Modern YEAR FIFTEEN (Part 1)

2003 (January to June)^[1]
_______________________________

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Aliens II #2. Batman goes on an unspecified case and nets a human skull with a bullet hole in it, which goes as a trophy in the Batcave.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Joker’s Apprentice #1. January 4. “Day One” of the Joker’s Apprentice narrative. Batman busts serial rapist/killer Arthur Rankel, who is fast-tracked into Arkham Asylum. At Arkham, Joker takes a liking to Rankel and tells him it’s the anniversary of the day he first met Batman (in The Man Who Laughs). Joker is a day late, but his extremely fuzzy anniversary math will become a focal point by the end of the Joker’s Apprentice narrative, so I wouldn’t focus too much on the error. Joker decides that he’ll take Rankel under his wing and train him to be Batman’s perfect foil. These training sessions, which will run until late March, will take place only when Joker is locked in Arkham. (Joker will escape and return a lot in the coming months.)

–Batman: The Vengeance of Bane II Part 2
When we last saw Bane four months ago, he had just begun a long stretch in solitary confinement in Blackgate. (Due to time compression, a six-month stint was reduced to four.) Now that the solitary stretch is over, Bane is back among the regulars, and he’s back in peak physical shape, but this time without the Venom addiction. First things first, he beats up KGBeast as revenge for the trouncing Beast delivered to him before. Bane then escapes from prison with help from Buzz Galvan, the Ratcatcher, and KGBeast (who now respects him). Commissioner Sarah Essen-Gordon investigates Bane’s escape. In the city, Bane tracks down connections to Willis Danko, a Venom addict he saw in Blackgate, hoping to shut down Gotham’s Venom pushers. One of the main pushers is a former Major League slugger. MLB and steroids? No way! One of the other main pushers? The very doctor who originally administered Venom to Bane in Peña Duro. As Bane and Batman have their long-awaited reunion and team up to take down some musclebound goons, they have a great Chuck Dixon-penned conversation, in which Bane tells Batman he’s drug-free and should no longer be enemies. Bane then heads out of the country to find his father. This quest continues immediately in Batman-less Bane of the Demon #1 Part 1, which starts now and will overlap with the next bunch of stories. We’ll pick up Bane’s tale later, but for now, back to Batman’s life.

–Man-Bat Vol. 2 #1-2
Dr. Kirk Langstrom and his wife, Dr. Francine Langstrom, separated a few months ago, and unknown to Kirk, Francine secretly gave birth to his son, Aaron Langstrom, who was born with a rare form of cancer. To save Aaron’s life, Francine turned him into a permanently mutated bat-baby! (Notably, a few years ago, Kirk and Francine also had a daughter, Rebecca “Becky” Langstrom.) Cut to now. Kirk becomes Man-Bat again and is wrongly accused of killing off members of the Helix Commission, a geneticist group of which he and Francine were once members. Batman works the case, chatting with Commissioner Sarah Essen-Gordon twice. Meanwhile, Rambo-esque cop Billy Pettit (flanked by a reluctant Stan Kitch) goes after and shoots down Man-Bat, who lands in the sewers and is nursed back to health by Killer Croc! As seen in the Batman-less Man-Bat Vol. 2 #3, the real killer, Steeljacket, attacks Francine, Becky, and Dr. David Felcher. Steeljacket also reveals his origin (he was a creation of the Helix Commission), after which Man-Bat brings him to justice.

–REFERENCE: In Batman #526, Batman #528, Batman: Shadow of the Bat #46-47, and Detective Comics #693-694. Batman and Robin (with Alfred’s help) create a new Kevlar compound for their costumes, special spectrum-analyzer tech that scans environments and feeds real-time results into their cowls/domino masks, and a Deadshot-style wrist-gun that shoots a chain-link hook. Batman and Robin test their new Kevlar at point-blank range. Batman (with Alfred and Harold’s help) also finishes a brand-new Batmobile model, packed with fancy new tricks and doodads. (Harold had been working on this vehicle for a while.) Batman stocks the new car with many items, including his new wrist-gun and a tuxedo. Bruce is also invited to an upcoming post-election party hosted by Penguin at the Iceberg Casino.

–Batman #526
Batman takes the new Batmobile out for a solo patrol, busting crooks left and right. If you haven’t noticed the trend, Batman has lately relied less on others and hasn’t been regularly patrolling with Robin by his side, at least not like he used to. Plus, he’s been burning the candle at both ends. Robin and Alfred have definitely noticed, and the latter has a long talk with Batman about how he’s changed ever since Bane. Alfred says Tim is the most capable Robin of the three Robins and that Batman should put more faith in him (and patrol with him more). Batman implies it might not be safe to have a sidekick, and Alfred, taken aback, says he thought Batman had gotten over the fear he initially felt after Jason’s death. Batman goes out on solo patrol again, fighting False Face Society members, but Robin follows and helps. Impressed, Batman’s eyes are opened, and the Dynamic Duo is operating at 100% again.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #46 Part 1^[2]
With the polls set to close on Election Day in Gotham, Bruce registers his mayoral vote for Marion Grange. Early exit polls put current mayor Armand Krol in the lead, but Bruce isn’t too worried. Batman busts some safecrackers trying to break into Mayor Krol’s house.

–NOTE: In Detective Comics #693 Part 2. Marion Grange is elected the new mayor! Seth Voder, who is secretly in the Penguin’s pocket, is elected the new District Attorney, besting candidate Darlene Hunt and two others. Neither term will begin for a month. Grange and Voder celebrate their victory with a public rally. They humbly accept victory and thank everyone, saying “it’s been a long night.” Mayor Krol still hasn’t conceded, but his aide tells him that he needs to. Krol decides he’s going to appoint his buddy Andrew “Andy” Howe as commissioner.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #46 Part 2
Batman listens to live election results on the radio, which declare Marion Grange the winner. The election was called a few minutes ago, so Batman must be scanning all the news reports, station by station. Mayor Krol publicly concedes.

–NOTE: In Batman #527 Part 2. Shortly after her victory rally and acceptance speech, Marion Grange visits Commissioner Sarah Essen-Gordon and offers her a new Special Liaison position with the GCPD once her term begins. The mayor-elect also tells Sarah that if she accepts, Jim will become commissioner again. Sarah says she’ll think about it.

–Detective Comics #693 Part 1
Just after 5 AM on the morning after the election, Allergent (Maxwell Veezey) debuts by spreading noxious chemicals and defoliating a bunch of trees across Gotham. Without a forum to declare his intentions or his name, Allergent is named “Weedwacker” by the press. Batman and Robin chase after “Weedwacker,” but he escapes.

–Detective Comics #693 Part 3
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #693 Part 1, Allergent’s actions really piss off Poison Ivy, who escapes from Arkham Asylum to go after him. (Arkham apparently still lacks any real security.) Batman and Robin hear about Poison Ivy’s escape and find out “Weedwacker” is a man named Maxwell Veezey. They chase after Veezey again, but as before, he escapes.

–Detective Comics #694 Part 1
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #693 Part 3, Batman and Robin regroup following their harrowing encounter with Allergent. Meanwhile, across town, Poison Ivy runs amok.

–Batman #527 Part 1
As evening approaches, Alfred keeps telling Batman not to burn the candle at both ends, but the Dark Knight ignores him and goes out to bust a notorious home-invader gang that has moved into the city from the suburbs. In the Batcave, Batman and Alfred learn from the police scanner that Two-Face has just escaped from Arkham Asylum (yes, yet another Arkham breakout). After a brief investigation, Batman deduces that Two-Face plans to kill some criminals who escaped justice while he was DA. Batman phones Jim Gordon, who says that he and Sarah have finally reconciled! Jim says he’ll tell Sarah to give Harvey Dent’s old “ghost files” to Batman.

–Batman #527 Part 3
Batman meets with Commissioner Sarah Essen-Gordon, who tells him about Marion Grange’s job offer and how the mayor-elect plans to appoint Jim back as commish once she is inaugurated. Sarah gives Harvey Dent’s old “ghost files” to Batman. When Sarah still doubts whether she should accept Grange’s offer, Batman suggests she talk to Jim about it. Through Dent’s “ghost files,” Batman learns that Two-Face is targeting Jermiston Lockhart, a corrupt circus owner who Dent failed to jail when he was DA.

–NOTE: In Batman: Shadow of the Bat #47 Part 2. As the night wears on, Sarah takes Batman’s advice and invites Jim for a meeting in her GCPD office. They have a heart-to-heart conversation, and Sarah tells Jim about Marion Grange’s job offer. Andy Howe interrupts them, telling them to get out of his office.

–Detective Comics #694 Part 2
Picking up immediately from Batman: Shadow of the Bat #47, Andy Howe, having just burst into Sarah Essen-Gordon’s office, exclaims that Mayor Krol has appointed him as the new commissioner, effective immediately. Oh, the dirty politics of Gotham. Sarah quickly visits Marion Grange and accepts her offer, becoming Special Liaison to the GCPD. (Sarah is basically a lieutenant again.) Grange promises to replace Howe with Jim as soon as she is inaugurated. Meanwhile, Poison Ivy confronts Allergent and jokingly calls him “Agent Orange.” While an intervening Batman defeats Poison Ivy, Robin chases away Allergent, who Lock-Up secretly captures. At GCPD HQ, Howe proudly has Sarah’s name replaced with his own on the commissioner’s office door. However, he’s already overwhelmed by his new role and refuses to speak to anyone. Notably, a police scanner bulletin gives updates on the fugitive Two-Face.

–Batman #527 Part 4
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #694 Part 2, Batman visits the Lockhart Circus, hoping to find Two-Face. Jermiston Lockhart’s freaks attack Batman upon arrival.

–Batman #528 Part 1
Picking up directly from Batman #527 Part 4, Batman fights Two-Face and Jermiston Lockhart’s freaks at the latter’s circus. A clown speaks to Batman, exposing Lockhart’s criminality. Conjoined twins help Batman bust Two-Face.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #46 Part 3
Picking up directly from Batman #528 Part 1, Batman links Penguin to the petermen who broke into Mayor Krol’s house the previous evening. Batman shakes down Penguin but can’t prove his legitimate connection to the crooks. Penguin departs to host his lavish “grand election party,” where many of Gotham’s well-to-do citizens and all the candidates are awaiting him. Meanwhile, Cornelius Stirk easily escapes from Arkham Asylum and heads toward Penguin’s soirée. This means that Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and Cornelius Stirk each broke out within the same twenty-four-hour period. Security at the new Arkham seems to be even worse than at the old one! That makes at least ten high-profile escapes since Jeremiah Arkham moved his prison into Mercey Mansion (and that’s not including the release of Mr. Freeze, whom a board of doctors deemed “sane” thanks to Neron’s manipulation). Jeez.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #47 Part 1
Picking up directly from Batman: Shadow of the Bat #46 Part 3, Batman patrols and learns that an escaped Cornelius Stirk could be headed toward Penguin’s post-election party. After sending Robin home and making a U-turn back toward the Iceberg Casino, Batman muses to himself that he’s had his hardest night in months, defeating “Agent Orange,” Poison Ivy, and Two-Face in a row. (Batman referring to Allergent as “Agent Orange” isn’t an error, but merely a continuation of the joke from Detective Comics #694 Part 2. After all, Allergent is a rip-off of Agent Orange, and Batman still hasn’t even heard the name “Allergent,” only knowing Maxwell Veezey by his real name or “Weedwacker”). A weary Bruce dons a tuxedo and goes to Penguin’s party.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #47 Part 3
Picking up directly from Batman: Shadow of the Bat #47 Part 1, Bruce saves Penguin’s life from Cornelius Stirk at the post-election party. When Stirk tries to kill Mayor-elect Grange, Bruce switches into Bat-mode and busts the villain. Batman returns Stirk to Arkham just as dawn breaks. Writer Alan Grant implies this is the morning after the election, but as we’ve shown above, it’s actually two mornings later.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Two-Face – Crime & Punishment. Despite having just been apprehended mere hours ago, Two-Face escapes custody (for the second time in less than twenty-four hours). This is four Arkham Asylum breakouts in less than forty-eight hours! Yikes. With his schizophrenia becoming decidedly more pronounced, Two-Face hijacks a live TV broadcast and cryptically blames his father, Christopher Dent, for all his problems. Two-Face begins what will be a ten-day rampage, overlapping with the next handful of stories (including some specific references from Batman: Two-Face – Crime & Punishment) and culminating in the main action of Batman: Two-Face – Crime & Punishment, a bit further below. While we won’t see it on our timeline, Batman will search high and low for Christopher Dent sporadically over the next ten days.

