Recent events have seriously rocked the status quo of the Batman and the extended Bat-Family. Primarily, the death of butler, father-figure and confidant Alfred Pennyworth (during CITY OF BANE, 2019-2020) and the loss of Bruce Wayne’s fortune (due to the events of THE JOKER WAR, 2020-2021). With the family shattered and Batman struggling to deal with the loss, his son – Damian Wayne, aka Robin – decides to find his own path. But what happened to all of Batman’s technology and how will Damian’s ordeal in the Lazarus Tournament impact Black Canary’s efforts to retrieve it?
With these threads tying together so closely, it makes more sense to read these stories (all penned by Joshua Williamson) together. Especially as it will all lead into both the SHADOW WAR and LAZARUS PLANET events!
Crossover: The Batman and Detective Comics back-ups both lead directly into Robin’s ongoing, with his Annual also being tightly woven into that story. The Urban Legends tale leads straight into Deathstroke Inc, also marking that as its own crossover.
Related Events: Id’s originally intended including Robin’s story as one crossover and Deathstroke’s as another, but they’re almost too closely related to read separately. The Batman story also links in, but only peripherally.
Must Reads: Story arcs marked with a ✔are must-read stories from this time period, along with any key related stories and often-forgotten tales that are worth a read.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets. For example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue, so you don’t need to read the other four.
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- CITY OF BANE (2019-2020) – The death of someone close to Damian
- THE JOKER WAR (2020-2021) – Batman loses all of his tech
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- ✔ Batman (2016) #106 [2/2]
- ✔ Detective Comics #1034 [2/2]
- ✔ Batman: Urban Legends #6 [4/4]
- ✔ Deathstroke Inc #1
- Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1 [8/8] (tie-in)
- ✔ Robin (2021) #1-5
- ✔ Robin 2021 Annual
- ✔ Robin (2021) #6-11
- ✔ Deathstroke Inc #2-6
- Batman (2016) #118 (tie-in)
- ✔ Robin (2021) #12
- Batman (2016) #119 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Batman (2016) #120 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Batman (2016) #121 [1/2] (tie-in)
- ✔ Deathstroke Inc #7
| Must Reads | Title, Issue, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| ✔ | Batman: Urban Legends #6 [4/4] (pp.1-7) Batgirl/Oracle (Barbara Gordon) sends Black Canary to infiltrate the Transparent Researchers United for Strategy and Technology (TRUST). The British company has bought most of the tech and vehicles the Joker stole from Batman (during THE JOKER WAR, 2020-2021). |
| ✔ | Batman #106 [2/2] Having fallen out with his father, Damian Wayne travels to Markovia. He informs his mother, Talia al Ghul, that he intends to finally claim his legacy as the heir to Ra’s al Ghul’s throne. Assassins from the League of Lazarus make an attempt to kill them both, with one overpowering Talia and holding a knife to her throat. Damian hesitates, not having killed in quite some time… and the blood flies. Also see INFINITE FRONTIER |
| ✔ | Detective Comics #1034 [2/2] Talia kills the assassin first, taunting Damian for hesitating. She offers little detail on the League of Lazarus – the third League of the three classes, alongside the League of Assassins and League of Shadows – only explaining they want to prevent her from taking part in the Lazarus Tournament. Damian rejects her offer to be her assassin and resumes his role as Robin. Elsewhere, the League of Shadows plan to win the Tournament with their secret weapon, Conner Hawke… 1st appearance: Conner Hawke Also see INFINITE FRONTIER |
| ✔ | Batman: Urban Legends #6 [4/4] (pp.8-22) BlackCanary heads to an event attended by TRUST Director Juliette Ballantine in London. Black Canary impresses Ballantine when she defeats a few of assassins who show up to kill her and is asked to join TRUST, learning her mother – the original Black Canary, Dinah Drake – worked for them, years earlier, when they operated under a different name. But TRUST want to partner Canary up with Deathstroke (Slade Wilson). Elsewhere, the assassins’ failure is reported to their master, Talia al Ghul… 1st appearance: Juliette Ballantine, TRUST/ Transparent Researchers United for Strategy and Technology |
