(July to December 2022)
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–Nightwing Vol. 4 #100
Note that Nightwing Vol. 4 #100 opens with a Batman-less flashback that occurs shortly after Dark Crisis. The main action of this item occurs a few weeks after the end of Dark Crisis. At Wayne Manor, Batman and Nightwing visit Alfred’s grave while they discuss plans, specifically Nightwing’s future as the new primary leader of the superhero community. After their heart-to-heart, Nightwing and Batman hug in a loving display between father and son. Soon afterward, Dick, Babs, Haley, and Mayor Melinda Grayson-Lin (formerly known as Melinda Zucco) visit Blüdhaven Private Prison, which was damaged by Heartless a few weeks ago. Dick decides that he is going to purchase Blüdhaven Private Prison, shut it down, and turn it into the new Titans Tower. (The Batman-less epilogue to Nightwing Vol. 4 #100 occurs a month from now, showing the Titans publicly opening their new headquarters.)
–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #3 Part 1 and Catwoman Vol. 5 #57. Batman begins carrying a long-range listening device and anesthetic syringes in his utility belt.
–REFERENCE: In Knight Terrors: First Blood #1 and the second feature to Knight Terrors: Batman #1. Batman creates a new set of emergency “No Sleep Till Gotham” protocols for the Bat-Family. Batman’s personal part of the protocol, for use if he is ever succumbing to unconsciousness but must stay awake, involves shooting adrenaline (epinephrine) into his own heart, following activation by both a vocal code phrase and pressing of a physical button on his chest insignia. The “No Sleep Till Gotham” protocols are shared with each member of the Bat-Family, and each member of the Bat-Family has specific actions associated with the protocols.
–REFERENCE: In Batman vs Robin #1. Batman switches from kevlar to much stronger polymeric fabric for his bulletproof vest.
–Batman vs Robin #1-4
A mysterious spiritual calling draws Bruce to Wayne Manor where he finds Alfred somehow resurrected! Alfred seems to think that “City of Bane” is still going on, specifically moments just prior to his death. Bruce says that Alfred died “months and months ago”—it’s been about three years, so the extra and emphasized “months” must be Bruce’s odd way of notating the longevity of absence. Or it’s simply part of what will be an ongoing test to see if this really is Alfred. And right away, “Alfred” fails the test, guzzling down oolong tea, which the real Alfred could never stomach. Despite confirming that this Alfred is bogus, Bruce pretends that he thinks otherwise. Bruce descends into the Batcave to find Robin (Damian) alongside Jakeem Thunder (with Johnny Thunderbolt) and Tim Hunter. (Batman knows all about Hunter, one of the world’s greatest magick users, from his superhero database.) The boys attack Bruce, who switches into his fighting togs. Damian, clearly having been turned evil by some unknown power demands that Batman turn over the mantle of the Bat. Batman fights a magickally animated T rex and several old costumes. Damian pauses with great surprise and happiness when he sees Alfred, but quickly reverts to evil mode, chasing both Batman and “Alfred” into the bowels of the cave. Damian shockingly mocks the death of Thomas and Martha Wayne while shooting Batman in the chest with a gun! Batman and “Alfred” escape via the Batboat. They embrace and vow to save Damian from his evil influence. Meanwhile, Damian returns to his new masters—revealed as the Devil Nezha and Mother Soul—at the Tower of Fate in Salem. They offer Damian numerous magick artifacts to aid in his destruction of Batman. Later, Batman and “Alfred” visit Zatanna only to find her in a zombie-like undead state with Schrödinger’s Noose around her neck. Zatanna explains that some unknown force (Devil Nezha) is punishing all the wizards and sorcerers, including herself and all of the Justice League Dark. Zatanna explains that it is Damian that has caused all the chaos. She sends Batman and “Alfred” through a magick portal to Kentucky. Meanwhile, Nezha and Mother Soul send evil magick users on missions. Jinx and Tannarak steal the Mystic Gem of Arion while Zachary Zor and Klarion rip the Soul Suit from Ragman’s body. Nezha forces Black Alice to transfer the power of these items into the Helm of Nabu. In Kentucky, Batman and “Alfred” come across a troubled Felix Faust, who has lost control of his powers. After Batman sedates Faust, he and “Alfred” are greeted by Cain and Abel, who stand on the porch of the House of Secrets. Upon entry into the House of Secrets, Batman and “Alfred” are treated to a whirlwind of hallucinatory visions that tell them previously unknown information, including details about Damian’s time on Lazarus Island, Mother Soul, and the origins of Lazarus Pits. Batman and “Alfred” then meet the three immortal witches known as The Kindly Ones or the Hecateae (Cynthia, Mildred, and Mordred), who taunt him with an illusion of Talia. Batman and “Alfred” then bear witness to more revelation, learning that Damian has gone under the spell of Nezha. Damian himself, magically boosted by Nezha and Mother Soul, appears in the House of Secrets. Damian attacks Batman and “Alfred” before stringing up Cain, Abel, and Cynthia like puppets and setting the House of Secrets ablaze. Batman and “Alfred” barely escape with their lives. Upon retuning to Lazarus Island, Damian is gifted with a Batman-666 costume and a Nezha-possessed Nightwing, Robin (Tim Drake), Batgirl (Stephanie Brown), and Red Hood. Nezha and Mother Soul’s magick also causes Oracle and Batwoman to be unable to communicate. Damian also wields Mother Soul’s magick to capture his mother, Talia. Batman and “Alfred” travel to Lazarus Island where Batman fights the possessed Bat-Family members. Meanwhile, Black Alice traps magick-users (including the Queen of Fables, Phantom Stranger, Madame Xanadu, Raven, Vixen, and Yz) within the Helm of Nabu. Nezha captures Shifu Pigsy, demanding to know the location of his (Nezha’s) son, the demon King Fire Bull. Pigsy reveals that King Fire Bull is already on Earth. Pigsy tells Damian that Nezha, only evil due to corruption by Lazarus fluid, will soon be at war with King Fire Bull. During the fight between Batman and Nightwing, “Alfred” is struck by the Sword of Sin, causing the demon spirit within to depart. What is left behind is the legit spirit of Alfred, or at least a sliver of his true soul, which Nezha used to make the replicant. Before being exiled back to the afterlife, Alfred tells Batman not to blame himself for his death, and that his parents miss him dearly. In his lair, Nezha chats with Mother Soul, revealing that his father specifically created Lazarus Pits for him to bathe in hundreds of thousands of years ago. Meanwhile, Batman enters Nezha’s lair and frees a captive Talia. He then passes by a pile of injured and traumatized magick users, each of whom Batman has extensive knowledge about from his Bat-computer database. Batman takes notice that their powers have been siphoned into the Helm of Nabu. The possessed Damian arrives and begins fighting his father while the villains watch. Talia joins the battle, allowing Batman to don the Helm of Nabu. Using its magick, Batman releases Damian from Nezha and Mother Soul’s spell and teleports all the downed heroes (except Shifu Pigsy and Black Alice) to safety. Talia and Damian fight an outmatched Mother Soul, who flings herself into the depths of the caverns below, seemingly committing suicide. Meanwhile, Batman engages in a magick duel with Nezha, who rips off the helmet, shattering it and toppling its pieces into the Lazarus Pit. Damian and Talia try to assist Batman, but Nezha kills him! (Batman being killed is also shown via flashback from Batman vs Robin #5.) King Fire Bull makes his dramatic entrance and begins fighting his father Nezha. As they fight, Black Alice siphons Nezha’s Lazarus energy into Batman’s body, resurrecting him. Weakened, Nezha flees with King Fire Bull chasing after him. The heroes escape the island just as the magick-charged Lazarus Pit explodes.
–Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1
Picking up directly from Batman vs Robin #4, supercharged weather disasters spread across the globe as the Lazarus volcano drenches the planet in magickal green rain. An injured Batman, Talia, Robin (Damian), and Black Alice return to the Hall of Justice (literally crashing their plane into it). Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton #1 Part 1 overlaps with Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1 Intro, showing the heroes crashing into the Hall of Justice, after which a novel sequence shows an injured Batman waking up in the medical center and tasking Dreamer (Nia Nal) with finding Dr. Fate (Khalid Nassour). Taking charge as general, Damian briefs Supergirl (sporting a new costume), Power Girl, Cyborg, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes), Blue Devil, Zatanna, Monkey Prince, and Shazam (Mary Bromfield) about the magick rainstorms and the threat of King Fire Bull. (Yes, Lady Shazam is now simply Shazam, meaning that both she and Billy Batson are sharing the name. However, by the end of Lazarus Planet, Mary will switch to the name “Mary Marvel.”) Damian orders Zatanna, Shazam (Mary), Cyborg, Blue Beetle, and Power Girl to travel to the Tower of Fate to free all the downed magick users. Damian orders Batman, Talia, Blue Devil, and Supergirl to travel to a League of Assassins temple in the Himalayas in search of the Devil Nezha. At the Tower of Fate, Zatanna, Shazam (Mary), Cyborg, Blue Beetle, and Power Girl defeat King Fire Bull’s minion, Silver Horn King, and free all the downed magick users—Phantom Stranger, Tim Hunter, Ragman, Alan Scott, Circe, Enchantress, Klarion, Jakeem Thunder, Jinx, Tannarak, Zachary Zor, John Constantine, the Queen of Fables, Traci Thirteen, Jack O’Lantern, Dr. Occult, Blackbriar Thorn, Abra Kadabra, Madame Xanadu, a resurrected Manitou Raven, Witchfire, and the Wizard. Meanwhile, Batman, Talia, Blue Devil, and Supergirl travel to a League of Assassins temple in the Himalayas in search of the Devil Nezha. There, they defeat King Fire Bull’s other minion, Golden Horn King (whom Batman already defeated once before, a few years ago). Batman and Talia soon find Poison Ivy and Swamp Thing already fighting Nezha. The heroes help them take down Nezha, after which Batman seemingly absorbs the demon’s powers, basically becoming “the Devil Batman.” Unknown to all, Nezha has actually possessed Batman. While Nezha’s body remains inert, his essence (basically his soul) has inhabited Batman. At the Hall of Justice, King Fire Bull confronts Damian.
–Lazarus Planet: Omega #1
Picking up directly from Lazarus Planet: Alpha #1, Robin (Damian), Black Alice, and Monkey Prince fight King Fire Bull. Meanwhile, at the Tower of Fate, Zatanna tries to remotely block King Fire Bull’s attempt to control Black Alice. Superman (Clark Kent), Superman (Jon Kent), Martian Manhunter, Flash (Barry Allen), Hal Jordan, Wonder Girl (Yara Flor), and Jo Mullein arrive at the Hall of Justice to help fight King Fire Bull, but the latter make everyone’s powers randomly swap.[1] As chaos ensues, Black Alice siphons in the stolen magick and redistributes it back to all the sorcerers of Earth—including the Spectre. In the Himalayas, the Devil Nezha-possessed Batman easily defeats Talia, Blue Devil, Supergirl, Poison Ivy, and Swamp Thing. (Batman defeating the heroes is also shown via flashback from Batman vs Robin #5.) Black Alice tries one big magick attack, but it fails, allowing King Fire Bull to take down all the heroes at the Hall of Justice. From the Himalayas, the Nezha-possessed Batman engages in a long distance magick war against his son, King Fire Bull. The sorcerers arrive at the Hall of Justice to challenge King Fire Bull as well. After helping the downed heroes, the sorcerers join forces with them to strike at King Fire Bull. The Spectre banishes away King Fire Bull, ending his threat for good. A burned out Black Alice flees into hiding. Much to the joy of Damian, a smiling Batman shows up at the Hall of Justice to join in the victory celebration. Unknown to all, he is still possessed by Nezha. (The Nezha-possessed Batman’s return is also shown via flashback from Batman vs Robin #5.)
–Batman vs Robin #5
Picking up directly from Lazarus Planet: Omega #1, at the Hall of Justice, the Nezha-possessed Batman knocks-out Robin (Damian). Shedding his disguise, and now simply looking like the Devil Nezha wearing a Bat-costume, Nezha drags the unconscious Damian to the Batcave beneath Wayne Manor. Monkey Prince secretly spies and follows. Upon awakening, Damian tricks Nezha to escape. Talia phones Damian, warning him that if he is to exorcise Nezha from his father’s body, his father will die! Nezha retakes the full form of Batman and powers up, chasing after Damian in the flying Batmobile. Damian regroups with Monkey Prince, giving him a specific mission and sending him on his way. Damian also briefs the Bat-Family, setting up a plan of action involving them as well. In downtown Gotham, Bat-Nezha fights Nightwing, Robin (Damian), Robin (Tim), Batgirl (Babs), Batgirl (Stephanie), Batgirl (Cassie), Red Hood, and Monkey Prince. Using a new trick he learned from Shifu Pigsy, Monkey Prince creates dozens of Damian doppelgängers, all of which swarm Bat-Nezha. Pigsy, Zatanna, and Enchantress arrive with Nezha’s inert body in tow. Damian gives the order to the magick-users to transfer Nezha’s soul back into his body. They do so, but Batman dies in the process, just as Talia had warned. Damian begs Zatanna and Enchantress to put his own life essence into Batman’s corpse, hoping to sacrifice himself to save his father. But they tell Damian that Batman will need a few full life essences—or many partial life essences—in order to be revived. At Babs’ Clocktower, Damian addresses the entire populace of Gotham, asking each person to give up part of their soul to save Batman. Damian’s impassioned plea does not go unheard as hundreds people (if not more) chant “We are Batman,” relinquishing parts of their souls unto the Dark Knight. Batman is resurrected! Father and son lovingly embrace. (The hug scene is also shown via flashback from Dawn of DC: Primer – Special Edition #1.) The next day, Batman and Robin (Damian) happily patrol together.
–Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn #1 Part 3 Epilogue
Picking up immediately following Batman vs Robin #5, this item is just the “later” epilogue of Lazarus Planet: Legends Reborn #1 Part 3. Nightwing debriefs Batman about newcomer City Boy (Cameron Kim), a metahuman that has the power to “read” the geography of any urban landscape to find historical treasures or interesting artifacts. Having been struck by green Lazarus lightning during the recent Lazarus Planet event, City Boy’s powers have not only been augmented but he’s also gained a magickal pet—an animated pile of trash that is the living embodiment of the spirit of Gotham City. Batman and Nightwing watch from the shadows as City Boy and his trash-pet return a stolen tiara to its unnamed owner, seemingly cementing themselves as heroes. After Nightwing chats with City Boy, Batman instructs Nightwing to keep a watchful eye on the newcomers.
