Modern YEAR FOURTEEN (Part 1)

2002 (January to June)^[1]
_______________________________

–Detective Comics #654-656
Early January. The General (Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong), a ten-year-old delinquent with a genius for military combat, takes over leadership of the Bengal Street Raiders gang. Batman, Harvey Bullock, and Renee Montoya get caught in a gunfight between the Raiders and the Eight Avenue Oh Gees gang, with the Caped Crusader getting badly injured. (Bullock and Montoya aren’t official partners yet, but they will continue to work closely together, moving forward.) After taking a few days to recover and study up on Gotham’s gang scene, Batman travels to the turf of the Bad Boy Runners gang where he finds a united Raiders and Oh Gees wiping out the Runners. Batman mistakes the General for a child in danger, “rescuing” him only for the General to bonk him on the head with a concrete block. Injured again, Batman barely makes it home. Meanwhile, the General’s united army assimilates the Monster Club gang and tells the False Face Society to fall in line or else. A couple False Facers are killed for pledging allegiance to Black Mask, who is still on the lam. (It’s mentioned that Batman last fought the False Face Society weeks ago, but it was actually about two months ago.) In order to surveil the gangs, Batman goes undercover as an unhoused man for what we are told is a full week. (That’s eating up a lot of precious space on our timeline, so it’s entirely up to you whether or not you want shorten this duration in your headcanon.) Eventually, the General’s gang army strikes at a police precinct, but the weary yet stalwart Batman is there to stop them and bust the General. (Batman’s war against the General’s army is also shown via flashback from Batman #497.) Bird secretly observes the Dark Knight from afar, studying his every move and tactic on behalf of Bane. With the General behind bars, his suburban family, who were terrified of the little bastard, sigh a collective breath of relief. (The Armstrongs are Edward Armstrong, Helen Armstrong, Hilary Armstrong, and Matthew Armstrong.) Back home, Batman passes out due to exhaustion.

–REFERENCE: In Justice League America #71, Justice League America #76, and Black Condor #12. January. Batman isn’t directly involved with this item, but he would be fully aware of what goes down. In the wake of Superman’s recent death and funeral, the JLA and JLI have been shaken to their cores. Wonder Woman decides to take a more prominent role on the JLA team; and new members join, including the newest version of The Ray (Ray Terrill), Black Condor (Ryan Kendall), and Agent Liberty (Benjamin Lockwood). Shortly after joining the JLA, the Ray departs to join the JLI. Basically, the Justice League lineups will be in a state of flux for the next few months to come. Note that Batman also doesn’t factor into the unlisted middle issues (Justice League of America #72-75), which feature a Dr. Destiny plot involving a dream (nightmare) version of the old Justice League, but he would likely be aware of the case details. In conversation with members of the JLA, Batman also learns specifically that Black Condor is an “odd but basically decent” guy.

–Batman: DOA
January 10-11. A vile plan concocted by Penguin, Joker, and Two-Face months ago has finally come to fruition. (We are told they cooked up their scheme “three months ago,” yet the story gives us a very specific timeline that shows they planned everything during an Arkham stint exactly two months and ten days ago.) What is the plan, you ask? The three villains have arranged for a petty criminal, Max the Mimic, to dose Batman with a lethal virus (created by chemical engineer Professor Theo Partridge). Since the trio are currently incarcerated in Arkham Asylum, the idea is that no one will suspect their involvement. Although petty indeed, Max successfully completes his mission, secretly giving Batman the virus. Against a snowy backdrop, the Caped Crusader begins feeling the effects of the virus as he and Robin seek out Senator Vance Landis’s daughter Clancy, who has been kidnapped by terrorists. After getting his diagnosis (death within twenty-four hours), Batman soon begins vomiting uncontrollably and hallucinating. Robin and Gordon search for a cure for Batman’s illness while the sickly Dark Knight—guided by Oracle—struggles against Clancy’s kidnappers. After temporarily regaining his equilibrium in a bar, a weak Batman tries going after Clancy again. Meanwhile, Robin goes deep down the conspiratorial rabbit hole looking for answers, eventually finding the body of a deceased Partridge. Eventually realizing that Penguin, Joker, and Two-Face are responsible for Batman’s condition, Robin and Gordon visit them at Arkham where they retrieve the antidote capsule, which Penguin has had hidden up his nose for months. In the end, Batman just barely saves Clancy, and Robin just barely saves Batman.

–Robin III #1
In Robin III, Tim is portrayed as a freshman at Gotham Heights High School and depicted as being around 14-years-old. However, in order to jibe with the rest of the timeline, he should actually only be in junior high at Gotham Heights Junior High School and only 11-years-old. This age discrepancy will rear its head a handful of times ahead on our timeline, so keep this in mind as you navigate onward. Onto a synopsis. As snow falls over Gotham, a multi-pronged gang war has erupted in the city. While Batman and Robin fight a white power gang known as the White Wolves, another gang eliminates the neo-Nazis. Across town, Huntress spies on top mobster Tony Bressi (who we haven’t seen since Year Eight)! Later, Tim attends school and chats with his friend Sebastian Ives and his guidance counselor Earlene Hollingsworth. After school, Tim attends Sebastian’s birthday party in Little Odessa (Gotham’s Russian neighborhood). Present are Sebastian’s entire family, including Mr. Ives and Mrs. Ives. On the street outside the pary, Tim overhears thugs affiliated with Bressi (members of the Hammer Group, including the Commissar) roughing-up a local shopkeeper (Mr. Dzerchenko). Tim saves Mr. Dzerchenko and meets his daughter Ariana Dzerchenko, whom he will begin dating later this year. After that, Tim chats with his dad at Drake Manor. Having already started doing a lot of sneaking around to attend to his vigilante duties, Tim has had Harold construct a secret tunnel between Drake Manor and Wayne Manor. When the Hammer group goes after the Dzerchenkos again, Robin is on-hand and faces off head-to-head with the returning KGBeast! NOTE: The rest of Robin III (Robin III #2-6) happens right after Robin III #1 ends. These issues are very important continuity-wise, but I’ve left them off the timeline simply because Batman is not in them. Importantly, though, these issues see KGBeast murdering Ariana’s dad, after which Robin, Huntress, and King Snake’s Ghost Dragons defeat the KGBeast. Ariana goes into the guardianship of her aunt and uncle—Vari Dzerchenko and Natalia Dzerchenko. And Ariana also begins dating Tim!

–Batman: Unseen #1-5^[2]
Batman beats up some False Face Society members, who refuse to give the still-off-the-grid Black Mask’s current location. Meanwhile, funded by Black Mask, Dr. Nigel Glass become The Invisible Man. (Notably, Black Mask wears an alternate mask in this tale, so we must assume he is trying something different for the time being.) Batman begins an investigation into the newcomer, shaking down Boss Dayne and associates (all of whom he knows about from his Bat-Computer files). During his investigation, Batman uses his Matches Malone alias. Batman then fights Dr. Glass, who has begun his own campaign of murder and mayhem after betraying and kidnapping Black Mask. Batman saves a badly injured Black Mask’s life, but Dr. Glass escapes. Black Mask goes back behind bars. As the case wears on, Alfred creates special light-refracting lenses for Batman, which allow him to see Dr. Glass. Why doesn’t he just use infra-red and look for heat signatures? Who knows. After luring Dr. Glass to Bruce Wayne’s ski lodge, Batman drinks the invisibility serum and nearly kills the doc. In the end, Commissioner Gordon calms down the invisible Caped Crusader and all is right in the world again. In the Batcave, Bruce destroys the last batch of invisibility serum.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Poison Ivy. Bruce befriends notorious playboy, perfumer, and fashion mogul Christopher DeJardin, head of the DeJardin International conglomerate. While not shown on our timeline ahead, Bruce and DeJardin will hang out every once in a while.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19-20 and Batman: Shadow of the Bat #34. Batman combats against mafiosos in the Buto Mob, led by the patriarch of the Buto family, Joey Buto. Batman also deals with the Butos’ rivals, the Mahoon brothers (Johnny Mahoon and Mike Mahoon).

