Martian Manhunter was moved to House of Mystery and in #327 the Elongated Man and his wife, now remodeled after Dashiell Hammett's Nick and Nora Charles, took over. The characters crossed over with Batman three times. The Elongated Man run lasted until #383 and his feature returned sporadically 15 times until #572, which celebrated the 50th anniversary of the title by teaming him up with Batman, Robin, Slam Bradley and Sherlock Holmes against Edgar Moriarty, the great-grandnephew of Professor Moriarty. After the Elongated Man backup feature ended, Batgirl held the role until #424. After moving her to Batman Family, she returned from #481 to #519. Jason Bard appeared as the backup feature in the odd-numbered issues of Detective from #425 to #435. Manhunter was resurrected in a story by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson in issue #437. With the last episode of the series, Manhunter moved to the front of the book in a full-length team-up with Batman. Green Arrow became the backup feature starting with issue #521 and running until #567. Black Canary received a new costume in the back-up story in issue #554. DC Comics Bonus Books were included in issues #589 and #595.
After a lengthy absence, the back-up features returned for issues #746–810. These were more closed-ended stories featuring new and established characters in the Batman mythos. The first was "The Jacobian" in issues #746–757, followed by a one-part Batman story in #758. The following issues, #759–762, featured Slam Bradley and was a lead-in to the 2002 Catwoman series. Issues #763–772 feature Josephine "Josie Mac" MacDonald, a Gotham police detective. Issues #773–775 are titled "Tales of Gotham" and feature Detectives Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya. Batman starred in "Spore" from issues #776–780. #781 featured a special Elseworlds tale, while #782 featured a Batman solo tale. #783 featured a prelude to the "Death and the Maidens" miniseries and #784 featured a Josie Mac tale. The "Tales of Gotham" resumed in issues #785–788 with "The Dogcatcher", and #789–794 featured "The Tailor". "Polished Stone", featuring Green Arrow and Onyx ran in issues #795–796. "Low" featuring the Riddler and Poison Ivy, ran from #797–799. Detective Comics #800 featured a short Batman back-up under the "Tales of Gotham" banner. A four-issue story featuring the Barker entitled "When You're Strange" was next, and "Mud" in issue #805. A two-part story featuring Alfred was followed by the last back-up, a three part Killer Croc story.
The "Manhunter" series that ran as a backup in Detective Comics from 1973 to 1974 won the Shazam Award for "Best Individual Short Story " in 1974 for the story "Cathedral Perilous" in issue #441, written by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson.

Batwoman

In 2009, as part of a planned reorganization of the Batman universe due to the events shown in Batman R.I.P. and Final Crisis, Detective Comics went on hiatus for three months while DC Comics published the Battle for the Cowl miniseries. Upon its return, the series featured the newly reintroduced Batwoman as the new star of the book, as well as a 10-page back-up feature starring Renee Montoya as the new Question. The series returned Batman to a starring role in early 2010.

''The New 52''

