Golden Early Years

By Anthony Fallone & Collin Colsher
Special thanks to John Doe (riverdog12) and Michael Kooiman and Aaron Severson’s Cosmic Teams

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1915^[1][2]

–REFERENCE: In World’s Finest Comics #33, Star Spangled Comics #91, America vs the Justice Society #1, and Batman #78 Part 3. April 7. Bruce Wayne is born in Gotham City to Dr. Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne.^[3] Thomas is a renowned surgeon, and both Waynes are co-owners of the million dollar Wayne Enterprises company. Bruce will also be very close with his uncle, Dr. Philip Wayne (Thomas’ brother). Bruce’s aunt Agatha Wayne will also be a presence in his life, although he will rarely see her. Bruce lives at his parents’ lavish downtown penthouse. The year of Bruce Wayne’s birth is shown on his tombstone in America vs the Justice Society #1. World’s Finest Comics #33 states that Bruce’s birthstone is diamond, which is traditionally associated with the month of April. The Robin story in Star Spangled Comics #91, which carries an April cover date, says that Bruce’s birthday is on “the 7th of this month.” According to scumbag Jim Steranko’s The Steranko History of Comics Vol. 1 (1971), Batman’s secret identity was devised by Bill Finger. The character was named for Scottish patriot Robert the Bruce (later Robert I of Scotland, 1274–1329) and American Revolutionary War General “Mad Anthony” Wayne (1745–1796).

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1917

—^[4]

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1919

—^[5]

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #235. Bruce’s parents throw a masquerade ball at their downtown penthouse. Thomas wears a “Bat-Man” costume while Martha dresses as a butterfly. Still wearing the “Bat-Man” costume, Thomas Wayne helps capture bank robber Lew Moxon, who had attempted to force Wayne to treat wounds Moxon had sustained in an earlier battle with police. At his trial, Moxon swears vengeance on Wayne. Wayne’s costume, which fascinates his young (roughly four-year-old) son, will later inspire the design of the costume Bruce wears as Batman. The placement of this story in Earth-2 continuity is a wee bit problematic, requiring caveats in order to make sense. The story shows Bruce as a young boy of perhaps four-years-old at the time of the masquerade party and indicates that Moxon spent ten years in prison before ordering Wayne’s murder, which is not consistent with the established dates of Bruce’s birth or his parents’ murders. Although published during the Golden Age, this story also belongs to Earth-1 continuity; these events are described in Untold Legend of the Batman #1 (July 1980), the definitive origin of the Earth-1 Batman.^[6]

–REFERENCE: From Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1.^[7] Bruce (age four) enters the Hudson Academy, a private K-12 school in upstate New York. Bruce will attend Hudson for kindergarten and all twelve years of pre-college education.

—^[8]

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1923_______________________________

–REFERENCE: In World’s Finest Comics #6. Bruce’s parents take him to a stage performance starring famous actor Mark Loring.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #226. Bruce joins the Sea Scouts. He will be active with them for years to come, learning lots of neat stuff along the way, including boxing.

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1924

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #33, Batman #1 Prelude, Batman #47 Part 3 Intro, Detective Comics #190, Detective Comics #235, Batman #47 Part 3, and Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1. While walking home from a movie with Martha and young nine-year-old Bruce, Thomas Wayne is shot and killed by Joe Chill. Seeing Thomas get shot causes his wife Martha to suffer a fatal heart attack, leaving Bruce an orphan. Bruce, heir to his family’s business and fortune, is left in the care of his uncle, Dr. Philip Wayne. Bruce promises to devote his life to avenging his parents’ deaths, making several declarations as such: first, a vow in front of his parents’ graves; second, a bedside vigil; and third, a vow before the grand portrait of his parents that hangs in his downtown apartment home. The precise year of the Waynes’ murders was established in Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6. While early accounts of these events indicate that both Thomas and Martha Wayne were both shot to death, Batman #47 (June/July 1948) states that Martha Wayne actually died of a heart attack after witnessing the shooting of her husband, an explanation repeated in most published version of Batman’s origin until the early 1970s. According to Detective Comics #235 (September 1956) (and most accounts of the Earth-1 Batman’s origins), Joe Chill was not a mugger, but a hitman hired by Lew Moxon. As mentioned above, the placement of the latter story in Earth-2 continuity is troublesome; it was never definitively established if Lew Moxon was responsible for the deaths of the Waynes on Earth-2. The guardianship of Bruce’s uncle Philip was first mentioned (in connection with the Earth-1 Batman) in Batman #208 (February 1969). Philip Wayne’s role in Earth-2 continuity was established by Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6. According to Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6, the Waynes were murdered after seeing a movie starring Rudolph Valentino. Historically, the only two Valentino films in theaters during 1924, Monsieur Beaucaire and A Sainted Devil, were not released until later in the year, after these events.^[9]