| ✔ | Deathstroke Inc #1 Black Canary heads undercover to a village that’s a suspected HIVE training centre. Deathstroke barges in with the Batmobile and shoots up the villagers who have been used as incubators for HIVE drones. Canary and Deathstroke locate the new HIVE Queen and neutralise her mutated family. Deathstroke reveals to Black Canary he’s trying to play the hero one last time to see if it sticks. TRUST airstrike the village as Canary and Slade evacuate with the Queen. 1st appearance: HIVE Queen, TRUST Council |
| Gotham City Villains Anniversary Giant #1 [8/8] (tie-in) “The Second Eye” – Talia al Ghul recalls the training her father insisted she go through when she was a child and how he talked her out of wanting to know more about her mother. | |
| ✔ | Robin #1 Batman has the rest of the Bat-Family out looking for Robin. Damian (guided by the ‘ghost’ of Alfred Pennyworth) is taking part in an illegal fighting competition in Corto Maltese. He soundly defeats Bane’s father, the King Snake, earning access to the League of Lazarus Tournament. He’s taken to Lazarus Island where he immediately challenges all present – all at once or one at a time. Flatline accepts and fights Robin, ripping out his heart to take the win. 1st appearance: Black Swan, Blue Shrike, Richard Dragon Jr, Johnny Fist, Master Dusk, Mother Soul, Nite-Wing/Thaddeus Ryerstad, Respawn, Tigress/Artemis Crock, Lazarus Island Also see INFINITE FRONTIER |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| ✔ | Robin #2 No one can die on Lazarus Island. Robin returns and learns the rules of the Tournament: Three deaths and you’re out. Third time, you die. The winner gains immortality. Robin and Flatline discover a huge Lazarus Pit beneath the island. Robin rejects Ravager’s offer to train him, but she still wants to show him how to party… 1st appearance: Firefite, Old Dirty Fighter, Shooter Jackson, Silver Monkey, Tengu, XXL Also see INFINITE FRONTIER |
| ✔ | Robin #3 Ravager challenges Robin to have fun and make a friend. He leaves the beach party on the far side of the island and finds Conner Hawke, the son of the Green Arrow and champion of the League of Shadows. They bond over their fathers’ similarities, but Master Dusk of the League of Shadows orders them to fight. Hawke beats Robin and hurls him off a cliff, only for him to be saved by his grandfather… the resurrected Ra’s al Ghul. 1st appearance: GIJaax, Vaudevillainess |
| ✔ | Robin #4 Ra’s al Ghul has taken Robin to a neighbouring island where he’s reunited with his pet dragon-bat, Goliath. Ra’s explains how Batman and the Outsiders cost him everything. Damian departs while Ra’s is trying to give him advice. On Lazarus Island, Respawn kills Ravager, signalling the start of the Lazarus Tournament. Robin returns to Corto Maltese to find the League of Assassins making a deal with the League of Lazarus over a book. Nightwing, Batgirl (Stephanie Brown), Red Hood and Robin (Tim Drake) locate the current Robin and tell him to come home… 1st appearance: Book of Lazarus, Ra’s al Ghul Island |
| ✔ | Robin #5 (pp.1-17) Ravager let Red Hood know Damian Wayne’s whereabouts. Damian agrees to come home if the ex-Robins can catch him! Damian outruns them all, except Nightwing who gives him a birthday gift, then lets him go and do what he needs to and find his own path. |
| ✔ | Robin 2021 Annual Robin returns to Lazarus Island. The gift from Nightwing gives Robin access to the Batcave’s files. Flatline’s powers activated when her grandfather died, having inherited her abilities from him. She’s become Lord Death Man’s sidekick and he sent her to the Lazarus Tournament, in exchange for replenished immortality. The League of Lazarus appeared to be intent on offering a place in the Lazarus Tournament to Grant Wilson, rather than Ravager. While looking into Hawke’s history, Robin realises he’s relying on his father’s resources and stops himself. Ra’s al Ghul is attacked on his island by assassins. Then Talia emerges and suggests they talk… |