DC Comics relaunched Detective Comics with issue #1 in September 2011, as part of The New 52. The series was written and drawn by Tony Daniel until the 12th issue, with the team of John Layman and Jason Fabok beginning with issue #13.
The first issue of the relaunched Detective Comics has received six printings, second only to the relaunched Justice League which had seven printings. The series' 7th issue was also DC Comic's 6th highest selling digital comic, ranking above many other series in the Batman category. Scott West of Sciencefiction.com gave the series' third arc a positive review, stating that "After last month's disappointing ‘Night of the Owls’ tie-in issue, it's nice to see ‘Detective Comics’ getting back to where it should be...good detective stories." The relaunched Detective Comics received the award for "Best Series" at the 2012 Stan Lee Awards. The series' first collected edition would reach the number 1 spot on The New York Times Best Seller list in the category of "Hardcover Graphic Books".
Daniel wrote and penciled the series until the Night of the Owls crossover, at which point Ed Benes, Julio Ferreira, and Eduardo Pansica began drawing the series for a three-issue arc. The price of Detective Comics was increased due to the addition of a backup feature starring Batman villain Two-Face, which was written by Daniel and illustrated by Syzmon Kudranski, this followed a similar backup featuring Professor Hugo Strange. Daniel left the series with issue #12 being his last as writer and the "0" issue his last as penciller.
DC celebrated the first anniversary of The New 52 in September 2012 by publishing a number "0" of each original New 52 title which act as prequels to the series and reveal previously unexplained plot elements. Gregg Hurwitz wrote the "0" issue. Hurwitz was approached by Daniel to write the "0" issue due to Daniel's busy schedule. To follow up on the Night of the Owls elements in Detective Comics, Daniel wrote Detective Comics Annual #1 which was pencilled by Romano Molenaar and inked by Sandu Florea.
Following Daniel's tenure on the series, John Layman became the new writer and Jason Fabok the new artist with James Tynion IV writing the backup features and Syzmon Kudranski remaining as artist for Tynion's first feature. With issue #19 of Detective Comics vol. 2, released on April 3, 2013, the series reached 900 issues as combined with the first volume of the series, and was a special oversized celebratory issue. Under Layman, the series featured its first crossover, Gothtopia after which Layman and Fabok moved to the Batman Eternal series and Detective Comics was taken over by Brain Buccalleto and Francis Manapul.
In commemoration of the second anniversary of The New 52, DC Comics announced "Villains Month" with Detective Comics getting four issues. The issues starred Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, the Scarecrow, and the Man-Bat, and, respectively, being numbered #23.1, #23.2, #23.3, and #23.4, by an ensemble of writers and artists.
For the 75th anniversary of Batman, issue #27 was a larger-sized issue featuring new stories by Brad Meltzer and Bryan Hitch, Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy, Peter Tomasi and Ian Bertram, John Layman and Jason Fabok, Gregg Hurwitz and Neal Adams, Mike W. Barr and Guillem March, and one written and drawn by Francesco Francavilla. In addition, variant covers to the issue were by Greg Capullo, Frank Miller, Chris Burnham, Jim Lee, Jason Fabok, and Tony Daniel. Single page artwork included work by Kelley Jones, Mike Allred, Patrick Gleason, and Jock.

2016 - present

In February 2016, DC Comics announced that as part of the company's continuity relaunch called DC Rebirth, Detective Comics would resume its original numbering system with June 2016's issue #934. The 52 issues of Detective Comics volume 2 were added to the original count of 881 issues from Detective Comics volume 1, making Detective Comics #934 the premier issue following the events of 2016's DC Rebirth. The series was published twice-monthly.
The creative team beginning with issue #934 included writer James Tynion IV and artists Eddy Barrows and Alvaro Martinez. The series featured a team led by Batman and Batwoman, operating out of a secondary base in the heart of Gotham known as the Belfry. Team members initially included Red Robin, Spoiler, Orphan and Clayface, with Batwing and Azrael later recruited as new members. This status quo ended with the conclusion of Tynion's run on the series in issue #981, published May 2018. In the interim period without a permanent writer, Bryan Edward Hill wrote the story arc "On the Outside" over issues #983-987 as a prelude to his ongoing series Batman and the Outsiders which also includes Cassandra Cain as a main character. Incumbent writer Peter Tomasi began on the series with issue #994, published December 2018.
On March 27, 2019, DC Comics released the series' 1,000th issue, marking the second comic book in history to reach that milestone after Action Comics in 2018. The issue, which coincided with Batman's 80th anniversary, is an anthology featuring several stories from a variety of different creative teams.

