(January to December 2023)
_____________________________________________________________________________
–Dawn of DC: Knight Terrors – Free Comic Book Day Special Edition #1
Batman and Robin bust Killer Moth and Firefly, after which Damian passes out and has an intense nightmare. In the bad dream, Damian is haunted by a mysterious new villain called Insomnia (Christopher Lukas), who claims to hail from the haunted dimension known as the Nightmare Realm. After coming-to, Damian shakes the cobwebs out of his head and returns home with Batman. Little do our heroes know that Damian’s nightmare is just the beginning of a larger ordeal.
–FLASHBACK: From BatmanVol. 3 #141—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #141. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh (Batman’s subconscious backup persona), as he every so often does, takes over Batman’s mind, causing him to blackout. During this blackout period, Zur-En-Arrh moves the Failsafe robot into a cabin in the woods about 25 miles outside of Gotham. Zur-En-Arrh sets up a lab inside the cabin and puts the final touches on the Failsafe program’s “Terminus Project.” (In case you forgot, the Terminus Project consists of a radical surgical procedure that will be able to pull the Zur-En-Arrh persona from Batman’s psyche and upload it into the Failsafe robot, to be enacted if Batman ever becomes permanently incapacitated. The idea is that, should the Zur-En-Arrh persona need to surface if Batman’s body isn’t healthy, it’ll have a place to live/something to control.) While we won’t see it ahead on our timeline, Zur-En-Arrh will continue to periodically take over Batman’s mind, during which time he will travel to the cabin to tinker with Failsafe and build more nefarious inventions.
–Batman Vol. 3 #136 (Batman #901)
In the lair beneath the Fort Graye brownstone, which Batman is now calling “The Batacombs,” the Dark Knight undergoes medical testing with Mr. Terrific. Besides his new robot hand and a little residual multiversial energy, Batman is healthy. Tim phones Batman to let him know that Penguin’s adult children—Aiden Cobblepot and Addison Cobblepot—are now running Penguin’s operations. He also tells him that Catwoman has broken out of prison. In the brownstone, Bruce meditates and is able to mentally confront his Zur-En-Arrh alter ego. Bruce tells Zur-En-Arrh that he’s locked him away deep into his own subconscious where he won’t be able to escape. But in reality, Zur-En-Arrh still holds some power over Bruce. Most of the Bat-Family members phone Batman in an effort to ask him how he is going, but Batman ignores their outreach. Later, Batman disables his life-monitoring systems in his costume so that Oracle can’t track him. Batman fights the Cobblepots at their illegal casino in the Orgham Hotel, after which the Caped Crusader touches base with Oracle. In the East End, Batman visits Selina, who tells him that Penguin faked his own death. Bruce and Selina argue about keeping secrets from each other, after which Selina storms off, leaving Bruce alone and dejected. When Batman receives notification that Wayne Manor alarms have been tripped, he rushes to the mansion. Fortunately, all is well—the Bat-Family (Tim, Jason, Cassie, Steph, Damian, Duke, Babs, and Dick) have ambushed Batman with a surprise meal in the Wayne Manor dining hall. As the Bat-Family eats and makes merry, Bruce reassures everyone that he has Zur-En-Arrh in check and all is well. In reality, Bruce is haunted by the thought that Zur-En-Arrh might have done even worse things than create Failsafe. Bruce has a vision of his family burning alive. This nightmare, caused by Insomnia, is just a hint of the chaos that is to come.
GIRL IN A CRISIS
————————–Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #29
————————–Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #31
In typical Harley Quinn fashion, Harley was recently arrested for publicly feuding with an escaped Two-Face, for which she received a probation sentence requiring her to teach psychology to a class of community college students (including Chris, Xiao, Taylor and standout Summer Sheridan). Harley simultaneously got involved in multiversial trouble with Captain Carrot and a dead fish from another dimension, angering Earth-48’s Royal Family of Warworld (led by Lady Quark and Lord Volt). Worried, Harley asks Zatanna for magickal interdimensional protection. Zatanna tells Harley she’ll have to sacrifice something in exchange, giving her a day to think about it. After a day of teaching, Harley continues her war against Two-Face, roughing up the villain and his hoods. After Two-Face runs off, Batman arrives to chat with Harley. After revealing that he knows everything about her current probation status, Batman chats with Harley over coffee and donuts. He tells her about sacrifice and what it really means. Back home, Harley sacrifices one of Poison Ivy’s plants, smashing it to bits. Immediately thereafter, the anthropomorphic Earth-48 versions of Harley’s hyenas (Earth-48 Bud and Earth-48 Lou) appear before Harley, telling her that they will guide her path forward. (The second feature to Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #29 implies that Bud and Lou have always secretly been higher-powered beings from Earth-48, not separate regular hyenas, but this remains unclear.) Not long after, Harley uses a Cosmic Treadmill to travel to Earth-26 where she obtains a Cosmic Carrot from Captain Carrot. Harley returns home to find Poison Ivy waiting for her. (Poison Ivy had been away from Gotham for over a year and has now finally returned to the city.) The lovers have a very touching (and sexy) reunion. The next day, back on Earth-0, Professor Quinzel takes her students (along with chaperone Poison Ivy) to Gotham’s famous giant typewriter. While Harley gives her field trip lecture, Two-Face strikes again, prompting Harley to eat the Cosmic Carrot, endowing her with temporary cartoon bunny powers. Having been monitoring Harley’s actions, a furious Lady Quark arrives from Earth-48 with Lord Volt, Liana, and the loyal soldiers of the Royal Family of Warworld at her side. Lady Quark accuses Harley of weakening the fabric of the universe. As punishment, Lady Quark threatens to “consume” Universe-0 and “quarantine” Harley. But before Lady Quark can take action, Harley gets an urgent phone call from Batman, presumably about something pertaining to Knight Terrors. Realizing that Harley is important to the Bat-Family, Lady Quark orders her forces to stand down. (We don’t learn the exact details of Batman’s phone call, but we can figure it out thanks to a reference in Knight Terrors: First Blood #1, in which Harley will soon call Batman back to report about events at Arkham Tower. Based upon this, we can assume that, following his recent nightmare experience in Batman Vol. 3 #136, Batman tasks Harley with checking in on Dr. Destiny at Arkham Tower. Of course, this doesn’t jibe exactly with Knight Terrors: First Blood #1, in which Harley claims she is randomly visiting Arkham Tower and Batman shows surprise that she phoned him at all. However, there are explanations for these discrepancies, most notably that Batman and Harley are simply keeping up appearances in front of Superman (Clark Kent) and Wonder Woman, who are both present. No matter the case, it makes a hell of a lot more narrative sense—based upon how “Girl in a Crisis” directly connects to Knight Terrors: First Blood #1—for Batman and Harley to be working on the nightmare case together.)