–FLASHBACK: From Flashpoint Beyond #5—and referenced in Flashpoint Beyond #0-2 and Flashpoint Beyond #6. We are told this item occurs specifically two days following the conclusion of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7, but that is impossible and does not jibe with any other writer’s continuity. Since Flashpoint Beyond begins with Batman speaking with a newly resurrected Ra’s al Ghul, it must occur after Lazarus Planet and Batman vs Robin since Ra’s al Ghul is resurrected during Lazarus Planet.[2] The superhero community reassembles in the wake of recently completed crises (i.e. Dark Crisis and Lazarus Planet). Batman meets with a resurrected Ra’s al Ghul, who has returned to his old school look after having recently been looking younger. (Ra’s al Ghul’s resurrection—by Flatline—occurred during Lazarus Planet, specifically in Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution #1 Part 2. Notably, Lazarus Planet: Next Evolution #1 Part 2 has Flatline say that Lazarus Planet occurs “a few weeks” after the end of the death-match tournament on Lazarus Island, but it’s been months, not weeks.) Ra’s al Ghul presents Batman with Flashpoint Batman’s ashes, but tells him that, despite this evidence, the latter’s death has been exaggerated. After revealing to Batman that he’s read Rorschach’s journal, Ra’s al Ghul provides him with detailed files on the Time Masters, Mime, and Marionette, urging him to save his alternate universe father. (Mime and Marionette are originally from the Watchmen Universe, but they have lived on Earth-0 since the end of Doomsday Clock.) Ra’s al Ghul tells Batman that he can wield the remnant power of Dr. Manhattan to re-create the entire Flashpoint universe within Laurie Juspeczyk’s snow globe.
–Flashpoint Beyond #0-2 (“THE CLOCKWORK KILLER”)
Immediately following his meeting with Ra’s al Ghul, Batman conducts alternate universe research and then communes with Mime and Marionette, who assist him (in exchange for an unspecified deal) with breaking into Time Master leader Rip Hunter’s lab, which is in shambles. In Rip’s lab, Batman examines a chalkboard, which has various scribblings about current DC history on it. In a walk-in safe, Batman procures Janey Slater’s watch, Laurie Juspeczyk’s snow globe, a journal, and a sheet of paper that details the cosmic architectural hierarchy of the Divine Continuum. DC, get it?! The sheet also has a note that mentions the need to find Clark and Sally Dreiberg. (Batman stealing these items is also shown via flashback from Stargirl: The Lost Children #4.) Before departing, Batman congratulates Mime and Marionette on having had a baby, their second child Anita Maez (who recently turned two-years-old). In the Batcave, Batman examines his Flashpoint dad’s letter along with the loot he pilfered from Rip’s lab. (This looks like the classic Batcave under Wayne Manor, but it has to be the new downtown version.) Bratty thirteen-year-old member of the Time Masters, Corky Baxter (along with his pet raccoon Crockett), shows up to harass Batman and scold him for his actions. Flash (Barry Allen) notifies Batman that Reverse-Flash is back and time is being disrupted. Flash also warns Batman to stop whatever he’s doing. After the speedster departs, Corky continues his conversation with the Dark Knight. Corky tells Batman that the Time Masters stole the snow globe in order to protect the Divine Continuum from Dr. Manhattan. He warns Batman that the owner of the snow globe (likely meaning Rip Hunter) will come looking for it soon. (Corky conversing with Batman is also shown via flashback from Stargirl: The Lost Children #4.)
–Flashpoint Beyond #4-6 (“THE CLOCKWORK KILLER” Conclusion)
Picking up directly from Flashpoint Beyond #0-3 (although Batman is not in Flashpoint Beyond #3), we are erroneously told that it’s only been two days since the conclusion of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. (As mentioned above, this is a continuity error by writer Geoff Johns. It’s been a two days since the end of Lazarus Planet and Batman vs Robin, not Dark Crisis.) In the Batcave, Corky Baxter continues to warn Batman about messing with Flashpoint Batman and hypertime. (Again, this looks like the classic Batcave under Wayne Manor, but it has to be the new downtown version.) Corky says not to kick another hornet’s nest, especially so soon after having just survived the chaos of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. On Flashpoint-Earth, a new World War has begun between the Amazons and a squadron of metahumans calling themselves Task Force X. Flashpoint Batman performs an autopsy on the corpse of Eobard Thawne, finding clockwork gears sewn into his body. Meanwhile, having been trained by Oswald Cobblepot (Flashpoint Batman’s assistant) for a while, a capable Dexter Dent (the deceased Judge Harvey Dent‘s son) sneaks into the Batcave and equips himself with vigilante fighting gear. While Dexter breaks into Arkham Asylum to see his mom Gilda Dent (aka Two-Face), Cobblepot tells Thomas Wayne about Dexter’s actions. Thomas realizes that one of the gears from inside Thawne’s body belongs to the grandfather clock in Wayne Manor. The Clockwork Killer is Joker (Martha Wayne). In Arkham Asylum, Joker confronts Gilda and Dexter. Meanwhile, on Earth-0, dangerous blueshift power begins to leak from a crack in Batman’s snow globe. Corky tells Batman that the omniverse has come into contact with hypertime, explaining further that the burst of azure energy and snow globe are connected with the Flashpoint universe. On Earth-0, Mr. Terrific and Bonnie Baxter (Rip Hunter’s significant other and fellow Time Master) are guests on Angela Chen’s talk show to discuss the fallout from Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and the science of the omniverse. Bonnie is quick to distinguish the differences between the omniverse (infinite space) versus Hypertime (infinite timelines), obviously having an affinity for the latter. Bonnie also explains how legitimate Mandela Effects have occurred throughout history, citing Zero Hour in particular. She also then name drops all the major Crises, citing the Big Bads involved with each, only to point out that Hypertime Crises are equally important, more frequent, but always hidden from the public. Bonnie is interrupted by an emergency call from Time Master partner Jeff Smith, prompting her to teleport away. On Flashpoint-Earth, Flashpoint Batman crashes into Arkham Asylum to confront his wife. While Gilda escapes with Dexter, husband Batman and wife Joker fight. The latter reveals that she learned about Earth-0 from Psycho-Pirate and then became the Clockwork Killer in order to learn more about time travel and Hypertime in general. Now, she’s created a time machine with the idea of saving Flashpoint Bruce, who died on Crime Alley so long ago. In the Batcave on Earth-0, Rip Hunter confronts Batman, telling him that his recreation of an unstable Flashpoint world within an old Dr. Manhattan memento could be catastrophic. Rip attempts to curtail the world of Flashpoint back into its proper place in Hypertime, but Batman won’t have it. Meanwhile, chaos continues all across Flashpoint-Earth as Atlanteans battle Amazons and superheroes gather against an impending Kryptonian invasion. At Arkham Asylum, Joker (Martha) realizes that she’s made an error of judgment upon learning that Dexter will no longer exist if they rewrite time. Two-Face (Gilda) tries to kill everyone, prompting Joker to kill her in self defense. Arkham Asylum collapses in an explosion. On Earth-0, Rip sees that the snow globe has stabilized, meaning that the existence of Batman’s Flashpoint isn’t catastrophic after all. Inside the snow globe universe, Flashpoint Batman reclaims his role as protector of Gotham with Dexter officially becoming his Robin. Martha, partially-healed, lives peacefully in a cell inside the Batcave. The Atlanteans and Amazons form a truce to face the greater threat of the Kryptonians. Flashpoint Batman and Robin join the war effort. On Earth-0, Rip reluctantly allows Batman to keep the snow globe, essentially placing the entirety of Flashpoint in a secure location in the Batcave. Later, the Time Masters return to their lab. Rip, with his knowledge of the future, mentions that Bruce is “going to have his hands full with his mother’s family soon.” The Time Masters note that, due to anomaly and “time capsule failure,” thirteen people (all from the 1940s but previously temporarily erased from existence due to cosmic chicanery) will soon reintegrate back into history: the original Mr. Miracle (Thaddeus Brown), Betsy Ross, Molly Pitcher, Ladybug, Salem the Witch Girl, Cherry Bomb, John Henry Jr, Red Lantern Vladimir Sokov, Judy Garrick (aka The Boom), Harlequin’s Son, the original Aquaman, Quiz Kid, and the original Legionnaire (aka Mordru). (As per the conclusion of Stargirl: The Lost Children #6, all of these folks have been returned to the timeline, which our chronology reflects.) Concurrently, on Earth-Watchmen, a sixteen-year-old Cleopatra Pak (now the vigilante called Nostalgia), along with Bubastis II, begins searching for The Watchman (Clark Dreiberg). In case you forgot, Clark Dreiberg is the son of Mime and Marionette, given metapowers by Dr. Manhattan and raised by Dan Dreiberg and Laurie Juspeczyk.
–Action Comics #1050[3]
Using advanced technology from Warworld and Gamorra along with the stolen amplified powers of a captive Manchester Black, Lex Luthor initiates the first step of Project Blackout, which erases the entire planet’s knowledge and memories of the Superman-Family’s secret IDs. (The strain of the erasure kills Black in the process.) Not only does everyone forget the secret IDs of the Supermen, but moving forward, if one learns the truth, they will suffer a massive stroke as well. Such is the case for poor Perry White, who collapses while visiting the Kent farm. Superman (Clark Kent) rushes Perry to the hospital before being summoned to LexCorp Tower. Luthor tells Superman what he’s done, revealing that he’s done it because he wants the world to see the Supermen as gods, not humans. Luthor dons a new super-suit and begins fighting Superman through the cosmos, ending with the Man of Steel jailing his rival for the murder of Black. Later, in the downtown Gotham Batcave, Batman and Nightwing report to Superman that everyone on Earth has lost their knowledge of Superman’s secret ID except the ex-Justice League, ex-JL reservists, and Titans (who were all protected by Martian Manhunter’s psychic defenses) and Ma and Pa Kent, Lois Lane, and Jay Nakamura (who were each protected by the dome over the Kent farm). Project Blackout’s psychic suggestion is so strong that it causes people to mentally reject images or media that reveal the Supermen’s secret IDs. (Presumably, the psychic suggestion is so strong that it will linger for decades to come, thus preventing future generations from simply reading an old newspaper about Superman admitting his secret ID to the world.) Superman worries about this new change to the status quo, but Batman tells him its a good thing. In Metropolis, Jon Kent celebrates his newfound anonymity. Elsewhere in the multiverse, Earth-2 Superman (Val-Zod) investigates the serial murders of other alternate universe Supermen. Despite being in prison, Luthor’s plans continue moving forward, notably LexCorp scientists gifting Metallo with a new upgraded body.
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 2024 Annual #1. Batman learns all about Amanda Waller’s “War for Earth-3” (as seen in War for Earth-3 #1-2), which occurred shortly prior to Dark Crisis. During this conflict, Waller made a power play (manipulating the Suicide Squad and Crime Syndicate), which resulted in her gaining total control of Earth-3 and running a new Justice League (built out of the ashes of the Crime Syndicate) there.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 5 and Detective Comics #1000 Part 10. September 21. Batman, as he does every year on the anniversary of his parents’ murders, visits both Crime Alley (where his parents were killed) and the cemetery where his parents are buried.
–REFERENCE: In Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #1. In Central City, Batman and Flash fight Gorilla Grodd. (Green Arrow is also shown, but he is still missing following Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and won’t return until after Knight Terrors, so his appearance here must be regarded as a continuity error.) This item is viewed by Superboy via live video feed in the Fortress of Solitude, hence its inclusion here as a visual reference note. This item occurs shortly before the Batman-less Action Comics #1051.
–Unstoppable Doom Patrol #1
The Doom Patrol—Crazy Jane (now primarily acting as field leader “Chief,” which is just one of her sixty-four metahuman personalities), Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Woman, and Beast Girl—has been tasked by US Army General Blanche with tackling complications pertaining to the uptick in metahuman activity following Lazarus Planet. On a mission to stop (and help) a metahuman that has lost control, the Doom Patrol heads to Gotham’s Metagen Inc, a company that has been paying new metahumans to be medical test subjects. Upon arrival, the Doom Patrol gets some remote guidance from fellow teammates Mento and Dr. Niles Caulder before quickly running into a swarm of creatures battling with Metagen Inc soldiers. The creatures are merely offshoots of their symbiotic parent, the monstrous “Subject 99.” As the chaos ramps up, Batman and Robin (Tim Drake) arrive to assist, much to the chagrin of Chief Jane. (Batman’s involvement here is also visually referenced in Unstoppable Doom Patrol #4.) Robotman is able to talk down Subject 99, who decides to take the superhero name Degenerate and join the Doom Patrol. Meanwhile, General Blanche and Peacemaker remotely surveil everything. Peacemaker tells General Blanche that they will soon know all of the Doom Patrol’s secrets thanks to some spies that work for him. Unknown to the Doom Patrol, Blanche is actually working against them. Concurrently, in Switzerland, Monsieur Mallah violently ends his relationship with the Brain by killing him. Monsieur Mallah then joins up with General Immortus, who has a small vial of Lazarus Resin.
–WildCATs Vol. 2 #6
In Star City, Clark Kent publicly confronts the director of HALO Corporation, Jacob Marlowe, accusing him of using HALO’s new team—an updated version of the Seven Soldiers of Victory featuring Agent Wax, Andromache, Maul, Mr. Majestic, Mother-One, Pike, and Threshold—to help prop up a fascist government (led by General Koryosova) in the small European nation of Vilnaya. (HALO has indeed done this, but on the orders of HALO CEO Jason Halliday, a secret Court of Owls member that has allied himself with Void as part of a power play against Marlowe.) Meanwhile, at a Star City sex club, Grifter reunites with Ladytron and the Beef Boys (Glenn and Cedric). Ladytron tells Grifter that Deathblow (Michael Cray) went haywire and was executed by Halliday’s agents. Grifter (remotely-guided by Ladytron) breaks into HALO HQ in search of information pertaining to Deathblow’s death only to be confronted by Spartan. Meanwhile, across town, members of the WildCATs (Zealot and Caitlin Fairchild) and Halliday’s agents (Warblade, Backlash, and Pike) reluctantly join together for a vague Halliday-ordered mission to break into a robotics lab. (Spoiler: Backlash is actually an undercover agent working for Marlowe.) But when the WildCATs realize Halliday’s orders are to execute a helpless Toyman, they refuse and turn against the others. Spartan removes Zealot and Fairchild, leaving Halliday’s team to think that he’s killed them (when he’s actually saved their lives). Meanwhile, Batman visits Clark at a nearby diner to discuss HALO, the WildCATs, and Mr. Majestic, who has been falsely claiming to be a Kryptonian. Batman tells Clark that he is investigating everything HALO-related. At the Beef Boys’ townhouse, Void briefly confronts Ladytron, telling her to toe Halliday’s company line. Ladytron then chats with Spartan, Zealot, and Fairchild about the evils of Halliday’s vision for HALO. Spartan reveals that the spirit/soul of the deceased Michael Cray has been uploaded into his robot body, meaning that Deathblow essentially is Spartan. (Technically, Cray’s soul is inhabiting Spartan, but the android known as John Colt is still in there too.) The foursome (plus Grifter) decide it’s time to fight back against Halliday and company, thus starting a civil war within the ranks of HALO. Grifter makes the first strike by directly attacking and taking down Void.