Batman Character debuts

CharacterIssuePublication
Batman #27May 1939
Commissioner Gordon#27May 1939
Doctor Death#29July 1939
The Monk#31Sept. 1939
Julie Madison#31Sept. 1939
Dala#32Oct. 1939
Joe Chill#33Nov. 1939
Professor Hugo Strange#36Feb. 1940
Robin#38April 1940
Clayface #40June 1940
The Penguin#58December 1941
Mr. Baffle#63May 1942
The Boy Commandos#64June 1942
Two-Face#66Aug. 1942
Tweedledum and Tweedledee#74April 1943
The Cavalier#81Nov. 1943
The Riddler#140October 1948
Pow Wow Smith#151Sept. 1949
Roy Raymond#153Nov. 1949
The Red Hood#168Feb. 1951
The Firefly#184June 1952
Mirror Man#213Nov. 1954
The Batmen of All Nations#215Jan. 1955
The Martian Manhunter#225Nov. 1955
The Mad Hatter#230April 1956
Batwoman#233July 1956
Diane Meade#246Aug. 1957
The Terrible Trio#253March 1958
The Calendar Man#259Sept. 1958
Dr. Double X#261Nov. 1958
Bat-Mite#267May 1959
Clayface #298Dec. 1961
The Catman#311Jan. 1963
Zook#311Jan. 1963
The Idol Head of Diabolu#326April 1964
The Outsider#334Dec. 1964
The Blockbuster#345Nov. 1965
The Cluemaster#351May 1966
Batgirl #359Jan. 1967
Jason Bard#392Oct. 1969
The Man-Bat#400June 1970
Talia al Ghul#411May 1971
Harvey Bullock#441July 1974
Leslie Thompkins#457March 1976
The Calculator#463Sept. 1976
Doctor Phosphorus#469May 1977
"Boss" Rupert Thorne#469May 1977
Silver St. Cloud#470June 1977
Clayface #478July 1978
Maxie Zeus#483May 1979
The Swashbuckler#493March 1980
Killer Croc#523Feb. 1983
Onyx#546Jan. 1985
The Ventriloquist #583Feb. 1988
The Ratcatcher#585April 1988
Anarky #608Nov. 1989
Renee Montoya#642March 1992
Stephanie Brown#647Jun. 1992
Cypher#657March 1993
Crispus Allen#742March 2000
Sasha Bordeaux#751Dec. 2000
Nyssa Raatko#783Aug. 2003
The Ventriloquist #827March 2007
The Dollmakervol. 2 #1Sept. 2011
Dollhousevol. 2 #2Oct. 2011
Mister Toxicvol. 2 #2Oct. 2011
Eli Strangevol. 2 #5March 2012
Emperor Blackgatevol. 2 #13Nov. 2012
The Merrymakervol. 2 #17Feb. 2013
Anarky vol. 2 #37Feb. 2015
The Arkham Knight#1,000May 2019

Collected editions

Volume 1 (1937-2011)

The Detective Comics series has been collected into a number of trade paperbacks and hardback collections.

Batman Archive editions

All DC Archive Editions are hardback only and printed on high quality archival paper.
TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Batman Archives Vol. 1Stories from Detective Comics #27–50November 1997HC:
Batman Archives Vol. 2Stories from Detective Comics #51–70November 1997HC:
Batman Archives Vol. 3Stories from Detective Comics #71–86November 1997HC:
Batman Archives Vol. 4Stories from Detective Comics #87–102December 1998HC:
Batman Archives Vol. 5Stories from Detective Comics #103–119April 2001HC:
Batman Archives Vol. 6Stories from Detective Comics #120–135August 2005HC:
Batman Archives Vol. 7Stories from Detective Comics #136–154November 2007HC:
Batman Archives Vol. 8Stories from Detective Comics #155–170July 2012HC:
Batman: The Dynamic Duo Archives Vol. 1Batman #164–166; Detective Comics #327–333March 2003HC:
Batman: The Dynamic Duo Archives Vol. 2Batman #168–171; Detective Comics #334–339June 2006HC:

Batman Chronicles

The Batman Chronicles series plans to reprint every Batman adventure in color, in chronological order, in affordable trade paperbacks. It is not to be confused with the now-finished series of the same name.
TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Batman Chronicles Vol. 1Detective Comics #27–38; Batman #1April 2005SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 2Detective Comics #39–45; Batman #2–3; New York World's Fair Comics #2September 2006SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 3Detective Comics #46–50; Batman #4–5; World's Best Comics #1May 2007SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 4Detective Comics #51–56; World's Finest Comics #2–3; Batman #6–7October 2007SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 5Detective Comics #57–61; World's Finest Comics #4; Batman #8–9April 2008SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 6Detective Comics #62–66; World's Finest Comics #5–6; Batman #10–11October 2008SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 7Detective Comics #67–70; World's Finest Comics #7; Batman #12–13March 2009SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 8Detective Comics #71–74; World's Finest Comics #8–9; Batman #14–15October 2009SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 9Detective Comics #75–77; World's Finest Comics #10; Batman #16–17March 2010SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 10Detective Comics #78–81; World's Finest Comics #11; Batman #18–19December 2010SC:
Batman Chronicles Vol. 11Detective Comics #82–85; World's Finest Comics #12; Batman #20–21January 2013SC:

