Tim: Why are you hiding in a corner?

Stephanie: Because I am surrounded by my exes Tim!

Instead of cursing her to an eternal sleep or death, Maleficent declares that the princess will grow up to betray the kingdom and serve her instead. So the king sends Aurora away, but one day the young adventurous girl strays a bit too far and right into her territory.

Have you ever wanted an exhaustive list of all of Steph's major appearances put in a reading order that makes the most chronological sense for story events? Well, this is the post for you.

The Steph wiki has a complete chronology of all the issues Steph's appeared in here, so that's the best guide for a completionist (the links for each issue often include a summary and/or scans)

However, publication order sometimes means you'll be reading events out of order--for example, a major thing will happen between Batman and Steph, but the fallout of that thing was actually published a month before that because comics are weird. So this list is trying to put things in an order that makes sense the best it could. The Wiki also includes a lot of one panel/one page cameo type appearances so this timeline leaves those off so you don't have to sort though it all.

Steph is straightfoward in that her major (preboot) appearances are mostly contained to Robin (1993), Batgirl (2000) (Cass' series) and Batgirl (2009) (her own series). If you cover those, you've basically got the scope of her. (And I rec just reading Cass's entire Batgirl series even beyond Steph appearances since it's a great comic)

However there are some one shots and side appearances to check out, and some of her appearances are more minor than others, so hence the point of this guide-- to help with all that. I also include some alternate continuity recs at the bottom!

A blanket warning for sexism, particularly in comics by Chuck Dixon (most obviously in how Tim treats Steph in early Robin comics, though she often calls him out too) and Bill Willingham (Robin 121-27). There's also a few surprise/nonconsensual kisses from both Steph's side and Tim's in the 90s tropey way, racism, and some very clumsy handling of social issues with Dixon in particular. It's kind of typical stuff for Bat-Comics of that era. I'll include more individual warnings for certain arcs.

Steph's debut in Detective Comics #647-649 is, obviously, the best way to start with her, though I also really rec reading her full backstory which you can find in:

Secret Origins 80 page Giant, in a short story titles "Daddy's Little Vigilante". (This summarizes her first appearance quickly and also goes into her childhood and backstory in more detail)

Robin #3-#5 (Steph's second major appearance, establishes a lot of things about her) Robin #15-16 (a nice little follow up to this arc).

Showcase '95 #5 "Uneven Parallels" short story (first solo story, major turning point)

Robin #26-27 (A school shooting PSA story that's fairly racist, but thare are some good Steph moments at least.) Robin #35

Robin #40-41 (clumsy handling of sexual assault trauma in the non-Steph parts of these) Robin #43-44

Robin #45 (3 page appearance, not major)

Robin/Argent Double Shot (Tim might be at his most insufferable towards Steph in this lol. Trademark Dixon misogyny in his depiction of Steph's ~jealousy~ too. Features chatroom antics that are pretty funny though)

Robin #50 (minor appearance, 2 pages, great sass toward Batman though)

Batman: Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma

Robin #54 (follows up on Huntress/Spoiler)

And now we get to Steph's first big arc, and one of her most famous. Her pregnancy arc, taking place from Robin #56-#64.

Unfortunately, this arc is written by an out-of-touch conservative and a lot of it is bad. Features anti abortion soapboxing and self loathing from Steph the writer clearly agrees with, but which I, as a normal person, find it in-character for Steph's terrible self esteem and read that way. But there's no shame in skipping most of this arc. If you want to avoid the worst parts, I recommend reading:

Robin#56 and #57 (the leadup, Tim and Steph's relationship begins, cute stuff) Read the first three pages of #58, which I have on the wiki here (There is a hint of abortion soap boxing , but you really need those pages for context. Don't read the last two pages because it gets much worse, and is unneeded!) Robin #59, 3 page appearance (Steph and her Mom do frame the pregnancy like Steph did something wrong (with her Mom blaming herself rather than Steph), but it's largely sweet and supportive, and I think important to get Mom's reaction.) There's a sweet part in #60 with lamaze class Robin #62- (two page appearance, skippable but sweet, Steph's VERY insecure about how she looks in a realistic way for someone her age though, so some fatphobia, Tim reassures her) The last three pages of #64 here (skip the first two pages to avoid annoyance) #65 (she has the baby, it's actually kind of well written and pretty heartbreaking)

Robin #68 (minor two-page appearance, leadup to next issue that is skippable)

Robin #69 (more major appearance, don't advise skipping)

Robin #71-#72 (minor 2 page appearances following up on 69)

Batman Chronicles #22 "Cry, Uncle" (cw: Steph's uncle is clearly a predator, but doesn't get farther than hitting on her, there's comeuppance)

Robin #74, Robin 80 Page Giant (my best guess for where the Giant makes sense timelinewise), Robin 75 (minor appearance)

Young Justice #30 (sexist 'girls fight over Tim' plot, but has some good moments and Peter David does a good job with Steph's voice)

“If you don’t make my sister happy,” Anthony Bridgerton continued, his eyes just intense enough to confirm Gareth’s suspicions about his sanity, “then you will not be happy. I will see to it myself.”

