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Fear State (Reading Order)
Series · 18
books · 2021-2022

Books in series

Detective Comics #1043 book cover
#1

Detective Comics #1043

2021

Fear State grips Gotham City! When Mayor Nakano’s city hall office finds itself under siege, the only hero who can help the embattled local official is the man Nakano pledged to rid from Gotham: Batman. The top vigilante in the city must protect the man who’s fought so hard to put an end to masked heroes in an action-packed car chase that culminates in a shocking ending that’ll give readers nightmares. Backup: Wait, how did Red Hood end up in Deb Donovan’s apartment? And what the hell gives him the right to eat all her frosted cereal? As Gotham’s troubled son and the city’s toughest reporter set out to uncover the mystery of the missing A-Day corpses, they run into more answers than they bargained for culminating in a deadly shoot out that renders Red Hood down for the count! Can Deb Donovan make it out alive to tell the tale of her harrowing adventure? And what will Red Hood's capture mean for the Bat-Family? It all leads to next month's terrifying new chapter in Gotham history: TASK FORCE Z!
Detective Comics #1044 book cover
#2

Detective Comics #1044

2021

When the terrorist organization known as THE RED CROWN took control of Mayor Nakano’s personal security detail, only the Batman could protect Gotham’s highest-ranking city official from certain death! But when the pair is thrust into the sewers below, a much more sinister threat lurks in the darkness. Better look sharp, Batman, because a hundred thousand eggs with a hundred thousand little monsters inside are about to hatch…and they look HUNGRY… Back-up: Arkham Asylum may have been decimated during A-DAY, but its legacy lives on. Now, Mayor Nakano has given the green light for a brand-new ARKHAM TOWER to be erected in the heart of Gotham City, and some strange and horrific things are going down at the construction site. Don’t miss this epic kick-off to a story arc that will shape the Batman universe for years to come!
Harley Quinn #6 book cover
#5

Harley Quinn #6

2021

Yer pal Harley Quinn back again! Now, there might be a lot of new faces in Gotham, but it’s always nice to see an old friend. Okay, so Catwoman explicitly asked me not to call her my friend, but I know she secretly loves me under that tough, broody, leather-clad exterior. You’re not gonna wanna miss this one as we tangle with those boring Magistrate goons in Alleytown like a real dynamic duo! I smash a lot of stuff with my bat, and Selina does a bunch of flips and awesome things with her whip. She’s so cool.
Harley Quinn 2021 Annual #1 book cover
#6

Harley Quinn 2021 Annual #1

2021

Kevin here! You know, Harley’s sidekick, and your favorite new character? I know Harley usually does these solicits, but she’s a little tied up at the moment. Like, literally. See, there’s a new villain in Gotham calling himself Keepsake, and you know how Gotham villains are: definite psychological issues. So Keepsake kidnapped Harley, while trying to convince her to be his partner and help take over the city. Now, I don’t mean to imply that Harley’s not capable all on her own, but this time she needs a little help. Which means I’m teaming up with Solomon Grundy so we can visit Gotham’s worst criminals and figure out where Harley might be. Plus, a major new Bat-villain!
Harley Quinn (2021-) #7 book cover
#7

Harley Quinn (2021-) #7

2021

Heya, folks, Harley Quinn here! In case you all haven’t noticed…things have been a little wild lately. Hugo Strange, out-of-control orderlies, kidnapped clowns, and a new villain named Keepsake…it’s a lot for any one former villain turned antihero turned real hero with impeccable fashion sense to handle. I’m talkin’ about ME if that wasn’t clear. With all the Fear State happening in Gotham, I thought it would be a good time to go on a little camping trip. But, turns out, Gotham is gonna be Gotham…Keepsake’s forming a new army, Hugo’s playin’ dress-up, and the city is literally tearing itself apart. This looks like a job for Harley Quinn, Kevin, and...the Gardener? Oh yeah, Bella’s in this one, too! I just love her little plant dogs!
Batman Secret Files book cover
#8

