The Bat-Family has some pretty great events, such as No Man’s Land and Death of the Family, but we haven’t gotten one in a while now. DC Comics‘ Bad Seeds gets almost the whole Bat-Family together, as heroes, villains, and normal citizens have to survive one long night. With a name like that, the main antagonist couldn’t be anyone other than Poison Ivy, who transforms Gotham into a hostile landscape of prehistoric plant life.
This event will certainly change everything for Poison Ivy, and it’ll escalate Batman’s fight against Vandal Savage. However, since it’ll also focus on normal citizens, we’ll get some stories with fairly different vibes, pleasing any fan. Bad Seeds hits shelves this week, so we’ve put together a complete reading order for the event, including recommended readings to help you understand it.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Prologue Chapters
Before diving right into Batman: Bad Seeds, we have a few recommended readings for your list. These are comics that set up the status quo of the upcoming event and give insight into what might happen throughout its story.
Poison Ivy #45
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Leandro Fernández
Poison Ivy, now Gotham’s Mayor, is losing supporters left and right. That, along with her obsession/rage/hate/so much more for Batman, will dictate a lot about the event and the rest of Wilson’s run.
Poison Ivy #46
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Leandro Fernández
This chapter focuses on Janet and Juhi, which gives us a more objective view of the city. It’s a good start for those who want to understand the motivations of Bad Seeds, as it introduces important characters and what’s happening with Ivy through engaging dialogue.
Poison Ivy #47
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Leandro Fernández
The official prelude to the event! Ivy’s self-destructive path finally drives her away from her supporters, but she isn’t done yet. This’ll most likely show her transforming Gotham and set up how the other heroes and villains will participate throughout Bad Seeds.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Main Event
Batman: Bad Seeds – Sunset #1
Writer: Matt Fraction, G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cliff Rathburn
Matt Fraction and G. Willow Wilson unite their big bads, Vandal Savage and Poison Ivy, to terrorize the Bat-Family once again. The duo changes Gotham’s landscape to advance their agendas while also hunting the superhero group.
Batman #13
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Matteo Scalera
Obviously, Vandal Savage has plans to deal with everyone, even Poison Ivy. He has a chemical weapon designed to kill her, which will make their one-night changes to the city permanent. That also makes us question: does Pamela have her own strategy to end Vandal Savage, too?
Batgirl #23
Writer: Tate Brombal
Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa
Cassandra Cain enters the event! We bet fans will be happy to see her involved in more Bat-Family stuff again. This time, rather than having a nice night out, she’ll have to protect a noodle shop and all its customers.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #1
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Gotham Central is back, and it’ll have a high bar to overcome. With the whole city and the police in chaos, Espinoza and Jim Gordon are the only ones available to deal with Anarky pulling off a big heist and other crimes.
Batwoman #7
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Dani
Batman gives Batwoman the mission to fix their communication. However, things definitely won’t be easy with the city in ruins and her being seen as a killer.
Catwoman #91
Writer: Torunn Grønbekk
Artist: Danilo Beyruth
Catwoman’s fight against Black Mask is finally over, but settling down or taking a little vacation doesn’t even seem to cross her mind. Now, our favorite thief sets her sights on Vandal Savage’s home.
Detective Comics #1113
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Jeffrey Spokes
Detective Comics directly follows Batman #13, continuing his fight against Savage to stop him from unleashing his chemical and making everything worse. The backup story gives us our first official look at Batman’s newest big bad, Rhetoric.
Nightwing #142
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: David Lapham
Unlike the other characters, Nightwing will deal with a Blüdhaven problem. A truck full of TNT is heading from there to Gotham as revenge on the city, and Grayson is the only one who can stop it. Also, Lapham will take over the art during the event, which can give the series a new sense of style.