VICE VERSA
————————–Batgirls 2022 Annual
————————–Batgirls #13
October—we are told it is nearly “Halloween season.” Babs visits her friend Alysia Yeoh’s new cafe, which is being prepared for a soft opening. Meanwhile, Cassie Cain visits the Gotham Modern Museum, noticing that her mom Shiva is spying on her. Concurrently, Stephanie Brown goes on a date with Kyle Mizoguchi.[4] At night, the Batgirls take down Kite Man and Calendar Man. At Alysia’s soft opening, Babs, Cass, and Steph hang out. Babs, who had been living with Babs and Cass at in a loft apartment in Gotham’s Hill neighborhood, tells them she will be moving back into the Burnside clock tower. Later, the Batgirls investigate a robbery/murder next door to the Mizoguchi home in Gotham Heights. Inside, Cass finds a shard of a League of Assassins blade, which leads to their hasty exit. En route back to their loft, Steph saves a kitty from a tree, earning a strange medallion as a gift from the feline’s owner. The next morning, the Batgirls awake to find that their minds have switched bodies Freaky Friday style. Despite this, the Batgirls continue with their investigation, meeting with Babs and then GCPD Officer Calvin Brooks. Meanwhile, Babs sends her robot dog F1do-5 to guard the girls’ loft. She also tells Batman about the girls’ body switch situation. Hoping to find a cure, she asks Batman to meet her at the currently unoccupied Wayne Manor so she can look at books in the library and use the lab equipment in the old Batcave, which is currently shuttered. In the Wayne Manor Batcave, Babs and Batman try to figure out how to switch the Batgirls back to normal. Downtown, the Batgirls fight League of Assassins ninjas and members of the Hill’s Angels gang. Lady Shiva arrives, demanding to have a conversation with Cass. Of course, Steph is actually in Cass’ body, so Shiva winds up speaking to Steph without realizing it (at first). Similarly, a resurrected Cluemaster wants to chat with his daughter, so he pays off the Hill’s Angels to knock her out. Of course, Cass is in Steph’s body, so they actually deliver Cass to an unknowing Cluemaster instead. While Shiva quickly discovers the truth, Cluemaster is a little more obtuse. Shiva fights Steph to a stalemate, after which she tells Steph to tell her daughter she is proud of and loves her. Concurrently, Bruce, Babs, and Zatanna hang out at Wayne Manor, studying the occult medallion responsible for the mind-body swap. The trio goes into Wayne Manor’s hidden séance room and perform a ritual that shows them the last person to wield the medallion, a psychic named Dame Cami Doza. When the trio arrives at Doza’s shop, the psychic reveals herself as Madame Zodiac, who tells them the mind-body swap only lasts twenty-four hours. Sure enough, the Batgirls switch back.
–Batgirls #18
All three Batgirls and Calvin Brooks work a case involving a mystery sniper that has been terrorizing Gotham’s Hill neighborhood. The sniper has demanded that the Batgirls be arrested for illegal vigilantism or they will continue killing. Afterward, Brooks sings the praises of the Batgirls to Commissioner Renee Montoya, who considers whether or not to give into the sniper’s demands. Babs tries to finger the sniper as ex-Magistrate soldier Assisi, but is unable to find a link. However, upon discovering evidence that there might actually be two snipers, she delivers the news to Officer Brooks. Meanwhile, Cassie and Stephanie meet with Batman. He tells them they’ve been doing well, but suggests that they stick to the shadows, moving forward. When Alysia Yeoh gets trapped in the middle of a credit union hold-up, she phones the Batgirls for help. Cassie and Stephanie take down the robbers without being seen. Later, hoping to fool the sniper(s), Babs and Commissioner Montoya use deepfake technology to make a doctored video of the GCPD taking the Batgirls into custody. At the hospital, famous blogger Grace O’Halloran sits by the bedside of her podcast producer Roky Delgado, who has been shot by the sniper(s). (Spoiler: There are indeed two snipers—Assisi and Gunbunny, who is once again separated from her hubby Gunhawk.) Grace records a podcast praising the Batgirls. Meanwhile, everyone takes a much deserved breather. Babs hangs out with Alysia. Cassie visits her friend, bookstore owner Mr. Dhaliwal. Stephanie hangs out with her new boyfriend Kyle Mizoguchi. The next morning, Grace leads an activist march protesting the arrest of the Batgirls.
–Wonder Woman #800
Overseen by her Amazonian friends Bia, Penelope, and Magala, Wonder Woman undergoes a mystic sleeping ritual in the Cave of Everywhen. The ritual allows Wonder Woman to enter the dreams of Wonder Girl (Yara Flor), Donna Troy, Wonder Girl (Cassie Sandsmark), Artemis, Batman, and Superman (Clark Kent). In the Batman dream, which is actually the recurring nightmare of his parents dying, Wonder Woman gives the gift of love and solace to the Dark Knight. Before waking up, Wonder Woman communes with her mother Hippolyta in the spirit world. Afterward, Wonder Woman tells Queen Nubia about her experience. In Gotham, Bruce wakes up feeling rejuvenated, happy that Wonder Woman has visited him during sleep. After responding to an unspecified Bat-signal emergency (we aren’t shown details), Bruce returns home. With newfound peace of mind, he has breakfast and reads the paper. Elsewhere, others affected positively by Wonder Woman—including Yara Flor, Clark Kent, and new Checkmate members Steve Trevor, Siegfried, and Etta Candy—rest at ease. On Themyscira, Wonder Woman meets with her peers and reaffirms her mission as the world’s warrior of truth and justice.
–Tim Drake: Robin #10[5]
Robin (Tim Drake) and Batwoman have been kidnapped by the cult known as The Children of Dionysus, which is run by the nefarious Chaos Monsters. The Chaos Monsters have also put Tim’s sidekick Sparrow (Darcy Thomas) into the hospital. As the cult prepares to ritually sacrifice Batwoman, Tim offers himself up in her place. With Tim missing, his boyfriend Bernard Dowd goes looking for him, questioning everyone in the Gotham Marina, including Louie, Pie, Tammy, Lauren, and Tuna. Bernard meets with Sparrow, GCPD Detective Williams, and the Batgirls (Cassie Cain and Stephanie Brown) before summoning Batman (who is also looking for Tim) with a makeshift Bat-signal. Just as all hope seems lost for Tim and Batwoman, all Tim’s friends arrive to make a grand rescue. Bernard, Batman, Batgirl (Stephanie), Batgirl (Cassie), Batgirl (Babs), Robin (Damian), Nightwing, Detective Williams, Sparrow, Tammy, Lauren, Tuna, Pie, and Louie free the captive heroes, who then help the group bring down the entire cult.
–Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #3 Part 1
It’s been months since Mr. Baseball (Austin Clutch) was tortured by Vito Grande and his mob. Mr. Baseball, who has embraced his scars and wields a barbed wire baseball bat, finally returns for revenge and brutally murders Grande’s men (Mikey Briffa, Stefano, and Jimmy). Soon after, Batman listens-in from a distance while cops check the murder scene and discuss the crime. Batman then visits Grande’s safe house where Grande tells him the reason Mr. Baseball has it out for him. Mr. Baseball strikes at the safe house as well, having been told the location by Grande’s backstabbing nephew Christian. Batman defeats Mr. Baseball and prevents Christian from killing Grande. Mr. Baseball is sentenced to Blackgate Penitentiary.[6]
–WildCATs Vol. 2 #10-12
Spartan (Michael Cray) tries to recruit Voodoo (Priscilla Kitaen) onto the WildCATs. As they chat outside HALO HQ, they are attacked by Seven Soldiers members Maul and Threshold, several Court of Owls Talons, and Backlash. In order to help Voodoo escape, Michael Cray leaps from Spartan into Maul, inhabiting and controlling the latter. Spartan (once again John Colt) departs with Voodoo. Meanwhile, Jacob Marlowe and his assistant John Lynch meet with WildCATs members Caitlin Fairchild, Ladytron, and Zealot, asking them to work for him against Halliday. They tell Marlowe they’ve received a better offer to work for Amanda Waller. Having found out even more information about the WildCATs and about HALO’s involvement with the fascist government of Vilnaya, Batman (flanked by Arsenal and Black Canary) interrupts the meeting by attacking Fairchild, Ladytron, and Zealot. Grifter shows up to buy the WildCATs (and Marlowe and Lynch) enough time to teleport away, but not before Batman manages to steal one of Fairchild’s earbuds. The next day, Jason Halliday publicly unveils the release of an entire product line of Spartan cyborgs, which he says will act as humanity’s subservient laborers, thus revolutionizing life on Earth for all. (In reality, this is a private army at his disposal.) Meanwhile, Marlowe distances himself from HALO company business while hiding out at a safe house with the WildCATs. Ladytron, Spartan (John Colt), and Voodoo explain to Grifter the reasons for HALO having aided the fascist coup in Vilnaya. Essentially, Halliday and Void were trying to lock down powerful meteorite dust located in Vilnaya (with hopes of gaining enough power to take over the world but also to prevent a Crisis level cataclysm from occurring). In order to achieve their goals, they decided it was best for HALO and the WildCATs to provide assistance to the winner of the civil war, even if it was the wrong side. With reluctance, the WildCATs realize that they are on the same side as Marlowe, agreeing to help him battle against Halliday’s forces for control of HALO. Later, Grifter professes his love to Zealot and they have sex. Meanwhile, at HALO HQ, Cray is exposed as inhabiting Maul’s body. Threshold and Mr. Majestic take him down. At Arsenal’s apartment, Batman tries and fails to hack into Fairchild’s earbud. But where Batman has failed, Arsenal believes he’s succeeded as Fairchild begins speaking to them. (Arsenal hasn’t succeeded; Fairchild is simply communicating with them as part of Marlowe’s plan.) Fairchild tells Batman that the WildCATs will be at Elias Park at 1 AM. She also tells the Seven Soldiers the same thing, thus setting up Batman’s team and Halliday’s team for a conflict. Batman, Arsenal, Black Canary, and Martian Manhunter arrive at the appointed time and location only to run into the Seven Soldiers (sans Maul). While the two teams are distracted with each other in Elias Park, the WildCATs break into the HALO HQ with hopes of kidnapping Halliday. Unfortunately, upon arrival, the WildCATs are swarmed by Void, Warblade, a host of Spartan cyborgs, and several Court of Owls Talons. (There is an artistic error in issue #11 as two Warblades have accidentally been drawn in the same panel.) As the battle rages on, Ladytron is able to mess with the Spartans’ programming, causing them to turn against their controllers worldwide. After Backlash and Maul (Cray) join the Wildcats in the fight, Grifter tells Halliday to switch on the TV. Across every international news channel, Grifter publicly outs the Wildcats as having committed atrocities on behalf of Halliday’s HALO Corporation. He exposes Halliday as a criminal with ties to the Court of Owls. Angered at being outed, the Talons seemingly execute Halliday. Fairchild destroys Void, but the resultant explosion also destroys Ladytron. In the immediate aftermath, the Wildcats disband; Lucius Fox purchases what is left of HALO Corporation; Marlowe, Voodoo, and Spartan (John Colt) retire to the tropics; Fairchild goes back to school; Midnighter begins investigating the Deathblow system (the thing that allows spirits to hop into new bodies); a reconstructed Ladytron goes off the grid (and into a permanent life of nonstop erotic cabaret); and Grifter goes to prison (with Zealot planning to break him out one day).
–Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #4 Part 4
Bane and Hush team-up to take over Gotham. Batman’s opening narration tells us that the villains have “destroyed Gotham” and “there’s nothing left,” but that must be hyperbole to an extreme degree. In any case, the Bat-Family battles Bane and Hush in front of a burning Monarch Theater on Crime Alley. Present are Batman, Nightwing, Robin (Damian), Robin (Tim), Batgirl (Cassie), Batgirl (Stephanie), Batgirl (Babs), Red Hood, and Signal. During the epic struggle, Batman is kayoed and nearly dies. During his unconsciousness, Batman has a near death experience in which he is motivated to keep on living by a child version of himself. After awakening, Batman rejoins the Bat-Family. Our story ends here, but obviously the Bat-Family defeats Bane and Hush, saving Gotham in the process.
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #7. Damian tells his dad more details about the Tournament of Death on Lazarus Island. (Batman already knows a lot about the tourney from having visited the House of Secrets, and he also knows about Flatline because Damian told him about her, but Damian fills in the remaining gaps.) Batman begins tracking Flatline, learning that she’s now running Lord Death Man’s criminal empire in Tokyo.
–Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #8 Part 4
Oracle guides Batman through the city as he targets a terrorist group called Citizens Against. While trailing a member of the group, Batman is GPS-scanned by a child wearing a strange high-tech exo-suit. Batman watches in horror as the child falls from atop a building to his death. At the hospital, Batman learns the child was part of a Wayne Industries-sponsored experimental medical program for kids afflicted with a fatal version of chronic fatigue syndrome. When two more children from the program die similarly, Batman interrogates the lead scientist, Dr. Stuart. Later, Batman takes down the Citizens Against terrorists once and for all, during which, another child in an exo-suit dies. Turns out the kids were playing a game called Gothimon Go, a suicidal version of Pokemon Go in which they were using their exo-suits to scan Batman in action.
–REFERENCE: In Hawkgirl Vol. 2 #1. Batman decides to reopen the Batcave underneath Wayne Manor. He’ll still live in the city, but he’ll now have access to the downtown caves and the original cave, moving forward.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #18. Batman puts Damian’s old Robin costume on display in the Batcave underneath Wayne Manor.
–REFERENCE: In Hawkgirl Vol. 2 #1. Bruce retrieves Titus from the farm where all the Bat-pets currently live. Titus will now live in the Fort Graye brownstone.
–Hawkgirl Vol. 2 #1
In Metropolis, Hawkgirl, Black Canary, Superman (Clark Kent), and Power Girl, take on the threat of invading aliens from the Helioan species. The heroes banter, acknowledging that Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter have broken up. Galaxy (Taylor Barzelay)—along with her talking corgi familiar Argus—helps save the day. Later, Kendra has lunch with an old college friend named Abilene. That night, Kendra phones Batman, who is in the middle of working the high-profile murder case of victim Ava Díaz, who was close to Bruce’s business colleague Farlane Candor. Batman tells Kendra all he knows about Galaxy, and she helps him with his murder case in return. Meanwhile, the villain Vulpecula manipulates her longterm victim Maureen in hopes of using her as a conduit to open a portal to her home dimension of the Nth World (where Nth Metal originates from). While conducting experiments on Maureen, Vulpecula causes Hawkgirl to fall into unconsciousness and violently teleport into Galaxy’s apartment she shares with girlfriend Kat Silverberg.