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1925-1928

–REFERENCE: In Batman #43 Part 1. 1925. Bruce ramps up what will become a lifelong hobby of reading. The bookish boy will devour everything from Edgar Allan Poe to Robert Louis Stevenson.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #226 and Star Spangled Comics #90. 1925. Bruce purchases a bunch of books on criminology, absorbing them all. He’ll pick up just about every book he can on the subject, moving forward. Bruce will keep a “secret library” of these titles, often referencing them long into his adult years.

–REFERENCE: In Batman #44 Part 3. 1926. Bruce learns all about his historic family tree.

–REFERENCE: In World’s Finest Comics #39. Bruce begins to live the lavish lifestyle befit for a millionaire heir. He begins shopping at the finest stores only, including frequenting a very expensive shoe store, which he will go to for the rest of his life.

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1929-1934

–REFERENCE: In Batman #93 Part 2. 1929. Bruce’s distant cousin Vanderveer “Van” Wayne is born. Bruce won’t be very close with Van, but they will interact every once in a while. These interactions will have to be imagined scattered throughout our timeline ahead. Note that we never actually learn Bruce’s cousin’s name in any Golden Age comic, but we do know that he will one day have a baby with a woman named Jane, and the baby’s nickname will be “Junior.” In the Silver Age, Jane’s baby is named Vanderveer “Van” Wayne, so we can assume that the baby (as a junior) shares his dad’s name. Thus, retroactively (and across timelines), we learn Bruce’s cousin’s name.

–FLASHBACK: From Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1. September 1929 to June 1933. Bruce (age 14) enters high school (still enrolled at Hudson Academy in upstate New York). Deeply affected by his parents’ deaths, Bruce keeps to himself, making few friends. After four years, he graduates at the age of 18. Bruce spends that summer studying criminology in his personal time. During this time period, Bruce also gets his driver’s license.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #226. Summer 1933. Bruce reads about the adventures of master police detective Harvey Harris, quickly becoming enamored with him. Disguising his identity with a mask and a red, yellow, and green costume (very similar to the uniform later used by Robin), Bruce visits and trains with Harris, who, not knowing Bruce’s real name, dubs the young man “Robin.” The placement of these events in Earth-2 continuity is speculative, as they are not mentioned in Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1 (September 1986). However, Bruce’s training with Harvey Harris definitely took place on Earth-1, as first established in Batman #213 (July 1969). In post-Crisis continuity, Bruce Wayne studied with Harris, but not in costume; see Detective Comics Annual #2 (1988). Also, in Detective Comics #226, it is implied that Bruce met with Harris before the death of his parents in 1924. Young Bruce narrates, “My parents, abroad that summer, had left me alone with the butler and maid.” But for the sake of the chronology, we’ve shifted the placement of this event to nine years after the Wayne murders, making Bruce eighteen-years-old at this time.^[10]

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #60. 1933. Bruce begins learning archery.

–REFERENCE: In Batman #47 Part 1. 1933. Bruce begins taking art lessons. He will eventually become a talented sketch artist, proficient in fashion design and croquis illustration as well.

–REFERENCE: In World’s Finest Comics #4 and Batman #48 Part 2. Bruce learns how to ride horses and play polo. Bruce will play polo and keep horses for the rest of his life.

–REFERENCE: In World’s Finest Comics #39 and Detective Comics #28. Bruce begins learning ventriloquism and how to mimic other voices.

–REFERENCE: In Batman #56 Part 1. Bruce begins studying ornithology.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #33. Bruce gets a pilot’s license and learns how to fly planes, helicopters, and autogyros. Bruce also learns how to skydive and use a parachute.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #32-33 and Detective Comics #35. Bruce purchases some handguns (specifically a Colt 1903 and possibly a Colt 1908, among others) and learns how to shoot. He will learn everything he can about ballistics and ammunition.^[11]