Harley Quinn #66
Writer: Elliott Kalan
Artist: Carlos Olivares
Seeing all the ruckus in Gotham, Harley just knows who’s behind it all. So we’ll finally see her and Poison Ivy reunite.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #1
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Rosa Ekedal
Have you ever wished The Pitt was set in Gotham? Gotham General follows the hospital’s doctors, focusing on the regular citizens amidst the chaos. It’s always interesting to see regular people in such situations, and we know Rucka can definitely nail that story.
Poison Ivy #48
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Marcio Takara
Poison Ivy is feeling the most powerful she’s ever been, and there’s no one to stop her (of course, there’ll be). This issue comes with two great returns. First, Huntress is back in Gotham, and she surely won’t make things easy for Ivy. Also, Takara is back, taking the art to another level again.
Batgirl #24
Writer: Tate Brombal
Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa
While Tenji and Jaya stay to defend the noodle shop, Cass has to rush to Gotham Central to deliver a sick kid. With the city taken over by the superbloom, maybe she’d wish she had stayed at the noodle shop, too.
Batman #14
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Matteo Scalera
Batman resorts to one of his oldest villains, Mr. Freeze, to stop the calamity, but will he happily help the Bat? Verity also has her fair share of fighting, since she’ll have to defend Wayne Manor.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham Central #2
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Jim Gordon, Espinoza, Harvey Bullock, Anarky, Dr. Annika Zeller, and Victor Zsasz are all stuck in the same subway. As Ivy’s monstrous plants are still taking over the city outside, they’re all between a rock and a hard place.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Gotham General #2
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Rosa Ekedal
After something very bad apparently happened in Gotham Central, Stephanie Brown is on death’s door, and her last hope is Gotham General. Given the cover, this also looks like a good chance for a family reunion.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Streets of Gotham #1
Writer: Matt Fraction, Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Steve Lieber, Brian Ching, Gretel Lusky
Fraction and Mariko Tamaki unite to write six short stories about regular citizens surviving in the Bad Seeds event. Like Gotham General, this might be a great chance to see the chaos and horror of the situation through more humane, relatable lenses.
Batwoman #8
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Dani
Savage’s cops continue their quest to kill Batwoman, but they’re about to learn she’s far smarter and more skillful than they are. They’ll duke it out in the Cathedral of St. Dumas, which will prove to be a very atmospheric setting. And maybe an Azrael participation? We can only hope.
Catwoman #92
Writer: Torunn Grønbekk
Artist: Danilo Beyruth
Like Cassandra Cain, Catwoman also finds herself having to protect a child in Gotham’s monstrous, dangerous state. How that relates to her trying to steal Savage, we’ll still have to see.
Detective Comics #1114
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Jeffrey Spokes
Detective Comics once again directly follows up on Fraction’s Batman run, as the titular hero gains a new ally. Or, actually, more than one, since Nora Fries is joining him and Mister Freeze in ending Poison Ivy’s reign.
Nightwing #143
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: David Lapham
If you’ve been dying to see some Dick Grayson/Damian dynamic, this is for you! We’ll see Watters’ take on Robin as the two brothers work together to stop an old foe in Gotham.
Harley Quinn #67
Writer: Elliott Kalan
Artist: Carlos Olivares
Harley Quinn continues her mission to traverse the city in search of her partner. But will she even find Poison Ivy, and if she does, will Harley’s words reach her?
Poison Ivy #49
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Marcio Takara, Alex Lins
Ivy has lost all her powers and allies, but it’s not over until it’s over, right? She’ll still do what it takes to survive in a Gotham that hates her and escape.
Batman: Bad Seeds – Sunrise #1
Writer: Matt Fraction, G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cliff Rathburn
After an incredibly chaotic night, the day is about to come. But we know that in Gotham, that doesn’t mean the danger is over. What happens to Vandal Savage? Does Ivy die? How will this event pave the future of Gotham and its characters? There are many questions we expect to see answered in the final Bad Seeds oversized issue.
Comic Book Club Live Info:
Share this:
Discover more from Comic Book Club
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.