–Hawkgirl Vol. 2 #3
Our tale picks up two days after Hawkgirl Vol. 2 #1 and one day after the Batman-less Hawkgirl Vol. 2 #2, in which Vulpecula has stolen one of Hawkgirl’s Nth Metal feathers. Hawkgirl tells Batman about her stolen feather, which triggers a memory about Bruce’s business colleague Farlane Candor, who keeps what appears to be an Nth Metal feather on display atop his desk. Batman tells Hawkgirl he will investigate Vulpecula. Soon afterward, Bruce visits Candor under the guise of joining his Board of Directors. While Candor smooches with a resurrected Ava Díaz, Bruce scans the feather. Meanwhile, Hawkgirl, Galaxy, Argus, and Alysia Yeoh beat up the Killer Croc-inspired gang known as the Croc Bloc. Hawkgirl, Galaxy, and Argus then meet with Batman (and Titus) in the Batcave underneath the Fort Graye brownstone. Batman reports that Vulpecula is likely hundreds of years old while casually mentioning that Ava Díaz is alive. Hawkgirl is stunned to realize that Batman has no recollection whatsoever of the Ava Díaz murder or subsequent investigation. Galaxy connects all the dots, revealing that Vulpecula has used the power of the Nth Metal to alter reality, undoing Ava’s death. (The only reason for Candor’s power and fortune in life is a deal he made with Vulpecula decades ago. Now, Vulpecula has joined up with Candor, bestowing even more gifts upon him in exchange for continued partnership.) Batman tells Hawkgirl that Candor’s feather is forty-years-old. Batman, Hawkgirl, and Galaxy immediately confront Vulpecula and Candor, who unleash a horde of Court of Cowls Talons upon them. After the Talons are defeated by the heroes, Vulpecula turns Candor into a giant monster owl, which is bested by Hawkgirl. After Batman sends Vulpecula packing, he commends Galaxy on her heroism. Later, Vulpecula and Maureen (now a skeleton/zombie horse creature) retreat from Gotham to Metropolis.
–City Boy #6
Much to the chagrin of Swamp Thing (Alec Holland), an out-of-control City Boy (Cameron Kim) causes chaos in the forest outside of Blüdhaven. Darkseid, hoping to augment the chaos and turn Earth into a new Apokolips, has Mokkari and Intergang take down Swamp Thing. With Mokkari’s encouragement, City Boy causes city Avatars (giant kaiju beasts made out of junk and destroyed buildings, each representing its home locale) to arise across the nation. Interestingly, Blüdhaven’s Avatar is a bat, Gotham’s is a rat, and Metropolis’ is a dragon. Nightwing, Batman, and Superman immediately confirm City Boy’s involvement. But before they can intervene, the heroes are attacked by swarms of Parademons. In the forest outside of Blüdhaven, City Boy creates a giant Avatar of his dead mother. As Superman makes headway in getting City Boy to regain control of his senses, Mokkari and his Intergang henchmen realize they are about to lose their edge. They shoot at City Boy, who snaps back to his senses and realizes the error of his ways. The Avatars crumble and the villains Boom back to Apokolips in defeat. Afterward, Batman, Superman, Nightwing, Swamp Thing, and City Boy all pay their respects at the gravesite of City Boy’s mom.
–Green Lantern Vol. 7 #6
Recently, the United Planets assumed control of the Green Lantern Corps, replacing the Guardians of the Universe as the organization’s leaders. On behalf of his new bosses, Hal Jordan battles Sinestro (now a Red Lantern) in Arizona, causing energy surges that are recorded by Batman and Robin (Tim Drake) in Gotham, the Superman-Family in Metropolis, and Carol Ferris in Coast City. Hal fights Sinestro to a stalemate but prevents him from destroying the world, after which Sinestro flees the galaxy. Later, Hal chats with his acquaintance Razer, telling him that Kilowog has supposedly died.
–Detective Comics #1062-1065 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE: OVERTURE”)
Bruce is invited to watch a new opera, seemingly about the demon Barbatos. But Bruce skips the show because he is busy on Batman patrol at Gotham Harbor, coming across Bruno Maroni and his cronies, who are attempting to smuggle stolen antiques out of Gotham. A bizarre musical tune plays from a nearby PA system, causing Maroni to turn into a grotesque monster. Talia helps Batman defeat Maroni, who dissolves into ash. Talia then delivers a cryptic warning that “they” are coming for him. Batman takes the stolen antiques, including a two-thousand-year-old box with an unknown contraption inside of it, back to his brownstone. There, an unnerved Bruce leaves Nightwing a voicemail before running physical tests on himself just to make sure he is okay. Nightwing phones Bruce back, and they chat about the Maroni situation and the antiques. Elsewhere, in the palace of Coronis located in the European nation of Svatrstal, Queen Dariah Orgham gives her son Prince Arzen Orgham a century-old title deed to the mayorship of Gotham City, which contains the name Edouard Arkham on it. (The deed is written “Edouard” and “Eduardo” in separate panels, so take your pick.) She tells her son that he has one year to rebuild the Orgham legacy in Gotham, and that he will be assisted by counselors Shavhod Erhad (aka Eye of the Serpent), Neang Modhram (aka Dark-Blood the Flesh-Crafter), and Gael Tenclaw (aka The Wolf of Bezadjehanne). (The Orghams, predecessors to the Arkhams, owned all of Gotham in the 17th and 18th centuries.) Meanwhile, in Gotham, Gael scolds the rest of Maroni’s men, who were supposed to have delivered the antiques to him before they were intercepted by Batman. Angered, Gael and his druid henchmen kill Maroni’s gang. At the brownstone, Bruce dozes off and has a terrible nightmare about Barbatos. He awakes to find that the strange antique has opened, revealing itself to be a music box. Later, Batman shakes down smalltime crooks, but they are extra terrified. One of them dissolves into ash while deliriously screaming, “The Wolf of Bezadjahne!” Meanwhile, most of Gotham’s underworld goes into hiding. The next day, Bruce meets with a recovered Harvey Dent at a bar to discuss what’s happening to the city. Batman visits the Maestro (Payne Cardine) at Blackgate, hoping to gain insight about the music box. The Maestro tells Batman that it plays ancient black noise—mystic harmonics theoretically capable of changing people. After departing, Batman is haunted by a vision of Barbatos. Across town, the Orgham crew assaults Harvey Dent, spraying him with an odd chemical that causes him to collapse and writhe in agony. They tell Harvey that he will become evil again and soon rule Gotham’s underworld. The next day, Bruce visits a doctor to discuss his nightmares and physical condition. The doctor notes that he has bone fractures and badly healed old breaks but is otherwise in peak physical condition. Afterward, Bruce wears a ski mask and assaults one of Maroni’s Gotham Harbor hoods, who has been put into witness protection. The hood tells Bruce that there was a new guy around during the antique smuggling job—someone with a tattoo of Talia’s jackal crest. An investigation leads Batman to the abandoned Pennyman Theater where Talia awaits. Batman battles against Talia and League of Assassins ninjas (Talia loyalists) before the latter detonates a bomb, crumbling the entire building. (Batman fighting Talia here is also shown via flashback from Detective Comics 2022 Annual.) At Gotham Harbor, Arzen and his retinue arrive on an official royal visit, greeted with pomp and circumstance by a large crowd and TV cameras. Chaos erupts as the Orghams battle the League of Assassins wing that remains loyal to Talia. Batman arrives, taking down a would-be suicide bomber Ubu. Batman nearly drowns while suffering a hallucination (or is it?) of Barbatos, but Jim Gordon (accompanied by Sorrow) pulls him from the drink. Later, Arzen meets with the executor of Arkham Asylum, paying him off to accept his claim to the property. The Orghams retake ownership of Arkham. Meanwhile, Ubu escapes to what he thinks is a League of Assassins safe house, but Harvey Dent, now loyal to the Orghams, is waiting for him. Notably, Harvey Dent has been cured via therapy, fully suppressing his Two-Face persona. He has been given a golden half-mask to cover the scarred portion of his face, which he will wear on-and-off depending on his mood. (As referenced in Batman: One Bad Day – Two-Face #1, this newly reformed Harvey has been rather inexplicably been pardoned by Mayor Christopher Nakano, who wants to give him a new lease on life.) Gael Tenclaw (aka The Wolf of Bezadjehanne) kills Ubu. At Bullock & Gordon Private Investigations, Gordon tends to a comatose Batman, bandaging up his face in darkness. (Gordon says he “thinks he knows who he is under the mask but doesn’t want to know.”)
–Detective Comics #1066-1068 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE: ACT I”)
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #1065, Batman sleeps for 72 hours straight. Upon waking, Batman is surprised to see Gordon and says he didn’t know he had returned to Gotham. Of course, this is a wee continuity error because Batman definitely knows that he’s been back. We can fanwank it though, by having Batman mistakenly thinking that Gordon had left town to work with Interpol, as he insinuated he might do in Joker Vol. 2 #15. Also, even though Gordon set up a brick and mortar private eye shop in town, Batman still hadn’t been fully sure Gordon was going to stick around until now. At the villain safe house, Two-Face struggles with his schizophrenia. Under the influence of an Azmer (a demonic spirit linked to the Orghams), Two-Face returns to crime, murdering one of his former henchmen in the process. (An Azmer had previously transformed Bruno Maroni into a monster.) Gael Tenclaw chats with Two-Face, reminding him about a situation involving his (Two-Face’s) therapist Dr. Annabel Mead. Two-Face says that, as per the Orghams’ plan, he has not only taken leadership of Gotham’s underworld, but has secretly begun taking over all the power stations in the city as well. Later, Prince Arzen Orgham begins funding the refurbishing of the old Arkham Aslyum. Bruce visits Arzen at the construction site and they have a seemingly amicable exchange of words. Later, Gordon examines the corpse of the Ubu killed by Gael Tenclaw, which contains oils linked to one of Gotham’s older power substations. (As referenced in Detective Comics #1070, Batman begins keeping tabs on smuggler traffic starting now.) Batman visits the substation to find Gael Tenclaw fighting Mr. Freeze. Gael Tenclaw turns his attention towards Batman. As they spar, Mr. Freeze detonates a freeze-bomb, icing the entire building. Curiously, Mr. Freeze then saves Batman and begins thawing him out. Gael Tenclaw recovers and retreats. As seen in the Batman-less present day portion of Detective Comics 2022 Annual, Gael Tenclaw immediately joins Shavhod Erhad to dig up the magickal “reality engine” (aka Thelemus Engine) from beneath the Arkham Asylum construction site. In the morning, Arzen (along with Mayor Nakano) publicly announces that Arkham Asylum will be turned into a new address called Orgham Place. After six hours of unconsciousness, Batman awakes to learn that Mr. Freeze is helping him against a greater threat (and with hopes that Batman will leave him alone in return). Mr. Freeze reveals that the Orghams tried to recruit him, but he rejected them. Before Batman departs, Mr. Freeze gives him an Azmer sealed in a jar. (As seen via flashback from Detective Comics #1071, Batman runs tests on both the jarred Azmer and the Orgham music box, after which he prepares for battle with Gael Tenclaw by creating new freeze weaponry and lining his costume with nano-silver.) The next day, Shavhod meets with the heads of Wayne Realty in an effort to purchase low income housing projects in the Narrows. When they reject her offer, she hypnotizes them into making the deal. (The hypnosis will also make them kill themselves in a week’s time.) Concurrently, Gael Tenclaw, Neang Modhram, and Two-Face blow up the Narrows housing projects (specifically the Thomas Wayne Estate Towers) and forcibly round up all survivors into vans. The villains turn some of the kidnapped residents into weird Azmer-powered foot soldiers. Arzen visits Bruce at his brownstone, but Bruce cuts their visit short as soon as he hears about the bombing. Batman (with monitor drones in tow) immediately goes to the Narrows. Using his new tricks, Batman defeats Gael Tenclaw. (This fight between Batman and Gael Tenclaw is also shown via flashback from Detective Comics #1070.) Despite beating Gael Tenclaw, Batman is ill-prepared for Neang Modhram, who takes him down. Gael Tenclaw tethers an Azmer to Batman, but the Caped Crusader is able to resist. Seeing a vision of Barbatos, Batman is empowered to use the demonic Azmer power to fight back. (Batman seeing the vision of Barbatos is also shown via flashback from Detective Comics #1070.) When Gael Tenclaw regains the upper hand, Two-Face betrays the Orghams by shooting Gael Tenclaw and rescuing Batman. Two-Face brings the unconscious and poisoned Batman to the office of former Arkham Asylum therapist Dr. Jacosta Joy only to find the Ten-Eyed Man there instead.
–Detective Comics #1069-1070 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE: ACT I” Conclusion)
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #1068, the Ten-Eyed Man sees a hazy vision of Batman’s past, present, and future, after which Two-Face tells his fellow rogue to piss off. The evil half of Two-Face’s split-personality tells Batman that he’s saved his life for his other half’s (Harvey Dent’s) sake. The evil half of Two-Face’s split-personality also reveals that his Harvey half had always blocked Batman’s secret ID from his knowledge, but not anymore. Not sure how that worked, but okay. After Two-Face departs, Batman punches his way through Orgham troops and returns to Jim Gordon’s office. Meanwhile, Prince Arzen Orgham rallies his family, doubling down on their plot to build their Azmer army and take control of Gotham. As before, Gordon patches up Batman, who spends three full days in recovery at Gordon’s office. At police headquarters, Commissioner Montoya discusses the missing persons from the housing projects and the destruction of the power substation. After arguing with one of her chiefs, Commissioner Montoya calls in her friend Officer Eric Wells for support. Before Batman heads back out into the streets, Gordon tells him to visit Babs for information. Babs tells Batman that Gotham’s power substations all seem to have been built along ley-lines according to some grand design based upon chaos theory, fractal geometry, and Nietzsche’s butterfly. Batgirl (Cassie) is already exploring the underground pathways. Meanwhile, the Alleytown Kids aka Alleytown Strays (Shoes aka Cheshire Cat, Skidmark, Billy, and others) are captured the Orgham troops. Shoes escapes into the sewers to join up with Solomon Grundy, who easily defeats some Orgham troops while showing that he is immune to Azmer control. Meanwhile, Bruce visits his parents’ graves at the Wayne Manor cemetery. There, he is greeted by Prince Arzen Orgham, who tells him that Gotham National Bank has put a lean on Wayne Manor and is trying to sell it to the highest bidder. Bruce tells him that no one will ever purchase Wayne Manor. Prince Arzen tells Bruce a story of Orgham family history before departing. As soon as the prince is gone, Bruce phones Oracle, telling him to keep an eye on the Orghams. Oracle says that Batgirl is tracking soldier activity in the sewers. In Gotham’s Water District, Batman speaks with Talia, who tells him even more about Orgham family history and why she opposes them. She reveals that, ages ago, Ra’s al Ghul was once partners with Gael Tenclaw, Shavhod Erhad, and Neang Modhram. All four men were loyal to Prince Arzen’s father, King Zehdan. They helped him campaign against the immortal Lazarus warriors of the ancient city of Erhem. Among the Lazarus warriors of Erhem was Vandal Savage, who not only lost the fight but also his precious magickal Skye-Stone, which was later given to Queen Dariah Orgham’s mother Amenah. Wanting to get rid of her husband, Queen Dariah had tasked Ra’s al Ghul with assassinating Zehdan during the battle of Erhem, but Ra’s al Ghul remained loyal to Zehdan. Nevertheless, utterly betrayed and downtrodden, Zehdan allowed Ra’s al Ghul to complete his task and kill him, thinking it better for Prince Arzen’s future. Ostracized from his allies, Ra’s al Ghul stole the most prized spoils of Erham (the Thelemus Engine and the Blood of the Stone) from Gael Tenclaw, Shavhod Erhad, and Neang Modhram, prompting combat between the two sides. The Thelemus Engine fell back into the hands of the Orghams while Ra’s al Ghul escaped with the Blood of the Stone, which contained the source of the Lazarus Pits. Thus began an endless war between the Orghams and the League of Assassins, with Vandal Savage caught in the middle. Talia tells Batman that the Orghams will try to use the Thelemus Engine at their upcoming Orgham Place grand opening event. (Talia concluding this tale is shown via flashback from Detective Comics #1071.) Meanwhile, at her clocktower HQ, Oracle is approached by Arclight, one of the members new vigilante team known as The Vigil. Arclight says that his team (himself, Castle, Dodge, and Saya) is also tracking the movements of soldiers in the sewers, revealing that there is a Thelemus Engine beneath Orgham Place that can convert will to power, ultimately giving its users ultimate godlike control over Gotham. Arclight tells Oracle that if the Bat-Family doesn’t save the day, then the Vigil will, and Batman won’t like their methods.