| ✔ | Robin #5 (pp.18-22) Mother Soul announces the official commencement of the Lazarus Tournament. But warns that the deaths of the competitors will fuel the return of a demon… |
| ✔ | Robin #6 Damian kills Blue Shrike and Tengu, then tells Mother Soul he’s onto her. Flatline and Robin take a break and watch some of the other fights. They’re joined by Hawke and Ravager who want to find out what’s really going on behind the scenes. The final eight competitors battle it out. Robin feigns defeat at Respawn’s hand and snatches the book Mother Soul treasures so much. Robin figures out who Mother Soul really is… 1st appearance: Drenched, Mud, Negative One, Rox |
| ✔ | Robin #7 Respawn attacks Robin while he reads the Book of Lazarus. Robin almost unmasks him, but just ends up killing him. Mother Soul demands Robin give the book back. Instead, he reveals he knows she’s really Rúh al Ghul – Ra’s al Ghul’s mother. Then it’s down to four contestants: Flatline, Hawke, Ravager & Robin. Robin kills Flatline. Hawke defeats Ravager and prepares for a rematch with Robin… |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| ✔ | Robin #8 Robin and Hawke fight it out. Hawke throws Robin into the cheering crowd of former contestants. Following all the punishment he’s taken in his last few fights, Hawke overpowers Robin and breaks his neck. With no one willing to risk their third death, Hawke is the winner. The League of Assassins and League of Lazarus form an alliance. Warriors surround the surviving contestants. Mother Soul reveals the winner will gain immortality by becoming the host to the demon under the island. Robin returns from the dead. The demon rises and kills Hawke… 1st appearance: Lazarus Demon |
| ✔ | Robin #9 Mother Soul’s Lazarus Demon will merge with Conner Hawke and consume the other fighters before purging the world! Alfred Pennyworth’s ‘ghost’ inspires Robin to rally the other fighters against the Lazarus Demon, tearing off its head. Mother Soul breathes flame over Robin. When he can see again, he meets a more youthful Ra’s al Ghul and his mother… |
| ✔ | Robin #10 Robin quickly realises he’s not really in the past, though it all feels very real. Mother Soul reveals how her son created the Lazarus Pits after her death. He took the name Ra’s al Ghul in defiance of her belief in the Demon, then used one of the Pits to resurrect her. But she saw the Demon on the other side. He created the Leagues of Shadows, Assassins and Lazarus. But the League of Lazarus eventually sided with Rúh al Ghul’s faith in the Demon and so the Leagues went to war! Ra’s won and banished her to Lazarus Island. Robin escapes the mind-link and wakes, announcing to the fighters that Mother Soul is Ra’s al Ghul’s mother. Ra’s and Talia burst in, ready to kill Rúh al Ghul… |
| ✔ | Robin #11 Robin orders Ra’s al Ghul not to kill Mother Soul. It seems Lazarus Island is the source of the Lazarus Resin that’s made its way out to the wider world via Mother Soul and Master Dusk. Robin and his new friends – Flatline, Conner Hawke, Ravager & Respawn – promise to track Dusk down. Talia offers the remaining fighters a place in the League of Shadows – now the only League. In Corto Maltese, Respawn reveals his identity to a shocked Ravager who encourages him to leave with her. Lady Shiva congratulates Hawke on his victory and informs him of another tournament. Robin, Flatline and Hawke catch Dusk. Everyone joins the party in Corto Maltese. Robin and Flatline kiss. He decides to return to Gotham City, taking a vial of Lazarus Resin with him… |
| ✔ | Robin #12 (pp.1-3) Robin and Conner Hawke are the last of the fighters left on Lazarus Island. The two of them discuss how they’ll reconcile with their respective fathers. Robin decides to remain on the island a few days longer… |
| ✔ | Deathstroke Inc #2 Toyman (Hiro Okamura) wears the Bat-Armour while accompanying Black Canary and Deathstroke on a mission in space. Cyborg Superman is using the Weird to take over a TRUST research station. The team free the Weird, get glimpses of the past and future, and disrupt Cyborg Superman’s plans. TRUST’s next mission for Slade and Canary is to apprehend Cheetah… New identity: Cheetah/Barbara Minerva as Queen Cheetah |