–REFERENCE: In The Batman Files. Harold draws a picture of the Batcave for Batman.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #683 Part 2. Batman terrifies a random unnamed hood in Gotham’s Chelsea neighborhood, hanging him out of a window to obtain information.

–REFERENCE: In Showcase ’94 #3. Batman busts Dr. Faustus and his henchmen. Faustus goes to Arkham Asylum. His henchmen go to Blackgate Penitentiary.

–Batman/Judge Dredd: Vendetta in Gotham
Judge Dredd returns to Earth-0 (from his alternate post-apocalyptic Earth in the twenty-second century) to pick a fight with Batman. After battling for nearly forty-five minutes straight, Dredd says that he was merely keeping Batman occupied to save his life. Citing a future newspaper story obtained by Mega-City One time-scientist, Dredd reveals that Batman was originally set to die earlier in the night from an explosion caused by the Ventriloquist at a stage-play of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Realizing that children are in danger, Batman takes-off to the Ventriloquist’s location. Dredd follows and helps Batman not only bring down the Ventriloquist, but save everyone’s lives too. Before departing, Dredd reveals that he only saved Batman’s life because a telepath on his Earth predicted that the Dark Knight will help save Mega-City One from a dire threat one day in the future.

–Batman versus Predator II: Bloodmatch #1-4^[3][4]
This tale supposedly occurs the summer following Batman versus Predator #1-3. However, the whole Bane saga gets in the way of that logic. Therefore, we must ignore the specific summer setting. Onto the synopsis. Batman stalks drug pusher Johnny Panetti—representing the mobster Manny Terraro—to the waterfront where he surveils a dockside drug deal between Panetti and some Columbian hoods. When Panetti double-crosses the hoods and shoots them dead, Batman swoops down to kick ass, receiving some unwelcome assistance from Huntress. Panetti tells Batman that Terraro has put a high-paying underworld hit out on him. As Batman patrols, a returning Predator alien, having returned to Earth to hunt Batman, attacks Commissioner Gordon at Police HQ, stealing the Bat-Signal in the process. The Predator then knocks-out Huntress and decapitates some of Terraro’s men. In the forest outside of Gotham, the Predator calls Batman by shining the Bat-Signal into the air. Batman fights a losing battle against the Predator in the woods, getting tied up and hung upside down. Huntress arrives again and saves Batman. A stuttering Terraro-hired hitman, in an attempt to kill Batman, blows up the Batmobile, which actually allows the heroes to escape. The Predator kills the hitman. Back in Gotham, Huntress gives Batman a list of assassins on his tail. Batman trains with Alfred in the Batcave while Huntress makes herself bait to lure the other hitmen away from the Caped Crusader. After building a signal scrambler (designed to eliminate the Predator’s ability to turn invisible) and meeting briefly with Huntress, Batman returns home to test the scrambler on Alfred’s TV. We learn that Alfred has a cozy home theater living room setup in the Batcave, which he uses to record and watch daytime soaps! Batman and Huntress then both converge on Terraro’s penthouse where they fight a Hong Kong assassin and the Predator, who instantly kills Terraro. While Huntress defeats the assassin, Batman chases away the Predator. Meanwhile, two more Predators, sent from their home world to kill the Predator that stalks Batman (who has apparently gone rogue, striking at Batman without permission), engage with their target. However, the rogue Predator kills one of them. Batman meets the other Predator briefly before returning home. After dispatching of another hitman, Batman meets Commissioner Gordon’s new personal staffer Lieutenant Frank Stocker, two “Men in Black” CIA agents that have information about the Predators, and a pipe-smoking Commissioner Gordon. (The pipe is odd since, at this juncture, Gordon would have quit smoking. Could this be a non-nicotine puff puff? Either that or it is a continuity error.) The group lights up a brand new Bat-Signal as a lure for the rogue Predator, but both Predators show up. The CIA agents shoot at the wrong Predator and get their heads chopped off for their mistake. The rogue Predator kidnaps Lieutenant Stocker, forcing Batman and Huntress to follow back into the woods. They wind up aboard the rogue Predator’s spaceship, which rockets over Gotham. Batman and Huntress are knocked-out, but Lieutenant Stocker sacrifices his own life to kill the rogue Predator. Batman and Huntress plunge into the bay below just in time to witness the good Predator sacrifice his own life by crashing his spaceship into the rogue Predator’s spaceship (not knowing he had already been killed). Batman tells Huntress to piss off. Commissioner Gordon lights up the Bat-Signal to alert Batman to a new murder spree by an escaped Joker. It’s back to business as usual just like that. We can presume that Batman brings Joker to justice and returns him to Arkham Asylum (where we next will see the villain for Bane’s big strike).

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #668. Due to his father’s disability and some serious wealthy white privilege, Tim learns that he will be able to get his driver’s license early even though he is only 11-years-old! (Don’t forget that Tim was originally around fifteen-years-old when this reference originally happened in the comics, but, due to sliding-time and general narrative compression, the oldest Tim can be on our timeline is merely eleven, nearly twelve.) Thus, in preparation, Batman and Robin design and build the Robin-mobile called “The Redbird.” They also construct a secret Batcave vehicle entrance for him to use. Batman promises Robin he can use the car as soon as he gets his driver’s license.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #683 Part 2. Batman busts up an unnamed drug dealer‘s crack cocaine ring in Gotham’s Kingston Square neighborhood. (Crack seems a little topical to the mid 1990s, so—thanks to sliding-time—it might be best to consider this a heroin ring or something like that. Up to you.)

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #1. Batman reads that Pagan has been acquitted and released from prison.

–Batman: Seduction of the Gun #1
This is the extremely gory “let’s try to be responsible and talk about the real dangers of guns” issue that DC published in 1993. Batman gets a tip from an informant named Freddie Lasker about an upcoming illegal gun sale between gangsters and the ultra-violent gang known as the New Zealot Nation (NZN). Despite a background check bringing up red flags for the shady Lasker, Batman and the GCPD intervene, breaking up the deal. The NZN escape clean. Meanwhile, Tim hangs out with his school friends Sebastian Ives, Kevin Hudman, and Hudson. Tim finks on Hudson, who has stolen his dad’s handgun. While Batman—disguised as Lasker works to expose the NZN, Commissioner Gordon yells at a smarmy gun manufacturer. Concurrently, Robin—despite only being 11-years-old—goes 21 Jump Street at Andrew Jackson High School in order to protect Lasker’s daughter Louisa. How Tim is able to convincingly pose as a high-schooler here is beyond me, although the Dynamic Duo are masters of disguise, so I guess anything is possible. After all, Batman is adequately disguised as Lasker, a man half his size. (Notably, Tim was originally around fifteen-years-old when this issue was released, requiring significantly less suspension of disbelief, but, due to sliding-time and compression, Tim is only eleven-going-on-twelve.) As Lasker, Batman travels to Virginia Beach where he purchases drugs and guns from NZN’s contacts, after which he leaves the dealers for the local police. At Jackson High, Robin is unable to prevent a gruesome school shooting by an NZN gangbanger, who kills a couple students, including Louisa. Having seen through Batman’s disguise, the NZN kills the real Lasker. Eventually, Batman and Robin square-off against and defeat the NZN (with gang members accidentally shooting down their comrades left-and-right). Guns ain’t no joke, kids. A few days later, Bruce, Tim, and Alfred attend Louisa’s funeral.