–FLASHBACK: From the B&W second feature to Batman: Gotham Knights #47. Batman protects Jim Gordon and Sarah Essen-Gordon when an escaped Riddler invades their home. (Either Riddler escaped prior to Underworld Unleashed, or he just escaped. In any case, mark another bad escape for the new Arkham Asylum’s record books.)

–Black Lightning Vol. 2 #12-13
In Black Lightning’s hometown of Brick City, the Brick City Police Department (including sometime ally Lieutenant Tommy Colavito) falsely accuses Black Lightning of being the serial killer “Sick Nick.” The news allows the drug gang known as The Royal Family (including King, Medora, and Maria) to manipulate the local populace into an anti-Black Lightning fervor. Colavito isn’t sure of the truth, so he begins his own investigation and meets with his top informant, Beagle. In Gotham, a worried Batman watches the TV news about the “Sick Nick” case. Meanwhile, in his civilian life, Jefferson Pierce’s high school job is in jeopardy after he clashes with his boss, Principal Ryan Flaherty. Thankfully, Brick City Mayor Jackson Perry and philanthropist Gavin Wells intercede, allowing Jefferson to keep his post. That night, Black Lightning’s investigation into the murders leads him to the mansion of wealthy asshole Adrian Wentworth. Sure enough, Wentworth is “Sick Nick,” and he’s even inside torturing his latest victim. Wentworth’s bodyguards, Wardog and Pierce, prevent Black Lightning from accessing the property. At his lowest, Black Lightning’s friends show up: Jefferson’s co-teacher, Gail Harris, offers kindness, and Batman visits Brick City to help Colavito’s investigation. Batman also reminds Jefferson he still has support from the superhero community. Inspired, Black Lightning defeats Wardog and Pierce, exposing Wentworth as the true killer while clearing his own name.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Two-Face – Crime & Punishment. Two-Face and his henchmen set off two bombs, one uptown and one downtown. Batman saves as many lives as he can.

–FLASHBACK: From the B&W second feature to Batman: Gotham Knights #47. Still on the loose, Riddler busts into a restaurant while riding a motorcycle. Bruce is dining there, which is bad news for Riddler’s robbery attempt.

DC vs MARVEL
——————–DC vs Marvel Comics #1
——————–Marvel Comics vs DC #2
——————–Marvel Comics vs DC #3
——————–DC vs Marvel Comics #4
This arc goes just prior to Action Comics #719-720 (before Lois and Clark break up). Two ancient cosmic brothers (similar to the Endless), who represent their respective parts of the omniverse, become aware of each other. The anthropomorphic manifestation of the DC Multiverse (i.e. the multiverse that houses “Universe-0” as its primary universe) challenges the anthropomorphic manifestation of the Marvel Multiverse (i.e. the multiverse that houses “Universe-616” as its primary universe) to a duel between their respective people. As a result, beings from each universe begin appearing randomly where they shouldn’t. First, Earth-616’s new Spider-Man (a clone of Peter Parker named Ben Reilly) teleports to Gotham, where an escaped Joker kindly greets him. (Yes, there has been yet another Arkham Asylum breakout.) While the X-Men (Wolverine, Gambit, and Storm) fight Juggernaut, the latter teleports from Earth-616 to Metropolis, where Superman confronts him. At their Westchester County mansion, this X-Men trio debriefs their comrades Professor X, Jean Grey, Cyclops, Beast, and Psylocke, only to be teleported to Earth-0 as well. Captain America also gets teleported, interrupting his fight against the terrorist organization Hydra. The Hulk chats with his wife, Betty Ross, before getting zapped from Earth-616 to Earth-0. Superboy chats with Tana Moon before getting sent away. Other Earth-616 residents (Elektra, Thor, Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Quicksilver, and Iceman) swap places with Earth-0 residents. Earth-616’s Bullseye appears in the Batcave, but Batman knocks him out. Immediately after, Robin appears before Jubilee and Husk at their school, Massachusetts Academy. The Kingpin and J Jonah Jameson take over the Daily Planet. Across the two Earths, some transplants are friendly with one another: Darkseid and Thanos; Starman (Jack Knight) and Dr. Strange; Hawkman and Archangel; and Supergirl and She-Hulk. However, most fight each other: Batman vs Venom; Steel vs Absorbing Man; Kyle Rayner vs Green Goblin; Bane vs Captain America; Riddler vs Daredevil; Captain Marvel vs Dr. Doom; Deathstroke vs Punisher; Etrigan vs Ghost Rider; Firestorm and Martian Manhunter vs half the Fantastic Four (Human Torch and The Thing); Superman vs Annihilus; Man-Bat vs Spider-Man; Nightwing vs Gambit; and Killer Croc vs Wolverine. (We must assume that, after this fight, Killer Croc is returned to Arkham Asylum, where we’ll see him incarcerated in an upcoming Hitman story.) In Gotham, Batman stalks The Lizard and then chats with Nightwing. As they converse, Wolverine and Gambit steal the Batmobile. Meanwhile, Mole Man and his Moloid henchmen invade the Batcave. In Metropolis, Ben Reilly saves Lois Lane from Scarecrow and Earth-616 Scarecrow. Eventually, the cosmic brothers announce that a tournament, featuring eleven official battles, will determine the fates of both worlds. Snapper Carr and Rick Jones couldn’t be more excited. As Darkseid and Thanos feud, more friendly alliances form: Steel and Iron Man; Green Arrow (Conner Hawke) and Hawkeye; Black Canary and Black Widow; Captain Marvel and Earth-616 Captain Marvel; Superman and Hulk; Cyborg Superman and Dr. Doom; and Joker and Green Goblin. (Like Killer Croc, Joker must go back to prison after this, since we’ll see him there in Action Comics #719.) The official tournament then begins: Thor defeats Captain Marvel; Aquaman defeats Sub-Mariner; Flash defeats Quicksilver; Robin gets a kiss from and defeats Jubilee; Silver Surfer defeats Kyle Rayner; Elektra defeats Catwoman; Wolverine defeats Lobo; Storm defeats Wonder Woman; Spider-Man defeats Superboy; Superman defeats Hulk; and Batman defeats Captain America! Ultimately, Marvel scores six victories to DC’s five, but the brother entities vote to eliminate both universes. In Manhattan, Batman and Captain America encounter two versions of Axel Asher, one of whom is Access, a cosmic-powered metahuman working for the Spectre and Earth-616’s The Living Tribunal. This latter duo saves both universes by merging them into a single Amalgam Universe (designated “Universe-9602”), which consists of mash-up characters from both DC and Marvel. Batman and Wolverine merge to form Dark Claw; Doomsday and Dr. Doom merge into Dr. Doomsday; Superman and Captain America merge into Super-Soldier; Deadshot and Bullseye merge into Deadeye. Dr. Fate, Professor X, and Dr. Strange merge into Dr. Strangefate; Superboy and Spider-Man merge into Spider-Boy; Cheetah and Kraven the Hunter merge into Lethal; Creeper and Nightcrawler merge into Nightcreeper; Wonder Woman and Storm merge into Amazon; and Obsidian and Gambit merge into Wraith. Afterward, Marvel and DC heroes team up to defeat Darkseid and Thanos. In addition to other small battles, Catwoman and Elektra defeat The Abomination, Superman and Hulk defeat Mole Man inside the Batcave, Spider-Man and Superboy take down the Kingpin in the Daily Planet building, and Robin hooks up with Jubilee in Venice. (Umm, Robin, you have a girlfriend; you cheater!) Eventually, the skies burn red, and Access takes Batman and Captain America to see the cosmic brothers. Both universes bear witness to the brothers clashing in a realm outside of time and space, but ultimately, the bros shake hands, ending the crossover conflict and restoring the status quo. Moving forward, Access will act as a cosmic monitor for both the DCU and Marvel U.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Two-Face – Crime & Punishment and Batman: Shadow of the Bat #62. Batman again deals with Two-Face and his henchmen (including a goon named Louse) as they commit another pair of duality-themed crimes, murdering a mafia godfather and attempting to murder the district attorney. (Batman saves the DA.) I’ve taken the liberty of adding Louse’s debut (from a reference in Batman: Shadow of the Bat #62) into this item. (We know Louse debuts a few months before the main action of Batman: Shadow of the Bat #62, so it makes sense to go here.)

–Action Comics #719
The ghost of MLK Jr briefly appears in the Daily Planet building thanks to some Spectre-related shenanigans, but that’s not why we’re here. On to the important stuff! After the Joker’s last encounter with Superman (in Action Comics #714), Lois took a toy Joker doll as a souvenir and placed it on the mantel in her apartment. When she now handles the toy, she gets dosed with a deadly poison. A panicked Superman rushes to Gotham to confer with Batman, who sends him on a wild-goose chase so he alone can confront Joker in Arkham Asylum. Eventually, though, Batman and Superman join together to face the jailed Joker, who tells them that they must inject him (Joker) with the doll’s poison, which will cause his toxic antibodies to turn his blood into the antidote. The catch is that Joker will die. Batman and Superman aren’t sure what to do. In the end, they decide they can’t take even the Joker’s life, but luckily, it was all a ruse, and the poison from the doll wasn’t actually fatal. Lois is safe, but the Joker gets the last laugh. Lois no longer trusts Clark because he was going to let her die.

–Robin Vol. 2 #26
As seen in the Batman-less Robin Vol. 2 #25, Tim’s classmate, Karl Ranck, is shot to death by teen gangbanger Young El (Eldon Adams). Robin Vol. 2 #26 picks up with Karl’s funeral, after which Tim and Ariana squabble as usual. Later, Robin and Spoiler go after Young El, but get trapped in a hail of gunfire from Young El’s gang. Thankfully, Batman saves them both, takes down the gang, and orders Young El to turn himself in.

–Batman: Two-Face – Crime & Punishment 
Two-Face’s ten-day rampage continues as he kills hundreds of people by blowing up a nightclub. Thankfully, Batman is on hand to prevent a similar massacre at a second club. Later, Two-Face kidnaps his dad, Christopher Dent, and plans to hold his public execution live on national TV. Before Two-Face can off his dear old dad, Batman challenges him head-on, having deduced that Harvey Dent’s evil half wants to kill his dad, but his good half had been (unknown to his evil half) paying for his dad’s room and board in an upscale apartment for years. While Batman bests dozens of henchmen, Two-Face struggles with his schizophrenia and runs away. Unable to cope with the warring duality within his mind, Two-Face tries to commit suicide, but Batman saves him. The shock of the near-death experience exorcises Two-Face’s evil half, causing his good half to take over and return benevolent Harvey as his primary persona. With Harvey back at Arkham Asylum, Bruce and Alfred ponder whether Harvey’s sanity will last. Sadly, it won’t.

–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #720. The Batman-less Action Comics #720 occurs now. Batman has nothing to do with this item, but he’d definitely hear all about it. Lois and Clark break up (!), with Lois leaving Metropolis to take a foreign correspondent job.