–Knight Terrors: First Blood #1
Picking up immediately after Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #31, Insomnia terrorizes Dr. Destiny, giving him a nightmare about the world’s heroes having turned into zombies. Meanwhile, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman (Clark Kent) meet at the Hall of Justice, responding to an alarm. Superman and Wonder Woman welcome Batman back from his recent trip to another dimension. (This is the first time they’ve seen him since the “Failsafe” arc.) Having seen that hundreds of haunted specters have emerged from the Nightmare Realm, Deadman travels to the Hall of Justice to warn his fellow heroes. In a restricted zone of the Hall of Justice, the heroes find what appears to be the corpse of Dr. Destiny. However, Harley Quinn phones Batman to let him know that Dr. Destiny is alive and breathing at Arkham Tower, although he is suffering through an ongoing violent nightmare. (Batman tries to save face in front of his besties by feigning surprise that Harley has somehow gotten his number and called him out of the blue, but the Dark Knight has actually asked for her help directly.) Deadman tells the Trinity that a primordial force has tapped into the realms of dreams and death. He also reveals that the Dr. Destiny “corpse” is not actually a dead body but something else unknown. Wonder Woman goes to consult with Zatanna, Superman goes to consult with his partners at Supercorp (his new business with Lex Luthor), and Batman and Deadman go to Arkham Tower. Unknown to the heroes, Amanda Waller secretly surveils their actions on behalf of the clandestine Council of Light. She orders her newest Suicide Squad member, Bright, to track the heroes. At Arkham Tower, Dr. Destiny warns Batman, Deadman, and Harley Quinn that, if the new villain finds the Nightmare Stone, then all hope is lost. Dr. Destiny is then seemingly killed from something terrible deep within his own body. Taking control of Dr. Destiny’s corpse like a puppet, Insomnia introduces himself by taunting the heroes and unleashing nightmare creatures upon them. At the Hall of Justice, Zatanna and Detective Chimp tell Wonder Woman that the false Dr. Destiny corpse is actually a “dream construct.” In an instant, Insomnia plunges most of the citizens of the planet into unconsciousness where they each face their own personal nightmare.[1] Many others morph into zombie-like monsters. Despite shooting epinephrine into his heart, Batman falls asleep, dreaming that he is a little boy again. Deadman takes over Batman’s unconscious body and tries to fight Insomnia and his monsters. (Note that a couple parts of this item are also shown via flashback from Knight Terrors: Superman #1.)
–Knight Terrors #1-2
Picking up directly from Knight Terrors: First Blood #1, Deadman continues to inhabit Batman’s body to fight against Insomnia and his minions. (Batman’s consciousness continues to remain trapped in a nightmare.) Deadman leaps into one of the Arkham Tower doctors possessed by Insomnia, learning that the villain was an Arkham patient that gained his powers from the Lazarus rainstorms. Re-entering Batman’s body and fleeing the scene, Deadman gets some of Batman’s Lazarus Resin and uses it to resurrect a zombie Sandman (Wesley Dodds). Sandman tells Deadman the history of his involvement with the Nightmare Stone, specifically how he once brought down an evil cult that was trying to harness the strange artifact’s power in the 1940s. Elsewhere, the last remaining member of this cult slumbers. In his dreams, he is interrogated and then killed by Insomnia. Deadman/Batman and Sandman travel to Terrifitech where Red Tornado watches over a comatose Mr. Terrific and now acts as general to all the world’s robots (who obviously don’t sleep and therefore haven’t been affected by the nightmare wave). Still connected to Insomnia, Deadman suffers another vision of the villain’s past as a patient at Arkham Tower, seeing him become angry upon hearing the news that the Justice League had returned (during Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths). Just as Deadman snaps to reality, he and Sandman are attacked by Insomnia’s minions known as The Sleepless Knights (Iron Maiden, Sleepless Queen, Man of Screams, Sir Morbid, Super-Reaper, Blood Knight, and an unnamed nightmare that resembles an evil Wonder Woman). The Sleepless Knights tear off Red Tornado’s head.
–Knight Terrors: Black Adam #1-2
This item picks up shortly after Knight Terrors #2. Now that Insomnia’s nightmare wave has fully engulfed the globe, Black Adam deals with its repercussions in Kahndaq. Guided by Bast the Cat (a feline entity connected to the goddess Bast), Black Adam deals with various nightmares until he is approached by Deadman (who is still inhabiting the sleeping Batman’s body). Deadman tells Black Adam that he and a reanimated Sandman (Wesley Dodds) are waging war against Insomnia. Deadman tries to recruit Black Adam, but Black Adam becomes too far gone into the realm of nightmares, haunted by zombie versions of those that have been close to him over the years.
–Knight Terrors #3-4
Picking up shortly after Knight Terrors: Black Adam #2, Robin (Damian) joins Sandman (Wesley Dodds) and Deadman (still in Batman’s body) to help them fight the Sleepless Knights. Damian reveals that, following Dawn of DC: Knight Terrors – Free Comic Book Day Special Edition #1, he did extra training to make sure he wouldn’t succumb to dream attacks. Deadman enters Insomnia’s mind, learning more about his origin. The heroes also learn that the Nightmare Stone is hidden in the Hollow (aka the Reality Stream), a realm between dreaming and waking. After strapping themselves into chairs, Deadman and Damian use Sandman’s chemicals to venture into the Hollow where they enter the sentient House of Horror. After viewing a series of hallucinatory visions, Deadman and Damian find the Nightmare Stone. They return from the Hollow to find that Sandman has defeated Sir Morbid. (Note that Knight Terrors #3 is also shown via flashback from Knight Terrors: Batman #2.) As the nightmare storm enters its seventh hour, Deadman (still in Batman’s body), Damian, and Sandman enter Arkham Tower. As they ascend the stairs, Damian begins to nod off, making him susceptible to Insomnia’s attacks. Sandman keeps him awake. Insomnia tries to stop Deadman by showing him visions of Dove (Dawn Granger). Eventually, the heroes find the sleeping body of Christopher Lukas, who has been astrally projecting himself as Insomnia. Using the Nightmare Stone, Deadman enters Lukas’ mind, finally learning Insomnia’s origin story in full. His entire family was killed during the start of Dark Nights: Death Metal, which caused him to blame the Justice League and become a homicidal super-villain. Insomnia fights Deadman in the Nightmare Realm, which causes Insomnia’s corporeal body to die. This causes a chain reaction which sees the Nightmare Realm fully morph into/merge with the real world. (Our story continues from here, but Knight Terrors: Batman #1-2 overlaps with our narrative, detailing what Batman has been going through mentally while Deadman has been controlling his body. As such, Knight Terrors: Batman #1-2 is the next item on our list, after which we will return to the epilogue of Knight Terrors #4.)