| ✔ | Deathstroke Inc #3 On the run after her association with the Legion of Doom (see YEAR OF THE VILLAIN), Cheetah has disappeared into her own medieval fantasy, as created for her by the Queen of Fables. Deathstroke forces the Queen to write him into the story so that he can give chase. Finding Cheetah living as a vicious queen, Deathstroke tears up her story to end the fantasy. Cheetah offers to tell Deathstroke the truth about TRUST. Meanwhile, at TRUST Castle, Black Canary discovers Juliette Ballantine owns a Libra costume. Could she be the leader of the new Secret Society of Super-Villains? Canary contacts Oracle who orders her to take out Deathstroke, but the assassin is poised and ready to kill her… |
| Deathstroke Inc #4 Black Canary narrowly avoids a beheading before she and Deathstroke go toe-to-toe. But they both realise TRUST is playing them. When Slade confronts Juliette Ballantine, he and Canary are surrounded by the Legion of Doom! Deathstroke is shattered by Captain Cold and Gorilla Grodd. Amazo’s blast hits Juliette. Canary reveals her true mission before she dies. But it’s all an illusion cast by Doctor Destiny. He and Prometheus are working for Juliette… who is the new Libra. Canary and Deathstroke are teleported to the Crooked House – Prometheus’ other-dimensional home… | |
| ✔ | Deathstroke Inc #5 The Crooked House taunts Deathstroke and Black Canary with the lives they could have lived, then returns them to TRUST Castle. Libra confirms she’s the twin sister of Justin Ballantine, the original Libra. She introduces them to the TRUST Council, but Deathstroke reveals them to be Doctor Destiny, Prometheus, Toyman, the Body Doubles, Calculator, Count Vertigo, Deadline, Doctor Moon, Monocle, Phobia, Shrapnel and the Tattooed Man – the Secret Society of Super-Villains! They’ve formed to make money and oppose a terrible impending event. Deathstroke shoots Calculator and Libra and proclaims himself ‘King of the Super-Villains’… 1st appearance: Doctor Moon New identity: Juliette Ballantine as Libra |
| Must Reads | Title, Issue, Synopsis & First Appearances |
| ✔ | Deathstroke Inc #6 (pp.1-17) Deathstroke offers Black Canary a place working with him, making use of the Secret Society. She hurls herself into the sea, instead. She somehow survives and summons the Justice League to TRUST’s island base, but the Secret Society have vanished. |
| Batman #118 (pp.1-22) Immediately following the Magistrate and Scarecrow’s defeat (see FEAR STATE) and Ghost-Maker’s departure from Gotham (see THE GHOST-MAKER SAGA), Batman gatecrashes a party at the Billionaire’s Club when mercenaries led by Firefly stage a robbery. Afterwards, he turns down an offer to have breakfast with Oracle and Nightwing in favour of going dark for 48 hours… | |
| ✔ | Robin #12 (pp.4-22) Ra’s al Ghul and Talia decide to track down the samples of Lazarus Resin. Robin steals Talia’s airship to fly back to a Gotham City to find no Batman present. While standing over Alfred’s grave and – after ‘fighting’ an evil version of himself created by Morher Soul’s lingering magic – he purposely smashes the vial of resin, not wanting to darken Alfred’s soul with it. Talia shows up to invite him back to the fold as her son. In Japan, Flatline gives Lord Death Man the heart she took from Robin. Elsewhere, Mother Soul mocks Ra’s al Ghul. She knows he can no longer use the Lazarus Pits. And he’s dying… |
| Batman #118 (pp.23-30) Batman shows up in Badhnisia to investigate a crime scene following the arrest of members of Batman Incorporated for the murder of a costumed terrorist called Abyss. He questions Detective Cayha but she’s reluctant to aid him. Lex Luthor steps from the shadows to reveal to Batman that he’s been funding Batman Inc since Bruce Wayne lost his fortune (during THE JOKER WAR, 2020-2021). 1st appearance: Abyss, Detective Cayha | |
| Batman #119 [1/2] Batman flees the crime scene when Badhnisian police open fire. Bruce gets on offer from Lex (who learned his secret identity during FOREVER EVIL) to fund his activities as Batman. Later, Batman studies Abyss’ body in the morgue before Luthor can do the same. Abyss comes alive and attacks Batman, while the room becomes unnaturally dark. Abyss leaves Batman bleeding and blind and makes his escape… | |