–Batman #489-490
Early February—issue #489 specifically says Killer Croc last fought Batman about six months ago (in August). Bruce begins seeing Dr. Shondra Kinsolving, who has a series of appointments with him, some which include hypnotherapy. As snow falls over Gotham, Bruce has another appointment with Shondra at the botanical garden. (This appointment is also shown via flashback from Batman #500.) Later, an exhausted Bruce sleeps after taking sedatives prescribed by Shondra. (This is also shown via flashback from Batman #497.) Meanwhile, Killer Croc (who has been in hiding for months, ever since his last fight against Batman) goes on a rampage. With Bruce out of action, Robin dresses-up Jean-Paul Valley as Batman (some foreshadowing huh?) and they confront Killer Croc. (Notably, Robin and the substitute Batman wear their black arm bands in honor of the fallen Man of Steel.) But before the heroes have a chance to do anything, they watch as Bane absolutely destroys Killer Croc, snapping his arm like a twig. In issue #490, Riddler sends a riddle-clue to Commissioner Gordon, who delivers it to Batman and Robin. Batman mentions that Riddler hasn’t “made a move” on him since Batman #452-454. (Riddler teamed-up with Batman in Batman: Run Riddler Run #1-3, but it’s true that the villain actually hasn’t clashed with Batman since Batman #452-454!) In order to mess with Batman’s case, Bane injects Riddler with Venom (!), leading to a pumped-up Riddler going berserk. (This scene is also shown via flashback from Batman #497.) Once Bruce realizes Venom is involved, he solemnly recalls the dark time he spent getting to know the drug far too well (see Year Three for details). This mention is notable because it’s the first time in the Modern Age that any LOTDK stories were specifically canonically referenced by an author! Eventually, Batman fights the hulking Riddler, only defeating him when Bane’s henchmen (Bird, Trogg, and Zombie) shoot the villain in his arms and legs. As referenced in Batman #493, Batman debriefs Robin about Bane’s men. While we won’t see it ahead on our timeline, as referenced in Batman #494, Bruce will cancel his next four appointments with Shondra.

–Black Condor #12
In this final issue of the Black Condor series, the titular character travels to Gotham in search of his friend Bonnie Robinson‘s missing little sister Debby. In his search, Black Condor crosses over into Batman’s undercover case against gangster Frank Vincent, who is planning on selling stolen weapons to the returning Skulls gang. (Any topical mentions of Operation Desert Storm should be ignored.) Eventually, Black Condor and smalltime crook Joey Marchese get caught in the middle of Vincent’s crew and the Skulls, who want to off one another. After locating Debby’s whereabouts, a masked-up Batman—backed by Commissioner Gordon—shows up at the standoff with a rocket launcher. He shoots a rocket-propelled gas grenade into the mix, taking out a dozen men at once. (I’m guessing this is a GCPD weapon? Strange that Batman uses this tactic.) Batman then points Black Condor in the direction of Debby, who is already safe and sound with Bonnie and Black Condor’s other friend Ned Smith.

–REFERENCE: In Showcase ’93 #2 Part 1. Bruce goes on an unspecified trip abroad, leaving Gotham in Robin’s care.

–Showcase ’93 #6 Part 1
This item picks up shortly after our previous reference note, while Bruce is still out of town. Robin takes down gangster Ramon Bracuda on a solo mission, but Bracuda goes free due to circumstantial evidence. Feeling lost without Batman by his side, Robin anxiously phones Bruce looking for advice, but Bruce tells him he won’t be back for a week. (Bruce being gone for a full week might be a bit of a stretch on our compressed timeline, but that’s up to your personal headcanon.) A nervous Tim tells Bruce his plan to use himself as bait to entrap Bracuda, a plan that Commissioner Gordon is dead set against. Sensing Tim’s nervousness, Bruce calls Jean-Paul and asks him for a favor. Jean-Paul dons the Bat-costume for the second time (!), meets with Gordon, and convinces him that the plan is a good one. With Gordon’s blessing, Robin gains the confidence to successfully enact his plan and send Bracuda to prison for good. Jean-Paul watches Robin in action and proudly approves of his methods. Withe the case wrapped, Jean-Paul, still pretending to be Batman, meets with Robin to congratulate him and further bolster his confidence.

–Detective Comics #657-658
Following patrol, Batman is so exhausted he passes out in Wayne Manor while still in costume. Alfred makes Bruce promise he’ll take a few nights off, leaving patrolling to Robin and Azrael. The next day, Lucius Fox shows Bruce the latest projects at WayneTech. With his night off, Bruce accompanies Lucius on a business dinner. Meanwhile, Robin and Azrael bust some robbers at Wayne Tower. The next day, Bruce, Lucius, and Lucius’ wife Tanya Nancy attend a funeral of a Gotham CEO that had recently committed suicide. Lucius notes that two CEOs from two different rival companies committed suicide recently. Unknown to all, a hypnotist named Cypher (Avery Twombey) has caused their deaths. However, the FBI begins investigating WayneTech in connection with the deaths. Eventually, Batman (still exhausted), Robin, and Azrael prevent Cypher from commanding Lucius Fox to commit suicide. Outed, Cypher goes to jail.

KNIGHTFALL^[5]
———————–Batman #491-492
———————–Detective Comics #659
———————–Batman #493
———————–Detective Comics #660
———————–Batman #494
———————–Detective Comics #661
———————–Batman #495
Bane and his crew destroy Arkham Asylum, unleashing every criminal Batman has ever apprehended. Batman saves Jeremiah Arkham from Joker, who remains at large. In the Batcave, the Bat-Family prepares for action, viewing a screen showing a list of all the villains that are now free—including Doug Moench and Norm Breyfogle! (This is obviously a silly Easter Egg, but it’s official—yes, the main writer and penciler of “Knightfall” are crooks on Earth-0!) Not only are the bad guys running amok all over town, but TV talking head Dr. Simpson Flanders sways public opinion against the Dynamic Duo as well. First, Batman and Robin recapture Mad Hatter (Jervis Tetch). (The Mad Hatter bust is also shown via flashback from Batman #497 and Batman #683.) Simultaneously, Bane kills Film Freak. While Robin fights Bird, Batman targets Ventriloquist (who now has a sock puppet) but winds up busting Amygdala instead. (The Amygdala bust is also shown via flashback from Batman #497.) Batman and Robin reconvene at a girls school where Victor Zsasz has taken hostages. Batman and Renee Montoya take down Zsasz. (The Zsasz bust is also shown via flashback from Batman #497.) Displeased, Mayor Krol threatens Commissioner Gordon with the loss of his job. Soon after, Robin gets caught in the middle of a brutal Bane versus Killer Croc rematch, in which Bane breaks Killer Croc’s arm for the second time. Meanwhile, a burnt-out Bruce cancels on Shondra yet again. Despite being beyond tired, Batman saves Commissioner Gordon from Cornelius Stirk, busting the villain in the process. Shortly thereafter, Joker and Scarecrow kidnap Mayor Krol. When Firefly burns down the waterfront amusement park, Batman briefly fights him. Meanwhile, on Link Rambeau‘s TV talk show, Dr. Flanders defends the actions of the Arkham escapees. Riddler mails a clue to police HQ, but the cops (including Officer Hendricks) are too busy to receive the letter. Riddler’s henchmen (Boney, Stan, and Phil) show frustration over Riddler’s lack of action. Batman then apprehends Cavalier, but again fails to nab Firefly. (This fight against Firefly is also shown via flashback from Batman #497.) Bruce then attends a Wayne Foundation gala with Shondra, who has begun working at the free clinic with Leslie Thompkins. Bane watches from a distance, confirming that Bruce is Batman. When Poison Ivy strikes, Batman busts the villainess and her henchmen. (The Poison Ivy bust is also shown via flashback from Batman #497.) Across town, Joker kills an entire SWAT Team unit with a bomb.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat Annual #1
The “Bloodlines” crossover series has officially begun in Gotham. For the past week, Xenomorph-like shapeshifting aliens (known as Bloodlines Parasites) have been feeding off human spinal fluid. Once fed upon, the human fodder dies, except for a select few who gain metahuman powers instead. Don’t ask me how or why. It’s ludicrous. It’s “Bloodlines.” After busting small-timers Darlene Tibbs and Shades (whom he knows about from his Bat-computer database), Batman goes after their boss, drug dealer Happy Jack. The debuting vigilante Joe Public, also after Jack, gets in the way, leading to Jack’s escape. When Bloodlines Parasite Gemir snatches-up Jack and his men, Batman and a returning Pagan go after the dealers and the monster. Gemir feeds on Joe Public (accidentally giving him metahuman powers) and then fights Batman and Pagan. With his new powers, Joe Public chases away Gemir.

