I've just started reading Batman post crisis, coming to a close on Batman: Year One. I've found a lot of lists for best Batman stories to read as well as several that list issues chronologically. I'm a stickler for continuity (I don't want to read "The Long Halloween" and have Batman talking with characters like Poison Ivy as if they know each other) but not such a stickler that I'm willing to collect to completion and shell out approximately $100 dollars for TPBs like Batman: Shaman for example.

Explanation of my situation out of the way, I'd appreciate if people either had a link to a list or could provide from their own knowledge some of the first appearances of Batman characters, particularly iconic villains, so that I can be as complete about this as possible before jumping into the most suggested Batman stories.

The ones I think I have right so far are below (corrections if any are appreciated):

Batman - Year One (duh xP)

Robin (Dick Grayson) - Robin: Year One (I think Dick appears in The Gauntlet or maybe Dark Victory before this)

Batgirl (Barbara) - Batgirl: Year One

Nightwing - Nightwing: Year One

Jason Todd - Nightwing: Year One

Tim Drake - Robin: A Hero Reborn

Joker - The Man Who Laughs

Hugo Strange - First appearance I think is The Monster Men, but I'm not sure how necessary it is as I think his first villain appearance is Batman: Prey (what am I missing if I skip to this?)

Two-Face - The Long Halloween

Scarecrow/Poison Ivy/Riddler/Man-bat - Four of a Kind

Freeze - Batman: Snow

Azrael - Batman: Sword of Azrael

Bane - Knightfall

- Venom (not a character but good pre-reading for Knightfall) - Batman: Venom

Maybe this will be easier to start with by adding some specific character questions.

- When is Black Mask's first major appearance? I think he's first seen briefly post-crisis in Batman: The Last Arkham, but don't know where else to look.

- Where is Killer Croc's first appearance? It looks like he makes a few appearances in some of the must-read titles like Knightfall and Hush so I'd like to read a little on his first encounters beforehand.

- When does Barbara (Gordon's niece) first appear or receive mention? I don't think she was around in Year One but she's mentioned off hand in The Man Who Laughs and apparently shows up in Haunted Knight.

- Where's Harvey Bullock show up? I'll probably stumble upon him eventually, I've only read up to The Man Who Laughs and have more on the way, but all I can find on him chronologically at the moment is major events like Cataclysm, so I know he's there, just don't know his first show.

- Is Solomon Grundy's first appearance in the Batman series from The Long Halloween? I think Green Lantern fights him earlier than this but I don't know if Batman already knows about him or not.

@vangidae: interresting list

For Bane I would be more specific and say "Vengeance of Bane" event if this story/book is included in the new Knightfall Books.

You are missing a few main vilains :

• Mad Hatter : would it be in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth
• Professor Pig : I think it's in Batman and Robin (by Morrison)
• Man Bat: The Darkest Night of the Man-Bat maybe ?
• Harley Quinn: Should Mad Love count ?
• what about the multiple Clayfaces ?
• Bat-mite: Legend of the Dark Mite ?
• Catwoman: ???