| Batman #120 [1/2] Detective Cayha gets Batman out of the station in a body bag, pretending she’s taking Abyss’ corpse to Luthor. Abyss breaks into the LexCorp tower in Badhnisia and attacks Lex Luthor who’s wearing experimental Batman armour based on his Warsuit. Knowing Batman Inc are innocent, the blinded Batman tries to free them from Luthor’s hi-tech prison with help from Cayha. But they reject him and fight back. Luthor shows up and tries to convince Batman to work for him. Abyss arrives and reveals himself to be Batman Inc’s leader. And they intend on killing Luthor… | |
| Batman #121 [1/2] (pp.1-19) Detective Cayha’s back-up arrives as helicopters and guards surround the roof when the blind Batman and armoured Luthor face Abyss and Batman Inc. Batman gives the word and Batman Inc reveal they’ve been working for him all along. Abyss reveals Lex nurtured him then abandoned him, then he flees. Batman Inc locate all of Abyss’ kidnap victims and know how many cities Luthor created other ‘heroes’ in. | |
| ✔ | Deathstroke Inc #6 (pp.18-22) Deathstroke has set up base in Zandia and turned the Secret Society of Super-Villains into Deathstroke Inc. Ravager and Respawn track him down and decide to help restore his sanity… 1st appearance: Deathstoke Inc |
| ✔ | Deathstroke Inc #7 Deathstroke finds Ravager and Respawn skulking around Deathstroke Inc HQ. He grabs Respawn and unmasks him, revealing him to be the genetically engineered ‘offspring’ of Talia al Ghul and Slade Wilson. He was created by Ra’s al Ghul and his healing factor provided a means to harvest organs for young Damian Wayne when he was injured in training. The death of his son (Grant Wilson, during THE LAZARUS CONTRACT) has changed Deathstroke. Now he accepts Respawn like another son. Ravager insists something is wrong with Deathstroke, so Respawn hurls her out of the window. Lex Luthor returns to Metropolis after his trip to Badhnisia. The Legion of Doom ask him to address the problem of Deathstroke Inc… |
| Batman #121 [1/2] (pp.20-22) (tie-in) After resolving the issues at Arkham Tower (see SHADOWS OF THE BAT), Batman calls Ghost-Maker with an offer. Prometheus informs Deathstroke that Batman is back in Gotham City… |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event/Crossover |
| ✔ | Batman 2022 Annual (2022) It’s revealed that Batman asked Ghost-Maker to lead Batman Incorporated. | SECRETS AND SHADOWS NO MORE TEACHERS |
| ✔ | Shadow War Zone #1 (2022) It’s revealed that Talia al Ghul discovered the existence of Mother Soul and Lazarus Island years earlier. Shadow War: Alpha #1 (2022) Robin finally confronts Batman, though their reunion is initially frosty; Ra’s al Ghul offers up the Lazarus Pits to the world, but is assassinated by ‘Deathstroke’; Talia al Ghul orders Deathstroke’s death, leading to the ‘Shadow War’ she predicted. Robin #13 (2022) Respawn reveals his origins to Robin when they next face off. | SHADOW WAR |
| Batman #124 (2022) Batman offers Detective Cayha a place in Batman Incorporated as Abyss. | SECRETS AND SHADOWS | |
| ✔ | Robin #17 (2022) Respawn goes back to stalking Robin. | SECRETS AND SHADOWS |
| ✔ | Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #6-7 (2023) King Deathstroke is revealed to have become a host for the Great Darkness and has been driven insane; purging Deathstroke of the Great Darkness leaves him weak; someone turns off his life support at the Hall of Justice, allowing him to die | DARK CRISIS ON INFNITE EARTHS |
| Flashpoint Beyond #5 (2022) Despite the foreshadowing of his permanent death, Ra’s al Ghul returns to life once more. | ||
| ✔ | Batman vs Robin #4 (2023) Mother Soul falls to her apparent death. | LAZARUS PLANET |
| ✔ | Green Arrow #3 (2023) Connor Hawke finally reunites with his father. | DAWN OF DC |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Robin vol.1: The Lazarus Tournament | Batman #106 [part] Detective Comics #1034 [part] Robin #1-6 |
| Robin vol.2: I Am Robin | Robin #7-12 Robin 2021 Annual |
| Deathstroke Inc vol.1: King of the Super-Villains | Batman: Urban Legends #6 [part] Deathstroke Inc #1 -7 |
| Batman vol.6: Abyss | Batman #118-121, 124 |
Reading Order ©OmniverseComicsGuide 2023
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