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1935-1938

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #33, Batman #1 Prelude, Batman #47 Part 3 Intro, World’s Finest Comics #59, Detective Comics #190, Batman #94 Part 1, Detective Comics #235, and Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6—and referenced in Detective Comics #38, Detective Comics #47 Intro, and Detective Comics #145. Fall 1935 to summer 1938. Bruce Wayne enrolls at Gotham University. World’s Finest Comics #59 (July/August 1952) states that Bruce Wayne attends Gotham University (sometimes called Gotham College). That point is confirmed by Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1, which also establishes the date. At school, Bruce is top in his class, studying chemistry, physics, scientific criminal investigation, and law as a criminology major.^[12] Bruce also begins training his body to athletic perfection, taking up gymnastics, acrobatics, tight-rope walking, weightlifting, trapeze, track and field, swimming, fencing, wrestling, advanced boxing, and jiu-jitsu. (Jiu-jitsu, in the 1930s, likely would have been an umbrella term comprising jacket wrestling, jujitsu, jujutsu, and judo.)^[13][14] Bruce also begins learning stealth techniques, police procedures, and some spy-craft. He also becomes an avid reader, consuming all manner of literature. He also does some stage-acting, learning advanced makeup and disguise techniques. And he also forms the bad habit of smoking a calabash pipe (and puffing on an occasional cigarette). In his sophomore year, Bruce takes up target slingshotting, winning at least one slingshot competition. Toward the end of his third year of college, Bruce joins a production of Hamlet being put on by his teacher, Professor Hutchins, during which he meets the lovely and intelligent co-ed theater major Julie Madison. Not long after, Bruce and Julie begin dating and fall in love. They continue to act in plays together as well. Bruce hasn’t forgotten his quest to find his parents’ killer and dreams of becoming a police detective in GCPD once he graduates.

–REFERENCE: In Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1. Bruce’s Uncle Philip Wayne dies. Bruce meets and befriends one of Philip’s closest colleagues, Gotham City Police Department (GCPD) Commissioner James Gordon.

–REFERENCE: In World’s Finest Comics #3. Bruce studies art history.

–REFERENCE: In The Brave and The Bold #146 and Batman #48 Part 1. Bruce studies world mythology and world history.

–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin (Sunday newspaper strip 3/25/1945). Bruce studies Native American and US history.

–REFERENCE: In Batman #4 Part 2. Bruce studies hoplology and begins learning how to use various weaponry.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman #96 Part 2—and referenced in Batman #4 Part 4. September to November 1938.^[15] Despite being somewhat antisocial (because of primary dedication to his books and athletic training), Bruce does manage to make some friends at college, including someone named Pete. Bruce also joins both the Gotham University wrestling and football squads, quickly developing a heated rivalry with teammate Joe Danton in both sports.

–REFERENCE: In World’s Finest Comics #44. Bruce visits Paris. While there, Bruce detains an unnamed robber after the latter commits a shooting at his hotel. This robber goes to jail but swears revenge against Bruce. He will one day return as “Jacques Venta.”

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<<< PREVIOUS: GOLDEN AGE INTRO <<< | >>> NEXT: YEAR ONE >>>

1. ^[1]COLLIN COLSHER: Before we start, some important rules. I’ve included flashbacks in a specific way. If a flashback is first revealed—let’s say in Year 15, hypothetically—the flashback may or may not be mentioned in Year 15, but the actual events that occur in said flashback will be placed one the timeline exactly when they originally occurred attached to bullets listed as “flashback.” Similarly, story references will be listed as bullet “references.” And likewise, important narrative events that don’t include Batman will be listed as “notes.” Therefore, any “references,” “flashbacks,” or “notes” occur chronologically at the spot where they are situated on the timeline. Any character names (or group names) highlighted in red denote the first appearance of a reoccurring character (or group). Some of these red items may appear only once in the Bat-verse, but appear elsewhere throughout the DCU, and thus have been given the crimson treatment as well.

   One more thing. Just about everyone eats, shits, sleeps, brushes their teeth, watches TV, goes to the office, schedules appointments in advance, and celebrates birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions. Believe it or not, Batman does all these things too. He’s human just like you and me! However, this kind of mundane everyday stuff won’t be on our timeline. Usually, anyway.↩