Showcase Presents

All Showcase Presents collections are large, softcover, black and white only reprints.
TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 1Detective Comics #327–342; Batman #164–174August 2006SC:
Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 2Detective Comics #343–358; Batman #175, #177–181, #183–184, #188June 2007SC:
Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 3Detective Comics #359–375; Batman #189–192, #194–197, #199–201July 2008SC:
Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 4Detective Comics #376–390; Batman #202–215July 2009SC:
Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 5Detective Comics #391–404; Batman #216–228December 2011SC:
Showcase Presents: Batman Vol. 6Detective Comics #408–426; Batman #229–244January 2016SC: 978-1401251536
Showcase Presents: Martian Manhunter Vol. 1Detective Comics #225–304July 2007SC: 978-1401213688
Showcase Presents: Martian Manhunter Vol. 2Detective Comics #305–326May 2009SC: 978-1401222567
Showcase Presents: Robin, the Boy Wonder Vol. 1Robin stories from Detective Comics #386, 390, 394–395, 398–403, 445, 447, 450–451January 2008SC: 978-1401216764
Showcase Presents: Batgirl Vol. 1Batgirl stories from Detective Comics #359, 363, 369, 371, 384–385, 388–389, 392–393, 396–397, 400–401, 404–424July 2007SC: 978-1401213671
Showcase Presents: Enemy Ace Vol. 1includes Enemy Ace story from Detective Comics #404February 2008SC: 978-1401217211

Celebration hardcovers

Starting in 2014, DC began releasing character retrospective anthologies, several of which feature issues of Detective Comics
TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Batman: A Celebration of 75 YearsDetective Comics vol. 1 #27, #83, #211, #216, #327, #359, #395, #442, #474, #574, #633, #711, #757, #821,
Batman vol. 1 #1, #49, #181, # 497, Batman vol. 2 #2, World's Finest Comics #94, DC Special Series #21, Batman Special #1
July 2014978-1401247584
Robin the Boy Wonder: A Celebration of 75 YearsDetective Comics vol. 1 #38, 342; Batman vol. 1 #20, #107, #156, #408, #428, #442, #657; Star-Spangled Comics #82, #86, #103;
Batman Family #1; Nightwing #25, #101; Superman/Batman #7, #77; Robin vol. 4 #46, #126; Batman & Robin Annual #1; Justice League of America #55; DC One Million 80-Page Giant #1,000,000
May 2015978-1401255367
The Joker: A Celebration of 75 YearsBatman vol. 1 #1, 5, 25, 32, 85, 163, 251, 427, Batman vol. 2 #15, Detective Comics #64, 168, 180, 475, 476, 726, 741, 826,
Detective Comics vol. 2 #1, World's Finest Comics #61, Superman vol. 2 #9, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #66
July 2014978-1401247591
Two-Face: A Celebration of 75 YearsDetective Comics vol. 1 #66, 68, 80, 739; Batman vol. 1 #50, 81, 234, 410–411, 572; Batman Annual #14; The Brave and the Bold #106; Joker #1; Secret Origins #1; Batman: Black and White #1; Gotham Central #10; Joker's Asylum: Two-Face; Batman and Robin #23.November 2017978-1-4012-7438-2
Green Arrow: A Celebration of 75 YearsMore Fun Comics #73, 89; Leading Comics #1; Adventure Comics #256; Justice League of America #4; The Brave and the Bold #85;
Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85, 86, 90; Detective Comics #549–550; 559; Green Arrow vol. 2 #24, 100–101; Green Arrow vol. 3 #4, 18; Green Arrow Year One #2;
Green Arrow and Black Canary Wedding Special #1; Justice League #8; Green Arrow vol. 4 #24
July 2016978-1401263867

