When the quake strikes Gotham, Arkham Asylum closes up tight as a drum. Freed from their cells, the inmates have taken a rookie guard hostage as part of a devious contest: whoever tells the scariest tale "wins" the guard…to do with him as they wish.

"It is a foe Batman can see and hear, but he cannot touch. It will strike only once, yet will change his life forever. Already weakened by a devastating plague, Gotham City is struck by an unexpected force of nature: an earthquake that registers over 7.5 on the Richter scale! In a single instant the Batcave and Wayne Manor are left in ruins, thousands are dead and the Batman is among the missing. With the city quickly plunging into darkness, the only thing that stands between Gotham and complete chaos is Nightwing, Robin, and the rest of the Bat-Family. Will the Dark Knight return in time and save what's left of Gotham? Or is this a disaster so devastating that the city my never fully recover? BATMAN: CATACLYSM collects for the first time the complete crossover event that changed Batman and Gotham City forever. Collects BATMAN #553-554, DETECTIVE COMICS #719-721, BATMAN SHADOW OF THE BAT #73-74, NIGHTWING #19-20, CATWOMAN #56-57, ROBIN #52-53, AZRAEL #40, BATMAN CHRONICLES #12, BATMAN BLACKGATE #1, BATMAN: HUNTRESS/SPOILER #1, and BATMAN ARKHAM ASYLUM TALES OF MADNESS #1."

Essential Comics Values! From the authoritative stuff at Comics Buyer's Guide, the world's longest running magazine about comics, Comic Book Price Guide is the only guide on the market to give you extensive coverage of more than 150,000 comics from the Golden Age of the 1930s to current releases. In addition to the thousands of comic books from such publishers as Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image, this collector-friendly reference includes listings for comic books from independent publishers, underground publishers, and more! This indispensable guide features: • Alphabetical organization by comic book title • Thousands of detailed photos • An exclusive photo grading guide to help you determine your comics' conditions accurately • Current values for more than 150,000 comics Comic Book Price Guide is the reliable reference for collectors, dealers, and anyone passionate about comic books!

The ultimate guide to the man behind the mask . . . and the mythology behind the man. “Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot. So my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible. . . . I shall become a bat!” So declared millionaire industrialist Bruce Wayne, orphaned as a boy by a murderous thug and driven as a man to battle the scourge of crime by becoming Batman. Batman swooped into popular culture in 1939–and for nearly seventy years has thrilled audiences in countless comics, live-action and animated television programs, and seven feature films. Prowling the darkened rooftops of Gotham City, roaring through the teeming streets in the sleek, high-powered Batmobile, and leaping into action when the iconic Bat-Signal pierces the night sky, the Caped Crusader is a larger-than-life legend. And now, for the first time in more than thirty years, everything there is to know about Batman–from the beginning to the present, and from A to Z–is collected in one comprehensive new sourcebook. More than 500 pages of entries and illustrations include: • fascinating details and the complete background on Batman’s origins • biographies of every major character in the Batman universe–including his closest allies, from Robin the Boy Wonder and faithful butler Alfred Pennyworth to Commissioner Gordon; and his countless enemies, from the Joker, Penguin, Catwoman, and the Riddler to Scarecrow, Two-Face, Ra’s al Ghul and Poison Ivy • classic black-and-white comic book artwork throughout • two sixteen-page full-color artwork inserts Even an all-access pass to the Batcave couldn’t rival former DC Comics editor and Batman scholar extraordinaire Robert Greenberger’s exhaustive ultimate archive. The Essential Batman Encyclopedia is a must for every Batman fan’s bookshelf. BATMAN, the DC Logo, and all related names, characters and elements are trademarks of DC Comics © 2008. All rights reserved.

Written by DAN SLOTT Art by RYAN SOOK and WADE VON GRAWBADGER Painted Cover by ERIC POWELL Collecting the edgy 6-issue miniseries, ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL examines the dark underbelly of Gotham's notorious "House of Madness!" Warren White, one of Gotham's most successful financiers, thought he could beat his jail rap by pleading insanity. Now he's finding out why you don't cop an insanity plea in Gotham! Expect appearances by Batman, The Joker, Two-Face, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and the rest of Arkham's regulars - plus the debut of several new Rogues!

No other guide on the market covers the volume of comic book listings and range of eras as Comic Book Checklist & Price Guide does, in an easy-to-use checklist format. Readers can access listings for 130,000 comics, issued since 1961, complete with names, cover date, creator information and near-mint pricing. With super-hero art on the cover and collecting details from the experts as America's longest-running magazine about comics in this book, there is nothing that compares.