“Yes?” he murmured, mostly just to be kind. She’d paused in her speech, and he had a feeling she’d uttered his name without first thinking of something to ask him.

“I understand that you are an accomplished swordsman,” she finally said.

He eyed her curiously. Where was she going with this? “I like to fence, yes,” he replied.

“I have always wanted to learn.”

“Good God,” Gregory grunted.

“I would be quite good at it,” she protested.

“I’m sure you would,” her brother replied, “which is why you should never be allowed within thirty feet of a sword.” He turned to Gareth. “She’s quite diabolical.”

“Yes, I’d noticed,” Gareth murmured, deciding that maybe there might be a bit more to Hyacinth’s brother than he had thought. 

“Would you go willingly to the altar?”

“No, but—”

“You see? I am affirmed.” And somehow that made her feel a great deal better.

“Shame on you, Miss Bridgerton,” he said. “It’s not very sporting of you not to allow me to finish my statement.”

She cocked her head. “Did you have anything interesting to say?”

He smiled, and Hyacinth felt it down to her toes. “I’m always interesting,” he murmured.

“Now you’re just trying to scare me.” She didn’t know where this was coming from, this crazy sense of daring. Hyacinth wasn’t shy, and she certainly wasn’t as demure as she ought to have been, but nor was she foolhardy. And Gareth St. Clair was not the sort of man with whom one ought to trifle. She was playing with fire, and she knew it, but somehow she couldn’t stop herself. It was as if each statement from his lips was a dare, and she had to use her every faculty just to keep up.

If this was a competition, she wanted to win.

And if any of her flaws was going to prove to be fatal, this was surely it. 

Hyacinth & Gareth

Hyacinth loves the social scene. She's watched her siblings go through it all and reads Whistledown blog religiously. She goes to NYU, partly because her favorite big brother and her hero Penelope both went there, and partly so she can keep being a NYC party girl. She doesn't seem to ever go to class but graduates cum laude (Anthony isn’t sure if he’s proud or horrified). 

Gareth also comes from an Upper East Side family. He’s a few years older than Hyacinth, so they haven’t overlapped much, though he certainly knows who she is (everyone knows who Hyacinth is). He's not a stranger to the party scene, but he’s also been in Chicago for the last few years for school, so he’s not nearly as connected as Hyacinth. Gareth’s dad died when he was a kid and his mom’s second husband SUCKS. He's always hated the guy (and is pretty sure his company is doing something shady). As has his grandmother, Agatha Danbury.

Agatha Danbury is the powerhouse in Upper East Side society. She’s on the board of Mount Sinai Hospital and 2 off-Broadway theaters. She throws the best parties, always has a reservation at any restaurant, can get tickets to any show (you get it). And she's decided that her grandson needs to settle down. Gareth does not agree, but he knows better than to argue. 

He might not have ever come back to New York, but his mom dies not long after he finishes grad school and leaves him her shares of his step dad’s company, and now his step dad is trying to screw him out of them. Gareth is focused on trying to figure out how to prove that his step dad’s company is doing something illegal, while his grandmother is taking advantage of his presence to introduce him to all her friends’ eligible daughters and granddaughters. 

One of those (seemingly endless, should you have asked Gareth) daughters and granddaughters is Hyacinth, who Agatha Danbury has always liked. She says that Hyacinth reminds her of her younger self (this actually quite scares Gareth, but he knows better than to say so). Hyacinth drags him to a party she’s going to with her friends, but can tell he’s distracted. This annoys her, and she gets him to tell her what’s bothering him. (Gareth will swear later she used nefarious means. Hyacinth pleads complete innocence in the matter.) 

Que some light corporate espionage. Hyacinth suggests going to his step dad’s office to find the evidence they need. Gareth points out that this is breaking-and-entering, and illegal. Hyacinth says her sister-in-law is a lawyer, they’ll be fine. Gareth still thinks this is a bad idea, but fuck it, why not? They eventually find evidence that his step dad is running the company into the ground, but Gareth knows he can’t use it in any official capacity (see: breaking-and-entering being illegal). Hyacinth convinces him to take the information to her oldest brother and the head of the Bridgerton Cooperation, Anthony, and use it to convince him to help fund a corporate take-over. 

With his step dad out, Gareth takes over, with the company now a subsidiary of the Bridgerton Cooperation. He and Hyacinth got married once everything settled down. Agatha Danbury is thrilled.

What is Violets reaction?

Technically speaking, none of them. But...

Anthony & Kate, Colin & Penelope, and Daphne & Simon all have nice, traditional society weddings.

They're big, but not excessively so. Tasteful. With Daphne being Violet's first to get married and Anthony being the oldest, they would never get out of doing big society affairs. And Colin & Penelope kind of like the spectacle of it all. Plus, Penelope's mother would never pass-up the opportunity to show off the family's new connection to the Bridgertons.

Benedict & Sophie and Francesca & John/Michael have small affairs.

Benedict & Sophie don't want to wait to do a full society affair. And besides, Sophie doesn't have any family or really that many friends doesn't know that many people, and Benedict doesn't want her to feel uncomfortable at her own wedding.