–Batman: Mitefall
Notably, Batman only appears in a single page of Batman: Mitefall, which spans the duration of Batman #491-500 and details Bat-Mite recruiting Bob Overdog to defeat Bane-Mite in the 5th Dimension. In our item here-and-now, Batman secretly spies on The Jerk-Os, a gang that has just violently beaten and drugged Bob Overdog in a cemetery. While Batman stalks the Jerk-Os in an effort to stop them from robbing a deli, a beleaguered Bat-Mite tries in vain to get the Caped Crusader’s attention, needing desperate help against the threat of Bane-Mite in the 5th Dimension. Having failed in his exhortation, Bat-Mite will settle for the acid-tripping Overdog as his hero.

–REFERENCE: In Showcase ’93 #7 Part 1. Batman has a series of run-ins with gangster Legs Lyman.

–REFERENCE: In Justice League Task Force #1. The UN sanctions a new splinter version of the Justice League known as the Justice League Task Force, which is led by Martian Manhunter (now separated from Bloodwynd and back to his usual persona) and chief operating officer Hannibal Martin. The team will utilize a rotating roster of members. Nightwing is a founding member, but he quits after the first mission.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman & Superman: World’s Finest #9 Part 1. Early March. While almost impossible place neatly, this item goes in the middle of the ongoing “Reign of the Supermen!” aka “Return of Superman” arc, likely prior to the Batman-less Action Comics #689. It’s supposed to occur on the anniversary of Harrison Grey’s death, but that isn’t for a few weeks. As such, we must ignore that. Instead, Batman simply travels to Metropolis wanting to see for himself about reports of the so-called “Substitute Supermen.” In Metropolis, Batman meets the substitutes—Superboy (Kon-El, who later takes the name “Conner Kent”), Steel (John Henry Irons), Cyborg Superman (Hank Henshaw), and The Eradicator. The Dark Knight helps the substitutes defeat another group of fake villainous Supermen, including crook Lonnie Riven.

KNIGHTFALL Continued…
———————–Detective Comics #662
———————–Batman #496
———————–Detective Comics #663
———————–Batman #497
———————–Detective Comics #664
———————–Showcase ’93 #7 Part 1
——————  –Showcase ’93 #8 Part 1
———————–Batman #498
———————–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-18 (“THE GOD OF FEAR”)
Robin has supposedly begun summer vacation, but this topical reference must be summarily ignored. Batman tailors (or orders from the Tailor) a new fireproof costume with a built-in rebreather. While Robin busts Riddler on live TV, Huntress busts Riddler’s henchmen across town. Concurrently, Batman—in his new duds—recaptures Firefly at the zoo. As seen via flashback from Showcase ’93 #7 Part 1 and Showcase ’93 #8 Part 1, Batman (with Robin’s help) then apprehends Two-Face after he holds a twisted “trial” against the Caped Crusader. (Doug Moench definitively places Batman’s arrest of Two-Face right here, but he ludicrously says it occurs roughly three weeks prior to Batman’s upcoming fight against Bane. Even at the time of publication, Moench would have violated his own internal timeline with this. The Two-Face bust occurs three days prior to Batman fighting Bane.) Later, after saving Harvey Bullock from another Joker bomb at Mayor Armand Krol’s mansion, Batman rescues Mayor Krol from Scarecrow and Joker in the flooding Gotham River Tunnel. (Batman saving Mayor Krol is also shown via flashback from Batman #497.) Scarecrow and Joker evade capture. Last but not least, Batman defeats Bane’s tough henchmen—Bird, Trogg, and Zombie. A weakened Batman returns to Wayne Manor in a fragile state only to discover that Bane has beaten Alfred and now awaits him. (This scene is also shown via flashback from Batman Villains Secret Files and Origins #1 Part 2, which also details Bane entering Wayne Manor and pummeling Alfred.) Batman is barely able to contend with the powerful behemoth and is tossed around the Batcave like a rag-doll. In one of the most iconic Batman splash pages of all time, Bane raises Batman above his head and literally breaks him in half, fracturing his spine. (This scene is also shown via flashback from Batman #0, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19, Batman #683, JLA/Avengers #3, Infinite Crisis #2, the second feature to 52 #6, 52 #30, and the second feature to Countdown to Final Crisis #7.) Bane then hauls Batman’s limp body downtown and hurls him off of a two-story building in front of countless onlookers. Bane now owns Gotham, but this is just the beginning. (This downtown scene is also shown via flashback from DC Universe Legacies #7 and Batman: Bane of the Demon #2.) Robin, Azrael, and Alfred stabilize Bruce in the Batcave. With the help of the GCPD, Robin and Azrael obtain some Decadron (Dexamethasone), which is administered to the unconscious Bruce by Alfred. Downtown, a confused Ventriloquist accidentally shoots himself (non-fatally). Bruce eventually wakes up, but he’s completely paralyzed. While Jean-Paul Valley and Sal Fiorini upgrade Wayne Manor security, Alfred and Robin smash up a Porsche to make it seem like Bruce was in a bad car accident. Despite quickly seeing that the Porsche story is phony, Dr. Shondra Kinsolving agrees to treat Bruce. Meanwhile, Bane goes on a killing spree, taking over all of Gotham’s criminal underworld. Bane also allies himself with Catwoman and her fence Leopold. With Bruce out-of-commission, Jean-Paul dons the cape and cowl and officially becomes the new Batman, answering the call of the Bat-Signal for the first time alongside a nervous Robin. Afterward, Jean-Paul benches Robin so he can try out his new role as Batman solo. Despite his unbridled rage and total lack of finesse, the new Batman takes down the Hood Brothers (with secret assistance from an escaped Anarky). Batman then fights Scarecrow, but Anarky gets the jump on and captures them both. Scarecrow’s brainwashed lackey Phil Herold frees them, after which Batman shakes off a heavy dose of Fear Gas. When Herold takes a suicide leap off a building, Batman focuses on apprehending Scarecrow. Anarky saves Herold, noting that Batman was uncaringly going to let him die. Batman allows Anarky to remain free but tells him to stay out of his way.