Tales of The Batman/Legends of the Dark Knight

These hardcover books reprint issues by particular creators and contain many issues of Detective Comics, as well as other Batman titles.
TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Tales of the Batman: Carmine InfantinoDetective Comics #327–347, 349, 351–371, 500, Batman #166–175, 181, 183–184, 188–192, 194–199, The Brave and the Bold #172, 183, 190, 194, DC Comics Presents: Batman #1.June 20149781401247553
Tales of the Batman: Len WeinDetective Comics #408, 444–448, 466, 478–479, 500, 514, Batman #307–310, 312–319, 321–324, 326–327,
World's Finest Comics #207, DC Retroactive Batman – The 70s, Untold Legends of the Batman #1–3, Batman Black and White #5
December 2014978-1401251543
Tales of the Batman: Archie GoodwinBatman stories from Detective Comics #437–438 and #440–442, the Manhunter stories from #437–442,
and the Batman/Manhunter team-up from #443; Detective Comics Annual #3; Showcase '95 #11; Batman Black and White #1 and 4;
#132–136; the Batman: Night Cries graphic novel
July 2013978-1401238292
Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo Volume 3Detective Comics #444–446, Batman Family #17, The Brave and the Bold #152, 154, 155, 157–162, 168–170, 173–178, 180–182,
The Untold Legend of the Batman #1–3
September 2017978-1401271619
Legends of the Dark Knight: Michael GoldenBatman Family #15-20, Batman #295, 303, DC Special Series #15, Detective Comics #482, Batman Special #1, Batman: Gotham Knights #22
Covers from Detective Comics #625-626, 628-631, 633, 644-646, Batman #484-485, Showcase '93,
Nightwing #66-77 & #129-130 and the Man-Bat entry from Who's Who in the DC Universe #12
June 2019978-1401289614
Legends of the Dark Knight: Marshall RogersDetective Comics #468, 471–476, 478–479, 481; DC Special Series #15; Secret Origins #6;
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #132–136; Batman: Dark Detective #1–6
November 2011978-1401232276
Tales of the Batman: Don NewtonDetective Comics #480, 483–497; Batman #305–306, 328; The Brave and the Bold #153, 156 and 165December 2011978-1401232948
Tales of the Batman: Alan BrennertThe Brave and the Bold #178, 181, 182 and 197, Detective Comics #500, Batman: Holy TerrorJuly 2016978-1401263492
Tales of the Batman: Gerry Conway Volume 1Detective Comics #463, 464, 497–499, 501–504, The Brave And The Bold #158, 161, 171–174, Batman #295, 305, 306,
Batman Family #17, Man-Bat #1, World's Finest Comics #250, #269
July 2017978-1401272555
Tales of the Batman: Gerry Conway Volume 2Detective Comics #505–513, Batman #337–346, 348; World's Finest Comics #270August 2018978-1401281632
Tales of the Batman: Gerry Conway Volume 3Detective Comics #515-526, Batman #349-359September 2019978-1401292737
Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan Volume OneDetective Comics #517, 520, 523, 528–529 and Batman #340, 343–345, 348–351August 2011978-1401231019
Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan Volume TwoBatman #373, Detective Comics #530–538 and #540–544, World's Finest Comics #297 and #299March 2018978-1401277697
Legends of the Dark Knight: Alan DavisDetective Comics #569–575, Batman: Full Circle, Batman: Gotham Knights #25February 2013978-1401236816
Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle Volume OneDetective Comics #579, 582–594, 601–607, stories from Batman Annual #11–12July 2015978-1401258986
Legends of the Dark Knight: Norm Breyfogle Volume TwoDetective Comics #608-621 and Batman #455-459November 2018978-1401285128
Tales of the Batman: J.H. WilliamsBatman #526,550, 667–669, Batman Annual #21, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #86–88, 192–196, Chase #7–8, Detective Comics #821July 2014978-1401247621