–Knight Terrors: Batman #1-2
This item overlaps completely with Knight Terrors #3-4, in which Deadman continues to inhabit Batman’s body to fight against Insomnia and his minions. Meanwhile, in his mind, Batman has succumbed to Insomnia’s nightmare, in which he continues dreaming he is a little boy. Insomnia (dressed as Robin) appears in Bruce’s dream, asking him to help find the Nightmare Stone, which Dr. Destiny has hidden inside a superhero’s mind. As Batman’s nightmare plays out, little Bruce faces off against zombie parents, zombie superheroes, and Gun-Bat (a giant bat with a gun for a head). Little Bruce wills himself back into a version of Batman, but quickly loses control of his lucidity, morphing into Joe Chill. Batman’s mind keeps suffering nightmares in which he (appearing as both himself and Joe Chill) gets mauled by Insomnia (who appears a a horde of evil young Bruces). In his nightmare, Batman sees various visions of Superman (Clark Kent), Catwoman, Talia, Brainiac, and his parents. He also sees various visions of himself: still cowled but old with a long grey beard, retired with two young grandchildren, holding the entire Earth in the palm of his hands, and as a puppet being controlled by Deadman. Despite being taunted by Insomnia, Batman shakes off the visions, powers up, and defeats Gun-Bat. After passing through a chained black door in his own mind (i.e. a self-imposed subconscious block), Batman confronts his inner youth, still traumatized by the murder of his parents. Batman speaks with and hugs his child self, bringing him peace. Before coming back to consciousness, Batman is surprised to see myriad versions of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh still active within the deep recesses of his psyche. Separating from Deadman, Batman finds himself fully awake at Arkham Tower. An injured Robin greets him, revealing that the real world has fully morphed into/merged with the Nightmare Realm. (The end of Knight Terrors: Batman #2 is also shown verbatim in the Knight Terrors #4 Epilogue, which continues in our next listed item.)
–Knight Terrors #4 Epilogue
The epilogue of Knight Terrors #4 shows verbatim the end sequence from Knight Terrors: Batman #2, (in which Batman separates from Deadman to find the state of the world has been altered). The narrative continues here as Insomnia, now untethered from his deceased corporeal body, gloats about having merged reality with the nightmare realm. He unleashes several nightmares that have now fully come to life, including Gun-Bat. The Sleepless Knights, Gun-Bat, and other monsters attack.
–Knight Terrors: Night’s End #1
This item picks up directly from the epilogue to Knight Terrors #4. Across the globe, superheroes—including Batman, Robin (Damian), Superman (Clark Kent), Sandman (Wesley Dodds), Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Detective Chimp, Zatanna, and Robotman—battle against Insomnia’s nightmare hordes, which continue to come to life. Batman specifically combats a bunch of young nightmare Bruce Waynes. Other heroes deal with the Nightmare Captain and the Sleepless Knights. Eventually coming face-to-face with Insomnia, who has trapped Deadman in a dream, the heroes are forced to deal with Hall of Justice superhero banners and trophy display costumes come to life as evil nightmares. (The Trinity fighting Insomnia and his “Knightmare League” is also seen via flashback from Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1 and Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #1.) While Zatanna and Robotman finish off the Sleepless Knights, Deadman snaps out of his trance and takes the fight to Insomnia. Sandman wields the Materioptikon against Insomnia, allowing for Deadman to separate the Nightmare Stone from the villain. However, in the process, Deadman’s ghost is destroyed, sending his soul to Heaven. In defeat, Insomnia’s nightmare body is destroyed, which sends his soul to Hell. In an instant, the world returns to normal and all the dreamers wake up. The heroes say goodby to Sandman, who returns to his grave. Having been possessed by Deadman for too long, an exhausted Batman collapses into a coma. (Batman falling into a coma is also seen via flashback from Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1 and Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #1.) Note that Bruce was continuously possessed by Deadman for somewhere between eight to twelve hours, so I guess Deadman has never possessed someone for this long before. Robin rushes his dad to the Hall of Justice where he goes under the care of Mr. Terrific, who is also repairing Red Tornado. For the first time since its opening, the Hall of Justice has no tourists at all, but not because it’s closed. Thanks to Insomnia’s nightmare wave, most of the world populace now fears and distrusts superheroes. Several major news outlets declare that superheroes are a threat to humanity and must be banned.[2] Superman returns to Metropolis to deal with SuperCorp business. Wonder Woman goes to Washington DC where anti-Amazon sentiment is on the rise due to the West Billings Massacre—a mass murder that has just been committed by a rogue Amazon named Emelie. Elsewhere, Amanda Waller meets with the Council of Light. While they had nothing to do with Insomnia, they applaud his efforts. Having stolen the Nightmare Stone during the chaos, Bright delivers it to Waller. She gives the Nightmare Stone and the Helmet of Hate to her newest ally, a mystery person that becomes the super-villain Dr. Hate. Waller orders Dr. Hate to target the Titans. (Spoiler: Dr. Hate is Raven’s demonic side of her personality, split from her body and come to life as a person of its own.)
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1. Following his recent collapse after the victory over Insomnia, Batman remains in a coma. The Dark Knight is moved into the Batacombs (beneath the Fort Graye brownstone) where he stays comatose for nearly eight full weeks. Several specialists, including Leslie Thompkins, care for him. Babs remotely monitors his vital signs at all times. Everyone takes notice of Batman’s new robot hand.
–Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1
Having been in a coma for eight weeks, Batman is confronted in his own subconsciousness by his alter-ego, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. Just as he spots multiple Batmen of Zur-En-Arrh locked deep within his own mind, Bruce wakes up in his Batacombs hospital bed. After a brief remote chat with Babs, Batman goes right out on patrol, coming across smalltimers Marcus Tolliver and Stan Bevington mid-heist at the museum. Batman is surprised when the thieves dupe him and make a clean escape, but he instantly recognizes Catwoman’s handiwork. Soon after, Batman helps Robin (Tim Drake) bust Maxie Zeus and low-level henchman Craig Groff. Robin tells Batman that Catwoman has called a meeting of the Bat-Family. Later, at the Kitty Kat Club, Batman and Robin (Tim) join the Batgirls (Babs, Cassie, and Stephanie), Batwoman, Red Hood, Nightwing, Robin (Damian), and Signal. Catwoman tells Batman that, while he’s been slumbering for the past eight weeks, she’s initiated a radically progressive plan that has seen violent crime in Gotham drop 75%. Along with , Dario Tomasso, and Eiko Hasigawa, and comrades that she busted out of jail (Lady Clayface, Hoops, Scorpiana, Fright, Vox, and Marquise), Catwoman has been training all the top Gotham super-villains’ henchmen to become expert burglars that can pull off crimes on their own sans any murder, mayhem, or costumery. (Unknown to all, Marquise is actually Scandal Savage, who is secretly working on behalf of her father, Vandal Savage.) As part of Catwoman’s program, only rich people are targeted and 15% of the loot gets donated to charity. Catwoman asks the Bat-Family to let her program go forward unfettered. Tim, Steph, Signal, and Batwoman are sympathetic and cautiously optimistic, but Batman and Damian won’t have it. Catwoman and Batman argue bitterly, leaving everyone on edge. Tim tries to reason with Batman, seeing if he’d consider giving Catwoman a chance, but Batman says no way. Intrigued by Catwoman’s plan, Red Hood follows her home and confronts her. Eventually, Catwoman agrees to let Red Hood join in on her plan, so long as he does so clandestinely. Later, Commissioner Montoya summons Batman with the Bat-Signal. Montoya tells Batman that Catwoman broke her pals out of jail. They have a tense conversation about starting an information exchange partnership, but Batman leaves in a huff, telling Montoya to prove her worth. Riddler secretly monitors their conversation. Batman swings around a quiet Gotham and visits Flunky’s bar, noting that crime really does seem to be down. He begins to soften on Catwoman’s plan, but then he comes across the dead body of ex-henchman Roland Garner, who has been killed while attempting a Catwoman-sanctioned heist. Enraged, Batman vows to shut her operation down. Unknown to Batman, his rage is being fueled by the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, who silently guides him from deep in the recesses of his subconscious.
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 2024 Annual #1. Batman and Robin (Damian) learn details about Batgirl (Babs) and Nightwing’s most recent adventure (as seen in Nightwing Vol. 4 #105), in which Batgirl and Nightwing helped Double Dare (Aliki Marceau and Margot Marceau) steal vaccines from a corrupt pharmaceutical company.
–Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #4-5 (“THE NEW GOLDEN AGE”)
Huntress (Helena Wayne) from an alternate future has appeared on the present day Earth-0 timeline hoping to prevent Per Degaton from killing the Justice Society of America. (Notably, this Huntress’ very actions of appearing on our timeline here will ultimately serve to erase her own timeline, but by paradox, she will remain a new permanent resident of Earth-0.)[3] At JSA HQ, Huntress and the JSA (along with Deadman, Madame Xanadu, and Detective Chimp, who have just finished examining Laurie Juspeczyk’s snow globe) send Degaton hurtling back into Hypertime. In 1947, Degaton regroups with an older version of himself. In present day, the JSA makes plans to defeat him once and for all. Meanwhile, Huntress visits Batman in Gotham, hoping to save him from the fate that he faced on her timeline—death at the hands of a villain named Bill Jensen. After Batman busts Mr. Toad and drops him off at Arkham Tower, Huntress explains the details of her timeline. The JSA (along with Deadman, Madame Xanadu, and Detective Chimp) arrive, explaining that Huntress’ timeline is being erased but the power of the snow globe has paradoxically kept her around. As the collected heroes fight a dozen Per Degatons from throughout time, JSAers Stargirl, Jakeem Thunder, and Johnny Thunderbolt fight a child Degaton in Germany. Using the power of the snow globe, Dr. Fate (Khalid Nassour) conducts a spell that summons the JSA from the 1940s, Huntress’ JSA from her alternate timeline (Gentleman Ghost, Harlequin’s Son, Icicle Jr, The Mist III, Power Girl, Red Lantern Ruby Sokov, and Solomon Grundy), and the JSA from the 31st century (The Atom, Dr. Fate, and Green Lantern). (The JSA of the 31st century may or may not be from an alternate timeline as well.) The JSAs banish Degaton into the snow globe world of Flashpoint. After Dr. Fate’s spell wears off, everyone returns to their correct times and timelines. Huntress is left stranded on the Earth-0 timeline with no home to return to. The snow globe is returned to Batman, who is debriefed by Madame Xanadu. Despite being his alternate timeline daughter, Batman seemingly wants nothing to do with her.
–Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #6
Picking up a week after Batman’s involvement in Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #5, Stargirl and Hourman (Matthew Tyler) reintroduce the previously erased ex-sidekicks of the 1940s/1950s Justice Society of America to the current JSA. (Stargirl and Hourman have just rescued them from the clutches of the “time scavenger” known as The Childminder.) Displaced from her timeline and now permanently living on present day Earth-0, Huntress (alt-Helena Wayne) is helped out by Bruce, who softens in regard to her situation. Bruce publicly announces that Helena is his long lost cousin, after which he sets her up in a New York City apartment, not far from JSA HQ. Huntress also officially joins the JSA. With some knowledge of her alt-future (which resembles our timeline in some ways), Helena warns Bruce that he is about to have a very bad argument with Selina. (Their argument has in fact already begun, but the ensuing war will indeed soon begin too.) Meanwhile, each ex-sidekick, similarly displaced like Huntress, is discussed thoroughly by the JSA before being given a new living situation. Judy Garrick moves back in with her mom and dad. Salem the Witch Girl (with her familiar, a sentient broom called Sweep) becomes the student of Dr. Fate (Khalid Nassour). Dr. Mid-Nite trains Cherry Bomb. Ladybug moves to the Oregon farm of Rachel Raleigh (the deceased Red Bee‘s granddaughter) where she finds Red Bee’s eighty-year-old trained bee, Michael, alive and well. John Henry Jr joins his family—John Henry Irons and Natasha Irons. Damage (Grant Emerson) takes on Dyna-Mite (Dan Dunbar, resurrected as a young boy) as his new partner. Together they bust Neo-Nazi super-villain Reichsmark. Quiz Kid moves in with Mr. Terrific. The Young Justice Society forms with a lineup of Air Wave (resurrected as a young boy), Betsy Ross, and the Blue Boys (Tommy Rogers, Toughy, and Tubby). Little Miss Redhead, Molly Pitcher, Secret (Greta Hayes), Sparky, and Tick-Tock are also discussed by the JSA and presumably given new living situations, although we aren’t shown their exact scenarios. Later, Huntress and Power Girl discuss recruiting new members onto the JSA, specifically targeting Solomon Grundy, Harlequin’s Son, Red Lantern Ruby Sokov, and Gentleman Ghost.
