Batman: Shadow of the Bat
Batman: Shadow of the Bat was a comic book series featuring Batman, published by DC Comics. The series ran for 96 issues, from 1992 to 2000. The stories took place in Batman's then-current continuity along with Detective Comics and Batman, in contrast to Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight, which focused on Batman's early years. Batman: Shadow of the Bat looked into the psyche of the various cast members of the Batman comics. It was also notable for introducing the villain Victor Zsasz into the Batman mythos.
| Batman: Shadow of the Bat | |
|---|---|
 Cover of Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 (June 1992), art by Norm Breyfogle and Brian Stelfreeze. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | June 1992 – February 2000 |
| No. of issues | 96 |
| Main character(s) | Batman |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Alan Grant |
| Artist(s) | Norm Breyfogle Bret Blevins Dave Taylor Mark Buckingham |
The majority of issues were written by Alan Grant, who had previously been the main writer on Detective Comics from issue #583 to #621 (cover-dated February 1988 to September 1990) and on Batman from issue #455 to #480 (cover-dated October 1990 to Late June 1992).
Publication history
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 (cover-dated June 1992) went on sale three weeks after Alan Grant's final issue of Batman. Its first story arc, the four-part storyline "Batman: The Last Arkham", saw the introduction of several new characters such as Jeremiah Arkham and Victor Zsasz.
Fifty of the series' 96 monthly issues were part of various crossovers with other titles. Issues #16-30 tied into the "Knightfall" storyline. Issues #73 and #74 were a part of the "Batman: Cataclysm" storyline, which was a top vote-getter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 1999. Issue #80 was part of a special "flip-book" along with Azrael #47, where both issues were part of the same book. The #1,000,000 issue was a part of the "DC One Million" storyline, which was a top vote-getter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story for 1999. Issues #83 through #94 were parts of the "No Man's Land" storyline that won the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Story of 2000.
Grant's run as writer ended with issue #82, before the series was integrated into the year-long crossover storyline "Batman: No Man's Land". Afterward, the series was written by a variety of writers. Batman: Shadow of the Bat was canceled at the end of "No Man's Land" and was immediately replaced with the new series Batman: Gotham Knights.
Collected editions
The first four issues of the series were collected in Batman: The Last Arkham, and various other issues have been included, among other titles, in a number of trade paperbacks. In more recent times, DC Comics have been publishing this material in new, thicker trade paperbacks. This includes four volumes of Shadow of the Bat, through new editions of No Man's Land. In 2017, DC started publishing oversized hardcover editions of the event Knightfall, in three volumes, which collect many issues of the series.
| New edition trade paperback title | Shadow of the Bat material collected | Other material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow of the Bat Vol. 1 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-12 | June 2016 | 978-1401263195 | |
| Shadow of the Bat Vol. 2 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #13-23, Annual #1 | January 2017 | 978-1401265885 | |
| Shadow of the Bat Vol. 3 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #0, 24–31, Annual #2 | January 2018 | 978-1401275204 | |
| Shadow of the Bat Vol. 4 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #32-43 | March 2019 | 978-1401288051 | |
| Contagion | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #48-52 | Azrael #15-16, Batman #529, The Batman Chronicles (1995) #4, Catwoman (1993) #31-32, Detective Comics #695-696, Robin (1993) #27-28 | March 2016 | 978-1401260682 |
| Legacy Vol. 1 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #53 | Batman #533, Catwoman (1993) #53-35, Detective Comics #697-700, Robin (1993) #31 | April 2017 | 978-1401272029 |
| Legacy Vol. 2 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #54 | Batman #534, Batman: Bane OGN, Batman: Bane of the Demon #1-4, Catwoman (1993) #36, Detective Comics #701-702, Robin (1993) #32-33 | February 2018 | 978-1401277611 |
| Cataclysm | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73-74 | Azrael #40, Batman #553-554, The Batman Chronicles (1995) #12, Batman: Arkham Asylum - Tales of Madness #1, Batman: Blackgate - Isle of Men #1, Batman: Spoiler/Huntress: Blunt Trauma #1, Catwoman (1993) #56-57, Detective Comics #719-721, Nightwing (1996) #19-20, Robin (1993) #52-53 | October 2015 | 978-1401255152 |
| Road to No Man's Land Vol. 1 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #75-79 | Batman #555-559, The Batman Chronicles (1995) #16, Detective Comics #722, #724-726, Robin (1993) #54 | October 2015 | 978-1401258276 |
| Road to No Man's Land Vol. 2 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #80-82 | Azrael: Agent of the Bat #47-50, Batman #560-562, The Batman Chronicles (1995) #15, Batman: No Man's Land Secret Files (1999) #1, Detective Comics #727-729 | July 2016 | 978-1401232283 |
| No Man's Land Vol. 1 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83-86 | Azrael: Agent of the Bat #51-55, Batman #563-566, The Batman Chronicles (1995) #16, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #116-118, No Man's Land #1, Detective Comics #730-733 | December 2011 | 978-1401232283 |
| No Man's Land Vol. 2 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #87-88 | Azrael: Agent of the Bat #56-57, Batman #567-568, The Batman Chronicles (1995) #17, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #119-121, No Man's Land Gallery #1, Catwoman (1993) #72-74, Detective Comics #734-735, Nightwing (1996) #35-37, Robin (1993) #67, Young Justice in No Man's Land #1 | April 2012 | 978-1401233808 |