–Batman: The Chalice^[3]
Following his recent detainment in Batman: Two-Face – Crime & Punishment, Two-Face attends a commitment hearing. (Two-Face became sane while being captured, so a commitment hearing makes sense for him, and it also helps place The Chalice here.) Of course, Two-Face goes nutso evil again and uses the lax hearing security to escape. (We can’t blame Arkham Asylum for this escape, but it means Two-Face has escaped captivity for the third time in three weeks!) The Dark Knight takes a bullet in the leg, but arrests Two-Face again. Later, an elderly friend of Bruce’s great-great-great-grandfather—Peter DeWettering (aka Lord Winsleygate, aka Earl of Grambling)—entrusts Bruce with protecting the Holy Grail. Yes, the Holy Grail. DeWettering is over 200 years old and barely alive, immobile but kept going by a sci-fi machine. (The elderly man mentions Solomon Wayne being Bruce’s grandfather, but he definitely means great-great-great-grandpa.) On his deathbed (finally), DeWettering gives Bruce the Grail and reveals that, since the Crusades, the GeVain family (later Wayne) has passed it down through generations. Bruce’s grandfather, Patrick, failed to pass it to Thomas, so Bruce never learned about it until now. Batman’s first move with the Grail is to test its power. He fills it with holy water and pours it into his open gunshot wound, and voila! He is completely healed. (This event, combined with his resurrection in a Lazarus Pit and Shondra Kinsolving’s mystical touch, helps preserve Batman’s youthful, healthy physical nature as time marches on.) A couple of days later, Azrael (whose former Order of St. Dumas brothers have long sought the Grail) is the first to warn Batman about the dangers of protecting the artifact. A few days later, Batman offers to heal Oracle’s spine, but she refuses. After a quick chat with Jim Gordon, Batman takes down Mooch Manklin and his gang. (Batman knows everything about Manklin from his Bat-computer database, including that Manklin has been running circles around the cops for over a month.) Meanwhile, Penguin hires Catwoman to steal the Grail, leading Catwoman and Alfred to team up to defend Wayne Manor against the Merivingian Brotherhood (aka Merovingian Brotherhood), a religious cult seeking the Grail. (Notably, this scene is written as if Catwoman has very little to no history with Bruce, Alfred, or Wayne Manor. At the time of publication in 1999, this was true, but thanks to the retcons in The Long Halloween, it isn’t anymore, so this part of the sequence must sadly be ignored.) Guided to Gotham by his personal antiquity librarian, Shuram, Ra’s al Ghul (along with a loyal Ubu warrior) confronts Batman. (Batman notes that Ra’s al Ghul hasn’t shown his face in Gotham for years; it’s been about two years.) After dispatching the Ubu, Batman battles Ra’s al Ghul, and they nearly kill each other until Talia breaks up the fight. In the end, Bruce realizes the Grail is more trouble than it’s worth and gives it to Superman for safekeeping. The Chalice spans a little over a week on our timeline.

–NOTE: In Batman: Bane of the Demon #1 Part 2 and Batman: Bane of the Demon #2. Batman is not in Batman: Bane of the Demon #1-3, but the events of this mini-series are vitally important to our chronology; hence their inclusion on the timeline. The first 15 pages of issue #1 (i.e. Part 1) begin right after Bane leaves Gotham at the end of Vengeance of Bane II and therefore overlap with the previous batch of stories in our chronology, which detailed Bane scouring the globe in search of his unknown father. Cut to now. In Singapore, Bane finds the Order of St. Dumas warring against the League of Assassins. (The Order of St. Dumas has been experimenting with a deadly virus, and Ra’s al Ghul wants to steal it from them.) After getting involved in the fight, Talia takes a liking to Bane and organizes a meeting between Bane and her father. Ra’s immediately respects Bane, but the latter quickly sours on the former. Surprisingly, Bane then begins a sexual relationship with Talia! At this point, Ra’s decides that Bane is better as an asset than as an antagonist and keeps him on the team. Toward the end of issue #2, Ra’s mentions, jealously, that the deadly plague he seeks has already been released upon Gotham City. “Contagion” has already begun!

CONTAGION
——————–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #48
——————–Detective Comics #695
——————–Robin Vol. 2 #27
——————–Catwoman Vol. 2 #31
——————–Azrael #15
——————–Batman #529
——————–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #49
——————–Detective Comics #696
——————–The Batman Chronicles #4
——————–Catwoman Vol. 2 #32
——————–Azrael #16
——————–Robin Vol. 2 #28
The beginning of this tale overlaps slightly with Batman-less Bane of the Demon #2. Thanks to the actions of Order of St. Dumas acolyte Daniel Maris, a deadly plague has struck Gotham, and it’s not pretty. Batman and Robin take stock of the city and formulate a plan of action as thousands contract the debilitating filovirus known as Ebola Gulf-A (aka The Clench, aka The Apocalypse Plague). Hundreds die in a very short amount of time. Soon after, it is revealed that there are three people who have supposedly survived Ebola Gulf-A. Since these three survivors are the possible key to finding a cure, Robin, Catwoman, Azrael, and the mercenary known as Tracker scour the globe to find them. Unfortunately, it’s a wild-goose chase, as the survivors never really had the virus in the first place. A dejected Robin returns to Gotham. (A flashback from Batman #561 shows Batman and Robin watching government officials in hazmat suits piling up bodies in the streets. Likewise, a reference in The Batman Files indicates that Batman wears a Board of Health face mask to avoid contracting the disease. He also keeps a face mask as a souvenir.) As riots break out across the panicked city, Batman meets Gotham’s number-one metahuman assassin-for-hire, “Hitman” Tommy Monaghan. (Tommy previously gained X-ray vision and limited telepathic ability during the events of Bloodlines.) Batman “helps” the crude Tommy defeat a diseased monster man known as Thrax. During this escapade, Batman learns that Tommy is about to be offered a lucrative hit on Joker. Later, Robin helps Nightwing and Huntress deal with riots all over Gotham. Meanwhile, Batman sends the immune Poison Ivy into the epicenter of the disease to test a possible antidote. Of course, the antidote doesn’t work, Ivy goes rogue, and Batman and ex-commish Jim Gordon have to take her down. But just as Batman and Jim are bonding for the first time in ages, the riots worsen, forcing the governor (Dave, last name not given) to call in the National Guard. Meanwhile, Tim contracts the virus! Who will save the day? Jean-Paul! Azrael learns that the Order of St. Dumas is responsible for the outbreak. Because of his history with the Order, Az has access to a cure. After a surprise run-in with the returning Carlton LeHah, Azrael delivers the cure to the authorities and ends the deadly plague. Az also learns that the Order didn’t create the man-made virus. But where did it come from in the first place? We shall see a little further down the road. Oh, due to the incompetence of both Commissioner Andy Howe and Mayor Armand Krol, the governor pushes up Marion Grange’s inauguration and instates her as the new mayor of Gotham! She immediately fires Howe and rehires Jim Gordon as commish!

–Black Canary/Oracle: Birds of Prey #1
Jim Gordon is commissioner in this item, hence placement here. Oracle hires Black Canary to investigate a string of eco-terrorist bombings all targeted at business mogul Nick Devine. Oracle remotely guides Black Canary to meet Devine at a Gotham club. Bruce and Lucius Fox are also present. When ninjas attack Devine, Black Canary and Chinatown’s mob queen Lynx (who works for Devine) fend off the assailants. Still remotely guided by Oracle, Black Canary dons a brand-new costume and, with Lynx, travels to Bwunda, Africa to investigate the bombings, eventually finding that Devine is behind them and collecting on insurance fraud. In London, Black Canary takes down Devine and Lynx. Because the mission is such a success, Oracle decides Black Canary’s next mission will be to stop a Santa Priscan human-trafficking ring. (That mission, shown in the Batman-less Showcase ’96 #3 Part 1, will happen in a couple of weeks.) The Devine case marks the official beginning of Oracle’s covert-ops team of rotating members, known as the Birds of Prey.

–REFERENCE: In Birds of Prey #6. Now that the Birds of Prey have officially launched, Batman begins secretly monitoring all of Babs’ transmissions and communications. He also bugs Oracle’s apartment headquarters with hidden cameras and audio recording devices. Batman will continue monitoring the Birds of Prey for the next year-plus. (Unknown to Batman, Oracle knows he’s spying and is spying on him too!)

–Batman: GCPD #1
This is the start of a special four-issue GCPD Major Crimes ensemble mini-series; think of this as a precursor to Gotham Central. When Polka-Dot Man attacks Officer Clarence Foley, Harvey Bullock loses his cool and beats the shit out of the villain. Renee Montoya is so upset by Bullock’s brutality that she reports him to Gillen (Internal Affairs) and asks to be partnered with someone else. Meanwhile, Officer Hendricks begins trying to find out who has been stealing office supplies. Concurrently, Stan Kitch and Caz Sallucci work a robbery/murder case and consult with attorney George Mellonshaw. Across town, Commissioner Gordon and Billy Pettit respond to a domestic violence situation, but Batman and Robin arrive first and resolve it. Back at GCPD HQ, Detective Kevin Soong becomes Bullock’s new partner, and they work the “teddy bear serial killer” case. (The “teddy bear killer” is a man named Steven Wilkins.) Later, Montoya and Hardback Bock (backed by Sarah Essen-Gordon) take on the Hasaraguan terrorist organization known as Cell Six, preventing them from assassinating the Hasaraguan ambassador Carlos Trujillo and his wife Paciencia “Pacita” Trujillo. Montoya agrees to go undercover as Pacita to infiltrate Cell Six.

–Batman: GCPD #3-4
An undercover Montoya is held captive by the Cell Six terror group. Across town, Stan Kitch and Caz Sallucci continue to work their robbery/murder case, finding a fresh victim. Mortimer Gunt performs an autopsy. Batman also investigates in his Matches Malone disguise after learning the deceased was in the Whiskey Road Gang. At a bar, Kitch and Sallucci interrogate Matches. Matches goes over his résumé, saying he’s no longer affiliated with the Whiskey Road Gang and briefly joined the Jimmy Navarone Mob (as seen in Punisher/Batman: Deadly Knights #1) before going solo. Sallucci sucker-punches Matches, but of course Matches knows how to take a punch. Batman reports Sallucci’s actions to Commissioner Gordon. Eventually, Kitch, Salucci, and Billy Pettit track down their man, Mickey Cortese, who dies in a firefight. Concurrently, Harvey Bullock and Kevin Soong continue working the “teddy bear serial killer” case, closing in on a suspect, Steven Wilkins. At police HQ, Hendricks exposes Gillen as the office supply thief, ending his career. Later, an exposed Wilkins shoots Soong, but Bullock kills Wilkins. Meanwhile, Montoya escapes captivity and single-handedly brings down Cell Six. In the suburbs, Kitch and Salucci bust George Mellonshaw after exposing him as being in league with Cortese. In the end, Bullock is re-partnered with Montoya after the injured Soong quits the force. Batman and Robin then bust some False Facers.

–Batman: Gotham Nights II #1-4^[4]
Gotham Nights II, a series that scarcely even shows the Dark Knight, is nearly impossible to place—all topical or seasonal references should likely be ignored. However, this arc belongs here because Alfred is present and Jim Gordon is commissioner. On to a synopsis. Someone has been sabotaging Little Paris, an old island amusement park in Gotham Harbor, so Batman orders Tim to visit with his friends and see what he can find. Meanwhile, Batman visits the park pretending to be an undercover Gotham Gazette reporter posing as a maintenance man. After another ride “accident,” a corrupt city councilman sends his hired goon, Jobe Belden, to straighten things out, much to Batman’s chagrin. After interrogating the councilman and the park’s owner, Batman deduces that Belden has been acting alone as the saboteur, collecting large bribes the whole time. When confronted, Belden blows up a gas tanker, and the whole park burns to the ground. Belden dies in the inferno along with the park owner, his dad (whose complicated pasts are both revealed), and a misogynistic racist (who learns a lesson and has a change of heart in his final moments). The story ends with the daughter of the ex-racist, who comes to terms with her rough Gotham life and her complex interracial relationships with two guys.

–Sovereign Seven #12
This item immediately follows Robin Vol. 2 #28, occurring a couple of days after the end of “Contagion.” Despite having barely recovered from the Clench, Robin goes out on patrol, during which he gets shot. Thankfully, vigilante Cascade (a member of the superhero team known as the Sovereign Seven) and Violet Jones (the Sovereigns’ bankroller) save Robin. Cascade and Violet (along with Sovereign member Reflex) nurse Robin back to health at the team’s HQ, known as Heaven’s Gate. Just as Robin meets Sovereign member Indigo and two reporters embedded with the Sovereigns, Neal Conan and Manoli Wetherell, super-villain Bosch aka Bosche (along with a bunch of monsters from Hell) infiltrates Heaven’s Gate, targeting Violet. (Bosch represents the Neron-affiliated group known as Dystopia.) Everyone in the HQ bands together to fend off Bosch and his monsters. Bosch then flees into the waiting arms of Batman, who happens to be targeting Dystopia. Across town, another Sovereign, Network, fights an assassin named Chimaera (Kim aka Kym). Chimaera defeats Network and imprints herself into Network’s mind, effectively infiltrating the Sovereigns as a spy for her partner, Philip Gethrin, the unscrupulous head of tech company Genesys Inc. (Notably, Chimaera represents the international criminal cartel known as Shōgun.) Meanwhile, in the small New England town of Crossroads, other Sovereign members, Rampart and Cruiser, work a connected missing-child case alongside their comrades Sheriff Molly Savoy, Conal Savoy (Molly’s son), Mitch, Jack (Mitch’s pet wolf), and Pansy Smith (Violet’s sister).

–Batman: Black and White #3 Part 1
February—Bruce’s birthday. A crook commandeers a bus full of people, causing the vehicle to teeter precariously on the edge of a bridge. Batman saves everyone and busts the baddie. Meanwhile, Alfred leaves a cake out for Bruce’s birthday at Wayne Manor.