Batman Secret Files

The Gardener #1

2021

She is shrouded in mystery, her motives a secret, and one cannot help but ask: Who is Bella Garten, a.k.a. the Gardener, really? Green-thumbed storytellers James Tynion IV and Christian Ward dig deep into her past and unearth the secret origin of the latest addition to Batman’s rogues gallery. Learn not only how Bella Garten came to know Pamela Isley, but how she was integral to the origin of the woman who would one day be known to all as Poison Ivy.
Batman Secret Files book cover
#9

Batman Secret Files

Miracle Molly #1

2021

Since Miracle Molly’s explosive first appearance in the pages of Batman, people have been clamoring to know more about the colorful transhumanist vigilante! Now the wait is over-the history of Gotham’s latest breakout star is revealed! It’s a story so secret even Miracle Molly doesn’t remember it! Discover what led a regular Gothamite to reject their past, name, and humanity to embrace the promise of a blank slate-the promise of the Unsanity Collective! Batman series writer James Tynion IV teams up with rising superstar artist Dani to bring you all the way back to the beginning of Miracle Molly in this exciting and integral Fear State special.
Batman book cover
#10

Batman

Fear State - Alpha #1

2021

The event over a year in the making begins Fear State settles upon Gotham City, and no one is safe! Overwhelmed by the dual threat of the Scarecrow and Peacekeeper-01, Batman and his allies have been one step behind since the events of Infinite Frontier #0 and with the arrival of a mysterious anti-Oracle and the return of Poison Ivy, Batman might have more than he can handle!
Batman (2016-) #112 book cover
#11

Batman (2016-) #112

2021

A story over a year in the making and set into motion with Infinite Frontier #0, Fear State begins! Batman played into the hands of the Scarecrow, who has unleashed a coordinated attack on Gotham City through his manipulation of Simon Saint and Peacekeeper-01! But there are other forces at work with the emergence of an Anti-Oracle spreading fake news across all channels and inciting terror and violence on the streets of Gotham! Backup: Clownhunter has turned down help from Batman, Leslie Thompkins, the Red Hood, and everyone else who has offered it to him, thinking that he can handle being a vigilante on the streets of Gotham City by himself. But when he takes a shot at fighting the Scarecrow one-on-one, he’ll learn very quickly how much in this city he’s not ready for yet. NEW HERO - PEACEKEEPER X!
Nightwing #84 book cover
#15

Nightwing #84

2021

¡La red de Oráculo ha sido pirateada! ¿Quién ha hackeado a Barbara Gordon? ¿Está en peligro la información personal de los héroes? El Antioráculo se está aprovechando de los sucesos de Batman: Estado de miedo para sembrar el pánico. Nightwing se dirige a Gotham para encontrar al villano. Contiene: Nightwing núm. 84 USA
Batman (2016-) #114 book cover
#16

Batman (2016-) #114

2021

Batman is racing against time to stop Gotham City from tearing itself apart as the Scarecrow’s long game is revealed. The Dark Knight has bigger problems though, as an insane Peacekeeper-01 is on a murderous rampage through the streets of Gotham! Can Peackeeper-X stop him?! Back-Up: Clownhunter has been doused with Fear Toxin at the hands of the Scarecrow, and he is living out every anxiety, moment of pain, and heartbreak he’s ever had. Will he find his way out and resume his goal of being Gotham’s protector from clowns? Or will he succumb to Scarecrow’s greatest mind game yet?! See the end of this epic story that will change Clownhunter’s trajectory in Gotham City forever!
Batman (2016-) #115 book cover
#17

Batman (2016-) #115

2021

Batman and Miracle Molly are all that stands between Gotham City and absolute insanity! But an unhinged Simon Saint brings all the resources of the Magistrate to bear on the Dark Knight…is victory at hand for the Scarecrow? Back-Up: Batgirls Cassandra Cain and Stephanie Brown have each other’s backs no matter what-even if it means punching some Magistrate soldier butt, and putting an even bigger target on their backs. Meanwhile, a mysterious Anti-Oracle character finally makes contact directly with Babs and has a few things to say about the unethical nature of Oracle’s powers, and what they think should be done about it.
Nightwing #85 book cover
#19