–Batman Annual #17
“Bloodlines” continues. This item goes after Jean-Paul has started benching Robin (but before he’s completely fired him), meaning after “The God of Fear.” It also goes definitively prior to Detective Comics #665. Batman meets with Commissioner Gordon, who reports that there have been more Bloodlines Parasite abductions and murders. (These aliens just won’t go away.) After the new Batman fights the Bloodlines Parasite called Angon, he meets with Gordon again, learning that Bruce fought a Bloodlines Parasite earlier. Gordon takes note that Batman seems more “disturbed” and “flamboyant” than usual but chalks it up to him being worried about Bane. After Angon turns SWAT Team officer Kelvin Mao into the metahuman Ballistic, Batman teams-up with the newcomer to defeat Angon.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19. Bruce regains movement from the waist up, but he’s still completely paralyzed from the waist down. In his wheelchair (and still in a neck brace), Batman chats with Jean-Paul Valley, formally anointing him as his replacement.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman #683. Inspired by the story of Bruce Lee’s recovery from spinal injury, Bruce begins intense rehab.

KNIGHTFALL Continued…
———————–Detective Comics #665
———————–Batman #499 Part 1
———————–Justice League Task Force #4 Epilogue
———————–Batman #499 Part 2
———————–Catwoman Vol. 2 #2 Epilogue^[6]
While a stressed-out Alfred worries, Bruce continues his rehab recovery and falls in love with Dr. Shondra Kinsolving. Bruce goes next door to visit Shondra and Jack Drake only to see several armed masked men waiting in the yard. After Jack’s live-in maid Mrs. McIlvaine departs, the men kidnap Shondra and Jack. From his wheelchair, Bruce tries but fails to stop the kidnappers, who take Shondra and Jack out of the country. Meanwhile, a merciless Jean-Paul Valley continues to patrol as Batman alongside an increasingly panicked Robin. (A flashback from Batman #0 shows Bruce confined to his wheelchair as Jean-Paul plays ruthless Batman on the streets of Gotham.) Due to his “System” programming, Jean-Paul wigs-out and nearly kills a petty thug with a sledgehammer before Robin stops him. Robin can already tell the new Batman will be more trouble than Bruce bargained for. After apprehending Tony Bressi, Jean-Paul tells Robin to stay out of his way, creating a serious rift between the new Dynamic Duo. Batman #499 Part 1 picks up right where ‘tec #665 leaves off—with Jean-Paul brutalizing and torturing the captive Bressi for intel as a frustrated Robin helplessly looks on. Later, thanks to Oracle, Bruce learns that Shondra and Jack are being held against their will in Santa Prisca. Bruce tells Jean-Paul he is departing the country to find the abductees, leaving Gotham in his capable hands. As seen in the epilogue to Justice League Task Force #4 (an unofficial “Knightfall” tie-in), Bruce vaguely learns that the kidnapping could be part of a larger plot that could put millions of people’s lives in jeopardy. Bruce phones Martian Manhunter to secure the assistance of the Justice League Task Force. (As referenced in Justice League Task Force #6, Harold creates a special high-tech wheelchair for Bruce, which he packs for his trip to the Caribbean.) The second half of Batman #499 continues as Bruce and Alfred begin their globe-trotting search for Shondra and Jack. Little do they know, a stowaway Selina Kyle has joined them. (Her apartment was recently bombed—as seen in the main action of Catwoman Vol. 2 #2—and she’s realized her case is related to the kidnapping too).^[7] In the Batcave, Jean-Paul prepares for the inevitable confrontation with Bane by designing new high-tech Bat-gloves complete with razor sharp claws. Robin watches in terror as Batman wields his new gloves to violently bring down Bird, Trogg, and Zombie. Later, in the Batcave, as he draws up even more Bat-costume designs, Jean-Paul stresses to Tim that the new Batman doesn’t need a partner. Jean-Paul also tells Tim that Harold and Ace have moved out. (Ace and Harold haven’t actually moved out. Wary of Jean-Paul, they’ve just moved into a more secluded corner of the caverns.)

–Justice League Task Force #5 Part 1
Picking up directly from the Catwoman Vol. 2 #2 Epilogue, “Knightquest: The Search” begins, chronicling what will be the ongoing globetrotting adventures of Bruce and Alfred. Onto a synopsis. Bruce, Alfred, and Selina deplane in Santa Prisca. Selina immediately parts ways, venturing off on her own solo mission. (Any dialogue that makes it seem like Bruce and Selina don’t know each other well must be ignored.) Bruce and Alfred are immediately attacked by Tio, Sobrino, Popo, and Miguel (minor henchmen who are involved in the kidnapping plot). Thankfully, as per Bruce’s prior request, Martian Manhunter has set him up with a JLTF team that scares the bad guys away. The squad consists of Gypsy, Green Arrow, and Bronze Tiger. (Bronze Tiger no longer serves the League of Assassins and has been working with both the Suicide Squad and JLTF as of late.) Bruce and his team set up shop in a local hotel and begin investigations into the whereabouts of the missing persons.^[8]

–Detective Comics Annual #6
“Bloodlines” continues—this item immediately follows the Batman-less Robin Vol. 2 Annual #2 (another “Bloodlines” tie-in). Batman (Jean-Paul Valley)—with his new high-tech Bat-gloves—violently patrols. Notably, Jean-Paul says he became Azrael a year ago, but this is not true—he became a superhero months ago. After stumbling upon a man named Rodney James, who has gained metahuman powers from the dastardly Bloodlines Parasite Pritor, Batman gets more intel about the aliens from Oracle and his own research. By morning, the Bloodlines Parasites hit a kill count of fifty people nationwide. Batman, Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya, Stan Kitch, and the debuting Geist (who has also been granted powers by Pritor) fight against Pritor, chasing him out of Gotham.

–FLASHBACK: From Turning Points #4. Batman violently busts some smalltime crooks, including a man named Benny.

KNIGHTFALL Conclusion
———————–Detective Comics #666
———————–Batman #500
These wonderful two issues wrap-up “Knightfall.” Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) has been increasingly violent recently and Commissioner Gordon has taken notice. He can’t understand what has happened to his Dark Knight. Gordon tells the new Batman that Harvey Bullock and Stan Kitch have been interrogating Bird, Trogg, and Zombie for twenty-four hours straight. (To be clear, Bane’s henchmen were apprehended several days ago at this point.) Batman breaks the trio out of jail in order to follow them to Bane’s hideout. Jean-Paul finally takes on Bane and, while it’s a pretty even match, Bane beats him. (This battle is also shown through flashback from DC Universe Legacies #7.) Bird, Trogg, and Zombie go right back to jail. Meanwhile, Gordon and Tim are very upset about the new Batman’s tactics, but Mayor Armand Krol is all-in. In the Batcave, a disgruntled Jean-Paul tells off a depressed Robin yet again. Later, Robin finally talks to Nightwing about the current situation. Concurrently, Bruce and Alfred continue their adventure in Santa Prisca. In Gotham, Jean-Paul does something never before done in the history of Batman—he creates a whole new primary Bat-suit, which is sleek, heavily armored, loaded to the teeth with weaponry, and looks much like his original technophilic Azrael costume. Some will always say that “Az-Bats” is complete and utter blasphemy, but I love it. This isn’t Bruce. This is Jean-Paul, who would do something like this. At the end of issue #500, which has an amazing gate-fold cover, the new-and-improved Batman is able to do what Bruce wasn’t able to—he beats the shit out of Bane. Az-Bats is here to stay. (The debut of Az-Bats’ new costume and Az-Bats’ defeat of Bane are also depicted in flashbacks from Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19, JLA/Avengers #3, DC Universe Legacies #7, and the second feature to Countdown to Final Crisis #7.)