2. ^[2]COLLIN COLSHER: What is the rule when it comes to addressing retcons while building our timeline? Can narrative be canonized piecemeal from within a single comic? And how do we know a retcon when we see one? My timeline-building methodology doesn’t generally involve picking and choosing pieces of individual comics. Typically, a full issue is either canon or it isn’t. The only time pieces of a single comic get added are via reference (or the occasional dreaded out-and-out retcon). It’s up to the reader to make things fit into the greater puzzle—either by fanwank or caveat citing a retcon/irreconcilable difference. It’s certainly not an exact science—and I’m sure I break my own rules every now and again. But I really try not to. Later issues can retcon pieces of prior issues i.e. the Modern Age example of The Man Who Laughs (2005) retconning the end of Miller’s “Year One” (1987). But prior issues trumping later issues doesn’t usually happen. An exception to this rule would apply to retcons from later published material that is quasi-canonical (or, of course, non-canonical). Here’s the big thing to remember: Not everything contradictory that is written later is meant to be a retcon. Some writers simply make mistakes! It’s up to the reader to determine what is a retcon versus what is a continuity error. In this way, we have a loophole to all of our aforementioned edicts. It’s a difficult process determining what is or isn’t a retcon, and, as said before, it certainly isn’t an exact science with hard rules. Thus, we get caveats that say what needs to be ignored. Honestly, the continuity game is a mug’s game. As stated above, the idea is simply to come up with the best (most sensible) reading order. In my practice, I’ve tried to do this while simultaneously providing detailed explanations into my thinking.↩
3. ^[3]COLLIN COLSHER: Depending on the chronology to which you subscribe, the ages of DC’s characters will fluctuate and don’t hold fast to an exact mathematical science, especially since there are so many contradictory references and time gets retconned so much in the comics. Age tends to be the most subjective part of canon, with many characters—especially younger ones—having a wide range of possible birth years as opposed to one solidly definitive birthday. Despite this, the Batman Chronology Project prides itself on building timelines while keeping the aging of characters specifically in mind. There are plenty of online chronologies that are mere reading orders—and then there are chronologies (like this one) that take into account seasons, birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays (i.e. undeniable markers of the passage of time). Doing this—especially for many characters all at once across a serialized shared universe written by many authors—is a challenge, but it remains at the heart of the Batman Chronology Project. Therefore, with confidence, the Golden Age birth-years of major players are as follows:

   Bruce Wayne – born in 1915
   Kathy Kane – born around 1915
   Selina Kyle – born in 1920
   Dick Grayson – born in 1931
   Bette Kane – born around 1931
   Helena Wayne – born in 1957
   Alfred Beagle – born between 1895 and 1899
   Jim Gordon – born in 1900↩

4. ^[4]COLLIN COLSHER: Batman #120 Part 2 is a Golden Age story (published in December 1958) that includes a reference to Thomas Wayne working as a doctor in the US Army’s American Expeditionary Forces during the first World War, eventually attaining the rank of colonel. However, Batman #120 Part 2 (along with all of its references) is non-canon on the Golden Age timeline because its narrative revolves around Bruce playing the role of rich idler and playboy. On Earth-2, Bruce is a married family man by 1958. If Batman #120 Part 2 were canon on Earth-2, the information about Thomas Wayne’s Armed Forces service would have gone here. Feel free to include it in your own personal headcanon, if you like.↩
5. ^[5]COLLIN COLSHER: Originally, as per reference in Batman #16 Part 4, Englishman Jarvis Beagle (Alfred’s father) became the Waynes’ butler around this period, acting as the family servant and caretaker for years to follow. However, a flashback from Batman #110 Part 2 retcons this completely out-of-continuity. Thus, Jarvis may well still be Alfred’s dad, but he never works for the Waynes.↩
6. ^[6]COLLIN COLSHER: As already said, the plot of Detective Comics #235 contains some continuity issues. However, it is still canon on Earth-2. Let’s address the continuity flubs and then go into why it still belongs on Earth-2.

   First, the plot revolves heavily around Bruce finding and viewing an old sound film made before his parents were killed. Sound film would have been extremely rare at the time of Bruce’s parents’ murders in the mid 1920s. In fact, the type of sound film that is shown in ‘tec #235 most likely would have been impossible to produce in those days. However, since this story doesn’t contradict any of the various retcon changes from the 1970s and 1980s, it must remain canon on Earth-2. We must simply assume that sound film came into existence earlier in the DCU, or possibly that it was made available to the ultra rich. WWII technology was more advanced in the DCU than in real life, so it is a safe assumption to think that technology in other industries would be more advanced than in real life in the 20s too.