–second feature to Detective Comics #1068
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #1070, Jim Gordon and Sorrow continue working their special case together, visiting the municipal archive building to look for hints. Haunted by some strange supernatural being (Earworm), Jim begins whistling an eerie tune. The specter (which is also a living embodiment of the eerie tune) flees into the night after seeing that Sorrow is aware of its presence. Sorrow begins racing through Gotham, following people who subconsciously begin whistling the tune as they each get briefly possessed. After chasing the “parasite music” from person to person, Sorrow is stopped by a patrolling Batman. Upon seeing Batman, Sorrow has a seizure and collapses. Jim arrives and kindly asks Batman to let him handle the teen solo. Batman obliges and carries on. Jim tells Sorrow that he’s found a file in the archive labeled “Project Magpie 1880,” which lists the names of thirteen children, one of which presumably is the boy’s real name. Upon returning to the archive building, Jim and Sorrow are startled to find that it has been set ablaze.
–Batman: One Bad Day – Two-Face #1
As seen in the recent “Gotham Nocturne: Act I” arc, the supposedly “cured” Harvey Dent has already secretly returned to crime, but no one knows it yet. (Batman got a hint of Two-Face’s return, but he wasn’t able to definitively confirm.) In any case, Mayor Christopher Nakano definitely thinks Harvey is a good guy now, going so far as to offer him his old job as Gotham’s District Attorney, which Harvey accepts! Afterward, Harvey tells Batman that his father (Harvey Dent Sr) will soon be having a lavish eighty-eighth birthday celebration, but someone has sent an anonymous letter threatening to harm his dad. Batman takes the case and begins his investigation scouring case files in the Batcave. (The Dark Knight is in the Batcave under Wayne Manor, so either Batman has reopened it, this is an artistic error, or this entire story goes elsewhere despite the fact that Two-Face’s ostensible rehabilitation aligns with current canon.) Batman suspects Carmine Falcone, Joker, Lock-Up, Renee Montoya, or even a Bat-Family member could be behind the threat. Batgirl (Stephanie) meets with Batman to warn him that Two-Face should be at the top of his suspect list. Batman and Oracle spend a week investigating, but they turn up nothing. The night of the party, both Batgirls (Stephanie and Cassie) are undercover in attendance while Batman patrols the exterior of the location. Stephanie discovers that there is poison gas in the party balloons, prompting Batman to get rid of the balloons. Harvey reveals that his Two-Face persona is fully back in control and it was he that sent the letter, just as Stephanie had guessed. While the Batgirls take down Two-Face’s henchmen, Two-Face’s father’s face melts due to poison in the birthday cake. As Batman busts Two-Face, Harvey Sr commits suicide. Later, Deb Donovan reports that DA Harvey Dent had tried to illegally erase Harvey Sr’s new wife’s DUI record as a birthday gift, thus showing how even his good half was technically conducting criminal activity. A saddened Batman chats with Two-Face in Blackgate Penitentiary. Later, Batman and Batgirl (Stephanie) visit Harvey Sr’s grave.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Incorporated Vol. 3 #6. Batman tasks Batman Incorporated (along with newest member Raven Red) with apprehending Professor Pyg. (Note that this arc immediately continues sans Batman, going from Batman Incorporated Vol. 3 #6 through Batman Incorporated Vol. 3 #12, in which Batman Inc defeats Joker’s Joker Incorporated and the Ghost-Maker quits the team.)
–Catwoman Vol. 5 #44
Black Mask and gangster Federico Tomasso have sent Red Claw to assassinate Catwoman, who is currently competing in a Gotham roller derby league with Harley Quinn. Red Claw burns down the roller rink, but Harley, Catwoman, and fellow roller derby players escape unscathed. Soon afterward, Catwoman speaks with new frenemy, the flirtatious masked gentlemen thief Valmont, getting a briefing about Black Mask’s potential next moves. This leads to a high speed motor chase involving multiple vehicles, Harley, Catwoman, Catwoman’s pet kitty Duchess, Harley and Catwoman’s unnamed stalker, and Red Claw. Eventually, Red Claw realizes that it’s better to side with other women than take orders from a minsogynst like Black Mask. After double-crossing Black Mask, Red Claw joins up with Harley and Catwoman. They gleefully drive towards downtown Gotham as the Bat-Family (Batman, Nightwing, Robin Tim, Batgirl Stephanie, and Batgirl Cassie) watches from a distance.
–Batman Vol. 3 #125 Intro
Picking up immediately after Catwoman Vol. 5 #44, Bruce awakens from a nightmare (or is it a lucid dream?) about the three Jokers murdering the Bat-Family. (In the inner monologue here, Bruce claims that he never has nightmares, but this is a lie. In fact, several other issues state openly that Bruce has nightmares almost every single night.) Bruce phones Selina, but she is occupied with Valmont (as seen and referenced in Catwoman Vol. 5 #45, which overlaps with this intro). Bruce mistakes the situation as a dalliance between Selina and Valmont, but Valmont is merely tending to a bullet wound that Selina has incurred. Selina and Bruce have already been on extended break for a long time, but because of this new creeping doubt, Bruce starts to feel that his relationship with Selina might truly be coming to an end. Note that there must be a hidden ellipsis in Batman Vol. 3 #125, creating a gap in the issue starting here, because the intro of Batman Vol. 3 #125 overlaps with Catwoman Vol. 5 #44, and Catwoman Vol. 5 #44-48 leads directly into Punchline: The Gotham Game #1. Punchline: The Gotham Game #1-6 and all associated Catwoman Vol. 5 issues and associated Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing issues must go in this ellipsis, as we will see below.)
–Punchline: The Gotham Game #1
Punchline (who had been returned to prison following Dark Crisis) is acquitted of all charges and released from jail. On the courthouse steps, attorney Ventura Fremont of the DA’s office publicly apologizes for losing the case. Hoping to keep tabs on her, Batman disguises himself as an old school punk rocker, attending an outdoor concert in the Bowery. Cops break up the unauthorized show, during which Punchline beats up some ex-Joker gang members on a live web feed hosted by popular vlogger Knavy_Seal. Batman (with Oracle guiding him) continues to track Punchline’s movements. Two days later, Punchline lures members of the Royal Flush Gang’s Heart Cell—the married couple of Rex Quintain (King of Hearts) and Regina Quintain (Queen of Hearts)—out of retirement and onto her own version of the Royal Flush Gang, which includes membership in the dozens. A day later, partnered with 1-0 (a high-tech villain utilizing stolen LexCorp ACES nanotech), Punchline begins planning for a turf war against the Hasigawa clan, with hopes of taking launching a drug racket from within their territory.
–Catwoman Vol. 5 #49
This item occurs shortly after Punchline: The Gotham Game #1. Catwoman wages war against the mafioso cadre of Black Mask, Federico Tomasso, Noah Godard (the number two man in the Tomasso mob), Finbar Sullivan, and Amygdala. While rescuing her kidnapped pal Dario Tomasso (Federico Tomasso’s son and Godard’s ex-boyfriend), Catwoman dodges Godard and his henchmen while en route to Alleytown. Upon arrival in Alleytown, Catwoman is shocked to see Punchline’s Royal Flush Gang milling about, hopped up on a new designer drug called X-O. After taking down the Royal Flushers, Catwoman is disheartened to see that Alleytown Kid Billy has seemingly joined their ranks. But Billy was merely duped into joining, quickly explaining the error of his ways. Billy explains that Punchline’s army has started distributing X-O out of the abandoned Ace Chemicals factory (which is in the heart of Hasigawa clan territory). Catwoman tells Billy to prepare Shoes, Skidmark, and the rest of the Alleytown Kids for danger. She also contacts her friend Leo Carreras to make sure EMTs come to help the downed Royal Flushers. At her secret hotel apartment, Catwoman tends to and chats with an injured Dario. Catwoman then alerts the other Catwoman (Eiko Hasigawa) that Punchline’s gang is operating within her clan’s borders. Afterward, Catwoman has sex with Valmont in the latter’s hotel room. (Catwoman and Valmont have very recently begun a romantic relationship, so yes the Bat-Cat relationship has finally come to a full stop for now.) As things heat up across the city, and with Eiko’s Kobun (a trio of neon-styled Yakuza enforcers) mobilizing for action, Catwoman meets with Batman, who has been following the Punchline action closely. Batman agrees to stay out of Alleytown, giving Catwoman his blessing to handle the impending chaos her own way.
–Punchline: The Gotham Game #2
This item occurs immediately after Catwoman Vol. 5 #49. In the Bat-Garage below Bruce’s brownstone, Batman and Nightwing discuss Punchline. Nightwing mentions that Bluebird (Harper Row) recently went up against her (as seen in the Batman-less second feature to Joker Vol. 2 #1-15). Despite having plenty of vehicle options, Batman takes Nightwing’s motorcycle into action. Meanwhile, Harper Row hangs out with her brother Cullen Row, who gets a phone call from his boyfriend Bluff (son of King of Diamonds and Queen of Diamonds, two ex-Royal Flush foes of Zatanna that Batman has never faced before.) Unknown to the Rows, Bluff is a member of Punchline’s Royal Flush Gang. Batman takes down Bluff and his Royal Flush partner Ante aka Seven of Clubs. At Ace Chemical (located in the heart of Hasigawa territory), Punchline and her crew fight Eiko Hasigawa and her Yakuza henchmen (comprised of Oni-masked gangsters and a bizarre shapeshifting snake lady). Batman interjects himself into the melee, prompting Punchline and 1-0 to release a mutated Knavy_Seal, who has been turned into the Royal Flush’s metahuman monster known as Knave. As Batman confronts a dueling Eiko and Punchline, the latter stabs the former in the rib cage. Batman saves Eiko, allowing Punchline to flee the scene.
–Catwoman Vol. 5 #50
This item occurs immediately after Punchline: The Gotham Game #2. Batman visits Catwoman to tell her that Eiko Hasigawa is in the hospital, having been stabbed by Punchline. Batman meets Valmont for the first time, although the Dark Knight already knows all about him from his Bat-computer crime database. Soon after, Catwoman, Onyx Adams, Batman, Valmont, the Alleytown Kids aka Alleytown Strays (Shoes, Skids aka Skidmark, Billy, and others), Leo Carreras, and Dario Tomasso (now the costumed Tomcat) begin taking down Punchline’s Royal Flush Gang army inside Ace Chemicals. While Onxy takes down the King and Queen of Diamonds, Catwoman fights and defeats Punchline. Concurrently, Valmont releases a captive Amygdala, who rages out of control. Valmont is forced to kill Amygdala. Angry that Valmont has used lethal force, Batman begins fighting him. As they duel, Batman tells Valmont that he thinks he’s part of a deep cover mission for the League of Assassins—meaning he thinks he’s up to something and doesn’t really care about Catwoman at all. When the building crumbles, Batman saves Catwoman’s life, giving Valmont an opportunity to strike. Acting instinctually, Catwoman stabs Valmont in the belly, seemingly killing him. (This sequence is also shown via flashback from Catwoman Vol. 5 #51.) Punchline escapes. Hours later, Catwoman is arrested, taking the blame for Amygdala and Valmont’s murders. Dario debriefs Eiko, and together they decide to protect Alleytown while Selina is away. Bruce meets with lawyers before visiting a shellshocked Selina at Gotham County Jail. They have a difficult conversation, but say they love one another. (As referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #136, Bruce hires expensive lawyers for Selina, but she turns them all down.) Soon after, Selina gets in a series of prison fights, landing her in solitary confinement. Batman secretly delivers Selina’s pet cat Duchess through a vent in Selina’s cell.
–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #51-52. Picking up directly from Catwoman Vol. 2 #50, Batman secretly retrieves Selina’s cat Duchess from prison, giving her to the care of Dario Tomasso. Shortly thereafter, Batman borrows Duchess from Dario. After feeding the kitty, Batman tests using Duchess as a means of communication by tying a handwritten note to Duchess’ collar and sending her through the vents into Selina’s cell, just as before. After delivering the note, Duchess returns to Batman through the vents, after which she presumably goes back into Dario’s care.
–REFERENCE: In Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #5. Note that this item goes prior to Punchline: The Gotham Game #6. A mysterious fake Joker (John Keyser) has begun running amok across snow-swept Gotham, prompting Red Hood to go after him. In the process, Red Hood breaks his vow to no longer use guns as lethal weapons, shooting at the doppelgänger with live bullets. This, along with Red Hood putting some cops in the hospital, draws Batman’s attention. Batman and Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) begin remotely monitoring Jason’s actions. Batman also determines that the new Joker is indeed a fake, although he doesn’t know where he came from. Meanwhile, after having sent Clayface (Basil Karlo) to check out the doppelgänger on his behalf, the real Joker decides it’s time to return to Gotham.
–Punchline: The Gotham Game #6
Punchline’s Royal Flush Gang (which now includes two Ace android constructs made out of ACES nanites) regroups, having just been brutally defeated in a gang war against The Gentlemen’s Club—Black Mask, Ventriloquist (with Scarface), Dragos Ibanescu, Federico Tomasso, and Tiger Shark. Meanwhile, an injured Punchline recovers with Joker, who has returned straight from the pages of Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing. Having been caught up to speed, Batman and Bluebird search for a missing Cullen Row in Gotham’s Miller Harbor. Soon, a three-way war erupts pitting Batman and Bluebird versus the Gentlemen’s Glub versus Punchline’s Royal Flush Gang. Punchline gains the upper hand by luring over three thousand XO-addicted zombies to the scene. As the addicts swarm the area, collecting the remaining cache of XO, Batman and Bluebird try to contain the situation. The Gentlemen’s Club members are arrested, but Punchline and her crew escape after killing a traitorous Bluff.