KNIGHTQUEST: THE SEARCH
———————–Justice League Task Force #5 Part 2
———————–Justice League Task Force #6
Justice League Task Force #5 Part 2 picks up shortly after Batman #500. In Santa Prisca, Bruce and Alfred—with their with their JLTF squad (Bronze Tiger, Gypsy, and Green Arrow)—continue diligently searching for Dr. Shondra Kinsolving and Jack Drake. Bruce and Alfred radio Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) and Robin to update them on their status. While Bronze Tiger and Gypsy locate the missing persons, the kidnappers blow up Bruce’s hotel. Bronze Tiger, Gypsy, and Green Arrow retaliate by storming a hacienda where Shondra and Jack are being held, but the bad guys are able to escape with their hostages. Later, our heroes regroup aboard a yacht. While we won’t see it ahead, as referenced in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #21, Bruce and Alfred will continue searching for Shondra and Jack for the month-plus to come.

–Showcase ’93 #10 Part 1
Huntress and Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) separately work the case of Walker Stone, a man that has just killed his own son (one of Helena Bertinelli’s students) in the Gotham suburbs. In the Batcave, Jean-Paul asks Robin for intel on Huntress. Soon after, Az-Bats and Huntress reluctantly team-up to bring down Stone and his partners in Vail, Colorado.

–FLASHBACK: From Primal Force #7. Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) viciously (and unnecessarily) assaults some carjackers.

–REFERENCE: In Superman Vol. 2 #83 and the conclusion to the “Reign of the Supermen!” aka “Return of Superman” arc. Jean-Paul Valley nor Bruce are directly involved in this item, but it’s very important, and there’s no way either wouldn’t know all about it. It’s been about five months since Superman’s death, and the Man of Steel is now resurrected after his corpse is put into an ancient Kryptonian regeneration matrix device. With Hal Jordan at his side, Superman—in his black Regeneration Suit costume—is able to defeat Mongul and Cyborg Superman, but not before the complete destruction of Coast City results in the deaths of over a hundred-thousand people. Coast City is the West Coast equivalent of Metropolis, so this is a pretty big deal. (Note that the Rebirth Era’s Flash #750 Part 6 contains a visual reference to this era of the Modern Age, but it’s not specific to anything canon—as it shows Superman in his black costume, posing with Az-Bats and other heroes.)

–Superman Vol. 2 #83
The world celebrates the return of Superman while simultaneously mourning the tragedy that has befallen Coast City. Unaware of what has occurred to Bruce, Superman sends him an invitation—through their usual secretive channels—to join the superhero community for a special ceremony in Coast City. The plan is for the heroes (including Alan Scott, who has changed his name to Sentinel) to dismantle Mongul’s so-called “Engine City” (a toxic terraforming project at the site of the ruins of Coast City). When Bruce doesn’t respond, Superman flies to Gotham and has Commissioner Gordon light up the Bat-Signal. Gordon tells Superman that Batman’s been acting different lately, but he still thankfully never misses responding to the Bat-Signal. Upon arrival, Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) is surprised to see Superman. After an awkward first meeting with the Man of Steel, Az-Bats quickly says he’s busy and departs. Superman doesn’t get a chance to scan Az-Bats with x-ray vision, but he has a strong suspicion that there’s a new man underneath the strange new costume. Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Cat Grant hangs out with Vincent Edge (Morgan Edge’s father) and deals with public smear campaign from Intergang leader Morgan Edge.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Turning Points #4. Up to this point, Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) has been regularly answering the call of the Bat-Signal every single time it has been lit up. However, starting now, he will only respond when he feels like it. In fact, Batman will often completely ignore the Bat-Signal, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne. May 9. Bruce usually sends a flower arrangement to Dick to commemorate the anniversary of the deaths of the Flying Graysons around this time every year. It’s still possible that he does so, ordering a floral delivery from abroad, but he’s pretty busy searching for Shondra and Jack, so there’s a good chance he skips this year’s arrangement.

–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #825. Superman comes up with the Doomsday Contingency Protocol, which entails use of the Phantom Zone Projector to exile the monster to the prison dimension. Superman shares this plan with Bruce and several other superheroes.

–Batman: Turning Points #4^[9]
The snowy weather should be ignored in this one. Commissioner Gordon has become distraught about the new Batman (Jean-Paul Valley), who hasn’t answered the Bat-Signal for the past four days. Robin briefly meets with Gordon but won’t discuss Batman. Gordon even visits Blackgate Penitentiary, where Bane assures him that there is definitely a new person under the mask and cowl. Dejected over the fact that he doesn’t have definitive answers, and feeling betrayed by the Bat-Family, Gordon trudges on. When the GCPD—including Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Renee Montoya, Stan Kitch, Caz Sallucci (Kitch’s partner), and the Rambo-esque Billy Pettit—get in a fire fight with some bank robbers, Az-Bats arrives and takes down the bad guys with extreme violence.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19-20 (“KNIGHTQUEST: THE CRUSADE” / “THE TALLY MAN”)
“Knightquest: The Crusade” begins now, chronicling Jean-Paul’s continued adventures as the new Batman. Batman (Jean-Paul) investigates the death of gangster Joey Buto (at the hands of the Mahoon brothers). A day later, Az-Bats patrols. Wanting to understand the “System” programming that rages inside his mind and body, Jean-Paul bathes in an sensory deprivation tank, during which he hallucinates visions of his past and the history of the Order of St. Dumas. Afterward, having already murdered the Mahoon brothers on orders from the Buto family, The Tally Man tries to kill Batman. The Butos want Batman dead too, but they don’t know there’s a new Dark Knight in town. As the Tally Man and Az-Bats go to war, the latter loses control of his “System” programming and begins hallucinating visions of a ghostly St. Dumas. The out-of-control Az-Bats nearly mauls Tally Man to death, leaving him beaten and bloody for police. (This item is also shown via flashback from Batman: Shadow of the Bat #34.)

–REFERENCE: In The Outsiders Vol. 2 #1: Alpha and The Outsiders Vol. 2 #1: Omega. Neither Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) nor Bruce are a part of this item, but they would definitely be in the know. A new Outsiders team—featuring a lineup that includes Geo-Force, Halo, Katana, Looker, Sebastian Faust (son of Felix Faust), Charles Wylde, and Technocrat—debuts against the horrible vampire known only as Roderick and his henchman Sanction. Early in the fight, Looker is killed, but don’t worry. Thanks to a bite from Roderick, she’ll eventually return—as a vampire! Yay! Presumably, Bruce begins remotely monitoring this new Outsiders team, which will last (with various lineups) for a couple years.

BLOODLINES Conclusion
———————–Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Annual #3
———————–Bloodbath #1-2
While patrolling, Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) fights crooked cops alongside Samaritan, who has gained healing powers from the alien parasite Gemir. After Samaritan heals Batman’s wounds, the duo confronts the former’s half-brother Cardinal Sin, who has also gained powers (albeit evil ones) from Gemir. Eventually, Samaritan and Cardinal Sin burn out each other’s powers, returning them both to as they were before. Bloodbath #1 begins with a presidential address (substitute George W Bush for Bill Clinton here) and a newscast that claims its been a few weeks since the Bloodlines Parasites first began their killing spree. However, it’s actually been nearly three months. Soon after, Amanda Waller briefs a huge group—including Superman, Nightwing, Robin, a very anti-social Batman, the Licensed Extra-Governmental Interstellar Operatives Network aka LEGION (including Vril Dox II aka Brainiac 2.0 and Lobo), Deathstroke, Etrigan, Elongated Man, the New Titans, Team Titans (Terra II, Nightrider, Redwing, Killowat, Battalion, Dagon, and Mirage), the JLI (including new members Tasmanian Devil and Bloodwynd), “New Blood” heroes (including Anima, Sparx, Loose Cannon, Edge, Prism, Joe Public, and Nightblade), and more—about the the Bloodlines Parasites. Afterward, the heroes battle the aliens (including Venev, Glonth, and Lissik), who naturally amalgamate into a single gargantuan mega-monster (called “The Taker”). When most of the veteran heroes are ingested by the Taker, Superman leads all the New Bloods (Anima, Sparx, Loose Cannon, Edge, Prism, Joe Public, Nightblade, Geist, Ballistic, “Hitman” Tommy Monaghan, Razorsharp, Lionheart, Mongrel, Argus, Layla, Pax, Myriad, Hook, Chimera, Jamm, Krag, Slingshot, Shadowstryke, and Gunfire) into battle. Superman and the New Bloods free the trapped heroes. The overwhelming power of the collective heroes is enough to kill the Taker. “Bloodlines” finally ends (thankfully).