–REFERENCE: In Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #1. Keeping up appearances, Bruce bolsters his playboy persona by hanging out with his neighbors. Now on relatively bad terms with the rest of the Bat-Family (due to the ongoing Batman-Catwoman war), Bruce and Damian become closer than ever. Bruce spends quality time with Damian, learning more about his teenage son’s recent life and adventures. Damian decides that he wants to move into the Fort Graye brownstone with his dad, which will effectively put the Dynamic Duo back under one roof for the first time in a long time. Damian prepares for the big move. As does Bruce, who sets up a cool bedroom for his teenage son and enrolls him into Gotham Heights High School.
–Poison Ivy #13-14
The recent return of Poison Ivy to Gotham City has raised flags with the Bat-Family, who go on a precautious alert. Catwoman warns Poison Ivy that the Bat-Family is tailing her. In Robinson Park, Batman confronts Poison Ivy and tells her that they are cool, so long as she doesn’t cross the line. Later, after chatting on the phone with her friend (and current roommate/personal assistant) Janet Mitchell, Poison Ivy tries to turn Killer Croc’s Slaughter Swamp hideout into her new base of operations, but Killer Croc says he won’t move out unless she helps him destroy a Lex Luthor-owned condo tower that has blocked off his access to an old sewer lair he once utilized. The next day, Poison Ivy visits the condo only to discover a corpse with a flower growing out of his face. Poison Ivy worries that death could be the result of Ophiocordyceps Lamia fungal infection (which Poison Ivy has recently been using as a weapon). Poison Ivy phones Janet, who does some research on the condo, finding that it is being built by crooked real estate company Undine Holdings (owned by the loathsome Peter Undine). On Poison Ivy’s orders, Janet visits the Undine Holdings home office, learning that the company is definitely hiding things from the public. Batman approaches Janet, warning her not to work for Poison Ivy. Janet hits Batman with her purse and runs away. Harley Quinn, who has also been following Janet, witnesses the confrontation. Harley and Janet have a brief conversation that ends with a kiss! Back at the condo, Poison Ivy is confronted by Peter Undine, who has a flower for a head. (The deaths at the condo and Undine’s condition are not Lamia-related, but instead are due to use of a toxin known as Greensteel.) Note that, thanks to an editorial note in Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #2, this item goes shortly prior to Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #1.
–Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #1-4
Batman and Robin fly jetpacks to a hijacked zeppelin to take down White Rabbit. Afterward, Damian officially moves into the Fort Graye brownstone. Bruce tries to connect with Damian, but Damian shuts him out in order to write fan fiction about himself in private. By morning, though, father and son are chummy as they share a happy breakfast together. Bruce tells Damian that he’ll be starting at Gotham Heights High School in a day. They briefly discuss the still-ongoing war against Catwoman before analyzing the facts surrounding the White Rabbit case. Her target had been Dr. Kafira, a scientist working on DNA sequencing. Ready for patrol, Robin takes Batman out in the Robinmobile, quickly coming across Killer Croc, Orca, a resurrected Kirk Langstrom, and the Terrible Trio in the process of kidnapping Dr. Kafira. (The Terrible Trio were killed a few years ago, but we can assume they were resurrected at the end of Death Metal.) Robin is surprised to learn that the Terrible Trio no longer wear animal masks, but instead have morphed into actual human-beast hybrids. As the villains escape with Dr. Kafira, the debuting Shush shoots Batman with a strange gas pellet, which causes hundreds of bats to swarm violently around him. The Dark Knight uses bat repellant to save himself. Meanwhile, Killer Croc departs his comrades to go help Poison Ivy (as seen in the pages of Poison Ivy #15). Shush visits her mystery boss, who commends her on a job well done. (The mystery boss is none other than a resurrected Kirk Langstrom, who reveals that, following last year’s Task Force Z #12, his corpse morphed into a cocoon, from which he has now been able to revive himself into a new, even stronger Man-Bat. Langstrom briefly refers to himself as “The Bat,” which would be a welcome permanent name change since there are a lot of Man-Bats in the world these days. Alas, he goes right back to “Man-Bat” almost immediately. In the Batacombs, Damian stitches up his dad. A medical analysis determines that Bruce’s pheromones have been altered. Until a cure can be found, bats will be chasing after him nightly. The next morning, Damian attends his first day of school, quickly getting into a fight with some bullies (led by captain of the soccer team Shea), who take his journal. Principal Stone tells Damian not to let the bullies get under his skin. (Principal Stone is secretly not only Damian’s former teacher in the League of Assassins, but Shush as well.) Damian immediately ditches school, leaving his first period teacher (Heather Hall) perplexed. After suiting up in his fighting togs, Robin joins Batman at Blackgate Penitentiary in an effort to interrogate White Rabbit. But before the Dynamic Duo can visit with White Rabbit, she is broken out of her cell by Shush and the Terrible Trio, who want to silence her to protect their secrets. While Shush distracts Batman with a bomb that must be disarmed, Robin and White Rabbit take down the Terrible Trio. Shush absconds with a kidnapped White Rabbit, leaving Batman and Robin in hot pursuit. Batman rescues White Rabbit, but Shush gets away. Concurrently, Robin chases the Terrible Trio to the zoo where he finds Dr. Kafira. The Boy Wonder is captured by Langstrom, who declares that he will replace Batman and Robin as Gotham’s protector. Batman crashes the party, rescuing Robin and Dr. Kafira while causing Langstrom and his cronies to flee. White Rabbit single-handedly takes down the Terrible Trio. As bats swarm around Batman, he hulks up and seemingly scares them away. Dr. Kafira soon determines that the pheromone-altering serum that Shush put into Batman’s system was only temporary. Later, White Rabbit offers to become a superhero alongside Batman and Robin, but they bust her and send her back to Blackgate Penitentiary. The next day, Bruce accompanies Damian to school. They are greeted by Ms. Hall and Principal Stone. The latter chastises Bruce for his playboy ways, urging him to be a better role model to his son. Damian tells Bruce that Principal Stone is not only his former League of Assassins teacher, but Shush as well. Damian tells Bruce that he’ll stay in school after all.