–The Joker: Devil’s Advocate^[5]
At the start of this week-long story, Batman says Joker has been loose for months. This is impossible, since other comics have shown the Joker in and out of Arkham Asylum all year long. At most, he’s been on the loose for weeks, not months. In Devil’s Advocate, Joker is arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, goes to trial, and is sentenced to death! For the first time in his life, Joker is going to a penal institution that isn’t specifically for the mentally unwell. Not only that, but he’s been fast-tracked to death row, with his execution set to occur in mere days. This memorable one-shot includes great scenes of a shaven-headed Joker on death row that you shouldn’t miss. The story also features a deep dive into Joker’s new prison life, including Tommy Mangles, who makes a cool cameo! (Joker beats Mangles’ ass.) With Joker behind regular prison bars, Batman knows justice isn’t being served. As much as he hates to, Batman proves Joker’s innocence. Just before the electric chair switch is thrown, the governor calls. Joker’s life is saved at the very last second.

–Batman #530-532 (“THE DEADMAN CONNECTION”)
Talk about Indiana Jones. Batman teams up with Deadman, and the duo travels to Machu Picchu in Peru to stop international mercenary/terrorist Jackson Killeen from stealing an ancient Aztec treasure. This case involves resurrected mummies, Batman summoning a swarm of bats to his aid with a mystical flute a shaman gives him, and other ridiculous supernatural occurrences.

–Batman: Black and White #1 Part 1
Batman does an autopsy on a Jane Doe murder victim, discovering her ID and the truth behind her murder, thus bringing justice to her case. This great Ted McKeever story won an Eisner Award, and deservedly so! (Note that Batman: Black and White #2 Part 2 is a Bruce Timm story that takes place in the Batman: The Animated Series universe, thus rendering it non-canon on our primary timeline.)

–Batman: Black and White #1 Part 3
Batman has a strange dream in which he flies around like a real bat, then brutally busts some random criminals. Waking with a start at Wayne Manor, Bruce is haunted by the fact that he can no longer tell the difference between dreaming and waking.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Black and White #1 Part 5. Batman busts a murderous trumpet player.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Black and White #2 Part 3. Batman busts an unnamed criminal and puts him behind bars.

–REFERENCE: In Hawkman Vol. 3 #33. Batman has nothing to do with this item, but he would surely know what goes down. Ever since Zero Hour, Hawkman has been a “hawk god” mash-up of Katar Hol and Carter Hall (with Katar Hol as the dominant personality and Carter Hall more or less considered dead). Now, having lost control of his powers, Hawkman is banished to an interdimensional limbo by Martian Manhunter, Arion, and a reluctant Shayera Hol. This magickal banishment splits Katar Hol and Carter Hall back into two separate individuals, but Katar Hol is killed in the process. Carter Hall—in a spirit-like state—will remain trapped in interdimensional limbo.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #50-52
The new villain, Narcosis, debuts and doses Batman with a hallucinatory drug which makes him think he is battling an army of evil rogues all at once. Batman’s horrific vision includes a montage of nearly every Alan Grant original character from the past two or three years. Original Alan Grant characters? Joe Public, Wild, the Human Flea, Pagan, etc. Truly terrifying.

–Batman: Death of Innocents #1
This is DC’s public service announcement about landmines. After one of WayneTech’s employees is killed by a landmine in the civil war-ridden Eastern European country of Kravia, Batman travels there to search for the man’s missing daughter. After nearly sixty pages of intense battling with both the Kravian army and rebel militias, Batman locates the young girl. Batman then pauses to relax, feeling proud of his accomplishment. In that moment, little Sarah touches a landmine and is blown to kingdom come. Landmines suck.

–NOTE: In Batman: Bane of the Demon #3-4. Batman doesn’t appear in the main action of Bane of the Demon #3-4 (though Bane of the Demon #4 includes an epilogue featuring Batman that flashes forward to the opening of Detective Comics #700). Despite the lack of true Dark Knight appearances in the conclusion of this series, Bane of the Demon #3-4 matters for the upcoming “Legacy” arc, serving as a prelude—hence our inclusion here as a Batman-less notation. On to a synopsis. A couple of weeks have passed since Bane joined forces with Ra’s al Ghul. The League of Assassins is still searching for the Clench virus. After gathering information from the Order of St. Dumas, the League beats on the Kobra Cult and gets one step closer to its goal. Bane learns more about Ra’s al Ghul’s history from Shuram. Bane then kills Shuram. Meanwhile, in just a few short weeks, Talia has come to despise Bane, seeing him as an animal. She regrets having ever gotten involved with him. Obviously. How could she even begin to compare him to her baby daddy? Speaking of Damian’s dad, Bane flips out when Talia says she loves Batman. Ra’s ends his working relationship with Bane and imprisons him at the bottom of a flooding well. Bane escapes and kills dozens of Ra’s al Ghul’s men before sword-dueling the man himself. He’s no match for Ra’s with a blade, but before the fatal slice can be swung, Bane reveals that he knows where to find an ancient artifact that can reveal the secrets of the Clench. Ra’s is so impressed that he not only lets Bane survive, but also reinstates him in the League and even wishes for him to be Talia’s mate once again. Bane, Ra’s, and an annoyed Talia begin preparations to bring the chaos and death of the Clench to the entire world, with the ultimate goal of killing billions. Ra’s al Ghul’s “legacy” will soon be at hand, and we’ll get to that soon enough.

–NOTE: In Catwoman Vol. 2 #35. In the deserts of Sudan, Ra’s al Ghul discovers an ancient artifact that can reveal the Clench’s secrets. The League of Assassins sets up camp and fortifies its surroundings. The villain known as The Collector also forces Umberto (formerly of the Order of St. Dumas) to travel to Sudan, hoping to find the artifact. Umberto brings along Catwoman and Hellhound to aid him. (Notably, Hellhound was one of Catwoman’s original trainers.) All three end up being captured and imprisoned by Ra’s al Ghul.

–Detective Comics #697-699
Lock-Up kidnaps Two-Face from a prison transport and locks him up in a hidden location along with his other prisoners, Allergent and Charaxes, who have both been missing for weeks. Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and Commissioner Gordon arrest Lock-Up and learn that he is ex-police trainee Lyle Bolton. However, Bolton escapes jail, so the Bat-Family splits up and each hero goes after one of three possible targets that could be next on Lock-Up’s list. While in disguise as a juvenile delinquent for his part of the case, Robin gets caught by Lock-Up and added to his group of prisoners. Batman and Nightwing trace Robin’s location, save him, and then send the criminals to Arkham (probably less secure than Lock-Up’s fake prison, but oh well). We also learn that ex-mayor Armand Krol has been found dead as a result of the Clench virus. Hmmm. Very interesting. The Clench mystery continues.

–Robin Plus #1 (Robin Plus Impulse)
Late winter. Batman remotely guides Robin into a warehouse to investigate the theft of some outdated computer equipment by ex-KGB agent Piotr Vilk. While in the warehouse, newcomer Mystral cuts Robin’s Bat-rope before fleeing. Shortly thereafter, Batman sends Robin and Alfred to trail Vilk, who travels to a Virginia ski lodge. Under the guise of a skiing trip with Ariana Dzerchenko and Sebastian Ives, Tim and Alfred keep close tabs on Vilk. Coincidentally, Bart Allen (Impulse), Max Mercury, and Carol Bucklen are vacationing at the same lodge. Tim meets Bart for the first time, and they hit it off! Later that evening, Impulse helps Robin fight Vilk, during which Robin immediately pegs Impulse as Bart. Robin and Impulse (with Alfred guiding them remotely) spy on Vilk, who meets with George Deegan, leader of a violent militia group known as White Heat. Robin, Impulse, and Mystral—a secret agent working against White Heat—battle the villains, thwarting their plan to launch nuclear warheads using stolen computer technology.

–Robin Vol. 2 #31
This issue implies that only days have passed since “Contagion.” However, to accommodate the rest of the line beyond Robin’s singular worldview, a couple of weeks have passed since then (as reflected on our timeline above). On to a synopsis. Robin teams up with JSA alumnus Ted Grant (aka Wildcat) to stop the Speedboyz gang from robbing a car show. When he returns to the Batcave, Batman has learned about ex-Mayor Krol’s death as a result of the Clench, and the Dark Knight fills Tim in on the grisly details.

LEGACY
——————–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #53
——————–Batman #533
——————–Detective Comics #700 / Batman: Bane of the Demon #4 Epilogue
——————–Catwoman Vol. 2 #36
——————–Robin Vol. 2 #32
——————–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #54
——————–Batman #534
——————–Detective Comics #701
——————–Robin Vol. 2 #33
——————–Detective Comics #702
We pick up right where we left off in Robin Vol. 2 #31. Armand Krol died because Azrael’s cure for the Clench (Ebola Gulf-A) doesn’t really work. Az’s cure simply mutates the virus so that it lies dormant for an unspecified period before striking again. This is terrible news for Tim because he has the virus in his system. I should mention that Lucius Fox asks Bruce why Madolyn Corbett keeps calling the office. What’s with all of the Madolyn Corbett stuff? Don’t worry, it will come up soon. Anyway, after Azrael debriefs him, Batman assigns Huntress as Gotham’s protector, then flies to Sudan with Nightwing and Robin to find a cure. When the trio arrives in the Sudanese desert, they run smack dab right into Ra’s al Ghul, Talia, and Bane. (This scene is also shown via flash-forward from Batman: Bane of the Demon #4 Epilogue.) We learn several important bits of info at the start of ‘tec #700. First, Ra’s now controls an ancient artifact known as “The Wheel of Plagues,” a “table that configures the structure of viruses by scientifically deciphering the mysteries of recombinant genetics.” Two, Ra’s had originally created Ebola Gulf-A using only partial knowledge of “The Wheel” extracted from ancient texts. Three, the Order of St. Dumas had stolen the virus from Ra’s when they set it loose upon Gotham. Four, now that he has access to “The Wheel,” Ra’s plans to create a more virulent strain of the plague that will essentially kill off 90% of the population to give Earth a new and clean ecological start. After these startling revelations, Ra’s sets his plans into motion. Meanwhile, Catwoman escapes from her Sudanese jail cell, beats up Hellhound, and gets revenge against the Collector. Twenty-four hours behind, Batman, Robin, and Nightwing zigzag across the globe in hot pursuit of Ra’s, stopping his men from releasing the outbreak in Paris, Edinburgh, and Calcutta. Both Henri Ducard and Lady Shiva make cameos to help Batman in Paris and Calcutta, respectively! Back in Gotham, the team joins up with Huntress to stop Ra’s al Ghul and Talia head-on. Batman faces off with Bane in the ultimate rematch of the year. Who wins? You guessed it. Batman finally gets revenge and knocks out Bane. Before fleeing the country, Ra’s witnesses Bane’s failure and once again deems him unworthy of Talia. Oracle uses the final digital copy of “The Wheel of Plagues” to decipher the cure for the Clench just before an explosion destroys the files forever.

–Batman: Bane Part 1
The first part of this prestige-format story takes place literally right after “Legacy” ends. An unconscious Bane washes out to sea after being pummeled by Batman. As luck would have it, he drifts into a gigantic super-tanker with a nuclear reactor. Bane wakes up, climbs aboard, hijacks the massive ship, and meets up with some League of Assassins members who are still willing to serve him.

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Aztek: The Ultimate Man #3. Wayne Enterprises steps into the world of book publishing, starting a new company called Wayne Faction, through which Bruce endorses and produces a disparaging biography (written by Jonathan Ryle) about early 20th-century business tycoon Clarence Vane. (Note that this supplemental material/second feature to Aztek: The Ultimate Man #3 incorrectly refers to Bruce’s grandfather as “Anthony Thomas Wayne.” His grandfather’s actual name, as referenced in several other comics, is Patrick “Jack” Wayne.)

–Birds of Prey: Manhunt #2-3
Black Canary and Huntress team up to apprehend metahuman thief Archer Braun, with whom they have both previously been romantically involved. Catwoman also joins in the chase because Braun has swindled her. Oracle connects with Catwoman, who realizes Oracle guided her during the “Clench” ordeal. Based upon this history, Catwoman decides to trust her. Oracle is in constant contact with the three ladies as the “manhunt” escalates. It isn’t long before Batman and Robin join in the chase as well. When they do, Catwoman and Huntress avoid being seen by them at all costs. Oracle eventually convinces Batman to turn the case completely over to her (without telling him who she is working with, knowing full well Batman wouldn’t approve). Bats is a bit puzzled, but ultimately trusts Barbara and backs off. The three ladies chase Braun all the way to Kazakhstan, where they fight Lady Shiva, and Braun dies in a fire.