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #668. Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) updates the Batcave, sealing-off entryways and adding a shooting gallery, complete with cutouts of Bat-villains. The Batcave already had a target range (mostly for Batarang practice), but this is another beast entirely.

KNIGHTQUEST: THE CRUSADE Continued…
———————–Detective Comics #667-668
———————–Robin Vol. 2 #1
While Batman (Jean-Paul Valley) violently patrols the streets of Gotham, Robin attempts to enter the Batcave only to learn that Jean-Paul has sealed-off his secret postern with a brick wall. Following bouts of St. Dumas hallucinations, Batman uses the brand new Bat-Subway Rocket, an invention of Harold’s that he never got to show to anyone. (The Bat-Subway Rocket is a high-tech train car that utilizes vast stretches of unused and abandoned underground railway tracks that are all over Gotham. The rocket, having the ability to change directions and go up to 250 miles per hour, can even go onto regularly used tracks and subway lines.) Meanwhile, the debuting Trigger Twins (Tod Trigger and Tad Trigger) begin running amok in Gotham. Not long after, an excited Robin gets his driver’s license early (ridiculously at age twelve) due to his father’s disability. (Again, Tim was originally around fifteen-years-old when Robin Vol. 2 #1 was released, but, due to sliding-time and narrative compression, Tim is only twelve.) The Boy Wonder goes to retrieve his Redbird car from the Batcave. After sneaking into the Batcave, Robin learns that Harold and Ace have departed. When Jean-Paul catches Robin inside the cave, he snaps and attacks him. Robin barely escapes, and this incident finally fully severs the relationship between the duo. Meanwhile, Joker reaches out to Hollywood producer Calvin Berkowitz about greenlighting his autobiography. Soon after, Tim, his girlfriend Ariana, and school jock/bully Karl Ranck are accosted by the debuting Speedboyz gang (including goons Kurt Stack and Cassidy). Meanwhile, at Blackgate Penitentiary, a bunch of inmates—including Cluemaster, Cypher, Titus Samuel Czonka (aka Czonk), and Electrocutioner (Lester Buchinsky)—plan a big escape while threatening their group therapy leader, Dr. Simpson Flanders. Later, while hunting the Speedboyz, Robin runs afoul of Gotham County Sheriff Steven “Shotgun” Smith (a former GCPD Detective), but they’ll soon work together against the Speedboyz.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #21-23 (“KNIGHTQUEST: THE SEARCH” Continued… / “BRUCE WAYNE”)
Picking up directly from Robin Vol. 2 #1, Bruce (in disguise as British Lord Hemmingford Grey) and Alfred track Shondra Kinsolving and Jack Drake to London where they hire a local vigilante known as The Hood to aid them in their investigation. Alfred briefly dresses up as Batman to get the Hood’s attention. Alfred and Robin check-in with one another on the phone—a scene shown in both Shadow of the Bat #22 and the Batman-less Robin Vol. 2 #2. Not long after, Bruce (as Lord Grey) shockingly discovers that Shondra was kidnapped by her step-brother Benedict Asp because she is a metahuman telekinetic with the power to heal others with her touch. The power-hungry Asp is only able to use his own deadly metahuman psychic powers when he’s in close proximity to his adopted sister. A disguised, cane-hobbling Bruce teams-up with the Hood and together they are able to rescue Jack Drake, but not before Asp escapes with Shondra yet again.

KNIGHTQUEST: THE CRUSADE Continued…
———————–Batman #501-502 
———————–Detective Comics #669
———————–Catwoman Vol. 2 #5
———————–Detective Comics #670-673
Late spring—”Knightquest” artists place Gotham under a sheet of snow and writers set the narrative near Christmastime, but—due to retcons, sliding-time, and compression—it should correctly be late spring at this juncture on our chronology. Note that the Batman-less Robin Vol. 2 #3-5 overlap with the first few issues of this item. With his new mode of transportation (the Bat-Subway Rocket), Batman zips all over Gotham and easily obliterates Mekros, the Trigger Twins, and Mr. Freeze in combat. Meanwhile, at GCPD HQ, Renee Montoya is promoted to detective. (She and Bullock are officially partners now.) Next up after that, Detective Comics #671-673 contains a great story-arc where the new Batman meets Joker for the first time! Joker is filming “The Death of Batman,” complete with a kidnapped film crew, Hollywood producer, and even Siskel and Ebert! There’s a great scene where Siskel and Ebert review Batman’s new costume (Siskel hates it, Ebert loves it), but when they offer critique about Joker’s film, they each get a bullet in return. Director Joseph Kerr eventually lures Jean-Paul onto the set, but soon dejectedly realizes that Batman is a different person! Batman promptly beats the tar out of Joker, but Joker escapes custody.

–Chain Gang War #5-6
The homicidal vigilante group known as The Chain Gang is running amok. Jean-Paul engages with them and also meets Deathstroke the Terminator.

KNIGHTQUEST: THE CRUSADE Continued…
———————–Catwoman Vol. 2 #6^[10]
———————–Batman #503-504
———————–Catwoman Vol. 2 #7
———————–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #24-25
———————–Batman #505
———————–Showcase ’94 #5 Part 1 Intro^[11][12]
———————–Batman #506-507
———————–Showcase ’94 #6 Part 1 Epilogue
———————–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #26-27
———————–Showcase ’94 #7 Part 1
Catwoman’s investigation into who bombed her apartment leads her back to Gotham where she attempts to steal a deadly neuro-toxin from a warehouse owned by an animal testing lab. There, Batman (Jean-Paul) meets Catwoman for the first time (!), showing up to stop her. This is a truly great interaction, not because of their epic battle, but because Catwoman knows right away that it isn’t Bruce under the mask. (No sexual chemistry!) Any references to the 1994 World Trade Center bombing are obviously topical. Due to sliding-time retcons, this story takes place after 9/11, so we can easily replace the 1994 attack with the 2001 attack for the purposes of this tale. Az-Bats then breaks-up a baby smuggling ring. After that he teams-up with Joe Public and they trample the returning Corrosive Man. Next up Jean-Paul gets involved in a mob war, but carelessly leaves loose ends hanging, which leads to Huntress and Robin teaming-up to combat the priest known as DeathAngel. Jean-Paul’s war on crime continues as he teams-up with Ballistic to fight Abbattoir’s cronies. Jean-Paul then saves a busload of kids from Abattoir, who responds by kidnapping the newborn child of Lady Clay and Preston Payne, Cassius Clay aka Clayface V! Holding the baby hostage, Abattoir blackmails the Clayface parents to attack Batman. Batman easily puts them behind bars and the Clay Baby goes into government custody i.e. a government testing lab. The slippery Abattoir escapes yet again, kidnaps his cousin, and begins slowly torturing him in an abandoned warehouse. Notably, during this escapade (Shadow of the Bat #26-27), Commissioner Gordon seems to somewhat come to terms with the new violent nature of Az-Bats, and this outlook carries directly into Showcase ’94 #7 Part 1, where we see Commissioner Gordon succumbing to extreme violence himself when Penguin abducts Sarah Essen Gordon. This abduction brings Penguin face-to-face with the angry Commish. Having realized that there’s a new person playing the role of Batman, Penguin interrogates Commissioner Gordon about the subject. Commissioner Gordon is unwilling to discuss Batman with Penguin, remaining focused on making sure Sarah is okay. Eventually, Jean-Paul rescues Sarah and delivers her to Commissioner Gordon, who quietly but affirmatively acknowledges Batman’s help. NOTE: Following this item, Lady Clay is sent to a permanent holding cell at STAR Labs.