–Batman Vol. 3 #125-127 (“FAILSAFE”)
Don’t forget, while it may not seem like it at first glance, Batman Vol. 3 #125‘s intro sequence featuring Catwoman is actually separate from the main narrative of this arc. Onto a synopsis. Batman responds to a hostage situation involving his friends Colin and Clara Fitzroy. The Dark Knight subdues the gunman, but it’s too late. The Fitzroys have already been killed. Penguin releases a video stating that he is responsible for their deaths, and that he will murder anyone else in Gotham that has inherited more than five million dollars unless they give up their wealth. After a heart-to-heart with Tim, Bruce attends the Flugelheim Museum Gala with a random date named Sandy (to keep up playboy appearances). Bruce and Tim know that Penguin will strike at the museum. Sure enough, Penguin sends an escaped Clayface (Basil Karlo) to attack the partygoers. While Robin (Tim) neutralizes deadly gas in the boiler room, Bruce dons his cowl to confront Clayface. Batman claims that, when they last saw each other, he injected Clayface with an experimental formula that can turn his flesh into explosive material. (I’m assuming this murderous threat is merely a bluff, but as stated above, we really don’t know.) Worried for his life, Clayface helps Batman save everyone in the museum. Unfortunately, another of Penguin’s henchmen shoots Robin in the throat. Batman removes his costume and rushes him to the hospital. Batman then learns that Penguin is also in the hospital, dying of mercury poisoning. The Caped Crusader confronts Penguin, who eats a cyanide capsule, seemingly killing himself! Nurses enter the room to witness what they mistakenly believe to be Batman murdering Penguin. (SPOILER: As revealed in the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #127, Penguin has faked his own death and will soon turn up with a surgically-altered new face and lower profile.) Later, Oracle checks in on an exhausted Batman. Meanwhile, in the Batcave under Wayne Manor, Batman’s long dormant Failsafe robot awakens. Not long after, Tim exits the hospital early and re-dons his fighting gear, much to the chagrin of Batman, who is worried about his health. Tim has harsh words for Batman and basically tell him to mind his own business. Ouch. In the downtown Batcave, Batman is attacked by Failsafe. (This attack is also shown via flashback from the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 Epilogue.) The fight spills into the street where Oracle guides the Batgirls, Signal, Robin (Tim), Nightwing, and Dr. Leslie Thompkins to assist. Failsafe swats aside the superheroes and descends into the downtown Batcave to confront a terrified Leslie. Meanwhile, Batman realizes that he created Failsafe years ago while blacked out as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh! A confused Tim and a concussed Batman travel to the Wayne Manor Batcave where Batman reactivates his hypnotic red-and-purple costumed alternate persona. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh briefs Tim on the history of Failsafe, who crashes into the Batcave and begins battling the duo. Downtown, Stephanie gets loaded into an ambulance while Nightwing speaks with Commissioner Montoya. Oracle reports that Failsafe has planted explosives all over town. As the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh fights Failsafe through Wayne Manor, Bruce is able to break through to his own mind, reminding his alter ego that the Bat-Family aren’t just soldiers but family. Telling Tim to back down, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh fights Failsafe solo, but he gets his ass kicked. Superman (Clark Kent) arrives to lend a hand. (Wayne Manor seems to be pretty well damaged in this scene, but as per Batman Vol. 3 #136, the damage isn’t actually as bad as it seems.)
–Batman Vol. 3 #128-130 (“FAILSAFE” conclusion)
Picking up directly from Batman Vol. 3 #127, Failsafe takes down Superman (Clark Kent) with a pair of Kryptonite swords before fighting an intervening Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, and Black Canary. (Green Arrow is also shown, but he is still missing following Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and won’t return until after Knight Terrors, so his appearance in this arc must be regarded as a continuity error. There is an editorial note in Batman Vol. 3 #128 that says the issue occurs before Dark Crisis, but this is extremely bogus and should be disregarded. At the time of publication, “Failsafe” was going to go prior to Dark Crisis, but DC higher-ups later changed their minds about this, leading to a mess that includes the above-highlighted errors.) While Robin (Tim) takes an injured Batman and Superman away on the Javelin, Failsafe lures the Justice League (which, at this point, has to actually mean ex-Justice League) to its special downtown contingency block, which is laden with anti-JL traps. (Again, mention of the JL by name is another terrible continuity flub thanks to mismanaged editorial.) With the ex-JL heroes down for the count, a still-injured Nightwing confronts the killer robot, but likewise is no match for his opponent. Failsafe also captures Oracle. As Tim flies Superman to the Fortress of Solitude, Batman returns to his regular self and leaps into the sea where he is collected by Aquaman and taken to Atlantis. The badly injured Batman goes into a coma for two whole weeks! Upon waking, Aquaman reports that Gotham has fallen to Failsafe, who has gained full sentience and activated hundreds of robot minions that patrol the city with an iron fist. Chaos reigns with rampant violent over-policing combined with many jailed criminals having been set free. Much of the superhero community, including ex-Justice Leaguers and most of the Bat-Family, have been captured. A mind-controlled Oracle serves Failsafe. Upon deducing Batman is in Atlantis, Failsafe attacks Aquaman. Batman flees to the old JL lunar Watchtower, which is currently intact and stocked with amenities but out-of-commission. (Note that Luke Fox regularly accesses the lunar Watchtower in secret—he and Harley Quinn visited in the very recent Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #20-21, and Batman recently went to the moon base in Wonder Woman #793.) When Failsafe attacks the lunar Watchtower, Batman zaps a hole in his head using a New Genesis Element X laser and then reverses teleportation chamber energy against him, which causes a large explosion that damages the facility. (It’s unclear whether the lunar Watchtower is destroyed or merely damaged here, but I’m assuming the latter.) Failsafe also suffers damage but survives, winding up in the Hall of Justice. Trapped floating in outer space, Batman attempts to summon a Javelin, but Failsafe has already destroyed them all. From a damaged Javelin, Batman salvages some oxygen and a booster, using the latter to propel himself to down to the Fortress of Solitude. While Batman briefs Robin (Tim), Failsafe defeats Superman by striking pressure points that make him lose control of his heat vision. Batman and Robin challenge Failsafe, during which Batman inserts nanobots into Failsafe’s head. Failsafe shows confusion, hesitating for a moment, but the deadly machine ultimately blasts Batman with a laser, seemingly disintegrating him. (This scene is also shown via flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #131 and visually referenced in the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #131.) Failsafe declares that his program has ended before flying away. Meanwhile, a bloody and battered Batman—still alive—is teleported to Crime Alley on an alternate Earth.
–Batman Vol. 3 #131-133 (“THE BAT-MAN OF GOTHAM”)
This item picks up directly from Batman Vol. 3 #130. Having been zapped to another reality by Failsafe, Batman finds himself in the Gotham City of an alternate Earth. The injured and confused Batman begins familiarizing himself with his new environment, all the while suffering a hallucination of a wise-cracking skeleton Commissioner Gordon. When he comes across a Venom-boosted Judge Harvey Dent (along with the GCPD and Firefly) doling out draconian police brutality to innocent people, Bruce can’t stand idly by, so he attacks, nearly getting killed in the process until he is saved by a teenage vigilante named Jewel (Julia). Word of the “return” of the deceased Bruce Wayne quickly spreads, including to gang boss Selina Kyle and Red Mask, who controls Judge Dent and the cops. (Red Mask’s army is headquartered in the underground fortress known as Arkham Caves.) Bruce settles in at Jewel’s safe house, learning about this strange new world, including that his hallucinations are the result of Arkham’s Jonathan Crane pumping drugs into the city’s air. After taking some Halliday Industries-produced pills to counteract the visions, Bruce learns that Darwin Halliday is basically the only person in power standing up to the Arkham police state. A week later, a disguised Bruce attends a gala at Halliday Industries’ Athena Tower only to be quickly outed by Selina. Startled at discovering that Halliday is this world’s version of Joker, an unguarded Bruce is attacked by Selina, Crimson (Alexis Kaye), and Killer Croc. As he fights, Bruce is startled yet again when he sees Alfred Pennyworth in the crowd. Barely escaping with his life, the badly injured Bruce decides to become a Bat. After creating a costume and utility belt, Batman “debuts” by publicly taking down Arkham cop Riddler. Batman then exhumes the corpse of the alt-Bruce Wayne, briefly chatting with a stunned Alfred as he does so. Batman and Jewel run tests on the corpse, discovering the cause of death was multiversial poison gas. After Batman publicly takes down Judge Dent, he joins forces with Selina, who has decided to betray Red Mask. She escorts him to Arkham Caves.
THE BAT-MAN OF GOTHAM Conclusion
————————–Batman Vol. 3 #134
————————–Batman Vol. 3 #135 (Batman #900)
Picking up directly from Batman Vol. 3 #133, the alt-Selina Kyle parts ways with Batman, leaving him to explore Arkham Caves where he finds an imprisoned Barry Allen and Lex Luthor. Batman is confronted by Red Mask, who unmasks, revealing his identity as Darwin Halliday. Halliday monologues about using multiversial energy to control the entire multiverse. Before fleeing, Halliday begins releasing Jonathan Crane’s poison gas into the city above. Batman then fights The Ghost-Breaker, this reality’s version of the Ghost-Maker. After fighting the Ghost-Breaker to a stalemate, Batman dispatches a scared alt-Clark Kent and other Arkham inmates. Batman then defeats the Ghost-Breaker and shuts off the poison flow, but not before getting his hand completely severed by the villain. Aboveground, Jewel, Selina, and Firefly help evacuate some of Gotham’s citizens to safety, but the city is swarmed by Halliday’s army of man-bats, collectively known as The Leatherwings. Alfred forcibly opens Athena Tower, allowing people to enter into the safety of its walls. Meanwhile, as the wounded Batman fights his way through more Arkham guards, Halliday uses a portal device to time-travel through the multiverse, entering the mind of Earth-0 Joker at the moment he first crawled out of the chemical pool with newly bleached skin and green hair. Hoping to be imbued with power, instead nothing happens. Furthermore, Halliday realizes that he (Halliday) has actually imbued his own wicked persona into the newly formed Joker—in a sense, he’s Joker’s creator (or at least the inspiration/reason for his being evil). Not only that, Halliday’s cosmic meddling also spawns the two doppelgänger Jokers. Halliday is the creator of the three Jokers! Batman enters Halliday’s lab, taking down Punchline and Halliday, who flees through his multiverse time portal. As his injuries begin to wear on him, Batman begins to have a Zur-En-Arrh hallucination, but he shakes it off. After a pep talk from Jewel and Alfred, Batman prepares to enter the multiverse time portal back to Earth-0. But before he can prep correctly, Selina shows her true colors and shoves him through the portal, which sends him hurtling on the same trajectory as Red Mask, who has decided to go to as many universes as possible to create, resurrect, or incite Jokers on multiple Earths. On Earth-789 (the home of Superman ’78 and Batman ’89, the latter based off of Tim Burton’s Batman films), Batman meets Earth-789 Batman (modeled after Michael Keaton). On Earth-43 (Red Rain Earth), Batman fights a vampire Joker. On Earth-19 (Gotham by Gaslight Earth), Batman meets Earth-19’s Bat Man. On an Earth that resembles the Golden Age (specifically Batman #73), Batman watches Batman fight Joker (both drawn in the art style of Dick Sprang). On an Earth that is home to the original Batman the Animated Series, Batman helps Batman fight Joker. On an Earth that is home to the video game-based Arkhamverse, Batman chats with Arkhamverse Batman. On Earth-12, Batman chats with Earth-12 Batman (Terry McGinnis) and an elderly Earth-12 Bruce Wayne, who gives him a Holt Disc that may be able to return him to his correct universe. Just as a resurrected Earth-12 Joker attacks, Batman leaps across the cosmos again. Returning to the Earth that resembles the Golden Age, Batman helps the Dynamic Duo chase after Halliday. Returning to Earth-19, Batman helps the Bat Man fight a Joker new to his world. On Earth-22 (Kingdom Come Earth), Batman converses with Earth-22 Batman. On Earth-49 (Earth-Injustice), Batman meets Earth-49 Batman. On Earth-66 (Batman ’66 Earth), Batman meets Earth-66 Batman (modeled after Adam West) and Earth-66 Robin (modeled after Burt Ward), who have just busted Earth-66 Joker. Earth-66 Batman gives Batman his utility belt. On Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns universe, Batman gets stuck in the middle of a war between Dark Knight Returns Batman and his Sons of Batman army versus the Mutant Gang. Afterward, the Dark Knight Returns Batman gives Batman one of his spare costumes and a robotic hand. (As referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #137, the robot hand has various weaponry, with which Batman quickly familiarizes himself.) Finally, Batman catches up with Halliday in a world made by the villain himself. The Red Mask universe contains only an empty dark void, amidst which floats the ruined remnants of Gotham, surrounded by giant Jokerized sharks. Thankfully, Batman-66 always carries shark repellent in his utility belt, so Batman is able to fend off the ravenous creatures. Batman then kayos Halliday, ending his threat. Having been searching the multiverse using Mr. Terrific technology, Robin (Tim Drake) arrives from Earth-0, offering Batman a lifeline back home. Unknown to Batman, he’s unwittingly unleashed a Batman of Zur-En-Arrh onto all of the Earths to which he traveled (or rather, into the psyche of all of the Batmen of each of these Earths).
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Legends of Gotham #1. Having recently returned from his time away (in the “Bat-Man of Gotham” arc), Batman is debriefed by the Outsiders (specifically Black Lightning and Katana) regarding the completion of the “Leviathan Hoard” case. Batman learns that Red Hood obtained the missing data cache but destroyed it. Unknown to all parties involved, Talia al Ghul has the intact data cache.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1 and Batman Vol. 3 #139. Batman becomes aware that two of the original three Jokers—the Criminal and the Clown—have been resurrected by Darwin Halliday. There are multiple ways on interpreting these references, but this one seems to make the most sense to me. See this blog post for additional information.