–REFERENCE: In a flashback from Birds of Prey #42. Batman isn’t directly involved in this item, but he would be monitoring it, since he is secretly monitoring all of Oracle’s activities. Oracle recruits Power Girl to undertake a Birds of Prey mission in Qurac. The mission is a complete failure and will cause long-lasting bad blood between Oracle and Power Girl.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #55
The mystery of Madolyn Corbett is finally revealed. Madolyn is a celebrity stalker who is obsessed with Bruce Wayne, so much so that she accosts him at home and begs him to marry her! Spurned, Madolyn runs off to her apartment, and Bruce follows to make sure the unstable woman gets the help she needs. Before Bruce arrives, Madolyn calls 911 and falsely claims that Bruce is attacking her. Then Madolyn actually stabs herself to death! Bruce arrives just in time to see her commit suicide and just in time for the police to arrest him for murder! Bruce spends a night in jail, but is easily able to prove his innocence by morning. Dick wears the Bat-costume to patrol Gotham yet again while Bruce is being interrogated.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Joker’s Apprentice #1. Late March—”Day 83″ of the Joker’s Apprentice narrative. Batman busts Scarecrow. As Arkham Asylum officials escort Scarecrow to the courthouse, Joker creates a distraction that lets his “graduating” protégé, Arthur Rankel, escape. Joker has prearranged for Rankel to use an abandoned film studio as a hideout. Rankel immediately moves in and takes a rat as a pet, naming her Lassie.

–Batman & Superman: World’s Finest #10 Part 1
Late March—the anniversary of Harrison Grey’s death. Note the continuity error: Superman is illustrated incorrectly, sans his long hair, in this item. Superman flies to Gotham not only to meet with Batman to commemorate Harrison Grey’s death, but also to stop Jimmy Olsen from shooting an annoying documentary about Batman. In Gotham, Batman tells Superman that major metahuman breakouts have occurred at Stryker’s Island and Arkham Asylum. Soon, Metropolis’ villains show up in Gotham and begin attacking Arkham’s escapees. A “villain war” erupts immediately. Batman and Superman easily recapture Bloodsport and Deadshot. But across town, Jimmy gets caught in the middle of a battle pitting Joker, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and Charaxes against Hellgrammite, Anomaly, Riot, and Metallo. Sadly, a major continuity error appears: Toyman and Clayface (Basil Karlo) are also present, seemingly operating on their own agendas. The continuity error is Karlo’s very appearance. At the end of Year 12’s “The Mud Pack,” Karlo was left trapped deep underground. That’s where he currently should be (and where he will remain until next year’s “Aftershock” arc). As such, Karlo’s appearance here should be summarily ignored. Batman and Superman call in the reserves and intervene with Superboy, Supergirl, Steel, Robin, Nightwing, and Azrael. The heroes round up all the villains. Meanwhile, across town, Jimmy films Lonnie Riven and Donnie Riven, who have captured Dr. Harrison Grey, who has been secretly alive for the past decade but has had amnesia. After Batman and Superman watch the footage, they rush to a waterfront warehouse to rescue Dr. Grey. At the warehouse, Two-Face reveals himself to be the organizer of the “villain war,” which he deliberately set up to coincide with the anniversary of the “death” of Dr. Grey. Two-Face kills the Rivens before the heroes take him into custody. Superman flies in Dr. Grey’s fiancée from ten years ago (Savannah Summers), reuniting her with her long-lost partner so they can start piecing their life back together.

–Nightwing Vol. 2 #1-3
At the end of “Legacy,” we learned that a bunch of corpses have been floating upriver from Gotham’s sister city of Blüdhaven. Batman sends Dick down to investigate. (The scene of Batman sending Nightwing on this mission is also shown via flashback from Nightwing Vol. 2 #8.) While there, Nightwing finds the source of all the murders: a gang war between the False Face Society and the Southeast Asian mob. Nightwing battles them all and also meets the insanely corrupt Blüdhaven Police force (which Dick learns is almost completely in Blockbuster’s pocket). With this in mind, Dick starts looking for apartments in Blüdhaven and finds a centrally located place run by the superintendent/landlady, Bridget Clancy. Nightwing won’t officially move yet, but he’s now ready when necessary. He notifies Batman and Robin that he will soon be moving to Blüdhaven.

–Batman/Judge Dredd: Die Laughing #1-2
April 7—this item is said to occur specifically on this date, albeit 2120 in Mega-City One. We can presume that the date is also April 7 in 2003 on Earth-0. Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum and gets his hands on the inter-dimensional belt (last seen in Scarecrow’s hands in Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham last year). Batman can’t stop Joker from activating the device, but something malfunctions during the trans-universal leap to dystopian Mega-City One’s Earth, causing only Joker’s spirit to jump and leaving his corporeal form in a comatose state on Earth-0. Joker’s ghost, loose in Mega-City One, takes over a gang leader’s body as a host vessel and frees the imprisoned Judge Death, Judge Fire, Judge Fear, and Judge Mortis. Judge Mortis manipulates law enforcement agents (including Deputy Chief Judge Paul Herriman) into going after, attacking, and shooting Judge Anderson, who manages to trans-jump to Gotham, where Batman nurses her back to health. While Anderson recovers, Batman universe-leaps to Mega-City One and joins up with Judge Dredd. “Judge Joker” and his four “Dark Judges” then take control of all the judges and begin wreaking bloody havoc all across the domed city. After a battle, Batman and Dredd defeat the evil judges. Joker, incorrectly thinking he has gained immortality, universe-jumps back to Earth-0. However, Joker’s spirit leaves his host body and returns to his own body, which is safely secured at Arkham. Back in the Batcave, a slightly injured Dark Knight checks on Anderson, who has nearly made a full recovery and now lounges nude on a bed in the middle of the cave. The story ends with the heavy implication that Batman and Anderson get it on before she returns to Mega-City One. Cool.

–Batman: Bane Part 2
Bane and his crew take their stolen nuclear ship and sail it on a collision course to Gotham. For this destructive plan to work, Bane forces the ship’s first mate to schedule a refueling stop in Blüdhaven. In the short time it takes to reach Gotham from Blüdhaven, the authorities won’t be able to react quickly enough to stop the boat. When Bane arrives in Blüdhaven, he encounters Nightwing (who is already there on a separate case), but easily defeats and captures him. In Gotham, Bane has a bit more trouble with Batman and Robin as the Dynamic Duo prevents catastrophe. Bane, however, escapes.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Riddler – The Riddle Factory. To keep up playboy appearances, Bruce goes on a series of dates with a runway model named Kitty.

–Batman: Riddler – The Riddle Factory
The Riddler hijacks a public-access signal and puts on a live pirate TV game show where he gets all Wizard of Gore and seemingly kills all his contestants. At the end of each show, he exposes a life-shattering dark secret he dug up about a random Gotham celebrity. In actuality, the Riddler isn’t killing anyone. It’s all a ruse, and the traveling game show distracts while Nigma’s goons search for a hidden mob treasure lost since the 1920s. After several nights of game-show brutality, the Riddler tries to expose a dark secret of Gotham celebrity Bruce Wayne in a grand finale, but he can’t. Nada. Zip. Zlitch. Bruce has got nothing to hide. If the Riddler only knew. (Notably, Riddler mentions that Bruce’s parents died twenty years ago. They actually died thirty-two years ago.)

–The Batman Chronicles #23 Part 2
This “Lost Tale of the Batman” fits right here because it features a version of the Batmobile used around this time. In the short story, a burglar flees the crime scene only to run smack dab into the Batmobile. Even though the Batmobile is unoccupied, he freaks out and shoots at it, triggering its sensors. Autopilot kicks in, and the car chases the burglar right into the waiting arms of the law.

–Aztek: The Ultimate Man #6-7 
In his first appearance since Devil’s Advocate a month ago, Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum (this is getting ridiculous; when are they going to get some security at Mercey Mansion?) and flees to the West Coast. After arriving in the town of Vanity, Oregon, Joker meets the city’s resident protector Aztek. Joker immediately causes all sorts of chaos for the rookie hero, and Batman comes to town to help the “Ultimate Man” recapture the evil clown.

–Hitman #1-3 (“A RAGE IN ARKHAM”)
Garth Ennis at his best here—depraved and funny. Everyone’s favorite metahuman Gotham hitman Tommy Monaghan has started dating the babe of his life, Wendy. He’s also accepted the job of his life. On behalf of gangster Gerry McWilliams, Tommy is going to bust into Arkham Asylum and execute Joker. Batman, who has known about the Joker hit ever since Contagion, confronts Tommy—a meeting that ends with Tommy vomiting on the Dark Knight and then getting arrested. Yes, that’s right, Tommy blows chunks all over Batman! Next, Tommy easily escapes the cops. News of Tommy’s Arkham hit has spread on the street, and when Tommy gets home, he has nine additional Arkham hit requests waiting for him, which he gladly accepts. Tommy breaks into Mercey Mansion and, in an amazing couple of panels, he strolls down the hallways of Arkham and nonchalantly kills eight inmates and shoots Mad Hatter in the kneecap. When he reaches Joker’s cell, he blasts him away, but the Joker lives! That’s because it isn’t really Joker. It’s the eight-armed, gun-toting monstrosity known as Mawzir, who has been sent from Hell to recruit Tommy to become the new Earthly killing agent for the demonic duo known as The Arkanonne. Did I mention these three demons (Mawzir and the Arkanonne twins) have swastikas carved into their foreheads? This story is amazing, and it only gets better. Tommy turns down Mawzir’s offer and then runs into the real Joker and shoots him in the chest. Batman joins the fray and patches up the bleeding Joker, saving his life, while Tommy and Mawzir engage in a violent shootout. The ruckus disturbs Killer Croc, who is trying to watch Seinfeld, and he starts rampaging as well. Eventually, Tommy takes down Mawzir and puts a magnum to the demon’s head. Tommy says he’ll let him survive if he simply says, “The Arkanonne suck.” Mawzir says it, and then Tommy blows his head clean off anyway.

–Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #142-145 (“THE DEMON LAUGHS”)
Ra’s al Ghul appears for the first time since “Legacy,” and he still wants to eliminate 90 to 95% of the world’s population. This time, he’s got an ace up his sleeve. Rather, he’s got a Joker up his sleeve. Talia and company break the Joker out of Arkham and ask him to do what Bane couldn’t. (Don’t worry, Talia doesn’t have sex with the Joker.) After looting a Quraci bio-weapons plant in the Indian Ocean, the League of Assassins has a brand new plague virus which is equivalent to the Clench. Batman, Alfred, and Henri Ducard go on a wild goose chase across the globe in search of the villains. When the Joker tries to betray Ra’s al Ghul, Talia fills him with lead. Batman arrives on the scene just in time to witness his bullet-riddled arch-enemy quickly bleeding to death. Batman and Alfred decide to save the Joker (for like the millionth time and the second adventure in a row). Thus, they do the unthinkable; they put Joker into the Lazarus Pit! Joker emerges not only completely rejuvenated and healthy, but also completely timid, self-effacing, and 100% certifiably sane! Batman then stops Ra’s al Ghul (as usual) from killing everyone on the planet and even has (for like the millionth time) a sword fight with him. Once the initial effects of the Lazarus Pit wear off, Joker is back to his old evil self.

–The Batman Chronicles #6 Part 1
Ra’s al Ghul just won’t quit. This time, Batman finds him in Istanbul, and as usual, Ra’s is trying to gather information from a sacred text that will let him continue his quest to reduce Earth’s population. As usual, Batman foils his plans. We get a pretty cool flashback to 16th-century Latin America where Ra’s al Ghul encounters fellow immortals Talon and Blackheart.

–The Batman Chronicles #6 Part 2
Batman isn’t in this part of Chronicles #6. Alfred and Tim read from an early 19th-century journal that Bruce keeps in the trophy room. The journal tells the secret history of Gotham City’s founding. Apparently, the small outpost of Gotham began as an insane asylum run by murderers. And one of the founders? A distant relative of Bruce.^[6]

–Azrael #22
Jean-Paul quits being Azrael, but just when he thinks he’s gotten out, they drag him back in. The Order of St. Dumas is out to kill Jean-Paul and his friends Brian Bryan and Lilhy (a former member of the Order). Without any other options, Jean-Paul visits Batman and asks him to fight the Order on his behalf. Bruce says it isn’t his problem, but he is sympathetic. Instead of helping, Bruce has Harold construct Jean-Paul a new Azrael costume. Bruce also (as he always does with Jean-Paul) throws money at the situation, depositing a million dollars into Jean-Paul’s bank account.