–Batman and Robin Vol. 3 2024 Annual #1
This item picks up shortly after Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #4. Batman and Robin (Damian) bust Double Dare (Aliki Marceau and Margot Marceau), after which they take a road trip into the woods outside of Gotham. While Bruce poses the trip as a little vacation, unbeknownst to Damian, they are actually going to work a case. Bruce has heard that many people have been disappearing from Full Moon Campground. Just for kicks (and training), Bruce and Damian will have to solve the case, sans costumes or weapons (well, with very few weapons). Upon entering the campground, Bruce notices that something is disrupting his ability to connect to Oracle’s network. After finding piles of dead bodies and realizing there is a force field that has trapped them on the campground, Bruce and Damian realize that the entire location is a human hunting range. (The campground is home to a monthly “Most Dangerous Game” human hunt hosted by Roulette.) Bruce and Damian set up a myriad of extremely violent traps around their campsite. As Bruce and Damian eat s’mores, chat by the campfire, and bed down in sleeping bags for the night, the sound of screaming reverberates through the trees as dozens of terrified hunters succumb to the traps. Upon seeing Bloodsport, Bruce tells Damian all about the villain. While Bruce takes down Bloodsport, Damian takes down Roulette and the rest of her goons. Having been contacted by Damian, the DEO (led by Cameron Chase) arrives to take Roulette into custody.
–Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #5-6
It’s been a few days since Batman and Robin Vol. 3 2024 Annual #1. Batman and Robin (in scuba-suits and riding jet-skis) bust Orca. Bruce gives Damian space for the next five days as he continues his investigation at school. As seen via flashback from Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #7, Bruce and Damian continue to bond during this time—sharing breakfast, cleaning Batarangs, watching movies, working on Bat-tech, tuning up the Batmobile, playing video games, meditating, fencing, and walking to school together. (Note that Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #7 opens with a double-splash page mural of the entire Bat-Family. This splash includes a small image of a proud-looking Bruce in civilian clothes. While this image of Bruce doesn’t really connect to anything narratively, it makes sense to attach it to this bonding flashback.) Not seeing any progress from Damian’s investigation at school, Bruce volunteers to help with a student pancake breakfast, much to the chagrin of Damian. While Ms. Hall flirts with Bruce and tells him his son is a genius, Damian is bullied by Shea again. Afterward, Damian is befriended by a classmate named Erica, who tells him that Principal Stone has been a really great school leader and soccer coach. With Bruce cheering him on, Damian shows his skills on the soccer field. Despite not being able to get one past the team’s stellar goalie (Zach), Damian is invited to join the team by Principal Stone. As night falls, Batman and Robin turn their attention from Principal Stone to the soccer team. Trailing keeper Zach for a couple days, they discover that he is obsessed with Victor Zsasz. Coincidentally, Zsasz is due in court on an appeal. During Zsasz’s prison transfer, Zach tries to free the villain, exclaiming that he is his son. Batman and Robin take down both Zsasz and Zach. The heroes learn that Zach’s family was killed by Zsasz a few years ago, at which time Zach became mentally-compromised and begin thinking of Zsasz as his father. The next day, Bruce and Damian visit Principal Stone on the soccer field. Damian accuses her of being Mistress Harsh/Shush, to which she scoffs. The soccer team regards Damian’s accusations as the ravings of an over-imaginative psycho. While Damian finishes the school day, Batman sets alarms at locations where Langstrom might show up. Later that evening, Damian shows Bruce his manga that he’s been drawing. Bruce couldn’t be more proud of his son’s artwork. Bruce then tells Damian, “I never went to high school.” This is extremely bad continuity. Many canonical stories have shown Bruce in high school, although he never actually graduated. I think writer Joshua Williamson meant for Bruce to say, “I never finished high school.” In any case, Bruce tells Damian it’s totally up to him if he wants to continue going to school. When one of the Langstrom alarms goes off at a downtown lab, Batman and Robin rush to the scene to find the Cult of Man-Bat, an assemblage of violent cultists devoted to Man-Bat. Before they can square-up to fight the cultists, Damian’s girlfriend Flatline shows up and takes them all down (including cultist Walter Murray) with ease.
–Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #7-8 (“CULT OF MAN-BAT”)
Picking up directly from Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #6, Man-Bat addresses dozens more of his cult followers, much to the chagrin of Shush, who wants nothing to do with such zealotry. Across town, Flatline tells the Dynamic Duo that she’s searching for her missing sister Mila. Batman agrees to let Damian team-up with Flatline while opting to take on the Cult of Man-Bat solo. As Robin and Flatline swing across the city, Flatline sees a hallucination of Ra’s al Ghul, who tells her to admit to Robin the real reason she wanted to see him. A clue leads Robin and Flatline to the Iceberg Lounge where they surprisingly discover that Mila is conducting freelance work there. Meanwhile, Batman interrogates Walter Murray, who has devoted his life to Man-Bat. Murray pops a pill (given to him by Man-Bat) that will supposedly grant him animal-powers, but the drug only kills him. Shush arrives, telling Batman that she’s done with Man-Bat and now wants to team-up against the villain. At the Iceberg Lounge, Mila explains that she is now a successful arms dealer. When Robin attempts to arrest Mila, Flatline seemingly betrays her boyfriend in favor of helping her sister. Robin escapes from a freeze-gun ice block thanks to anti-freeze protection in his costume, after which he chases after Mila and Flatline. Thankfully for Robin, Flatline hasn’t really turned on him. It’s all been a ruse, as she has made a deal with the DEO to help them bust her sister. Across town, Batman and Shush examine Man-Bat’s hideout only to be ambushed by Man-Bat and the Cult of Man-Bat. Shush is injured while Man-Bat flies off with Batman. The next day, Flatline (as Nika) enrolls at Gotham High School to assist Damian in his ongoing investigation.
–Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #7
In Los Angeles, Harlequin’s Son violently punishes those that have escaped the long arm of the law. Meanwhile, in Gotham, Huntress convinces several comrades (Batman, Stargirl, Alan Scott, Dr. Fate, Salem the Witch Girl, and Sweep) to help her try to recruit new members onto the Justice Society of America. In Slaughter Swamp, these heroes try to tame a wild Solomon Grundy, but an overzealous Salem fricassees him with her magick. At Huntress’ urging, Power Girl, Jakeem Thunder, Johnny Thunderbolt, and Mr. Terrific obtain an official Belle Reve prison release for Icicle Jr, who joins the JSA. In Ivy Town, Dr. Mid-Nite visits Jean Loring at a sanitarium to interview her about her experiences with Eclipso. Elsewhere, Wildcat (Yolanda Montez), seemingly possessed by Eclipso, stalks Amanda Waller. Later, Dr. Fate brings Salem to his tower HQ. But when Salem realizes that Dr. Fate aims to return her to Limbo Town, she flips out, attacks, and vanishes. Just as the Helm of Fate begs Dr. Fate to save Solomon Grundy, the time-traveling Legion of Substitute Heroes (represented by Animal Lad, Rainbow Girl, and Stone Boy) appear, beckoning Dr. Fate to join them in the 31st century.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. April. Joker, as he does every month, sends a “birthday present” to Batman. This time, it’s a childish crayon drawing of Batman and Joker holding hands.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1. Batman begins working on a new Batplane (aka Batwing), but he won’t finish completely since the “Gotham War” stuff will get in his way.
THE GOTHAM WAR
————————–Batman Vol. 3 #137 (Batman #902)
————————–Catwoman Vol. 5 #57
————————–Batman Vol. 3 #138 (Batman #903)
We are told it’s the hottest night of the year, seemingly placing us in summer. However, it’s not summer. (This is the type of seasonal topicality that must be ignored in order for our story to jibe with everything else on the timeline.) Under the ever-growing influence of the Batman of Zur-En Arrh, Batman turns off his costume’s monitoring systems before spending two nights angrily roughing up some of Catwoman’s burglary school graduates. As referenced in Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Red Hood #1, one of Batman’s encounters with Catwoman’s students involves a fight against ex-Scarecrow hoods Simpson and Bash. As referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #139, Batman also encounters ex-Joker hood Floyd Shannon. Batman then apprehends Fright, Scorpiana, and Vox, laughing maniacally as he goes. After Batman busts another ex-henchman, Robin (Tim Drake) confronts the Dark Knight, telling him to cool things down. Batman tells Robin to piss off, even threatening to arrest him if he stands in his way. Later, Babs and Dick hold a phone conference with Steph, Jason, and Tim. They all share their concerns about Batman’s behavior. Babs and Jason both say that they believe Selina’s plan is good. Meanwhile, Gotham’s super-villains—Professor Pyg, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Black Mask, Killer Moth, Ventriloquist (with Scarface), Calendar Man, and Two-Face—hold a meeting of their own, discussing a plan of collaborative action. While Catwoman and Lady Clayface break their friends out of a prison transport vehicle, Batman attacks Catwoman’s Alleytown HQ head-on, easily taking down all the graduates there. The Bat-Family (Tim, Nightwing, Steph, Cassie, and Signal) intervenes, leading to a fight against Batman. Damian (the only Bat-Family member on Batman’s side) shows up to help his dad flee. Back at the Batacombs, Batman chats with Damian but gets interrupted by the brownstone doorbell ringing. Upon answering the door, Bruce is met by a bank official that notifies him that Wayne Manor was sold to an unknown buyer a few weeks ago. Batman rushes to his ancestral home to find new owner Vandal Savage in the Batcave. Vandal Savage gloats about now owning Wayne Manor and the Batcave before ejecting Batman from the premises. Batman visits his parents’ gravesite, during which he is spied on by Catwoman and Marquise. (Note that writer Tini Howard incorrectly depicts the Wayne gravesite as being in a public cemetery in the city. While we have seen this by a minority of other creators, the Wayne gravesite appearing in a small cemetery adjacent to Wayne Manor occurs significantly more often. As such, Howard’s depiction is a continuity error.) Later, Batman worries about Red Hood being in league with Catwoman, vowing that he won’t lose him to the streets again. (As referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #138, Batman—under Zur-En-Arrh’s influence—decides to use his personality-restricting anti-crime serum on Red Hood. As part of this plan, Batman purchases an apartment for him in Metropolis, with hopes that he’ll settle down and live a normal life there after the chemicals take their effect upon him.) Via riddle, Riddler guides Batman toward Catwoman’s next big heist, which is at the ballet. Upon arrival at the ballet, Batman is challenged by Red Hood. Despite realizing that Red Hood is merely a distraction while Catwoman and company rob the show, Batman sticks with Red Hood and his plan to remove him from the playing field. (Batman’s confrontation with Red Hood is also shown in Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Red Hood #2, which partly overlaps with this item, and referenced in Green Arrow Vol. 7 #6, which shows that Amanda Waller spies on the fight.) Batman knocks out Red Hood, injects him with the Zur-En-Arrh fear serum, and brings him to the Batacombs. Meanwhile at the ballet, Nightwing chats with Catwoman, reminding her that she is a member of the Bat-Family and there’s no need to fight. Catwoman is then approached by Vandal Savage, who asks her to join him in bringing Batman to his knees. Catwoman respectfully declines. Later, Vandal Savage checks in with his secret agent inside Catwoman’s retinue: Marquise (actually his daughter Scandal Savage). In the Batacombs, Batman tells Red Hood that, thanks to a combination of a special machine and the serum in his bloodstream, whenever his adrenaline spikes and he’s about to do something dangerous, he will have intense fear and turn into a blubbering weakling. (Batman waking up and revealing what he’s done to Red Hood is also shown in Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Red Hood #2.) Meanwhile, Nightwing visits the Bat-computer’s central system hub (located in a downtown apartment that Thomas and Martha Wayne used to live in long ago). He and Oracle chat via remote-comms, agreeing that it’s possible that Zur-En-Arrh has taken control of their mentor. Responding to an alarm, Damian fights Nightwing at the BatBox apartment. Tim shows up and takes over the fight against Damian, allowing Nightwing unfettered access to the BatBox. At Selina’s apartment, Dario reports to Catwoman that all of her graduates have mysteriously stopped checking-in or responding to calls. Marquise suggests that Catwoman approach Batman directly. At the BatBox apartment, Batman challenges Nightwing, who accuses him of having been compromised by Zur-En-Arrh. After Riddler messages Batman with a riddle clue about Vandal Savage, Batman and Nightwing fight, tumbling into the street where Tim has handcuffed Damian. While Tim fights Batman, Nightwing accesses the BatBox, learning what Batman has done to Red Hood. (As referenced in Green Arrow Vol. 7 #6, Amanda Waller secretly spies on this Bat-Family scuffle.) Nightwing severs Batman’s connection to the Bat-computer network before angrily rejoining the battle. Batman traps Nightwing and Tim in a net before departing, after which Batman comes face-to-face with Catwoman. After freeing themselves, Tim and Nightwing release Damian, who finally begins to see that something is terribly wrong with his dad. Tim gives Damian a hug. Across town, Marquise breaks into the Batacombs to rescue Red Hood. She reveals her true identity as Scandal Savage, asking him to join her and her father. Seeing that Red Hood has become a pathetic shell of his former self, Scandal ditches him. At a secret location, Scandal joins her father as he addresses his new army. All of Catwoman’s graduates have betrayed her to join him.