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<<< Infinite Frontier Era Year 21 (Part 1) <<< ||| >>> Infinite Frontier Era Year 22 (Part 1) >>>
- [1]COLLIN COLSHER: Note that Jon Kent is oddly drawn without his cape throughout Lazarus Planet. This is either an artistic/editorial error or maybe he forgot to wear it/lost it? Jon will switch to a new cape-less costume in the upcoming Action Comics #1051, but it’ll be a brand new design entirely, not simply his current costume sans cape. And when we see Jon again following Lazarus Planet, in Action Comics #1050, he will have his cape back. Anyway, I’m probably making too much ado about nothing, so feel free to ignore any minor cape issues.↩
- [2]COLLIN COLSHER: Note that Flashpoint Beyond #0-2 details narrative on both the Flashpoint timeline and the Earth-0 timeline. While both narratives are intercut back-and-forth in the comics, presented simultaneously by writer Geoff Johns, the Flashpoint timeline narrative (which is actually the primary narrative) takes place much earlier than the Earth-0 timeline narrative. In Flashpoint Beyond #0-2, the Flashpoint timeline narrative occurs during Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths whereas the Earth-0 timeline narrative starts right now (after Lazarus Planet and Batman vs Robin, although not two days after the end of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, as Johns would lead us to believe). What follows here is a summary of the recently completed Flashpoint timeline narrative from Flashpoint Beyond #0-2, which doesn’t include Earth-0 Batman but is nevertheless important as the setup for the “Clockwork Killer” arc that is commencing. The Flashpoint timeline narrative overlaps with the end of Dark Crisis and all of Lazarus Planet and Batman vs Robin. Onto a synopsis. Flashpoint Batman (Thomas Wayne) finds himself resurrected. (He had been killed by Darkseid in Justice League Incarnate #4.) Judge Harvey Dent threatens to charge Thomas for Batman-related crimes unless he tries to help Gilda Dent, who is unwell and locked up at Arkham Asylum. In the Batcave, Thomas finds that someone has scrawled the words “Everything Matters” onto a board. Seeking answers, Thomas travels to Central City to speak with Flashpoint Barry Allen, who is in the middle of working the case of the serial killer dubbed by the media as “The Clockwork Killer.” After confronting Barry, Thomas drugs him and straps him into a chair atop a tall building during a lightning storm with hopes of replicating Flash’s origin story. However, an Atlantean assassin messes with the experiment, which results in Barry’s death. Judge Dent is then mysteriously killed via car bomb on the street below, prompting Flashpoint Batman to rescue his son Dexter Dent. Afterward, Thomas chats with Commissioner Sofia Falcone Gigante and agrees to help take care of Dexter. Reverse-Flash (Eobard Thawne) mysteriously glides by in the foreground. Soon after, Thomas puts Dexter under the care of his personal assistant Oswald Cobblepot, who teaches the boy how to shoot guns. Thomas suits up in his fighting togs and travels to England where he rescues a captured Wonder Woman en route toward confronting Aquaman. Aquaman tells Flashpoint Batman that he had nothing to do with the assassin that ruined his Barry Allen experiment. Wonder Woman then kills Aquaman. Meanwhile, Cobblepot continues to train Dexter. Thomas Wayne chats with Commissioner Falcone at the site of Thomas’ old (now destroyed) casino. Falcone says that Arkham inmate Roger Hayden aka Earth-0’s Psycho-Pirate claims to be “taking refuge in Hypertime from a Dark Crisis.” Flashpoint Batman visits Arkham to find that Hayden has been murdered in his cell. He then examines writing on Hayden’s cell wall and then has a rough conversation with Gilda. During the exchange, half of Gilda’s face is horribly scarred under mysterious circumstances, making her Two-Face. After departing, Flashpoint Batman roughs up the Flashpoint Rogues only to get confronted by Superman (Flashpoint Superman).↩
- [3]COLLIN COLSHER: Since Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton #1 Part 3 shows Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves dealing with Lazarus rainstorms in Metropolis, Action Comics #1050 must go after Lazarus Planet and Batman vs Robin.↩
- [4]COLLIN COLSHER: Notably, Stephanie also went on a date with Kyle Mizoguchi in the recent Batgirls #11, during which she also met Kyle’s sister Maps. However, in that issue, creators Becky Cloonan, Michael W Conrad, and Neil Googe inexplicably depict Maps as looking very young, even younger than when we last saw her five years ago. And five years ago, Maps was around thirteen-years-old, meaning she should currently be eighteen! It’s possible that this depiction is meant to retcon Karl Kerschl’s main Gotham Academy narrative from Year 15-16 to Year 20-21 while definitively rendering Kerschl’s later arcs (“Mother’s Day” and Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #4 Part 2) non-canon. However, I don’t think one questionable character appearance (which could very well simply be an artistic error) should radically upend such a large chunk of prior timeline that otherwise works fine. Therefore, we should regard Maps’ appearance in Batgirls #11 as erroneous. She should be eighteen-years-old at this point. It’s also worth mentioning that Kyle, who would be around twenty-years-old right now is drawn as if he very well could be twenty. So this does bolster the idea that the creators simply got Maps (and Maps alone) totally wrong.↩
- [5]COLLIN COLSHER: To catch us up to speed, here is a Tim Drake timeline (from Urban Legends #4-9, which occurred nearly a year ago, up to our present day story, Tim Drake: Robin #10.
–Urban Legends #4-9/DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1 (a reprint of Urban Legends #5). This is the Chaos Monsters’ debut and Tim and Bernard hooking up. Urban Legends #4-9 details the Chaos Monsters kidnapping Bernard, and Tim coming out. As we will show below, this item takes place in late 2021 according to Tim Drake: Robin #9, which mentions Urban Legends #4-6 as occurring “almost a year” prior.
–Harley Quinn #14-15 shows Batwoman breaking Harley out of prison, which is specifically referred to in Tim Drake: Robin #8. Harley Quinn #14-15 occurs prior to X-mas 2021 (Urban Legends #10), which tracks.
–Urban Legends #10 occurs on X-mas 2021.
–DC Pride 2022 occurs prior to Tim Drake: Robin #1, showing various flashbacks to Tim and Bernard’s burgeoning relationship. The story ends in June 2022 (at Pride).
–Tim moves to the marina right around Pride (June 2022)
–Tim Drake: Robin #1-8 spans Summer 2022 to Autumn 2022. I’d ignore the snow on the cover of issue #8, although it could be an early snowfall or the result of extreme anthropogenic climate change if you do choose to regard it. (In any case, there’s no snow in the issue itself.) Issue #8 mentions that the “last few months” go all the way back to X-mas, which is technically less than a year, so by semantic definition “last few months” is correct.
–Tim Drake: Robin #9-10. As we are in late autumn or even winter of 2022, then the Tim Drake: Robin #9 line telling us that Bernard’s kidnapping by the Chaos Monsters occurred “almost a year ago” gives us the info we need, helping us place DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1/Urban Legends #4-9 in late 2021.↩ - [6]COLLIN COLSHER: Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #3 Part 4 is an alternate Earth story featuring a gothic manga-styled Batman that faces off against a demonic overlord version of Kirk Langstrom. Therefore, it is non-canon.↩
Seriously, just the fact that you’ve done all of this in the last few years, with awesome accuracy to boot, is very impressive!
Thank you very much! Words of affirmation keep me going.
Hey Collin, How are you? I hope everything’s all right.
Please, can you tell me if Joker-The Man Who Stopped Laughing is canon or not? And if it is, is it directly connected to Three Jokers? And when does it specifically take place in the timeline? Maybe right after Joker 15? I dont’ know…
I have to be honest, by reading the first two issues I didn’t understand much of it… I know Batman does not appear in it… but, I was wondering, could you make a so-far-synopsis for a dumb guy like me (since that, if it really IS canon, this looks like a very important story in Batman’s wolrd)? I’d appreciate it so much…
Always grateful for your hard and wonderful work.
Hey Antonio, it’s definitely canon, a direct follow up to the Joker series. I’m not sure what’s happening with the two Jokers, but only time will tell!
And… since we’re here… 🙂 what about The Deadly Duo? One day maybe DC will explain if all this Black Label stuff was meant to be canon or not…
I don’t even attempt to place the Black Label titles until they have wrapped completely. That way I can ascertain whether or not they are canon based upon the full story. So far, if this one is in, it’ll definitely occur somewhere in the New 52-based/early Rebirth-based era of stories on the current timeline—in order to match Harley Quinn’s appearance/status. Some Black Label books are canon. Others are not. This is really just because Black Label means you can do whatever you want. Some writers choose to go afield while others stay within the bounds of continuity. Others likely unwittingly stay within the bounds of continuity while not even realizing it.
It’s non-canon titles like Batman: The Fortress, which don’t bear the Black Label trade dressing, that I find interesting. As always, DC doesn’t tell us much, leaving it up to the reader (and sites like mine) to figure it out. Some things’ll never change.
I’m not sure your correct that the Lunar Watchtower was destroyed in Batman #129- it’s certainly heavily damaged, but I’m not sure it’s actually meant to have been destroyed.
Hmm, I assumed “Watchtower is done” to mean it was completely leveled. But you are probably right, now that I’m looking at it again. And that means “Failsafe” can probably go back pre-Dark Crisis again.
I stand corrected! Dark Crisis #7 clearly indicates that Failsafe takes place afterward.
Hey Dylan, are we sure? The Epilogue, which takes place at some point in the future, merely makes reference to “Failsafe” via flashback. I think it still could occur prior to Dark Crisis because it is linked to Catwoman #44-45. Also, Punchline getting released from prison is decidedly pre-Dark Crisis, which would place Catwoman/”Failsafe” pre-Dark Crisis too.
LMK if you think otherwise though. I get that it certainly looks chronological, placing it next to Batman vs Robin and other Super-Family stuff that are post-Dark Crisis…
To talk about Dark Crisis, it was a fun Event to read and finally does justice to Flash facing the Anti-Monitor after all these decades. But a question remains and to which there is no clear answer for the moment Collin: is it possible that the original pre-Crisis Earths Earth One and Earth Two were restored in some way somewhere by Pariah at the same time as the original Multiverse ?
I would say no. It’s possible (and likely) that some version of the originals exist, but not the originals themselves. I’m going to write up a blog entry about the physics of time in comics books, which should address some of what you are talking about here, so keep your eyes peeled for that. But in the meantime, in short, I’ll just say that I personally don’t subscribe to the fictive concept of the future being comprised of mere possibilities. Many fans and writers do, but I don’t. Yes, there are myriad alternate (hyper) timelines, most of which happen to be futures, but every timeline is deterministic. We know this primarily because of time-travel stories. I have always viewed the timelines of old (Golden/Silver/Bronze, Modern, and New 52) as complete, concretized, and whole—finished and archived, so to speak. Returning to them now only creates impossible problems—as made extremely evident with a story like Convergence.
I see. A bit like what was seen at the end of Doomsday Clock where we see an Earth 1985 DC which seems to be the counterpart of Pre Crisis Earth One.
Regarding Convergence, the initial idea of taking characters from different eras and making them evolve outside of space and time to make them live new adventures was very good. If the story had stuck there it would have been great….
Well it is a fascinating subject that you are going to tackle.thanks for your answer ^^
New fan, I’m very glad to find more people like me who enjoy the thought experiment of organizing the chaos that is modern comics.
Spoilers for Batman #131 follow:
I think Failsafe and this new arc both have to be post-Dark Crisis despite what earlier issues said. I base this off of Jon’s new costume and the fact that this arc seems to be a multiverse version of Return of Bruce Wayne. And it would make sense that this falls into current status quo of an Infinite multiverse since it doesn’t resemble any currently known Universe.
Again, love your work and honored to help in anyway!
Hey Dylan! Thanks for the kinds words. Yes, I think you are correct. Gonna make some moves.
Hey Collin, how are things going?
Here’s a question for you.
In “Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4” we have Jason wondering how’s possible for Joker to be in different places at the same time (he still doesn’t know about the fake Joker), but my question is… if The Three Jokers story arc is Canon… well, then why’s Jason wondering such thing? Well, there are 3! So that’s why Joker can be in two different places at the same time (I guess Jason killed one of them, right?).
So, now… It’s either The Three Jokers is non-canon (which I’ve always suspected) or this entire “The man who stopped laughing” story arc doesn’t make any sense at all (which is the case anyway, indipendently from 3 Jokers, honestly)
Anyway, as I’ve previously stated, having 3 Jokers DIMINISHES the character bigtime. Just like having 2 Batmen, 2 Supermen, 2 Aquamen and 147 Wonder Women.
But maybe NOTHING, NOTHING diminishes the World’s Finest Duo as Lex knowing who Superman is and Joker knowing who Batman is.
World of Comics these days is a real mess.
Hey Antonio, I’m not so sure this arc has any bearing on Three Jokers. After all, Three Jokers, which ended a while ago, ends with the other Jokers dead, bringing us back to just one Joker (the Clown). Putting Three Jokers aside, as you say, the Man Who Stopped Laughing doesn’t make much sense for other reasons, seemingly ignoring a few items of canon, notably the fact that Red Hood stopped using guns. I’m a Rosenberg fan, but he tends to play a little fast-and-loose with continuity. Of course, no one does that more than Johns—as we can see in New Golden Age and JSA. But with Johns running the show, we might see more Johns-ian type continuity across the board.
I have a pretty out there edit, but I just finished re-reading a few things and I think it is pretty solid.
I think the general order of events goes Abyss (and connected events) then Shadow War and then Dark Crisis very soon after. You could probably fit the end of Tamaki’s Detective run and a few other things right before Dark Crisis, but I think it also fits with where Justice League #75 has him teleporting. He is shown talking to Ghost-Maker and Clownhunter which implies the events of Dark Crisis occur right as the first Batman Inc arc begins or right after it ends.
My main reason for suggesting this is Zdarsky’s comments on a Word Balloon podcast about how his Batman and V’s Detective will “kiss” soon. Since we know Zdarsky’s Batman is definitively post Dark Crisis, I think V’s Detective run will be moved too.
In conclusion, I think the past few months (basically when the main creative teams took over) have been post Dark Crisis at minimum. I think editorial is either spread too thin or nonexistent in the past couple years which is why there has been nothing definitive released from them about timeline placement, save small asterisks in the issues that they later contradict in other books. Who is to say exactly where Batman vs. Robin and Lazarus Planet connect to the other books. Especially with the Al Ghul shenanigans going on in Detective.
Shenanigans abound in the DCU right now. Thanks for letting me know about the Zdarsky/V kiss lol. I’m sure things will get moved around accordingly, with unfortunate but necessary caveats where appropriate. After all, the mention/appearance of the JL in Zdarsky’s run seems to be erroneous. Likewise, Lazarus Planet tie-ins placing Lazarus Planet after Action #1050 but before Flashpoint Beyond don’t make sense either. And don’t get me started on what Johns is doing with New Golden Age/JSA… that timeline doesn’t connect to anything we’ve previously seen in any conceivable way, at least not yet.
In six months or so, hopefully we’ll have a better grasp of things—or we’ll be able to see the errors for what they are in the face of what was intended, anyway.
Hello again. It’s time for another round of: “I think I can make this lineup / audition for DC editorial”
With Batman vs Robin and its part in Lazarus Planet (and the mini event overall) having ended, I see why this is intended to be a direct follow up to Dark Crisis. You have the broken Hall of Justice and Nezha can easily take advantage of that chaos.
I think it also allows for this to be the resurrection of Ra’s without contradicting Flashpoint Paradox. What is my evidence? None of the time spans listed in either of Geoff Johns other current ongoings make a lick of sense anyway, so why expect this one to be any different?
Then after Flashpoint Paradox you have a few ellipses I’m sure, but then I am confident Failsafe will have to happen here. My main evidence for this is we don’t see the main building of Wayne Manor damaged in Batman vs Robin. But we do see it massively burned / wrecked during the Failsafe arc.
Everything else should go as you have it. I have no idea where the Ram V stuff will end up going because the Vigil (who we meet in Lazarus Planet) are solicited to be in Detective 1070, but his whole run has seemed to occur over 2 weeks tops pre-Dark Crisis, but post Shadow War. Timey-wimey bullshit inbound?
I do have a bonus edit that may allow Lazarus Planet to occur pre-Action 1050 (and therefore not contradict Luthor being in prison), but I have no evidence for that… yet.
As always, love your work and can you please be the Denny O’Neil / Kevin Feige of the Bat office?