   Second, the plot of ‘tec #235 also revolves heavily around the fact that Lew Moxon serves a ten year jail sentence, which, if true, would mean that Bruce is around thirteen or fourteen-years-old when his parents are murdered. In 1955/1956, it would seem that writers Edmond Hamilton and Bill Finger were trying to re-write past events so that Bruce was indeed a teen when his parents died—‘tec #226 also backs ‘tec #235 in this regard. However, all other writers during the 1950s reflect a version of events where Bruce is around nine-years-old when his parents pass on, which is what Bob Kane and Bill Finger wrote originally in 1939/1940. Why Finger changed his mind is beyond me, but in any event, only these two ‘tec issues show the idea of Bruce being a teen when his parents die. Thus, that idea must be ignored as a continuity error and Moxon must be sentenced to ten years imprisonment but only serve a partial term. Later 1980s issues, such as America vs The Justice Society #1 and Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1, reflect the version of history where Bruce was around nine-years-old when his folks died (as Kane and Finger had originally intended).

   All of the events of ‘tec #235 are also canonized on Earth-1 thanks to shot-for-shot flashbacks shown in The Untold Legend of the Batman (1980). Because of this, many historians like to make ‘tec #235 non-canon on Earth-2 and only canon on Earth-1, thus providing an easy fix for the sound film problem and the Moxon jail term/Bruce age problem. However, IMO this is wrong. I cannot stress enough that ‘tec #235 doesn’t violate any future retcon changes and therefore should remain canon on Earth-2. (The flashback in The Untold Legend of the Batman, while exactly the same panel-for-panel, still merely becomes a “flashback notation” on the Earth-1 timeline. It does not move the story from one timeline to the other. References or flashbacks in new continuities work in a “copy-and-paste” fashion, not a “cut-and-paste” fashion.)↩

7. ^[7]COLLIN COLSHER: Secret Origins Vol. 2 began publication in 1986, right around the time of Crisis on Infinite Earths. This has made placement of its early issues difficult for some fans and scholars. However, issues #1-5 feature origin tales of Earth-2 Superman, Earth-2’s Crimson Avenger, Captain Marvel, and Earth-4’s Golden Age Blue Beetle (Dan Garrett), and Silver Age Earth-1 Firestorm. Thus, these first five issues are unequivocally Golden Age Earth-2 and Silver/Bronze Age Earth-1 timeline material. Issue #6 starts a new split format, containing two origin stories instead of one. Issue #6 is a little trickier because the first part acts as the final pre-Crisis origin (featuring Golden Age Earth-1 Batman) while the second part officially switches the title to the Modern Age (featuring the Modern Age Outsiders origin tale). However tricky that may be, it gives us a definitive pre-Crisis/post-Crisis marker for the Secret Origins Vol. 2 series within issue #6. As such, Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1 is the final part of the series that takes place in the Golden/Silver/Bronze Age.↩
8. ^[8]ANTHONY FALLONE: In a reference from Detective Comics #195, circus acrobat Hugo Marmon, calling himself “Bat Man,” performs in a costume similar to that eventually worn by Batman. The chronology of Marmon’s career is conjecture. The story itself specifies only that his Bat-career preceded that of Bruce Wayne’s and that Marmon did not perform in Gotham City until sometime after May 1939. Bruce isn’t involved in this item, but it’s worth mentioning and Marmon will come one day factor into Bruce’s life as an adult.↩
9. ^[9]COLLIN COLSHER: Bruce’s parents are murdered in 1924, when he is nine-years-old (as confirmed in both Detective Comics #33 and Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1). The exact date of the Wayne murders is never given in any Golden Age comic, although Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1 does tell us the family viewed a Rudolph Valentino film that night. Only two Valentino films came out in 1924—Monseiur Beaucaire, released on August 11, 1924, and A Sainted Devil, released on November 17, 1924. This seems to hint at either August or November as the date of the Wayne tragedy. However, the world of comics needn’t necessarily jibe with our real world, so it’s not an absolute indicator of anything. (In fact, the very same comic book in question, Secret Origins Vol. 2 #6 Part 1, uses fuzzy history in regard to movies later in its narrative, having Bruce watch the Humphrey Bogart film Invisible Stripes in early spring 1939. However, in real life, Invisible Stripes wasn’t released until December 1939. See what I mean?) It’s also highly possible the theater was screening an older Valentino flick the night the Waynes were murdered. In the Silver Age, the Wayne murder date is definitively June 26, so most comic book scholars and fans simply tend to retroactively make the Golden Age Wayne death match that. But to reiterate, the Golden Age never tells us outright when the Waynes are killed—aside from the year 1924. It’s up to you to decide.↩
10. ^[10]COLLIN COLSHER: Edmond Hamilton, writer of ‘tec #226, must not be well-versed in his Bat-history. He writes a version where Thomas and Martha aren’t gunned down by Joe Chill until Bruce is a teenager, hence the odd reference to Thomas and Martha being abroad for the summer! Ignore. This is a straight-up continuity error.↩
11. ^[11]DEFINITIVEWILLG (WILL GILLIES): In regard to his mastery of marksmanship and ballistics, Bruce likely reads Clyde Baker’s 1928 book Modern Gunsmithing, one of the seminal texts about firearms. Since we know in the future that Batman will sometimes forge his own ammunition, especially when he will utilize silver bullets against supernatural foes, this also lends credence to the idea that he now reads Modern Gunsmithing.↩
12. ^[12]DEFINITIVEWILLG (WILL GILLIES): Among other various books, Bruce likely studies the early volumes of H Bennett’s The Chemical Formulary. The original volume was first published in 1933, with subsequent additional volumes published regularly for over six decades to follow. Throughout the 20th century, the Chemical Formulary titles were some of the most important science texts.↩
13. ^[13]COLLIN COLSHER / DEFINITIVEWILLG (WILL GILLIES): Writers John Nash and Thomas Nash have a brilliant and hyper-detailed research article about Batman’s jiu-jitsu training, hosted by SB Nation’s Bloody Elbow blog. A must read for Bat-fans! According to Nash and Nash, it’s likely that Golden Age Bruce also learns savate (as later continuity incarnations of Bruce will do for certain). Notably, they highlight how 1930s Bruce is a proto-MMA fighter way ahead of his time, mixing various styles. We can also surmise that Bruce probably studies a lot of martial arts books. Since there’s no closer real life model to Bruce Wayne than Bruce Lee, it’s very possible that the former reads a lot of the same stuff as the latter.↩
14. ^[14]DEFINITIVEWILLG (WILL GILLIES): When DC released the Who’s Who issues for the Earth-1 and Earth-2 Batman in the 1980s, the editors listed Earth-1 Batman and Earth-2 Batman as having the exact same height and weight. There’s no way they were the same build. It’s obvious from the art in multiple comics that the Earth-2 Batman started off as a slighter frame but became more stocky, with what we would call a barrel-chested build, over time. Earth-2 Batman is always in great shape throughout his career, but he never has the bulging thews of the modern “Arnold” bodybuilder. Earth-1 Batman is more chiseled.