–Batman #535
Years ago the US Government tortured and killed 22 men and 22 apes while conducting top secret eugenics experiments. The 23rd pairing escaped before the “scientific” procedures could finish. Now “The Ogre and The Ape” are back to seek revenge on the doctors which forever changed their lives. Batman, with Oracle’s guidance, is able to end the Ogre’s killing spree, but sympathetically allows him to walk free instead of turning him over to the police.

–Batman: Shadow of the Bat #56-58 (“LEAVES OF GRASS”)
Here we go with an Alan Grant marijuana story which comes off like a lengthy anti-weed after-school special. The Floronic Man returns to Gotham and begins distributing his brand of super-weed, an intensely more powerful version of pot. Floro believes that once the world becomes addicted to his reefer, everyone will be in a calm state of ecstasy i.e. wars will end, crime will go down, etc… After getting his product on the street, Floro also breaks Poison Ivy out of Arkham in order to use her assistance, but Ivy has an agenda of her own. Batman eventually captures Floro and shuts down the drug’s production center, but Ivy escapes. This story takes about a week to wrap-up and Gordon explains to Batman that ever since Floro’s weed began selling in Gotham, crime statistics have dropped noticeably across the board! Batman shoots Gordon’s line of reasoning down in a heartbeat and we cut to Tim giving his fellow classmates a long lecture which ends with the line “and that’s why I’ll never do drugs!” This sure ain’t no Garth Ennis tale.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Hill #1 Part 1. Bruce begins regularly golfing at the fancy country club with racist business acquaintance Kingford. Bruce also begins getting haircuts at the club from a barber named Eliot.

–FLASHBACK: From the B&W second feature to Batman: Gotham Knights #47. Batman apprehends an escaped Riddler.

–NOTE: In Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #4-5. Earlier this year, Lex Luthor gained a new healthy body from Neron (as seen in Underworld Unleashed and Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #3). Since that time, Lex Luthor has remained in hiding, deftly avoiding the authorities. While remaining out of the reach of the law, Lex now gets married (for the eighth time) to Contessa Erica Alexandra Del Portenza, current CEO of LexCorp. (His first seven marriages occurred before the debuts of both Batman and Superman.) Lex and the Contessa immediately go on a seafaring honeymoon aboard a luxury yacht.

THE FINAL NIGHT
——————–The Final Night #1
——————–Azrael #23
——————–The Final Night #2
——————–Batman #536
——————–The Final Night #3
——————–Detective Comics #703
——————–Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 4 #86
——————–Robin Vol. 2 #35 Part 1
——————–The Final Night #4
——————–Robin Vol. 2 #35 Part 2
——————–Batman #537-538
——————–Green Lantern Vol. 3 #81
Late April. When a mysterious, gigantic Sun-Eater engulfs the sun and begins to devour it, the Earth goes dark, and the end of days seems near. (Sun-Eaters, massive amorphous blobs that feed on stars whole, are the larval form of their species. Eventually, Sun-Eaters grow into regular-sized humanoid forms in adulthood. The most notorious of the Sun-Eaters is none other than the villain Starbreaker!) Global temperatures plummet, and the sun is on the verge of going supernova. Superman’s powers begin to rapidly diminish without the yellow light of the sun to recharge him. Fearing the worst, Superman convenes a large gathering of superheroes to brief everyone. This meeting includes Batman, Flash, Kyle Rayner, Dusk (a one-shot character that is an expert on Sun-Eaters), Takion, Rampage (Dr. Kitty Faulkner), Captain Atom’s Extreme Justice, Martian Manhunter’s Justice League Task Force, Wonder Woman’s Justice League America, and the 30th century’s Earth-247 Legion of Super-Heroes (Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl, Brainiac 5, Ultra Boy, Gates, Spark, and Inferno). (Bear in mind, this is an alternate Legion than we’ve met before. This is the “Reboot” Legion from Earth-247.)^[7] Later, in the Batcave, Alfred and Bruce argue with one another. Specifically, Alfred lays a guilt trip on Bruce over his laissez-faire approach to helping Azrael in his war against the Order of St. Dumas. Alfred convinces Bruce to travel in disguise with Jean-Paul just to make sure he reaches his European destination safely. After making sure Azrael is okay, Bruce immediately returns to Gotham to deal with the quickly escalating “Final Night” situation, leaving Jean-Paul, Nomoz, and Lilhy to deal with the Order. As weather patterns spiral out of control and panicked riots break out all over the planet (aren’t people used to this shit yet?), the superhero community buckles down to maintain order. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor decides the best way to convince everyone that he isn’t a criminal is to help the world’s heroes find a way to save the planet. Thus, Lex ends his honeymoon and finally makes his return to the public eye, teaming up with the superheroes. (Lex will soon be cleared of virtually all criminal charges, but not because he’s playing babyface. He’ll be cleared by claiming that his “son” Lex Luthor II was responsible for all wrongdoings. In actuality, Lex was Lex II, but he’ll fool the world as he usually does.) At hour twenty-seven without sunlight, Superman and Batman travel to Paris to stop Vandal Savage from stealing a portrait of his ex-girlfriend, some chick named Mona Lisa, who once posed for a painting! At twenty-eight hours without sunlight, Man-Bat freaks out and heads north because he’s afraid he won’t be able to control his bloodlust and doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Five days without sunlight, and the crime in Gotham is rising, but Batman, Robin, Spoiler, and Huntress are still in control. The Earth-247 Legion of Super-Heroes (including Apparition, Shvaughn Erin, and Ferro) assist in the assault on the Sun-Eater. Even with the aid of the Legion, with two hours left until the sun explodes, all hope seems lost until Hal Jordan returns! Great stuff here as Superman welcomes him with open arms, but Batman flips out and can only think of Hal as the insane monster we last saw him as in Zero Hour. (There is a recapitulation of this Hal Jordan return scene in a flashback from DC Universe Legacies #9 Part 1.) In the end, Hal redeems himself and uses the power of Parallax to save the Earth, but at the cost of his own life. Superman praises Hal as a martyr, saying, “I’ll always think Hal died a hero.” To which Batman replies coldly, “Too bad that isn’t how he always lived.” In the aftermath of “The Final Night,” Batman apprehends Man-Bat in Antarctica. Shortly thereafter, Hal Jordan is given an epic hero’s funeral. Funeral attendees include: Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Huntress, Metamorpho, Swamp Thing, Carol Ferris, the Question, Lobo, Phantom Stranger, John Constantine, Starman (Jack Knight), the Kalmaku family, multiple Green Lanterns (including Brik and Salaak aka Salakk), multiple members of the Superman-Family, multiple members of the Flash-Family (including Flash’s fiancée Linda Park), all three branches of the JL, and more. Batman isn’t happy about the love-fest for Hal, but he does begrudgingly say he forgives him in the end. Later, even though the sun is restored, Superman’s powers continue to diminish due to the lack of sunlight over the past week. Eventually, his powers disappear completely. Notably, don’t forget that Parallax is a separate parasitic entity that had a symbiotic relationship with Hal during this time. (Hal was indeed insane, but the alien inside of him helped bring out the demons.) PS. As referenced in Green Lantern Vol. 2 #1, right before his own death, Hal is able to use the power of Parallax to bring the original Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) back from the dead! However, Ollie is resurrected without his soul and will live as a mindless homeless man in an alley for years before anyone finds out he is alive.

–Superman: The Wedding Album #1 
Lois Lane returns to Metropolis, having been gone ever since breaking up with Clark Kent a few months ago. Seeing that they are made for one another, Clark (still de-powered due to the effects of “The Final Night”) and Lois decide to get back together. And rather than wait a second longer, Clark and Lois finally get married! Bruce wishes them the best of luck. Much of the issue depicts the wedding (like an actual wedding ceremony) from beginning to end in detail. It’s really sappy and happy, and nothing bad happens. No bad guys have the stones to crash this wedding.

–Batman: Gordon’s Law #1-4
Commissioner Gordon deals with rampant corruption within the GCPD (which had only gotten worse during his recent absence) and rogue federal agents in this crime story. “This is a police affair,” says Gordon, and he forces Batman to wait in the wings, a move that nearly costs Gordon his life.

–Nightwing Vol. 2 #5
Nightwing is back in Blüdhaven, dealing with Blockbuster’s goons, most notably Lady Vic. We start to see the beginnings of Dick’s official life in Blüdhaven around now. He has an apartment there now, but he’s still technically in a transition period between Gotham and Blüdhaven. (Eventually, once Nightwing settles, he will become the official protector of Blüdhaven.) After Nightwing chases Lady Vic out of Blüdhaven, she travels to Gotham. In her alter ego of socialite Lady Elaine Marsh-Morton, she seduces J. Devlin Davenport, who introduces her to Bruce.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Nightwing: Bloodborne. May 9. Bruce, via Alfred, sends Dick a floral arrangement to commemorate the anniversary of the Flying Graysons’ deaths.

–REFERENCE: In Superman: The Man of Steel #64. This item has zilch to do with Batman, but he’d be made aware of it for sure. Thanks to Metron, Superman regains his powers! (He had been without them since “The Final Night.”)^[8]

–Total Justice #1-3
Batman and Robin bust a super-villain named Iggy. A day later, a lone Parademon—who has gained autonomy and a sense of self and calls himself Mike—attacks Tim and his dad while they are yachting in the Caribbean. When Mike kidnaps Jack Drake, Robin puts out an alert signal, which is received by all three branches of the JLA. (Notably, Amazing Man and The Wonder Twins—Zan and Jayna—have joined Captain Atom’s Extreme Justice branch!) Batman, Aquaman, Flash, and Green Lantern go to a nearby cloaked island to help Robin, but Mike goes into an underground lair. The metapowered heroes realize their super-abilities are nullified thanks to the island’s cloaking device. Thus, Blue Beetle and Gypsy arrive with gaudy silver “Fractal Armor” for all the heroes to wear (as per the request of the toy makers associated with the production of this mini-series). The heroes fight Mike and deal with holographic illusions created by an Apokoliptian machine. Batman eventually confronts Mike, who reveals his backstory: Long ago, Darkseid stationed a troop of Parademons on the island. Over time, some of the Parademons began to develop personalities and the ability to speak, notably Mike, who became the group’s leader. Just as Mike finishes his story, Darkseid himself arrives, looking to retrieve his lost squadron. The heroes defeat the Parademons before a bored Darkseid returns to Apokolips. Afterward, Batman secretly escorts Mike back to his underground lair on the island and gives him a functional satellite TV and internet to keep him occupied, warning him never to leave again.

–The Batman Chronicles #7 Part 1
Superman and Batman investigate a cold death-row case in order to save someone’s life at the eleventh hour. Their investigations tell a tale that neither one expected. In the end, the duo is able to get the inmate’s case appealed, but she dies before the news can reach her executioners. Batman doesn’t appear in The Batman Chronicles #7 Part 2, but it overlaps with the first part and features Dick and Donna Troy meeting up to have a long chat about life, love, and whatever. Batman only appears via flashback in The Batman Chronicles #7 Part 3, in which Tim and Connor Hawke (the new Green Arrow) reminisce about their mentors in action. The flashback in this part shows a Batman/Ollie Queen team-up from roughly two years ago.

–JLA Incarnations #6 Part 2
Captain Atom’s “extreme” JL team invades Bialya in order to end Queen Bee II‘s dictatorial reign of terror. (Queen Bee II is the sister of the now deceased previous leader of Bialya, Queen Bee I.) However, Atom’s invasion isn’t sanctioned by the US Government. The UN, wanting to distance itself from the political mess, withdraws funding and support for all of the Justice League branches, thus officially dissolving the entire League (and all League branches). On TV, a panel consisting of Lex Luthor, Amanda Waller, Maxwell Lord, and Ralph Dibny discuss the ostensible collapse of the superhero community. In the wake of the dissolution of the League(s), Batman meets Superman, and they vow to be a part of the next version of the JLA, promising to make it the best version of the team yet. Notably, Superman should have his long hair look in this issue, but he doesn’t. Chalk it up to an artistic error.