Nightwing #85

2021

Babs takes the Anti-Oracle attack on her Oracle Network personally, and she suits up as Batgirl, accompanying Nightwing and Tim Drake to track down who is responsible. But with fear consuming the streets of Gotham, Batgirl and Nightwing accidentally get hit with something that reveals their deepest fears…and it involves each other.
Batman (2016-) #116 book cover
#21

Batman (2016-) #116

2021

The only thing standing between an insane, heavily armed Peacekeeper-01 and a high body count in Gotham City is Batman. Their first bout didn’t go well for the Dark Knight, but the city is on the line and he can’t let the Scarecrow’s master plan come to fruition…and whose side is Miracle Molly truly on? The penultimate chapter of “Fear State”! Backup: With the Bat comms unreliable, Oracle has instructed the Batgirls to stay in the Clock Tower while she and Nightwing investigate who’s behind the Oracle Network hacks. But with the Magistrate’s forces instructed to attack the Clock Tower, will the Batgirls make it out before it’s too late?
Nightwing (2016-) #86 book cover
#22

Nightwing (2016-) #86

2021

Nightwing and Babs have fought through the fear-stricken Gotham streets, but now their fight takes them to the skies above Gotham, with the Batgirls and Tim Drake (Robin) in tow! Now aboard the Magistrate’s Skybase-01, they have made it their mission to bring the airborne leviathan down, prevent Seer’s disinformation from being broadcast, and save the innocents aboard. But in this paranoia-stricken city, not everyone is who they seem…
Batman (2016-) #117 book cover
#25

Batman (2016-) #117

2021

As the full scope of the Scarecrow’s plans is revealed, a bloodied Dark Knight fights for his life, and all the lives in Gotham City, against an unrelenting, unstoppable opponent. The shocking conclusion to “Fear State” is here…Will Batman ever be the same? Backup: After what happened in the Magistrate’s Skybase-01, nowhere is safe, and the Batgirls hide out in a hotel room until Babs arrives offering a plan for their future. Seer, the “Anti-Oracle,” is revealed here! And who they are will make you question everything you see moving forward in Gotham…
Batman book cover
#26

Batman

Fear State - Omega #1

2021

As Gotham’s Fear State comes to a close, a new day dawns on the city…one without Batman. But the Dark Knight’s absence does not mean the city is without heroes. Join James Tynion IV and Riccardo Federici as they bring “Fear State” to its conclusion and introduce a new status quo that will reverberate throughout the DCU for years to come.
Batman book cover
#27

Batman

Fear State Saga

2022

The Batman: Fear State Event is collected like never before! Gotham City is on the brink of martial law as Batman fights a two-front battle! The Scarecrow is unleashing a devasting attack on the city while the Magistrate have made their move to invade! Gotham City is on the brink of a violent evolutionary path and the danger level to Batman and his allies reaching a fever pitch! The Magistrate now have full support from the mayor to handle high-level law enforcement in Gotham and have branded the Dark Knight as Public Enemy #1. Batman must also contend with the return of the Scarecrow who pursues his own terrifying agenda as he takes this chaotic moment to launch his FEAR STATE. And that's just the start of the Dark Knights twisted tale in Batman: Fear State Saga collecting Batman #112-117; Batman Secret Files: The Gardener #1; Batman Secret Files: Peacekeeper #1; Batman Secret Files: Miracle Molly #1; Batman: Fear State: Alpha #1; Batman: Fear State: Omega #1!