    Obviously, the Who’s Who issues give stats of the Batmen in their prime, but it would have been interesting to see a more “realistic” depiction in those profiles.

    The different eras in which Golden Age Batman versus Silver Age Batman (even versus Bronze Age Batman) lived definitely affect how the superhero’s physique is drawn. Things to consider are differences in training, the information available to the various Waynes, and exercise methods. The fighting styles and martial arts accessible to someone training from the age of eight to twenty-four-years-old between the years of 1923 to 1939 would be very different from those accessible to a similar person trying to learn between the years of 1945 and 1960. It’s also worth mentioning that Earth-1 Batman and Earth-2 Batman don’t even leave the US during their training periods. These days, we take for granted the idea of Bruce scouring the globe to learn as much as he can—but it wasn’t until the late 1980s that Frank Miller and Denny O’Neill first suggested the idea of the “walkabout era” where Bruce travels abroad to train.

    Notably, while both part of the same Earth-2 continuity, one can see a difference between the physiques of Silver Age Batman versus Bronze Age Batman. In the latter, artists like Neal Adams, José Luis García-López, and Jim Aparo draw the Dark Knight looking even more athletic and muscly than in years prior.↩

15. ^[15]COLLIN COLSHER: A note about specific month listings on the Batman Chronology Project. Usually, if something has a specific month listed beside it and does not have a “reason why” listed along with it, it has to do with its chrono-spatial relationship with other stories (which may give much more detailed information). Unfortunately, a lot of my specific month listings will not have a “reason why” attached, including this one. However, no matter what, there is always a reasoning behind my attachment of a precise month to a story. The explanation for the month is probably something I had down on my personal scratch sheet/working calendar, which is a wildly complicated sight to behold in and of itself. The process of timeline-building is very exhaustive. Obviously, topical references and editorial notes are taken into account, but so are in-story clues and dialog as well. Once I have a bunch of items placed, I cross-check each story with every other story on my timeline to make sure that they aren’t contradicting each other.↩