| No Man's Land Vol. 3 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #89-92 | Azrael: Agent of the Bat #58, Batman #569-571, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #122-124, No Man's Land Secret Files #1, Detective Comics #736-738, Robin (1993) #68-72 | August 2012 | 978-1401234560 |
| No Man's Land Vol. 4 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #93-94 | Azrael: Agent of the Bat #59-61, Batman #572-574, The Batman Chronicles (1995) #18, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #125-126, No Man's Land #0, No Man's Land Gallery (1999) #1, Catwoman (1993) #75-77, Detective Comics #739-741, Nightwing (1996) #38-39, Robin (1993) #73 | December 2012 | 978-1401235642 |
| Omnibus title | Shadow of the Bat material collected | Other material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batman: Knightfall Vol. 1 Omnibus | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-18 | Batman #484-500, Batman Villains Secret Files (1998) #1, Batman: Vengeance of Bane (1993) #1, Detective Comics #654-666, Showcase '93 #7-8 | April 2017 | 978-1401270421 |
| Batman: Knightfall Vol. 2: Knightquest Omnibus | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19-28 | Batman #501-508, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight (1989) #59-61, Catwoman (1993) #6-7, Detective Comics (1937) #667-675, Justice League Task Force (1993) #5-6, Robin (1993) #1-2, #7, Showcase '94 #7 | November 2017 | 978-1401274368 |
| Batman: Knightfall Vol. 3: Knightsend Omnibus | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29-35 | Batman #509-510, #512-515, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62-63, Batman: Vengeance of Bane II, Catwoman (1993) #12-13, Detective Comics #676-677, #679-682, Nightwing: Alfred's Return #1, Robin (1993) #8-9, #11-14, Showcase '94 #10 | May 2018 | 978-1401278496 |
| Batman: Road to No Man's Land Omnibus | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73-82 | Batman #554-562, Detective Comics #719-722, #724-729, Catwoman #56-57, Robin (1993) #52-54, Azrael: Agent of the Bat #40, #47-50, Nightwing #19-20, The Batman Chronicles #12, #14-15, Batman: Arkham Asylum - Tales of Madness #1, Batman: Blackgate - Isle of Men #1, Batman: Huntress/Spoiler - Blunt Trauma #1 | October 2020 | 9781779506610 |
| Batman: No Man's Land Omnibus volume 1 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83-88 | Batman #563-568, Detective Comics #730-735, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116-121, Catwoman #72-74, Robin (1993) #67, Azrael: Agent of the Bat #51-57, Nightwing #35-37, The Batman Chronicles #16-17, Batman: No Man's Land (Collector's) #1, Batman: No Man's Land Gallery #1, and Young Justice In No Man's Land #1 | January 2022 | 9781779513229 |
| Batman: No Man's Land Omnibus volume 2 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #89-94 | Batman #569-574, Detective Comics #736-741, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #122-126, Catwoman #75-77, Robin (1993) #68-73, Azrael: Agent of the Bat #58-61, Nightwing #38-39, The Batman Chronicles #18, Batman No Man's Land #0; and Batman: No Man's Land Secret Files #1 | September 2022 | 9781779517142 |
| Trade paperback title | Material collected | Publication date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batman: The Last Arkham | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-4 | October 1995 | 978-1563891908 |
| Batman: Knightfall, Part Two: Who Rules the Night | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-18, Batman #498-500, Detective Comics #664-666, Showcase '93 #7-8 | September 1993 | 978-1563891489 |
| Batman: Knightfall, Part Three: KnightsEnd | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #29-30,Batman #509-510, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #62-63, Catwoman #12-13, Detective Comics #676-677, Robin #8-9 | June 1995 | 978-1563891915 |
| Tales of the Batman: Tim Sale | Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #32-34, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #7-9, Showcase '94 #3-4, Solo #1 | January 2009 | 978-1401217358 |
| Batman: Prodigal | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #32-34,Batman #512-514, Detective Comics #679-681, Robin #11-13 | January 1998 | 978-1563893346 |
| Batman: Anarky | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #40-41, Anarky #1-4, The Batman Chronicles #1, Detective Comics #608-609 | February 1999 | 978-1563894374 |
| Batman: Contagion | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #48-49, Azrael #15-16, Batman #529, The Batman Chronicles #4, Catwoman #31-32, Detective Comics #695-696, Robin #27-28 | April 1996 | 978-1563892936 |
| Batman: Legacy | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #53-54, Batman #533-534, Catwoman #35-36, Detective Comics #699-702, Robin #31-33 | February 1997 | 978-1563893377 |
| Batman: Cataclysm | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73-74 Batman #553-554, The Batman Chronicles #12, Batman: Blackgate - Isle of Men #1, Batman/Spoiler/Huntress: Blunt Trauma #1, Catwoman #56, Detective Comics #719-721, Nightwing #19-20, Robin #53 | June 1999 | 978-1563895272 |
| Batman: No Man's Land, Vol. 1 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #83-84, Batman #563-564, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116, Batman: No Man's Land #1, Detective Comics #730-731 | September 1999 | 978-1563895647 |
| Batman: No Man's Land Vol. 2 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #85-87, Batman #565, The Batman Chronicles #16, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #117, #119, Detective Comics #732-733 | February 2000 | 978-1563895999 |
| Batman: No Man's Land Vol. 3 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #88, Batman #566-569, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #120-121, Detective Comics #734-735 | October 2000 | 978-1563896347 |
| Batman: No Man's Land Vol. 4 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #92-93, Batman #571-572, The Batman Chronicles #18, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #125, Detective Comics #736, #738-739 | December 2000 | 978-1563896989 |
| Batman: No Man's Land Vol. 5 | Batman: Shadow of the Bat #94, Batman #573-574, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #126, No Man's Land #0, Detective Comics #740-741 | April 2001 | 978-1563897092 |