So you are thinking Dark Crisis > Batman vs Robin / Lazarus Planet > Beyond Flashpoint > Action #1050 > Failsafe? I’m going to have a long look at all of this a few months from now. Maybe it’ll be clearer with some distance. In any case, this is feeling very New 52-ish in it’s rollout (def not a good thing for continuity lol).
If I were Denny O’Neil and you were Kevin Feige, and we were in charge, thing’s would def make more sense! I’m not sure I’d want the headache though, haha. Thanks for this info, as always. Once I make significant changes, your notes will be at the top of my mind. And I’ll be sure to give you credit where credit is due.
Talk to you soon!
It is a mess, but it’s probably what’s made it fun to read because the stories are great and there is an added (albeit unintended) puzzle of clues to unravel how it all lines up.
I feel like you could just add a year to everything and just have a small number like a legacy number or a secondary number like the triangle era. Even labeling arcs and having each part of the arc having a number would help.
Hey Collin, how have you been? It’s been awhile since I’ve commented but I still try to keep up somewhat. I did fall behind DC a bit after Death Metal, I was wondering what you thought of Dark Crisis and what some of your favorite DC stories have been. And I’m really curious on what Geoff Johns is currently planning…
Hey Austin, so nice to hear from you! Dark Crisis wasn’t my favorite. I thought it had a lot of potential, but otherwise left me feeling a little flat at the end. I’m also very curious with what Geoff Johns is currently planning! It’s very GEOFF JOHNS so far, to say the least. It’s definitely factoring into canon too, despite the fact that Johns keeps referencing a radically different timeline that no one else is working with. I’ll be waiting a while until I can make more sense of things before adding much of his run into the chronology here. Johns’ Flashpoint Beyond (which I quite liked) is supposed to dovetail with Dark Crisis, but in order to fit with everything else, it actually has to go post-Batman vs Robin/Lazarus Planet, which is decidedly after Dark Crisis. Since you haven’t been keeping up, I suggest reading anything Mark Waid has been writing in the past months. He’s been knocking it out of the park imo.
I don’t know if I missed something, but I think Johns may finally be caving on the timeline thing. In Justice Society #3, Detective Chimp says Catwoman is killed by Degaton 26 years from now. Unless they are implying Huntress is 26, but who knows. That may happen anyway 👀
Or Degaton fucked something up.
I would also give this interview from the current Dawn of DC writers a read. They do address the lack of connective tissue between books recently and that they are making it a big part of current books. https://www.cbr.com/dawn-of-dc-creator-interview/
Hey Dylan, I don’t think he’s changed. In JSA #2 and JSA #3, it is said that Catwoman dies “26 years from now.” Huntress is indeed supposed to be around 25-26-years-old at that time. I’ll def check out that article. I read snippets of it on Bleeding Cool, but I’ll read the whole thing now. I notice that Geoff Johns is not listed among the creators that are working cohesively lol. Also, Tom King returning to continuity comics is pretty scary since he does not play well with others.
My hope is Tom will do better this time around. Plus Didio isn’t there to keep Alfred dead or remove Nightwing from other books at the last minute.
I did notice the lack of Johns. But thanks for clarifying, I hope that 15 years is explained (or ignored).
I did want to ask about your update to the Ram V Detective annual. What new evidence connects the dots with Return of Bruce Wayne?
No new evidence, but the change was suggested to me by the highly reliable Tenzel Kim, owner/operator of the DCU Guide (with whom I am an infrequent collaborator). It’s pretty clear that Ram V has moved on with that portion of his arc, and his intent was clearly to connect it to the only period Batman was operating via time-travel as “Mordecai,” which would have been the Omega Sanction during The Return of Bruce Wayne. Ram V might have gotten a few crucial details incorrect with this reference, but it’s nothing that a plausible fanwank can’t/couldn’t fix.
Apparently The New Golden Age and Dawn Of DC will converge in Justice Society of America #6 so that’s exciting. I was wondering if World of Krypton by Robert Venditti and Odyssey of the Amazon’s are canon. Also, Wonder Woman: Historia but I assume that one definitely isn’t.
Oh that’s good to hear. Maybe Geoff Johns, despite his seemingly wonky timeline, is still playing continuity ball with the rest of the team. Wonder Woman Historia is one of those non-canon Black Label books, but I have no reason to believe that World of Krypton or Odyssey of the Amazons are not in-continuity.
Hello again. I hope you are well.
What did you think of 135? I lovedddd it. It stuck the landing for the arc, and I really love the Morrison-esque “throwing off the darkness of recent continuity” and just letting Batman be Batman. The art is also amazing, especially how Jimenez impersonates other artists (sometimes scarily close). I love how Zdarsky has retroactively made the stories of other Batmen be lessons for our Bruce. His whole run seems to be developing Bruce, so I hope we see it reflected elsewhere.
My continuity nitpick this week has to be Lazarus Planet and Flashpoint Beyond’s placement. They have to be before Failsafe and Bat-Man of Gotham because Wayne Manor is still fine at the end of Lazarus Planet / Batman vs Robin. It isn’t wrecked and burned until the fight with Failsafe. The fight with Nezha-controlled Robin only damages the cave.
Keep up the crazy good work!
Hey Dylan, I wouldn’t base structural damage as an indicator of placement. Cars, caves, houses, halls of justice, satellites, etc. They get destroyed, yet they will show up again soon afterward. When superheroes are available, things can get fixed quickly. Such has always been the case, or so it would seem. However, I’ll definitely keep an eye on the order of things, which may change in the near future. It’s might be possible that this arc is post-Lazarus Planet. We’ll see.
Nevertheless, property damage does speak to continuity, so if Failsafe smashes Wayne Manor and by BvR #1 it’s good again, then we need a note. So I’m adding a note!
In terms of Batman #900, it was a fun fan-servicey issue that had a satisfactory conclusion, although I wasn’t very into the four issues it took us to get there. I’ve already gotten a decent amount of email complaints about the huge changes to the Joker lore, mainly Darwin Halliday being the personality imprint for Joker (in terms of his evilness). But overall, I don’t think it’ll alter things too greatly, nor does it radically change the character. I was quite surprised to see not only a reference/official canonization of Three Jokers, but also an actual flashback to the origin of the three Jokers in this issue. Admittedly, that was also done a little messily, but hey it’s a cosmic time-travel magick thing, so whatever.
I definitely see that point about repairs. I bet a DC version of Damage Control would be entertaining.
Darwin is a strange character, I am assuming Chip is implying he is the reason for the Joker’s twisted intelligence. I am kind of mixed as well on the execution (multiverse poison? How does that work?), but the run isn’t over. Just like timeline placement, it’s hard to know until we see all the pieces. Joker does react to Darwin being in his head and pushes him out (and it seems to happen again with one of the other 3 Jokers). Maybe this is what shares Joker’s mental state with Darwin, similar to how Batmen were able to read each other? I feel that Darwin isn’t making Jokers the way people assume, more just resetting them to original recipe. I am hoping the mechanics of Red Mask are explained soon.
Good insight on the Halliday “process”. I might add as a footnote (along with all the other Halliday footnotes that are piling up lol)
Hey Collin, I have a question? What all characters/stories were between the Golden Age and the arrival of Superman in current continuity? From what I can tell, practically every Golden Age character is Canon plus the added thirteen.
Hey Austin, it would seem that much of the Modern Age version of the 20th century (which itself was based off of the original Golden Age) is canon in some way, shape, or fashion. This makes sense since top guys Mark Waid and Geoff Johns both love old school comics, particularly how they connect to present day.
Hey Collin, everything all right?
I was wondering… Is “Batman The Brave And The Bold” 1, part 1 Canon?
Hey Antonio, everything is a-ok, thanks for asking! Yes, it is canon, and (so far) fits quite well into the timeline in Year One. I’ve already placed it. 🙂
Good news on the timeline placement front: Joshua Williamson is aware of how frustratingly desynched everything is at the moment, and part of why Knight Terrors interrupts the line like it does it to bring all the books chronologically in sync.
Oh that’s good. I remember seeing that Ram V and Chip Zdarsky’s arcs would align at some point. Maybe Knight Terrors is that alignment.
Hey Collin, I know this isn’t directly Batman related, but being set in Gotham I’m wondering how it squares timeline wise with the rest of the current line of up of books. In Tim Drake: Robin #9 Robin mentions to Bernard that hits been almost a full year since his kidnapping by the Chaos Monsters back in Urban Legends 14. Where would you fit this Urban Legends 14 story?
On a separate note too, after said urban legends Story the Time Drake Pride special happens and the Tim Story in the Dc comics Pride 2022, where Tim and Bernard attend Gotham’s Pride parade. Assuming Gotham Pride happens in June im trying to figure out the full timeline of events. I assume 14 takes place somewhere around the end of 2021 with the Pride story being June of 2022. The Tim Drake Robin series seems current with Batgirls and its fall/winter there. Time drake: Robin #8’s cover has him and Batwoman in snow. But they say her memory is missing a few months, after she teams up with Harley. It’s not clear if this is referencing harley Quinn 17 or 27 but part of those missing few months Tim fills in that she went to christmas dinner with them in Urban Legends #10, celebrated him and bernard coming out (possibly around june) and helped in him move into his house boat which you have place at the ends of June, (although that’s certainly stretching the phrase “a few Months.”) So if it’s only been a few months since all of that and ALSO almost a full year since the Chaos Monsters story in Urban Legends #14 how far back does UL#14 take place? And where is this book currently set in the timeline as of the final issue #10 that is set to come out? Have any thoughts on how parse this?
ALSO tim mentions drinking in issue Number 7 of Tim Drake: Robin. Has Tim finally broken the curse of being forever 17 and now officially 21 or older? What do you think his current age is supposed to be? Damian being 14-15 has to be pushing Tim into his 20s.
Love your work as always and hoping you might be able to help with this comic timeline conundrum I’ve been having.
Hey Josh, I just did a rather quick review, and the timeline given to us so far actually seems pretty solid.
–DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1 is a reprint of Urban Legends #5. This is the Chaos Monster debut and Tim and Bernard hooking up. Urban Legends #4-9 details the Chaos Monsters kidnapping Bernard, and Tim coming out. Notably, Tim Drake: Robin #9 doesn’t mention Urban Legends #14 (which doesn’t feature Tim or Bernard at all), it mentions Urban Legends #4-6. As we will show below, this item takes place in late 2021 according to Tim Drake: Robin #9.
–Harley Quinn #14-15 shows Batwoman breaking Harley out of prison, which is specifically referred to in Tim Drake: Robin #8. Harley Quinn #14-15 definitely occurs prior to X-mas 2021 (Urban Legends #10), which tracks.
–Urban Legends #10 is X-mas 2021.
–DC Pride 2022 occurs prior to Tim Drake: Robin #1, showing various flashbacks to Tim and Bernard’s burgeoning relationship. The story ends in June 2022 (at Pride).
–Tim either moves to the marina right after Pride or right before it (around June 2022)
–Tim Drake: Robin #1-8 spans Summer 2022 to Autumn 2022. I’d ignore the snow on the cover of issue #8, although it could be an early snowfall if you do choose to regard it. (In any case, there’s no snow in the issue itself.) Issue #8 mentions that the “last few months” go all the way back to X-mas, which is technically less than a year, so by semantic definition “last few months” is not incorrect.
–Tim Drake: Robin #9. If we are indeed in Autumn or even Winter of 2022, then the line telling us that Bernard’s kidnapping by the Chaos Monsters occurring “almost a year ago” gives us the info we need, helping us place DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1/Urban Legends #4-9 in late 2021.
My calculations have Tim turning 25 in 2022, so he’s definitely of drinking age.
Let me know if I missed anything or erred somehow. Thanks!
This is perfect, thank you!! I felt like it was close to putting it together and this was perfect. I’m not sure why my brain decided to type urban legends 14 I definitely meant urban legends 4. It’s been a looong and I just got mixed up.
I feel like this shows a good effort somewhere on the writing/editor side of things. Plenty of examples where books/ongoing don’t do a good job of keeping track of where their characters have been or what they’ve been up to in other books.
You may already know this, but Batman shows up at the end of Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #31. to ask for Harley’s help with Knight Terrors. We don’t see him, because he makes a phone call, but there’s no reason to doubt it’s him, since Harley is helping in Knight Terrors: First Blood #1
Oh I missed that actually. I guess we’ll see how it exactly ties into Knight Terrors come her tie-in. Thanks!
Hey Collin! What are your thoughts on the new JSA issue?
Personally, I did feel like the confrontation with Degaton felt rushed (despite being delayed) in this issue, but I will admit a bit of glee to finally seeing how this story solidifies it’s place in the timeline without feeling overly contradictory. Maybe Johns is just bad at math which is why his timelines are always slightly off.
I’m very excited to see where the story with Huntress and the modern Bat-Fam goes along with some actual story meat for the rest of the Society.
Hey Dylan! I’m on vacation now, so I haven’t had a chance to do a full read through of the new issue. Suffice to say, I’ve processed the important continuity bits regarding Helena. It’s an elegant way of addressing the impossibility of her existence on the primary timeline yet allowing her to stay. I’m also very excited to see where this goes. (And yes, “13 years ago” is still Johns being wrong lol.)
So… with the Arsenal backup in Knight Terrors:Batman confirming that Green Arrow Vol. 7 takes place simultaneously with KT, this makes his appearances in Failsafe and Superboy: Man of Tomorrow a continuity error, right? The one in Superboy is negligible, but Failsafe is a biggie.
Hey JD, just read it. Yeah, looks like bad editorial oversight. Green Arrow shouldn’t be making any appearances, and now that we know he’s still missing as of Knight Terrors, all his appearances between Dark Crisis and Knight Terrors are continuity errors.
Can you give me a basic chronology/reading order for Superman in current continuity leading up to Rebirth events? Maybe for Wonder Woman too since I’m not sure what is and isn’t Canon for her
Hey Austin! You mean a canonical chronology for Superman and Wonder Woman’s Year One up all the way up to present? That’s a tall order, and not one that I’d be able to cobble together with relative ease. As it stands, I’m more backed up with unanswered emails and site updates than ever before, so I don’t think I’ll be able to provide this information anytime soon. For non-Batman character timelines, I recommend checking out Tenzel Kim’s DCU Guide (https://dcuguide.com/w/Main_Page).
I meant kind of like just a basic chronology not including flashbacks and such just up until Rebirth but take your time.
Hey Austin I have the Superman Chronology (both Modern Age and Pre-Post Rebirth). So if you want it from me I’d be glad to send it to you.
Yeah, Pre-Post Rebirth would be great, I appreciate it, as long as it’s everything canon leading to Son of Superman.
My email is 1coolguyforsure@gmail.com
Would you still need the ellipsis in Lazarus Planet Alpha if the scene with Nightwing and Batman sizing up City Boy occurred after Batman vs Robin #5? There is a very basic “later” caption on the page after Nightwing rescues City Boy from drowning, giving just enough wiggle room for the Lazarus rain (and related events) to happen first.
Hey Dylan, yeah I suppose that works. I wasn’t reading “Later” to mean anything other than like “a few hours later”, but if it is more disconnected from the main action, then it works. I’m going to go that route because it certainly can read that way. Thanks!