Authors

Brandon Thomas
Brandon Thomas
Author · 44 books

Brandon Thomas is the writer and co-creator of critically-acclaimed comics series EXCELLENCE (Skybound/Image), HORIZON (Skybound/Image) and THE MANY ADVENTURES OF MIRANDA MERCURY. Previous work includes the comics series NOBLE (Lion Forge), VOLTRON (Dynamite), and FANTASTIC FOUR TALES (Marvel). NOBLE #1 was awarded the Fist Award for Best International Comic by the 2017 Lagos Comic-Con, in recognition of best usage of characters/stories based on persons of African descent. NOBLE was also nominated for 2019 Glyph Comics Awards in six categories: Story Of The Year; Best Cover (winner); Best Writer; Best Artist (winner); Best Male Character (winner); and Best Female Character. Since 2003, Brandon has written comics for several publishers, including Marvel, Lion Forge, Arcade, Dynamite, and DC Entertainment, and has published over 300 original columns as part of the Ambidextrous series. His first creator-owned project THE MANY ADVENTURES OF MIRANDA MERCURY shipped from Archaia Entertainment to widespread critical success, leading to his biggest comics projects to date—the sci-fi conspiracy thriller HORIZON (co-created with artist Juan Gedeon), and the action fantasy series EXCELLENCE (co-created with artist Khary Randolph) — both published by Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment. Brandon also hosts The Two Brandons podcast with Eisner-Nominated writer Brandon Easton (Transformers: War For Cybertron, Star Trek: Year Five, Vampire Hunter D: The Series). He lives and writes in Southern California with his wife and son.

Ed Brisson
Ed Brisson
Author · 80 books

Comic book writer. Credits include: COMEBACK, SHELTERED, THE FIELD (Image Comics), SECRET AVENGERS (Marvel), ROBOCOP, SONS OF ANARCHY, HELLRAISER (BOOM!) and X-FILES/TMNT: CONSPIRACY (IDW). Plus, you know, a bunch of stuff I can’t talk about yet.

Matthew Rosenberg
Matthew Rosenberg
Author · 115 books

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name "I haven’t always been a writer. My parents are writers and my brother is a writer, and I resisted that as long as I could. When I was 17, I hopped in a band’s van and I went on tour for a summer, and that was it, that was what I wanted to do. I ran a record label for 10 years, a small indie punk label. I did everything in music that you can do that doesn’t involve having musical ability. Eventually the music business, probably in a similar way to comics, will just start to break your heart, and I realized one day that I kind of hated music. I was resigned to thinking, if I’m going to be involved in music forever, I’m going to hate it for the rest of my life. I just stopped. I stopped having any sort of business with music, any involvement. I read comics my whole life, so I just naturally fell back into another medium that is marginalized and hard to make a living in." Source: http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles... Writer of comics WE CAN NEVER GO HOME, SECRET WARS JOURNAL, OUR WORK FILLS THE PEWS, 12 REASONS TO DIE, & MENU.

Tom Taylor
Tom Taylor
Author · 353 books

Once a professional juggler and fire eater, Tom Taylor is a #1 New York Times Bestselling, multi-award-winning comic book writer, playwright and screenwriter. Well known for his work with DC Comics and Marvel, Taylor is the co-creator of NEVERLANDERS from Penguin Random House, SEVEN SECRETS from Boom Studios and the Aurealis-Award-winning graphic novel series THE DEEP. Taylor is also the Head Writer and Executive Producer of The Deep animated series, four seasons of which is broadcast in over 140 countries. He is perhaps best known for the DC Comics series, DCEASED (Shadow Awards Winner), NIGHTWING (nominated for 5 Eisner Awards), SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL (GLAAD Award Nominee), INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US, SUICIDE SQUAD, EARTH 2 and BATMAN/SUPERMAN as well as Marvel's FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN, ALL NEW WOLVERINE, X-MEN: RED, DARK AGES and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. Taylor is also the writer of many Star Wars series, which include STAR WARS: INVASION and STAR WARS: BLOOD TIES (Stan Lee Excelsior Award winner). Taylor has written for Marvel, DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom Studios, Wildstorm, 2000 AD and Gestalt Comics. He can be followed on twitter @TomTaylorMade.

Mariko Tamaki
Mariko Tamaki
Author · 108 books

Mariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer, playwright, activist and performer. She works and performs with fat activists Pretty Porky and Pissed Off and the theatre troupe TOA, whose recent play, A vs. B, was staged at the 2004 Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her well-received novel, Cover Me (McGilligan Books) was followed by a short fiction collection, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (Women's Press). Mariko's third book, FAKE ID, is due out in spring 2005. Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies. [MacMIllan Books]

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