After Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s groundbreaking re-start of Batman with Court of Owls/Night of Owls, they brought back Batman’s classic adversary: The Joker! This manifestations of The Joker is one of the most horrifying, were he is holding on his painted face as a mask and going after the entire “bat family.” This story arc again acts as a major crossover, this time being important to the universe because of its specific effect on Damien Wayne, the current Robin. Below is the correct Batman Death of the Family reading order, starting with issues then discussing the trades.

Batman #13

Batgirl #13

Catwoman #13

Batman #14

Batgirl #14

Catwoman #14

Suicide Squad #14

Batman #15

Detective Comics #15

Batgirl #15

Suicide Squad #15

Batman and Robin #15

Nightwing #15

Red Hood and the Outlaws #15

Red Hood and the Outlaws #15

Teen Titans #15

Batman #16

Detective Comics #16

Batgirl #16

Batman and Robin #16

Nightwing #16

Red Hood and the Outlaws #16

Teen Titans #16

Batman #17

So obviously the Batman issues are the most essential, and you can get away with just reading those. If you avoid all of the tie-ins, especially Batman and Robin, then you may not pick up on what happens with Damien Wayne.

If you want to just go at this in trades then you essentially have two versions of this you can go to. First, you could just go to Batman vol. 3 Death of the Family to just read the Batman issues. Second, you could go for the more supplemental volume, The Joker: Death of the Family. This will include all of the tie-ins, but none of the main issues. Reading these two volumes together will give you the entire crossover event, but you will have to check the reading order to get it right.

Batman #13-17

Batman Vol. 3: Death of the Family (The New 52)

CATWOMAN 13-14, BATGIRL 13-16, SUICIDE SQUAD 14-15, BATMAN AND ROBIN 15-16, NIGHTWING 15-16, DETECTIVE COMICS 15-16, RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS 15-16 and TEEN TITANS 15-16.

The Joker: Death of the Family (The New 52)