Other editions

Many of these other editions are anthologies containing comics from titles other than Detective Comics. Titles here are presented as close to chronologically as possible.
TitleMaterial collectedPublication dateISBN
Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Volume 1Detective Comics #359, 363, 369, 371, 384–386, 388–389, 392–393, 396–397, 400–401, 404–424, 481–499, 501–502, 505–506, 508–510, 512–519,
Batman #197 and Batman Family #1, 3–7 and 9–20.
December 2017978-1401276409
Manhunter: The Special EditionManhunter backup stories from #437–442 and the Batman/Manhunter crossover in #443,
Manhunter #1, and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #100
June 1999978-1-56389-374-2
Batman: Strange ApparitionsDetective Comics #469–476, #478–479December 1999978-1-56389-500-5
'Includes Night Olympics featuring Green Arrow and Black Canary from Detective Comics #549–550January 2006978-1-4012-0927-8
'Detective Comics #575–578
January 1990
December 2002
978-0-930289-49-2
978-1563899676
30th Anniversary Deluxe EditionDetective Comics #575–578; Batman: Full CircleNovember 2017978-1401274566
Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Volume 1Detective Comics #568-574; 579-582April 2018978-1401271084
Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Volume 2Detective Comics #583-591, Annual #1October 2018978-1401284688
Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Volume 3Detective Comics #592-600February 2020978-1779501011
Batman: Blind JusticeDetective Comics #598–600May 2005978-1-56389-047-5
'Detective Comics #608–609, Batman Chronicles #1, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #40–41, and Anarky #1–4February 1999978-1-56389-437-4
Batman: Knightfall Volume 1Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1, Batman #491–500, Detective Comics #659–666,
Showcase '93 #7–8 Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16–18
May 2012978-1401233792
Batman: Knightfall Volume 2: KnightquestDetective Comics #667–675, Shadow of the Bat #19–20, 24–28, Batman #501–508, Catwoman #6–7 Robin #7May 2012978-1401235369
Batman: Knightfall Volume 3: KnightsEndBatman #509–510, 512–514, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29–30, 32–34, Detective Comics #676–677, 679–681,
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62–63, Robin #8–9, 11–13, Catwoman #12–13
September 2012978-1401237219
Batman: Prelude to KnightfallBatman: Vengeance of Bane #1, Batman #484-491, Detective Comics #654-658September 2018978-1401284220
Batman: Knightfall Vol. 1Batman #492-497, Detective Comics #659-663September 2018978-1401284299
Batman: Knightfall Vol. 2Batman #498-500, Detective Comics #664-666, Showcase '93 #7-8, Shadow of the Bat #16-18September 2018978-1401284398
Batman: Knightquest: The Crusade Vol. 1Detective Comics #667-670, Robin #1-2, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19-20, Batman #501-504, Catwoman #6-7October 2018978-1401284503
Batman: Knightquest: The Crusade Vol. 2Detective Comics #671-675, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #24-28, Batman #505-508, Showcase '94 #7October 2018978-1401284589
Batman: KnightsEndBatman #509-510, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29-30, Detective Comics #676-677, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62-63, Robin #8-9, Catwoman #12-13, Showcase '94 #10December 2018978-1401285180
Batman: Batman #0, #511; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #0, 31; Detective Comics #0, 678; Catwoman #0, 14;
Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #0; Robin #0, 10.
June 2017978-1401272586
Batman: ProdigalBatman #512-514, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #32-34, Detective Comics #679-681 and Robin #0 and #11-13January 2019978-1401285609
Batman: TroikaBatman #515, Batman: Shadow of The Bat #35, Detective Comics #682, Robin #14, Nightwing: Alfred Returns and Batman: Vengeance of Bane IIFebruary 2019978-1401285876
Robin Vol. 5: War of the DragonsRobin #14-22, Robin Annual #3 and Detective Comics #685-686January 2018978-1401275129
Batman: ContagionCollects Azrael #15–16, Batman #529, Batman Chronicles #4, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #48–49,
Catwoman #31–35, Detective Comics #695–696, Robin #27–30
March 2016978-1401260682
Batman: Legacy Volume 1Batman #533, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #53, Catwoman #33–35, Detective Comics #697–700 and Robin #31.April 2017978-1401272029
Batman: Legacy Volume 2Batman #534, Batman: Bane #1, Batman: Bane of the Demon #1–4, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #54,
Detective Comics #701–702, Robin #32–33
February 2018978-1401277611
Batman: CataclysmBatman #553–554, Detective Comics #719–721, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73–74, Nightwing #19–20,
Catwoman #56–57, Robin #52–53, Azrael #40, Batman Chronicles #12, Batman: Blackgate #1,
Batman: Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma #1, and Batman: Arkham Asylum - Tales of Madness #1
June 2015978-1401255152
