So I've been reading the current Batman Series and it's incredible, #13 was insane, but I want to get more of a back story because I doubt future arcs will be as accesable and Night of Owls, and Death of the family. So I created this list, and am just wondering what other books are worth reading, or if there are any that aren't really nessecery.

YEAR ONE

THE MAN WHO LAUGHS

THE LONG HALLOWEEN

DARK VICTORY

CHRONICLES: THE GAUNTLET

ROBIN: YEAR ONE

BATGIRL: YEAR ONE

TALES OF THE DEMON

NIGHTWING: YEAR ONE

SONE OF THE DEMON

THE KILLING JOKE

ARKHAM ASYLUM

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

A LONELY PLACE OF DYING

ROBIN: HERO REBORN

BIRTH OF THE DEMON

KNIGHTFALL (1-3)

PRODIGAL

CATACLYSM

NO MANS LAND

HUSH

WAR DRUMS

WAR GAMES (1-3)

--------------IDENTITY CRISIS

OMACproject

--------------INFINTY CRISIS

BATMAN & SON

THE BLACK GLOVE

R.I.P.

--------------FINAL CRISIS

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSDER

BATTLE FOR THE COWL

BATMAN & ROBIN Vol 1 (Batman Reborn)

BATMAN ROBIN Vol 2 (Batman V Robin)

TIME & THE BATMAN

RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE

BATMAN & ROBIN Vol 3 (Batman Must Die)

Then current run of Batman Inc, Detective, and Batman :)

Also should I read Identity crisis, infinity crisis and final crisis, and flashpoint too?

Thanks

Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis aren't essential Batman material. Final Crisis.....well, you need to know what happens to Batman in that story to get some context about everything that happens during and after Battle for the Cowl, so I'd say you should read that. Whatever Happened To The Caped Crusader? is non-canon and thus not essential, but I love that story. Flashpoint had a nice three part tie-in called Knight of Vengeance that was about Thomas Wayne as Batman, but it's not essential reading.

@CitizenBane: Thanks that's basically all I needed, but wasn't Flashpoint like the whole intro into the New 52

@LeadTaco: It was, but it wasn't really about Batman. So it's good to read for DC in general, but not essential for a Batman list.

@LeadTaco: It was, but Batman's personal continuity was virtually unchanged for the most part. The New 52's changes mostly affected his supporting cast. A lot of the major stories like A Death in the Family, Birth of the Demon, The Killing Joke, The Man Who Laughs, Batman and Son and Batman RIP still happened. Certain characters have been altered and so it's unclear whether some stories happened. For example, Huntress was involved in certain key elements of No Man's Land, and since she's now been reverted to her Earth-2 origin, it's unclear how much of NML is still canon, if any of it is. Catwoman no longer knows Batman's identity, so Hush might not have happened. Tim Drake's origin from A Lonely Place of Dying is no longer canon since it was retconned in Teen Titans #0. Stuff like that. You'd need to read a lot more than just Flashpoint to understand all the changes the Batclan has gone through in various New 52 books. But Batman himself is more or less the same. You can read Flashpoint, but it won't change much.

@CitizenBane: Thanks I get it now, though I might read it just because I'm probably going to go onto other DC characters after I get up to date with Batman.