This is a guide to what order to read the Batman comics written by Grant Morrison in graphic novel form. If it's helpful to you, please consider buying one of the volumes from the link to the right!
Note that the publication order (and reading order) is not necessarily the chronological order of events--there are flash-forwards and flashbacks all over the place. (Batman R.I.P., for instance, opens with a scene that takes place halfway through Batman Reborn.) Just roll with it; you'll be fine.
Reprints BATMAN #655-658, #663-669 and #672-675. (#659-662 were an unrelated story; #670-671 were part of "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul.") Note that there's an earlier version of Batman and Son that only reprints the first half of this material, and a collection called Batman: The Black Glove that reprints the second half.
1.5. Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul
Reprints BATMAN #670-671, BATMAN ANNUAL #26, ROBIN #168-169, NIGHTWING #138-139 and DETECTIVE COMICS #838-839. A crossover: Morrison wrote two of its nine chapters. You can skip over it easily enough.
2. Batman R.I.P.
Reprints BATMAN #676-683 and several pages from DC UNIVERSE #0.
Note that there were a bunch of quasi-tie-ins to "Batman R.I.P." in other titles--Detective Comics, Robin, Nightwing and Batman and the Outsiders--but they don't really have much to do with Morrison's story.
3. Final Crisis (New Edition)
A massive Event Comic that leads to the next wave of Morrison's Batman. Reprints FINAL CRISIS #1-7, FINAL CRISIS: SUBMIT #1, FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND #1-2, BATMAN #682-683, and several more pages from DC UNIVERSE #0. If you have the original edition, that works too--the additions to the "new edition" are several more story pages, plus the two issues of Batman, which are a bridge that explains how Batman gets from one part of Final Crisis proper to another, and which are duplicated in Batman R.I.P.
4. Batman & Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn
Reprints BATMAN AND ROBIN #1-6.
5. Batman & Robin, Vol. 2: Batman Vs. Robin
Reprints BATMAN AND ROBIN #7-12. At this point, there were three Morrison Batman titles running simultaneously, but why not pause and savor the excellent cliffhanger at the end of this one?
6. Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Reprints BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1-6.
7. Batman & Robin, Vol. 3: Batman Must Die
Reprints BATMAN AND ROBIN #13-16 and BATMAN: THE RETURN #1. The strands converge!
8. Batman: Time and the Batman
A breather before the madness of Incorporated. Reprints BATMAN #700-703. 700 is three short stories set in different eras; 701-702 return to the events of 682-683 from a different perspective. 703's not written by Morrison.
9. Batman Incorporated
This is where it gets a little tricky. This is the collection that's just called Batman Incorporated and has Batman standing against a bunch of international flags on the cover. Reprints BATMAN INCORPORATED (2011) #1-8 and BATMAN INCORPORATED: LEVIATHAN STRIKES!
10. Batman Incorporated, Vol. 1: Demon Star
Yes, the second volume is called Vol. 1. Thank you, New 52 reboot. Reprints BATMAN INCORPORATED (2012) #1-6 and #0.
11. Batman Incorporated, Vol. 2: Gotham's Most Wanted
Wrapping up the Morrison/Bats sequence. Reprints BATMAN INCORPORATED (2012) #8-13 and BATMAN INCORPORATED SPECIAL #1.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Batman: The Black Casebook
A collection of weird older Batman stories to which Morrison refers in his Batman run. Not by any means necessary to enjoy Morrison's stories, but will probably deepen your enjoyment of them. Save for your second reading, perhaps. Reprints material from BATMAN #65, #81, #112-113, #134, #152 and #156, DETECTIVE COMICS #215, #235, #247 and #267, and WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #89.
Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On Serious Earth
A 1989 graphic novel by Morrison and Dave McKean. Quite good; not directly connected to Morrison's later run.
Batman: Gothic
A 1990 storyline by Morrison and Klaus Janson. Reprints BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #6-10.
1. Batman and Son (New Edition)
Reprints BATMAN #655-658, #663-669 and #672-675. (#659-662 were an unrelated story; #670-671 were part of "The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul.") Note that there's an earlier version of Batman and Son that only reprints the first half of this material, and a collection called Batman: The Black Glove that reprints the second half.
1.5. Batman: The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul
Reprints BATMAN #670-671, BATMAN ANNUAL #26, ROBIN #168-169, NIGHTWING #138-139 and DETECTIVE COMICS #838-839. A crossover: Morrison wrote two of its nine chapters. You can skip over it easily enough.
2. Batman R.I.P.
Reprints BATMAN #676-683 and several pages from DC UNIVERSE #0.
Note that there were a bunch of quasi-tie-ins to "Batman R.I.P." in other titles--Detective Comics, Robin, Nightwing and Batman and the Outsiders--but they don't really have much to do with Morrison's story.
3. Final Crisis (New Edition)
A massive Event Comic that leads to the next wave of Morrison's Batman. Reprints FINAL CRISIS #1-7, FINAL CRISIS: SUBMIT #1, FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND #1-2, BATMAN #682-683, and several more pages from DC UNIVERSE #0. If you have the original edition, that works too--the additions to the "new edition" are several more story pages, plus the two issues of Batman, which are a bridge that explains how Batman gets from one part of Final Crisis proper to another, and which are duplicated in Batman R.I.P.
4. Batman & Robin, Vol. 1: Batman Reborn
Reprints BATMAN AND ROBIN #1-6.
5. Batman & Robin, Vol. 2: Batman Vs. Robin
Reprints BATMAN AND ROBIN #7-12. At this point, there were three Morrison Batman titles running simultaneously, but why not pause and savor the excellent cliffhanger at the end of this one?
6. Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne
Reprints BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1-6.
7. Batman & Robin, Vol. 3: Batman Must Die
Reprints BATMAN AND ROBIN #13-16 and BATMAN: THE RETURN #1. The strands converge!
8. Batman: Time and the Batman
A breather before the madness of Incorporated. Reprints BATMAN #700-703. 700 is three short stories set in different eras; 701-702 return to the events of 682-683 from a different perspective. 703's not written by Morrison.
9. Batman Incorporated
This is where it gets a little tricky. This is the collection that's just called Batman Incorporated and has Batman standing against a bunch of international flags on the cover. Reprints BATMAN INCORPORATED (2011) #1-8 and BATMAN INCORPORATED: LEVIATHAN STRIKES!
10. Batman Incorporated, Vol. 1: Demon Star
Yes, the second volume is called Vol. 1. Thank you, New 52 reboot. Reprints BATMAN INCORPORATED (2012) #1-6 and #0.
11. Batman Incorporated, Vol. 2: Gotham's Most Wanted
Wrapping up the Morrison/Bats sequence. Reprints BATMAN INCORPORATED (2012) #8-13 and BATMAN INCORPORATED SPECIAL #1.
ADDITIONAL READING:
Batman: The Black Casebook
A collection of weird older Batman stories to which Morrison refers in his Batman run. Not by any means necessary to enjoy Morrison's stories, but will probably deepen your enjoyment of them. Save for your second reading, perhaps. Reprints material from BATMAN #65, #81, #112-113, #134, #152 and #156, DETECTIVE COMICS #215, #235, #247 and #267, and WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #89.
A 1989 graphic novel by Morrison and Dave McKean. Quite good; not directly connected to Morrison's later run.
Batman: Gothic
A 1990 storyline by Morrison and Klaus Janson. Reprints BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #6-10.