Batman: Road to No Man's Land Volume 1Detective Comics #722, 724–726, Batman #555–559, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #75–79, Robin #54, and Batman Chronicles #14October 2015978-1401258276
Batman: Road to No Man's Land Volume 2Detective Comics #727–729, Batman #560–562, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #80–82,
Batman Chronicles #15, Azrael #47–50, and Batman: No Man's Land Secret Files & Origins #1
July 2016978-1401260637
Batman: No Man's Land Volume 1Batman: No Man's Land #1, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83–86, Batman #563–566, Detective Comics #730–733,
Azrael: Agent of the Bat #51–55, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #117–118, Batman Chronicles #16
December 2011978-1401232283
Batman: No Man's Land Volume 2Batman #567–568, Detective Comics #734–735, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #119–121,
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #87–88, Batman Chronicles #17, Robin #67, Nightwing #35–37, Catwoman #72–74,
Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56–57, Young Justice: No Man's Land #1
April 2012978-1401233808
Batman: No Man's Land Volume 3Batman #569-71, Detective Comics #736–738, Azrael: Agent of the Bat #58, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #122–124,
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #89–92, Robin #68–72, and Batman: No Man's Land Secret Files and Origins #1
August 2012978-1401234560
Batman: No Man's Land Volume 4Batman Chronicles #18, Batman #572–574, Detective Comics #739–741, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #125–126,
Robin #73, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #93–94, Azrael: Agent of the Bat #59–61, Catwoman #75–77, Nightwing #38–39 and Batman: No Man's Land #0
December 2012978-1401235642
Batman: EvolutionDetective Comics #743–750August 2001978-1-56389-726-9
Batman: New Gotham Volume 1Detective Comics #742–753May 2017978-1401263676
Batman: Officer DownBatman #587, Robin #86, Birds of Prey #27, Catwoman #90, Nightwing #53, Detective Comics #754, Batman: Gotham Knights #13August 2001978-1-56389-787-0
Batman: New Gotham Volume 2Detective Comics #755–765March 2018978-1401277949
Batman: Bruce Wayne – Murderer?Batgirl #24, 27, Batman #599–602, Batman: Gotham Knights #25–28, Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure #1,
Birds Of Prey #39–41, 43, Detective Comics #766–767, Nightwing #65–66, 68–69 and Robin #98–99
March 2014978-1401246839
Batman: Bruce Wayne – FugitiveBatman #603–607, Detective Comics #768–775, Batman: Gotham Knights #29–32 and Batgirl #29, 33July 2014978-1401246822
'Detective Comics #784–786 and Batman: The Man Who LaughsJanuary 2008
February 2009
978-1-4012-1622-1
978-1-4012-1626-9
Batman: War DrumsDetective Comics #790–796 and Robin #126–128October 2004978-1-4012-0341-2
Batman: War Games Act One – OutbreakBatman: The 12-Cent Adventure, Detective Comics #797, Batman #631, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #182,
Nightwing #96, Batman: Gotham Knights #56, Robin #129, Batgirl #55, Catwoman #34
February 2006978-1401204297
Batman: War Games Act Two – TidesDetective Comics #798, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #183, Nightwing #97,
Batman: Gotham Knights #57, Robin #130, Batgirl #56, Catwoman #35, Batman #632
June 2005978-1401204303
Batman: War Games Act Three – EndgameBatgirl #57, Batman #633, Batman: Gotham Knights #58, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #184,
Catwoman #36, Detective Comics #799, Nightwing #98, Robin 131
October 2005978-1401204310
'Detective Comics #800–808, 811–814July 2006978-1-4012-0897-4
Batman: War CrimesBatman #643–644, Detective Comics #809–810February 2006978-1-4012-0903-2
Batman Arkham: Victor ZsaszBatman: Shadow of the Bat #1-4, a story from Batman Chronicles #3, Batman: Batgirl #1, Detective Comics #815-816,
Batman: Streets of Gotham #10-11; a story from Detective Comics v2 #18
and the never-before-published story "Draining," originally intended for Gotham Knights #12.
February 2020978-1401298975
'Detective Comics #817–820, Batman #651–654September 2006978-1-4012-0910-0
Batman: DetectiveDetective Comics #821–826April 2007978-1-4012-1239-1
Batman: Death and the CityDetective Comics #827–834November 2007978-1-4012-1575-0
Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al GhulBatman #670–671, Robin #168–169, Detective Comics #838–839, Nightwing #138–139, Batman Annual #26 and Robin Annual #7May 2009978-1401220327
Batman: Private CasebookDetective Comics #840–845 and DC Infinite Halloween SpecialDecember 2008
November 2009
978-1-4012-2009-9
978-1-4012-2015-0
Batman: Heart of HushDetective Comics #846–850April 2009
March 2010
978-1-4012-2123-2
978-1-4012-2124-9
Detective Comics #854–860July 2010
June 2011
978-1-4012-2692-3
978-1-4012-3146-0
Batwoman by Greg Rucka and J.H. Williams IIIDetective Comics #854-863June 2017978-1401274139
Batman: Arkham RebornBattle For the Cowl: Arkham Asylum #1, Arkham Reborn #1-3, Detective Comics 864-865August 2010978-1401227081
Batman: ImpostorsDetective Comics #867–870August 2011978-1-4012-3144-6
Batman: The Black MirrorDetective Comics #871–881November 2011978-1-4012-3206-1