Francesca & John are just out of college, so its a respectably sized event, but nothing huge. When Francesca & Michael get married, they decide they don't want to make a huge deal of it, but still want to do something special, so they have everyone fly out to Cabo and do a beach ceremony.

Eloise & Phillip and Gregory & Lucy come the closest to eloping.

Eloise & Phillip have been living together for awhile, and one day decide they should just make it official. They set a date for a courthouse wedding, and inform the family. Anyone who can make it up is welcome to be there, but they aren't changing the date.

Gregory & Lucy go to the court house not long after the whole "crashing Lucy's first wedding" incident. They decide that a full wedding so close to the incident is probably in poor taste, but they don't want to wait. Like Eloise & Phillip, they tell people they're going, though that message may have gone out the morning they went to the courthouse...

Hyacinth & Gareth go BIG.

There are big society weddings. And then there's Hyacinth & Gareth's wedding. With both Bridgerton and Danbury money going into the event, and Hyacinth's personality making decisions, it's an over-the-top event that people are talking about for years. The bride and groom have multiple outfit changes. The reception goes for hours. The couple and their friends go bar hopping until 4 AM.

~~~~~~~~~

the entire family is still very much british upper class - they regularly interact with the royals and attend all the family event like wimbledon and ascot. they are regularly featured in the pages of the tabloids much to their annoyance. they also went to either oxford, cambridge, or st. andrew’s (franny)

- anthony - still who he is, took over edmund’s position in the family business. huge company either a law firm, business like real estate or holdings. he’s ceo and damn good at his job. still viscount but it is really in name only.

- kate - still very much who she is, i can see her either going very much a lawyer or the artist route but i like to think of her as leaving her art as a hobby that she does simply for the pleasure of it.

- benedict - artist can do either painting or photography but has become very famous for it, initially it was because of the family name but then people started seeing his talent for what it is. his photos have been featured a bunch of times in british vogue and he is one of their go to photographers.

- sophie - very much a primary school teacher because of her experience with araminta as a child she was determined to not let that happen for other children so she makes damn sure that while they are at school in her class they know some one is looking out for them.

- colin - travel writer. he works for some magazine and has his own column. the magazine is owned by like some big media company that has their own building.

- penelope - pen works for a different magazine that is owned by the same parent company as colin’s so they work in the same building when colin is not on assignment. she secretly still runs lady whistledown that is like deux moi and once she gets outed she starts her own mini media empire. still besties with eloise.

- daphne - she is very much the perfect socialite philanthropist that is so perfect she seems like she would be a bitch but truly is that nice. is still married to simon after they fake dated due to some media scandal. lives her absolute best WAG life and has the season down to a science.

- simon - is a huge sports star, think david beckham. technically was still the duke but officially gave up the title to piss off his father. this man was born to be girl dad.

- eloise - once she realized just how much privilege she has, she put her money where her mouth is and is constantly going to protests much to anthony’s annoyance (not because he doesn’t agree with the cause just because she is giving the family a bad name in the press, he actually super proud of her.) el went to school for a degree in women and gender studies and is super involved in academia when not getting arrested.

- phillip/a - a botany professor at the university where el is based out of. still has the kids from their previous relationship with marina but they were able to get a divorce because it is the 21st century and co parent the twins quite well. their gender honestly doesn’t matter for this, they love plants and eloise - the order of that is not important.

- francesca - autistic, it is important to me that you know that. she is a film composer, she loves getting to create the score for movies and that it doesn’t require that much human interaction.

- john - still unfortunately passes away, but prior to that was some kind of finance guy. was generally the nicest guy and loved fran with his entire heart.

- michael/michaela - hot. like the most beautiful human being you have ever laid eyes on. they work as an actor because it’s fun but secretly are insanely smart and like build computers for fun.

- gregory - anthony’s mini me and he wouldn’t have it any other way. he works for the family company and loves it. generally small bean like but is insanely tall, like taller than benedict much to everyone’s annoyance but no one more than hyacinth. he worships the ground lucy walks on but they only have three or four kids because they have access to birth control.

- lucy - a mini kate. also a lawyer who’s family firm got bought by kate’s and then started working under her where she eventually met greg when he was visiting his favorite sister kate for their monthly lunch date. has ocd.

- hyacinth - a child prodigy, started university at like 15 (which she never lets greg forget) works as a ta (or whatever the uk equivalent is) for agatha who is an old family friend through whom she meets gareth. her field is like archeology or some other super niche thing. (agatha does not have to teach, she does it because if she doesn’t how else will the new generation ever be taught the right way to do things)

- gareth - is so fucking chill but absolutely matches hyacinths freak. no one is quite sure what he does, he has explained it many times but no one truly knows even hyacinth.

- violet - was besties with princess diana (old money england) she unfortunately passes around the same time as edmund and she just loses it. luckily it is the modern days was able to get help but it took a little while. though once she is back on her feet she is a force to be reckoned with. she runs the family foundation which focuses on mental health and allergy awareness.