–Justice League: A Midsummer’s Nightmare #1-3
Dr. Destiny joins forces with the evil Know Man. With the recent abolishment of the Justice League there isn’t anyone strong enough to confront the villains, so DC’s “Big Guns” (having worked together well during the recent “Final Night” conflict), join forces to stop them. Batman fights side-by-side with Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, GL Kyle Rayner, Martian Manhunter, and Aquaman. These collective superheroes don’t officially call themselves a team yet, but this adventure sets the tone for our very next story. PS. This story obviously doesn’t take place in midsummer. The title is simply a Shakespeare pun.

–JLA Secret Files and Origins #1 Part 1
The same heroes from A Midsummer’s Nightmare prevent a Star Conqueror (a gigantic green member of Starro’s parasitic alien race) from taking over Flash’s hometown of Blue Valley, Nebraska. Batman saves everyone’s ass by rescuing Flash, who had been mind-controlled and was leading an army of zombified humans. The Spectre, after initially disapproving of the team’s intervention in Blue Valley, designates them as the new Justice League of America! (Following this case, the JLA keeps a mini-Starro as a trophy—as referenced in JLA #22.)

–REFERENCE: In JLA Secret Files and Origins #2 Part 2. The new JLA poses for a photo, which gets developed, framed, and added to the trophy room.

–JLA #1-4 (“NEW WORLD ORDER”)
As the old Justice League is cleaning their stuff out of the JLA Satellite, a strange alien craft lands on Earth. The Hyperclan has arrived! These all-star superheroes from a galaxy far, far away have come to clean up Earth and take over as the brand new meta-powered protectors of the world. Superman is skeptical, as well he should be. In a short amount of time, the Hyperclan wins over the hearts of the planet, and crime is down significantly as each alien Hyperclan warrior acts as judge, jury, and executioner. It’s not long before Batman realizes the truth. The Hyperclan comprises evil White Martians who have been successful thus far in their slow quest to take over Earth! The “Big Guns” that assembled in Midsummer’s Nightmare meet once again and join forces to defeat the White Martians. Unfortunately, in the process, the JLA Satellite is ruined, and Metamorpho is killed. (As referenced in JLA Secret Files and Origins #2 Part 2, the JLA keeps a large globe from the Hyperclan’s fortress as a trophy. The JLA also collects all of its old trophies, which were undamaged but blown out into space when the Hyperclan destroyed the satellite. As also referenced in JLA Secret Files and Origins #2 Part 2, the JLA decides, as a general mandate, that they will keep much of what they do in the future a secret from the general public—for the public’s own safety. The JLA also meets with several national governments across the globe, who specifically request keeping as many JLA cases top secret so as not to cause widespread panic among the various citizenries.) In the following weeks, a gigantic fortress known as the Watchtower will quickly be constructed on the Moon. It will house the new JLA headquarters. The JLA is officially back, and there’s no question that this is one of the strongest lineups ever. Classic Grant Morrison stuff. If you want to see a truly badass Batman, Morrison’s JLA version of the Dark Knight is second to none. (Note that canonical flashbacks from the second feature to 52 #8 and the Rebirth Era’s Flash Vol. 5 #47 both show the “Big Guns” JLA lineup posing.)

–NOTE: In Dr. StrangeFate #1. The Amalgam Universe (created during the DC vs Marvel Comics story arc) is destroyed. The only survivor of the cataclysm is Dr. StrangeFate (a mash-up of Dr. Fate, Dr. Strange, and Professor X). StrangeFate hides himself deep within the psyche of Dr. Strange on Earth-616.

–DC/Marvel: All Access #3-4
The follow-up to DC vs Marvel Comics and the destruction of the Amalgam Universe. When several Marvel characters accidentally breach into the DCU, Access is on the case. He recruits Jubilee, and together they visit Robin in Gotham. Robin and Jubilee team up to defeat Two-Face, while Batman defeats Scorpion. Afterward, Robin and Jubilee smooch a bit, and Tim feels bad about cheating on Ariana. Access can’t figure out what is going on with the random inter-dimensional breakdown, but Batman volunteers to accompany him back to Earth-616’s New York City to investigate. In NYC-616, Batman and Access accost Dr. Strange. Then the X-Men show up, and Batman successfully holds his own in a fight against the entire team! As the sheer manpower of the X-Men eventually begins to overtake the Dark Knight, the JLA bursts onto the scene, ready for action. As the X-Men battle the JLA, Dr. StrangeFate makes his dramatic return and begins merging characters together in an attempt to recreate his lost universe. The individual X-Men merge with the individual members of the JLA to form a mash-up “X-League.” For instance, Batman merges with Jubilee to become a Batgirl-type character. In the end, Dr. StrangeFate recreates the original Amalgam Universe as it was. Still, Dr. Strange contains the entire Amalgam Universe (including StrangeFate) in a tiny pocket-sized sphere, which he will hold onto for safekeeping. The “X-League” is un-merged, and the JLA returns to Earth-0.

–JLA 80-Page Giant #1 Part 5
It has been nearly two weeks since the formation of the new JLA. Their new Watchtower headquarters, built on the surface of the Moon, is just about operational. While finishing construction touches on the Watchtower, the team holds a globally-televised press conference, much to the chagrin of the DCU’s super-villain community. Afterward, J’onn disguises himself as Brain Wave and organizes a huge entrapment sting operation, inviting a bunch of bad guys to join together as a supposed new Secret Society of Super-Villains. “Brain Wave” gets thirty suckers to buy his bogus crime syndicate by convincing them that there are many other members waiting in the wings in other cities for a coordinated attack against the JLA. When the thirty dupes—including Cheshire, Dr. Thaddeus Sivana, The Prankster, Monocle, and several of Batman’s rogues—are assembled, J’onn marches them into the waiting arms of the JLA.

–REFERENCE: In Superman Vol. 2 #123. Batman has nothing to do with this item, but he’d be well aware of what goes down. Superman unexpectedly transforms into a blue, electromagnetic being and dons his new capeless “electric” containment suit. Welcome, Superman Blue!

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Poison Ivy. May. Bruce attends the Cannes Film Festival, where he meets up with his friend Christopher DeJardin. A countess invites both Bruce and DeJardin to an afterparty, but Bruce declines. Bruce later hears that DeJardin has hooked up with the countess.

–Superboy/Robin: World’s Finest Three #2
With Bruce away on official Wayne Enterprises business for the weekend, Robin is on his own. Robin meets Superboy for the first time! Unfortunately, the Boy of Steel gets seduced by the pheromones of the deadly Poison Ivy. Dick grabs Alfred and Batman’s Kryptonite ring and chases Superboy and Ivy to Hawaii. There, Ivy pits Superboy against Robin. Eventually, Superboy shakes off Ivy’s spell and teams up with the Boy Wonder to defeat both Poison Ivy and Metallo. Back in Gotham, Batman returns and congratulates Robin and Alfred on a job well done.

–REFERENCE: In Infinite Crisis #1 Part 1. Batman secretly installs his own black box recording system aboard the still-under-construction Watchtower Moon-base.

–REFERENCE: In Robin Vol. 2 #36. Batman has nothing to do with this item, but he’d be well aware of what goes down. For the first time in two years, Tim’s father, Jack, is fully rehabilitated and able to walk again (!), thanks mostly to physiotherapist Dana Winters, who will eventually marry Jack and become Tim’s stepmom.

–The Power of Shazam! #22^[9]
Batman travels to Fawcett City and teams up with Captain Marvel to defeat the villain Lady M.

–JLA Secret Files and Origins #1 Part 2
The new JLA meets the new electrically powered blue Superman, who says they should test his new powers to make sure he is still worthy of being on the team. Superman runs through a gamut of testing, which Batman doesn’t even bother to help administer, citing remotely, “Of course he’s in. He’s Superman.”

–REFERENCE: In JLA Secret Files and Origins #1 Part 3. Aquaman watches live footage of Batman busting an escaped Joker on a Watchtower monitor.

–JLA/WildCATs “Crime Machine”
The JLA meets the ultimate superhero team from Wildstorm’s Earth-50, the WildCATs (Grifter, Majestic, Maul, Void, and Zealot). Together, the two teams prevent Epoch aka The Lord of Time from destroying the multiverse.

–Detective Comics #704
This is a one-shot story about the loser criminal Al Gabone, who attempts reform but just can’t catch a break.

–second feature to Batman: Gotham Knights #37 (Batman: Black & White)
In this B&W back-up, Scarecrow and his henchmen steal a bio-weapon from STAR Labs and combine it with his patented Fear Gas. Unfortunately, the combo leaks from its canister and penetrates the minds of both the bad guys and Batman. Batman is able to shake off the effects of the drug and send Scarecrow back to Arkham.

–Batman: Blackgate #1
Batman hears a tip that something big is going down at Blackgate Penitentiary, so he dons a fat suit and goes undercover as the “man who can get anything on the inside” baby-killer known as Shoppie. Once on the inside, Batman unravels a complicated plan masterminded by the former Cluemaster, Arthur Brown. Brown has long planned on escaping Blackgate with Titus Samuel Czonka (aka Czonk), Firefly, Ratcatcher, Dragoncat, Actuary, and a few other buddies. After a prison riot and cameos from every Blackgate inmate from Gunhawk to the Trigger Twins to Steeljacket, Brown and company make it outside the prison walls, where they meet up with the returning Cap’n Fear (!), who has been hired by Brown to taxi-boat them off the island. Fear quickly realizes Batman is on the case and high tails it outta there. No one passes “Go.” No one collects $200. They all end up straight back in jail (except for a few lucky ones who actually manage to get away).

–Detective Comics #705-707
During the events of “The Final Night,” Riddler paid off an Arkham orderly to break his wrist so that he could be transferred to Mercy General Hospital. Now, Riddler easily escapes from the hospital while his lovely henchwomen Query and Echo bust Arthur Brown (Cluemaster) out of his parole hearing at the courthouse. For those wondering, Query and Echo have been around since Bat Year Two, but they never really develop into fully-fleshed out characters until now. Anyway, Riddler straps remote controlled bombs to the Cluemaster’s chest and forces Batman and Robin to haul him all around town solving a bunch of riddles. If they fail to solve the puzzles, the Cluemaster will explode. Think Die Hard With a Vengeance. With Oracle’s help (and Brown’s) the Dynamic Duo are able to discover the Riddler’s secret location and stop him.

–The Batman Chronicles #9 Part 3
Poison Ivy creates a plant-gerbil hybrid and gives it to an Arkham guard who then gives it to his daughter to have as a pet. Yeah, the logic of some dude giving his six-year-old daughter a present from a deadly killer known as Poison Ivy is completely inane, but whatever. The gerbil thing multiplies like a Tribble overnight and by morning thousands of the creatures are swarming all over town. Batman visits Ivy at Arkham where she reveals she caused all the chaos because she missed him. In exchange for a kiss on the cheek, Ivy turns all the critters into strawberries. Crisis averted.

–Batman: The Hill #1 Part 1
Batman and the GCPD chase international jewel thieves into the Black Gotham ghetto known as The Hill. In the ensuing chaos, a fourteen-year-old local gangbanger is killed by police gunfire, inciting the neighborhood. Tensions in the Black community rise and protests erupt outside of police headquarters, much to the chagrin of Commissioner Gordon. At the boy’s funeral, Batman (in disguise) meets the untouchable criminal Demitrius Korlee, who runs the Hill Gang with an iron fist. Batman busts one of Korlee’s drug dealers, Bobby Z, prompting Korlee to bail the latter out only to silence him with a quick death.

–REFERENCE: In Resurrection Man #7. Batman learns about Resurrection Man (Mitch Shelley), a metahuman hero that can supposedly reanimate himself after death. Curious, Batman begins logging each reported sighting of Resurrection Man into a database. The Dark Knight won’t actually meet him for a few months.

–Batman Plus #1
Cheshire has just detonated nuclear bombs in Qurac, virtually destroying the entire nation. In retaliation, Quraci nationals, led by KGBeast, kidnap her. Who could possibly care enough to risk life and limb to save a woman who literally just nuked an entire country? Arsenal, of course! Why? Because Cheshire is the mother of his child. You may know him better as former Teen Titan, Speedy (Roy Harper)! Anyway, Roy travels to Blüdhaven and asks Dick to ask Batman to help him out. Batman and Arsenal team-up and travel to Zurich, where Arsenal takes out the Beast, while Batman converses with Cheshire, which adds another layer to the case. Unknown to Roy, his very young daughter Lian Harper had been kidnapped by the Beast as well, and Cheshire was being blackmailed for a ton of cash. Lian, being held back in the States, is saved by Nightwing. Any book by Devin Grayson usually makes for a good read, and this one’s no exception, especially if you are into some amazing Roy banter.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Hill #1. A week has passed since the first part of Batman: The Hill. Batman steals maps detailing the Hill neighborhood from the Hall of Records. The Dark Knight begins building a fake Batcave within the boundaries of the Hill as part of an elaborate ruse to nab crime boss Demitrius Korlee.