''[The New 52]''

saw every DC Comics series collected in its entirety in trade paperback form. Notably, collected volumes of Detective Comics vol. 2 were published in hardcover editions first, with paperback editions being delayed until the release of the next hardcover volume.
#TitleMaterial CollectedPublication dateISBN
1Faces of DeathDetective Comics vol. 2 #1–7HC: June 2012
SC: April 2013
HC: 978-1401234669
SC: 978-1401234676
2Scare TacticsDetective Comics vol. 2 #8–12, #0, Detective Comics Annual vol. 2 #1HC: April 2013
SC: November 2013
HC: 978-1401238408
SC: 978-1401242657
3Emperor PenguinDetective Comics vol. 2 #13–18HC: November 2013
SC: July 2014
HC: 978-1401242664
SC: 978-1401246346
4The WrathDetective Comics vol. 2 #19–24, Detective Comics Annual vol. 2 #2HC: July 2014
SC: November 2014
HC: 978-1401246334
SC: 978-1401249977
5GothtopiaDetective Comics vol. 2 #25–29HC: November 2014
SC: May 2015
HC: 978-1401249984
SC: 978-1401254667
6IcarusDetective Comics vol. 2 #30–34, Detective Comics Annual vol. 2 #3HC: May 2015
SC: January 2016
HC: 978-1401254421
SC: 978-1401258023
7AnarkyDetective Comics vol. 2 #35–40, Detective Comics: Endgame #1, Detective Comics: Futures End #1HC: January 2016
SC: August 2016
HC: 978-1401257491
SC: 978-1401263546
8Blood of HeroesDetective Comics vol. 2 #41–46HC: August 2016
SC: December 2016
HC: 978-1401263553
SC: 978-1401269241
9Gordon at WarDetective Comics vol. 2 #47–52HC: December 2016
SC: June 2017
HC: 978-1401269234
SC: 978-1401274115

Material from Detective Comics vol. 2 was also included in several collections of crossover events, each printed in both hardcover and softcover. In each case, the material consisted of tie-ins to the main event.
TitleMaterial CollectedPublication dateISBN
Batman: Night of the OwlsAll-Star Western vol. 3 #9; Batman vol. 2 #8–9; Batman Annual vol. 2 #1; Batman: The Dark Knight vol. 2 #9; Detective Comics vol. 2 #9; Batgirl vol. 4 #9; Batwing #9; Birds of Prey vol. 3 #9; Nightwing vol. 3 #8–9; Batman and Robin vol. 2 #9; Catwoman vol. 4 #9; Red Hood and the Outlaws #9HC: February 2013
SC: November 2013
HC:
SC:
The Joker: Catwoman vol. 4 #13–14; Batgirl vol. 4 #13–16; Suicide Squad vol. 4 #14–15; Batman and Robin vol. 2 #15–16; Nightwing vol. 3 #15–16; Detective Comics vol. 2 #15–16; Red Hood and the Outlaws #15–16; Teen Titans vol. 4 #15–16HC: October 2013
SC: April 2014
HC:
SC:
DC Comics: Action Comics vol. 2 #25; Batgirl vol. 4 #25; Batman vol. 2 #24–25; Batwing #25; Batwoman #25; Birds of Prey vol. 3 #25; Catwoman vol. 4 #25; Detective Comics vol. 2 #25; Green Arrow vol. 6 #25; Green Lantern Corps vol. 3 #25; Nightwing vol. 3 #25; Red Hood and The Outlaws #25; The Flash vol. 4 #25HC: November 2014
SC: April 2015
HC:
SC:
The Joker: Batman vol. 2 #35–40; Batman Annual vol. 2 #3; Gotham Academy: Endgame #1; Batgirl: Endgame #1; Detective Comics: Endgame #1; Arkham Manor: Endgame #1HC: September 2015
SC: May 2016
HC:
SC:

''[DC Rebirth]'' to present

Volumes 1-5 were published with DC Rebirth trade dress on the cover. This was dropped from volume 6 onwards, coinciding with the end of "DC Rebirth" branding on the series from issue #970 onwards.
Numbering on the collected editions was restarted from volume 1 with the start of Peter Tomasi's run as writer in issue #994. These volumes were published in hardcover editions first, before being reprinted in paperback.

''Millennium Editions''

In 2000 and 2001, DC reprinted several of its most notable issues in the Millennium Edition series. Seven issues of Detective Comics were reprinted in this format.