So, I've never been a comic book fan, but I really want to get into the story of batman. I read Year One and The man who laughs. But there was something missing..redhood was mentioned, no Robin's were mentioned (Was't Jason Todd the second Robin, who becomes Redhood?). I am just, totally lost, I know little bits of information, and it sort of makes things awkward because I don't know the order of things, or a lot of details. So things will seem off because of that. I am following recommendations from http://www.comicvine.com/batman/4005-1699/forums/how-should-i-get-started-on-batman-comics-27334/ but that is 7 years old. I want to do things in order so I don't get confused (and for the life of me I cannot find issue #408). So what should I actually read in order that will make the most sense with the little bits of knowledge I have?

Just read the new 52 trades and get familiar with the killing joke/knightfall and under the hood

I don't want the basics or a small amount of story. I want to know as much as possible. And I just finished reading the long halloween..which annoyed me because I don't know the origins of the villains (other than what I know from a few movies, which obviously aren't 100% correct, especially regarding Dent)

Don't get too worked up over the order you read the comics, it's too much to think about and really makes reading them more of a chore.

Year One is a great place to start not only because not only is it an origin story, it's just that damn good. Man Who Laughs takes place a short time after Year One, and Long Halloween takes place a short time after MWL. For the origins of Robin (Dick Grayson), you could read Dark Victory and more importantly, Robin: Year One which is collected in a trade with Batgirl:Year One.

I'll list some stories I'd personally recommend:

-The Dark Knight Returns: put this first because everyone will recommend it and it is a great read. You really don't need too much prior knowledge on Batman to understand it.

-Batman: Ego (and Other Tails): This is a great story that deals with the duality of Bruce Wayne and Batman. The artwork is just out of this world. It also includes a fantastic Catwoman story.

-Grant Morrison's entire run on Batman: Here's a link to the reading order. UncleEmu gives a perfect run down.

-Scott Snyder's run: This is the current Batman run. It's good knowing what's going on currently with Batman and Synder and Capullo are killing it. It starts with the Batman: The Court of Owls Vol 1 and then you continue on from there.

-Batman: Black and White: A collection of Batman short stories written by several creative teams. Bruce Timm has a story, Neil Gaiman, Denny O'Neil, the list goes on. It features Batman stories you wouldn't typically read in a Batman comic because it's not always about Batman smacking around criminals.

-Gotham Central: You look into how the GCPD operates and see how scary Gotham can actually become if you aren't Batman. Some of the best stories to come out of comics.

-Batman Adventures: A tie-in comic to Batman: The Animated Series. You want more great episodes of BTAS? You'll read them here.

-Batman: Mad Love: A story featured in Batman Adventures about the origin of Harley Quinn.

-Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth: The inmates of Arkham have taken over the asylum and demanded that Batman come visit them. The art is freaky and has some interesting takes on Batman characters.

-Don't read Hush

-Batman: The Black Mirror: This story feature Dick Grayson Batman and the return of James Gordon Jr.

-Batman: Birth of the Demon (collected trade): Features three Ra's al Ghul stories. Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon. and Birth of the Demon. Birth of the Demon being my favorite especially because of Norm Breyfogle's artwork.

-Grant Morrison's and Mark Waid's JLA series: Great Batman moments, great stories.

-Batman: Venom: The origin of the venom drug and features a badass bearded Batman.

@occupine: read new 52 and refer to events from both pre and new 52, that way you are grasping the batman character a lot more through standard issues and you are getting a better feel of his books when it comes to story arcs.

To know more about origins or a basis of information about characters, I would recommend watching animated TV or movies focused around batman, maybe some JLU, but also just do some research or ask someone on the vine

Some vital ones are The Killing Joke, Death of the Family, Under the Red Hood, Batman and Son, and A Lonely Place of Dying if you're trying to learn as much as possible. Those three will teach you something about Jason, Tim, Damian and barbara, but they might not be canon entirely in the new 52.

I can't seem to get hold of a death in the family. :( Well, other than this one download which was rather blurry.

There are a lot of things I am missing though. The origins of poison Ivy, the penguinn, the riddler, etc. Also I have yet to encounter Harley Quinn, so I would love to know where to start with her.