–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 2 #75. Dick tells Batman that he is permanently moving to Blüdhaven. Batman is sad to see him leave, but Dick assures him it is for the best.

–Batman: Phantom Stranger
Common criminals seek the mystic secrets of the 10-thousand-year-old Lemurian civilization. The Phantom Stranger shows up and asks for Batman’s assistance after an ancient Lemurian power-ring is stolen from a tomb. At the conclusion of the story, Batman and the Stranger are able to stop the criminals. Jon Konik (remember him from way back in ‘tec #614?) dons the power-ring and we learn the mystic secret of the Lemurians: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Shit, that’s the Golden Rule. Words to live by.

–Batman: Black and White #2 Part 2
Summer. Batman hears about an eleven-year-old felon involved in a drive-by shooting. He studies up on the boy, learning that he’s part of a gang led by a drug pusher named BD. Three days later, a bunch of pre-adolescent gangbangers silence their partner-in-crime, killing the eleven-year-old in cold blood. Batman takes down the bunch of murderous kids before turning his attention to bringing down BD and his adult crew as well.

–Batman: Black and White #2 Part 3
One of Batman’s prior busts breaks out of prison and sets a trap for Batman as revenge. The fugitive kills a family in an alley, leaving it as bait. Sure enough, Batman takes the bait, which leads to multiple bullet wounds. Batman gets dumped into the sewers, left for dead. Thankfully, Batman is wearing body armor. He recovers and presumably busts his would-be assassin.

–Batman: Black and White #2 Part 4
Commissioner Gordon asks Batman to look into a series of unsolved gangland murders. Batman takes the case and begins his investigation, quickly discovering that a tricky mob-linked concrete worker is responsible for all the hits. Batman makes an easy bust. (Note that Batman: Black and White #2 Part 5 is a Neil Gaiman/Simon Bisley meta-story about actors playing the roles of Batman and Joker. As such, it is non-canon.)

–Batman #539
Peter Ostine is a grave-robber that makes sculptures out of human bones. After he gets arrested, he chokes on a chicken bone and dies. Sweet irony.

–Batman: Black and White #3 Part 2
When a psychiatrist learns that a woman he is treating is having recurring nightmares about Batman, he does some digging and learns that she has a repressed childhood memory of being kidnapped by a bad guy and then rescued by Batman. Seeing that a ruined doll is a key fixture in her nightmares (and was also a central part of the kidnapping), the doctor reaches out to Batman (presumably via the police) and gets him to help out. While the woman sleeps, Batman visits her and gives her a doll. Now that’s therapy.

–Batman: Black and White #4 Part 2
Batman investigates the laboratory of a super-scientist, discovering that he’s kidnapped a bunch of people and turned them into hideous monsters in a giant vat. Caught, the scientist shoots at Batman, accidentally releasing all the creatures. They drag the scientist to his death while escaping into Gotham Bay. Out tale ends with Batman saying, “It’s going to be a long night.” We can guess that Batman catches some of these monsters, but this might give a nice origin to some of the unexplained strange creatures we’ll see in the DCU moving forward. (Note that Batman: Black and White #4 Part 3 is an Eisner Award-winning story by Archie Goodwin and Gary Gianni. It is, however, non-canon—an imaginary story featuring a Golden Age-styled Batman in the 1940s.)

–Batman: Black and White #4 Part 4
Batman gets shot in the chest by a bad guy, after which he has a series of intense near-death hallucinations.

–Batman: Black and White #4 Part 5
Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo does Batman! Batman aids Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD in tracking down a serial killer with multiple personalities. As Batman confronts the killer, the latter hulks up and escapes. Later, at Wayne Manor, Bruce contemplates whether or not his dual identity could lead to multiple personality disorder for himself down the road. When the serial killer is trapped by police but refuses to give in quietly, a bare-chested Batman confronts the killer one-one-one to bring him to justice. No longer acting as Bruce or Batman, our hero has donned his “third mask” in order to take down his schizophrenic foe.

–Batman: The Hill #1 Part 2
Two weeks have passed since the first part of The Hill. After a fancy gala (attended as Bruce), Batman sets into motion an elaborate plan that involves a ton of subterfuge and espionage tactics. The Dark Knight then feeds Demitrius Korlee disinformation and, a few days later, lures him to a fake Batcave within the boundaries of the Hill neighborhood. Korlee, thinking he has exposed a huge secret of the Bat, lets his guard down, allowing Batman to get the jump on him and bring him to justice. Afterward, Batman reflects on the case with Gordon and then with Alfred.

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1. ^[1]COLLIN COLSHER: Bruce turns 40-years-old in February 2003. But before moving on, I have something important to say! In the comics around this publication era, Tim is said to be in 10th grade and roughly 14 years old. However, due to retcons, he should actually be in junior high and 12 years old. As usual, here are the first six months of the year. January through June are particularly compressed and packed with material. This is almost a literal catalog of every day of Batman’s life for six months.↩
2. ^[2]COLLIN COLSHER: With Batman: Shadow of the Bat #46-47 (“Cornelius Stirk”) by Alan Grant, Batman #527-528 (“Two-Face”) by Doug Moench, and Detective Comics #693-694 by Chuck Dixon, the Batman writing/editorial group decided to do something way too ambitious by completely overlapping these six issues to show the roughly 36 hours comprising election eve and the day afterward. Instead of using the typical crossover-sharing method, where one issue leads into the next, these six issues combine haphazardly, showing different scenes completely out of order. I’ve done my best to break it all out below, split into parts so it has a chronological flow that makes sense.↩
3. ^[3]COLLIN COLSHER / AVINOAM YAGUR / SAM GROOVER / ODI: Chuck Dixon wrote The Chalice after penning Bane of the Demon #1-4 (and contributing to “Contagion” and “Legacy”). While The Chalice definitely precedes “Legacy” and Bane of the Demon #3, it is hard to place more specifically beyond that. However, in The Chalice, Batman is very cold towards Azrael, suggesting this occurs before “Contagion.” Furthermore, as evinced by Dixon’s Robin Vol. 2 series, Dixon meant for there to be a relatively short amount of in-story time (i.e. mere days) between “Contagion” and “Legacy,” and while other writers may have ignored this by stuffing way more than a few days of narrative material in that gap, this is yet another hint that The Chalice is supposed to go before “Contagion.” Because Bane isn’t mentioned in The Chalice, it also seems to predate Bane’s partnership with Ra’s al Ghul, i.e. prior to Bane of the Demon #1 Part 2.

   The one thing that really complicates placing The Chalice before “Contagion” and Bane of the Demon #1 Part 2 is Jim Gordon’s brief cameo. The implication is that Gordon is the commissioner, but that can’t be true if our tale is set pre-“Contagion” (when Gordon is reinstated). However, in The Chalice, Gordon is never specifically called commissioner. He does refer to himself as a cop, but he always does, no matter what. And while Batman and Gordon do meet in an office complete with a note board and crime files, it’s not entirely clear they are at police HQ. (This probably isn’t Gordon’s home, but maybe he is still keeping an office at police HQ, or renting office space? He was just running for mayor, so he definitely kept office space for that, which he very well might be leasing. There are various easy fanwank possibilities. Or, worst case, we can ignore this single page as a continuity error or simply ignore its setting.) It’s vague, but it seems Dixon always intended The Chalice to act as a prequel to Bane of the Demon and “Contagion.” So it makes sense to place The Chalice here, while noting that Gordon isn’t the commissioner. Of course, placing The Chalice immediately after “Contagion” doesn’t break the timeline either, so it’s totally up to you.↩

4. ^[4]COLLIN COLSHER: Batman: Gotham Nights II is technically also named Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 2, as it is the follow-up to the previous Batman: Gotham Nights mini. The third volume of the series (Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3) was released in 2019-2020 as Batman Giant Vol. 2, before being reprinted as Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 in 2020.↩
5. ^[5]COLLIN COLSHER: Joker: Devil’s Advocate features a reinstated Commissioner Jim Gordon, hence its placement here. Additionally, Devil’s Advocate is the last time we’ll see Joker on our timeline until “Day 83” of Joker’s Apprentice in Late March. Notably, Joker will lose all his hair in Devil’s Advocate, but by the time he gets to “Day 83” of Joker’s Apprentice, roughly a month-and-a-half from now, his full head of hair will be back. We should also note that Devil’s Advocate starts immediately after the Batman-less “Day 46” of Joker’s Apprentice, which occurs roughly on February 19. (This is the last place we see Joker with a full head of hair prior to Devil’s Advocate.) But ultimately, the hair stuff is nitpicking. Editorial probably never bothered to tell any other artists to account for Joker’s depilated dome. If artists don’t show Joker growing his hair out after having it shaved off, we can easily fanwank that he’s wearing a toupee. After all, Mark Waid has him wear a toupee after shaving his head bald in a later continuity!↩
6. ^[6]COLLIN COLSHER: The third and final part of The Batman Chronicles #6 details some of Bruce’s training in Chicago a few years before becoming Batman.↩
7. ^[7]COLLIN COLSHER: What is the deal with this new Legion? It’s very confusing, there’s no doubt about it, but I’ll try to break it down in layman’s terms. Originally, there was only one Earth-0 Legion of Super-Heroes. In 1991, a time-paradox duplicate version of Legion (the “Batch SW6” Legion aka “Batch South Weisinger 6”) appeared—and was subsequently killed in 1994. Also in 1994, Zero Hour rebooted the Earth-0 Legion entirely, creating a brand new version of the Legion that was basically a mash-up of the SW6 and original versions. (This Legion was nicknamed the “Reboot Legion.”) In 2004’s Teen Titans/Legion Special #1, a separate Legion was created for the Earth-Prime timeline. (This Legion was nicknamed the “Threeboot Legion” because it was the third legit version of the team, not including the SW6 duplicates.) However, in 2006, Infinite Crisis (and 52) retconned Legion history in a very specific way. The post-Zero Hour Earth-0 Legion became a wholly separate Legion from an alternate timeline, specifically from Earth-247. This meant the original Earth-0 Legion, the one that existed prior to Zero Hour, was reinstated and given the nickname of the “Retroboot Legion.” (This is another big example of Zero Hour being completely neutered in terms of its narrative retcon effect.) Final Crisis (2008-2009) then provided further clarity on the three separate Legions, collectively known as the “Legion of Three Worlds.” Our chronology already reflects the retcons mentioned above, meaning the three Legions in the Modern Age are:

   1. Earth-0 Legion (aka the original pre-Zero Hour Legion aka the “Retroboot Legion”)
   2. Earth-247 Legion (aka the post-Zero Hour Legion aka the “Reboot Legion”)
   3. Earth-Prime Legion (aka the “Threeboot Legion”)↩

8. ^[8]TROY DOLINER / COLLIN COLSHER: Superman gets his powers back in the Batman-less Superman: The Man of Steel #64. Notably, Perry White also suffers an emergency and goes to the hospital in the very same issue. For Superman’s chronology, the also-Batman-less Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #7 is supposed to (according to the cover “triangle number” order) directly follow Superman: The Man of Steel #64. However, in Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #7, Maxima mentions Extreme Justice’s dissolution. Plus, Perry White is out and about, fully healthy. This not only implies a gap between the aforementioned issues, but it also means that Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #7 must unequivocally go after JLA Incarnations #6 Part 2, which occurs about a week from now. This doesn’t have much direct bearing on our Batman chronology, but it does help us properly sync with Superman’s chronology.↩
9. ^[9]TROY DOLINER: The Power of Shazam! #22 goes before JLA Secret Files and Origins #1 Part 2 to align with Supergirl’s chronology. Supergirl’s appearances around this era go in the following order: The Power of Shazam! #22-23, then Supergirl Plus #1 (aka Supergirl Plus the Power of Shazam!), then Supergirl Vol. 4 #9, then JLA Secret Files and Origins #1 Part 2, then JLA/WildCATs, then eventually JLA #5 Part 1—thus dictating the order for Batman-related titles as well.↩