I kind of can't believe we made it this far, but here it is: episode 100! And for that, we're hitting one of the last legendary Batman stories we haven't touched, and one we've slowly been building towards for many of these 100 episodes, the culmination of the first act of Grant Morrison's epic run: Batman R.I.P. We're also including a couple Golden and Silver Age stories that inspired the story. Plus, listener questions! This is the longest episode of BatChat ever, so strap in for a wild ride.

Batman, The Superman of Planet X (Batman V.1 #113)

Robin Dies at Dawn (Batman V.1 #156)

Batman R.I.P. (DC Universe #0, Batman V.1 #676-681)

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We've done episodes before that look at three versions of one story. But of there's one story that has seemingly been retold more than any other, it's the first Batman story, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate." This week, we're reading four versions of that story over three issues, plus some other stories in an anthology. It's a wild ride, featuring hippies, supervillains and some really lazy editing.

The Cry of Night Is-- Sudden Death (Detective Comics V.1 # 387)

The Cases of the Chemical Syndicate (Detective Comics V.1 # 627)

Detective Comics V.2 # 27

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Joker is Batman's most dedicated foe. Ra's al Ghul is the deadliest. The Penny Plunderer is the most ridiculous (that's up for debate, but he's my pick). But no criminal is more integral to the Batman mythos than Joe Chill, the man who killed the Waynes (except in Batman '89, but the point still stands). This week, we're closing out the unofficial early years trilogy with Batman: Year Two, as well as two other stories about Batman meeting the man who killed the Waynes.

Batman: Year Two (Detective Comics V.1 # 575-578)

The Origin of Batman (Batman V.1 # 47)

Fear Itself (Batman Adventures V.2 # 17)

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BatChat religion correspondent Robert "Bobby TwoBucks" Secundus is back this week, and he's brining with him Jean-Paul Valley, the vigilante and sometimes fanatic known as Azrael. We chart the journey of Azrael from the beginning of his ongoing to his most recent mini-series, with a stop off in an alternate world that is... something. We have one of the widest gulfs in the show's history, with a top fifty book and one that is very much not. Watch as we return to the Murphyverse, see Denny O'Neil start Azrael on his path to redemption, and see Dan Watters pay that off thirty years later.

Batman: Curse of the White Knight # 1-8

Fallen Angel (Azrael V.1 # 1-7)

Sword of Azrael (2022) # 1-6

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While Gotham City is an integral part of the Batman mythos, Batman is an international hero, and there are plenty of stories that take Batman out of the grim confines of his home city and out into a wider world. This week, we read three such stories: one a tour of the great cities of Europe with the Joker by Batman's side, one a tale of Batman's visit to his ancestral lands of Scotland, and a Bronze Age tale that stretches across much of the world and shows just how much a character can change from his first appearance to a slightly later one and how much he can turn back later.

Batman: Europa # 1-4

Batman: The Scottish Connection

The Lazarus Affair (Batman V.1 # 332-335)

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Commissioner James Gordon has existed literally as long as Batman has, having appeared in Detective Comics #27, the first appearance of Batman. Over the years, he has changed and evolved as many comic characters have. Originally mostly a deskbound civil servant who was just here to turn on the Bat Signal, Gordon has become an important part of Gotham's police, leading from the front as the incorruptible beacon of law and order. This week, we're reading stories featuring Jim Gordon, including one detailing the tragedy of his son, and animated series style tale where Gordon tries to save an undercover officer, and a Golden Age tale that helped inspire Grant Morrison's epic run

The Black Mirror (Detective Comics Vol.1 # 871-881)

Badge of Honor (Batman Adventures V.1 # 15)

Commissioner Gordon Walks a Beat (Detective Comics Vol.1 # 121)

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Welcome to the first episode of our new Oppenheimer podcast. This first episode investigates how director Christopher Nolan's film deals with the Trinity Nuclear Test.

What?

It's still a Batman podcast?

It's about Batman meeting Superman and Wonder Woman, the other members of DC's trinity?

OK, I guess that's cool too.

World's Finest (World's Finest Vol.2 # 1-3)

Gods of Gotham (Wonder Woman V.2 # 164-167)

Trinity (Batman/Superman/ Wonder Woman: Trinity # 1-3)

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It's taken three episodes, but we've finally covered every story in the original Batman # 1. That means this week, we're covering the first appearance of Catwoman, and so we're also covering a couple other Catwoman stories, one a story that's place in continuity is weird even by DC Comics standards, and one that started off so promisingly, before it became a big sprawling mess later in its run.

The Cat (Batman V.1 # 1)

Catch as Catscan (Detective Comics V.1 # 569-570)

Rooftops (Batman V.3 # 14-15)

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There are plenty of superheroes you could talk about where the issues of copaganda in 2023 don't come up. I'm sure there are. But Batman isn't one of them. We've had episodes talking about Jim Gordon and the main detectives of the GCPD before and had to look at those questions, and this week, we're back again. Only this time one of the stories is asking them along with us.

Officer Down (Batman V.1 # 587, Robin V.2 # 86, Batgirl V.1 # 12, Birds of Prey V.1 # 27, Catwoman V.2 # 90, Nightwing V.2 # 53, Detective Comics V.1 # 754, Batman: Gotham Knights # 15)

Motive (Gotham Central # 3-5)

The Blue Wall (GCPD: The Blue Wall # 1-6)

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I was going to do some parody of that God awful Nicole Kidman commercial that airs in front of every movie at AMC Theatres (why are you advertising the movie chain to people already in their seats?!?!?!?), but you're listening to this episode, so I love you and wouldn't subject you to that. This week, we're looking at three comic book stories that tie into Batman media outside comics: the Burton Batman universe, the animated series through a sequel to Mask of the Phantasm and a prequel comic to the Audio Adventures podcast.

Shadows (Batman '89 # 1-6)

Shadow of the Phantasm (Batman & Robin Adventures Annual # 1)

Batman: The Audio Adventures Special # 1

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