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1. ^[1]COLLIN COLSHER: Welcome to Bat Year Fourteen. “Knightfall” and Zero Hour are the big things that happen this year. Bruce turns 39 in February. Jean-Paul Valley will don the mantle of Batman for approximately four-and-a-half months. As you can see, we have a ton of compression going on here. These stories run the duration of one storyline year (2002), but actually are made up of tales published from April 1993 through December 1995. Wow. This first part of Bat Year Fourteen spans six months.↩
2. ^[2]ELIAS M FREIRE / COLLIN COLSHER: In Batman: Unseen #1-5, which has the subtitle “A Lost Tale of Bruce Wayne as Batman,” is hard to place. However, it is written by Doug Moench and seems to fit in the lead-up to “Knightfall.” In this arc, Black Mask, who makes an important appearance running his False Face Society gang, is shot and nearly killed before getting caught by Batman. Therefore, it makes sense for Batman: Unseen to go shortly after Detective Comics #654-656, which itself follows up Batman #484-487 regarding Black Mask. In Detective Comics #655, some False Face guy says to the General, “None of us has seen Black Mask. He could even be dead. Batman busted out the whole gang a few weeks ago [specifically in Batman #485].” Batman: Unseen must also go after Robin III #1, in which Black Mask is said to still be on the loose and in hiding. Notably, Harvey Bullock is referred to as a lieutenant in Batman: Unseen, but this is a continuity error. He won’t be a lieutenant until Detective Comics #742.↩
3. ^[3]COLLIN COLSHER: See the footnote attached to Batman versus Predator #1-3 in Year Thirteen Part 2 for details on why the Batman versus Predator series should be canon—and then decide for yourself if it truly belongs! Also, don’t forget that the Predators seen in the DCU are wholly separate from the Predators seen in other Dark Horse media or in movies. These are alternate versions that have a unique history within the DCU.↩
4. ^[4]ANTONIO: The only Predator crossover that gives me “feelings of non-canonicity” is BvP II, for several reasons. The bogus summertime setting and Gordon’s anachronistic pipe smoking are both obvious problems, but the biggest problem is that it seems to have to occur right before “Knightfall.” This feels like a little bit of a reach because around this time Bruce is supposed to be very tired due to his extra overwork—and he doesn’t look exhausted at all in BvP II. Food for thought.↩
5. ^[5]COLLIN COLSHER: In 1994, Denny O’Neil adapted the “Knightfall” arc into a prose novel aptly entitled Batman: Knightfall. This adaptation is more-or-less faithful to the comic book arc, so we can think of it as quasi-canonical supplementary material.↩
6. ^[6]COLLIN COLSHER: The Catwoman Vol. 2 series begins during “Knightfall,” thus making Catwoman Vol. 2 #2 an unofficial “Knightfall” tie-in. This series is not to be confused with the first volume of Catwoman, which is the “Early Period” Catwoman miniseries. Other chronologies on the web sometimes list the first Catwoman series as an unofficial “non-volume” and list Volume 2 as “Volume 1” instead. I, however, find that very confusing and therefore, do not do that.↩
7. ^[7]LANE MCD: There’s a major continuity problem in Batman #499 and Catwoman Vol. 2 #2. When Selina Kyle tries to make her way on to Bruce’s plane (and later emerges as a stowaway), the dialogue between Alfred, Bruce, and Selina makes it sound like Alfred has no idea who Selina is and Bruce has only met her once. For example, Alfred says, “Good lord, who are you and how did you get—” and Selina cuts him off with, “My name is Selina Kyle, Mr. Wayne—we met at a charity function and I desperately need to reach Santa Prisca.” This is contained in Year 14 and, granted, there are only a dozen or so stories between Year 1 and 14 (Long Halloween included) that show they have some sort of romance thing in-costume, but even out-of-costume they surely would have had a relationship prior to this.

   COLLIN COLSHER: This is indeed an error. But originally, it wasn’t. Let me explain. When Batman #499 and Catwoman Vol. 2 #2 came out in 1993, Bruce and Selina really had only interacted (out-of-costume) one or two times prior to this and definitely not romantically. When The Long Halloween (1996-1997) was officially canonized in 2008, it retconned this so that Bruce and Selina did have an intimate relationship outside of their Batman/Catwoman relationship. Thus, even after a lengthy period of non-communication (like the many years that have transpired since The Long Halloween), Selina would not have responded as she does in Batman #499 or Catwoman Vol. 2 #2. We have to ignore their dialogue.↩

8. ^[8]COLLIN COLSHER: Denny O’Neil writes Justice League Task Force #5 with an interstice to accommodate everything else that’s going on in the greater DCU. However, we have to imagine a much bigger ellipsis than O’Neil pens. We can assume Bruce, Alfred, and the JLTF continue their Santa Priscan adventuring while the conclusions to “Bloodlines” and “Knightfall,” continuation of “Reign of the Supermen!”, and start of “Knightquest: The Crusade” all occur ahead.↩
9. ^[9]COLLIN COLSHER: Like all the Turning Points issues, this one is difficult to place. However, there is consensus among other Batman Chronology Project site contributors, Tenzel Kim’s Unofficial Guide to the DCU, and the DC Database/DC Fandom wikia, all of which put Turning Points #4 anywhere between Showcase ’93 #10 and Batman #501. This item must also go after Superman Vol. 2 #83, in which Jean-Paul Valley has yet to stop regularly answering the Bat-Signal.↩
10. ^[10]AVINOAM YAGUR: The fourth part of “Knightquest: The Crusade” begins with Catwoman Vol. 2 #6, which was incorrectly given cover dressing labeling it as part of “Knightquest: The Search.”↩
11. ^[11]BARDIA / COLLIN COLSHER: Neither Bruce nor Jean-Paul appear in Showcase ’94 #1-4, hence the exclusion of this issues from our timeline. Really, these first four issues of Showcase ’94 could go anywhere between Batman: Shadow of the Bat #19-20 and Catwoman Vol. 2 #6. Issues #1-2 feature an escaped Joker, who suffers an intense hallucination about Batman. Issues #3-4 detail how the ex-Arkham inmates aren’t getting along with the Blackgate inmates (now that they’ve been temporarily sent there while a new Arkham is being built).↩
12. ^[12]ODI / AVINOAM YAGUR: Note that, in this part of “Knightquest: The Crusade,” the intro to Showcase ’94 #5 Part 1 features Az-Bats busting some mobsters. This segues into a Batman-less “Benedictions” story arc (which features a Robin/Huntress team-up and comprises the main action of Showcase ’94 #5 Part 1, Robin Vol. 2 #6, and the main action of Showcase ’94 #6 Part 1). Az-Bats makes a cameo in the final panel epilogue of Showcase ’94 #6 Part 1. Robin and Huntress’ team-up from “Benedictions” is also shown in Batman #507, placing Batman #506-507 right smack dab in the middle of it (in-between Az-Bat’s appearances in the aforementioned bookend Intro and Epilogues).↩