THE GOTHAM WAR Conclusion
————————–Catwoman Vol. 5 #58
————————–Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1 / Poison
————————Ivy #16
Picking up directly from Batman Vol. 3 #138, a distraught and worn-out Batman meets with Catwoman. As explosions go off around them (courtesy of Firefly), they set aside their differences, vowing to stop the greater threat to the city. After parting ways with Batman, Catwoman sends Lady Clayface (in disguise as Catwoman) to meet with Vandal Savage and Scandal Savage. The Savages reveal that they are targeting fragments of the original meteorite that gave Vandal Savage his immortality and created the Lazarus Pits. Lady Clayface then fights the Savages before fleeing the scene to report back to Catwoman. Vandal Savage then meets with Two-Face, Riddler, Black Mask, Professor Pyg, Killer Moth, Calendar Man, Scarecrow, Ventriloquist (with Scarface), and Firefly, appointing them as generals in his army. Meanwhile, a terrified Red Hood crawls onto the streets of Fort Graye, mustering up enough courage to try to save a little girl from a burning building. At the museum, Catwoman swipes one of the meteorite fragments, hidden in an ancient sword. As Catwoman exits, Scandal attacks her but ultimately lets her go. Selina visits Bruce at the brownstone to cement their truce, after which Batman and Catwoman rescue Red Hood and the little girl. Concurrently, Vandal Savage’s generals—armed and armored with Batman’s gear from the Batcave—violently take to the streets of downtown Gotham. Robin (Tim) confronts them solo, during which Killer Moth says that it’s November. (We shouldn’t take this month specificity as gospel. This appears to be another case of a writer referencing the time of publication release—Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1 has a cover date of December and was released on October 31.) In the Batacombs, Batman, Catwoman, and Red Hood argue, but they set aside their differences upon learning that Tim is in trouble. Batman radios the entire Bat-Family and says they should work together. Catwoman, Dario, and Lady Clayface begin rustling up their former students, including top thief Teddy. While the Bat-Family (sans a scared Red Hood) battles the Bat-rogues downtown, Catwoman joins Batman at the Gotham Observatory where they learn that the Savages are using their collected meteorite fragments to summon the larger parent meteor to Earth. Batman tells Catwoman that he now knows that the meteorite parasites have infected the owners of the fragments, causing them to move to and stay in Gotham. (Presumably, as a longtime meteorite fragment owner himself, Batman must have been affected too.) Panicked at the thought of the meteor destroying the entire Eastern Seaboard, Batman and Catwoman fight the Savages, hoping somehow to stop the cataclysm from occurring. (Poison Ivy #16, which completely overlaps with Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1, shows Batman mobilizing into action against the Savages as the meteor approaches Earth.) Thankfully, Red Hood powers through his fears and pilots a Batplane into the approaching meteor, saving everyone’s lives. Red hood bails out in a parachute at the last second. Part of the meteor still lands, destroying the observatory. Vandal Savage turns on his own daughter, not wanting to share the power of the meteor with her, stabbing her (non-fatally) in the stomach. However, upon touching the meteor, it explodes, opening up the earth beneath it, which sucks in Vandal Savage and Catwoman. Both are presumed dead. The US government sets up camp at the site of the meteor crash, appointing Amanda Waller in charge of operations. Batman monitors the site from the shadows, discovering that a new Lazarus Pit has formed there. Two weeks after the meteor crash, Bruce and Dick chat at the site. Dick begs Bruce to get help for his Zur-En-Arrh affliction, but Bruce tells Dick that it wasn’t totally Zur-En-Arrh that had caused him to do the things he did. He would have done them regardless. Bruce says that Dick was right to cut him off from the Bat-network, and that he’ll stay disconnected. (Note that, while Batman will sometimes be disconnected ahead, this isn’t an entirely hard factual statement. We’ll continue to see Batman networking and engaging with his fam every now and again.) Before departing, Batman tells Dick that the Bat-Family has new parents—Dick and Babs. Later, Batman has a remote meeting with Riddler, who is looking to continue their partnership. Riddler tells Batman about the existence of three Jokers personas, but the Dark Knight tells Riddler it’s old news and he won’t ever work with him again. Later, Catwoman reveals to Batman that she’s actually still alive, leaving him a means of contacting her. (This scene is also shown via flashback from Catwoman Vol. 5 #59.) Meanwhile, using the skills he learned from Catwoman, Teddy breaks into Bruce’s Fort Graye brownstone, learning that he is Batman.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #6 Part 4. Batman saves a bus full of kids.
–Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #6 Part 4
Bruce hears about the hottest new stage performance by thespian Rupert Pint—Batman Unmasked, in which Pint dresses as Batman and supposedly reveals hidden truths about the Dark Knight. As Bruce watches the show at Gotham Theater, one of the actors falls to his death while doing a stunt. Foul play is immediately suspected. After the police close off the crime scene, Batman returns to find Pint, who reveals that his entire show was set up as a lure for the Caped Crusader. Hired goons wearing super-villain costumes strike, but Batman easily bests them and takes down Pint.
–FLASHBACK: From Catwoman Vol. 5 #59. Catwoman (with her kitty Duchess) meets with Batman, telling him she’ll be going to Columbia to deliver Duchess back to her original owner, the assassin Santa Espada (Valmont’s ex-girlfriend, Paola Molina). (Catwoman winds up keeping Duchess and returning to Gotham fairly quickly.)
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #139. Cutting his hair short and using the secret ID of “Lenny,” Batman purchases a condo in an apartment building. Abandoning his Batacombs and Batcaves (Vandal Savage still owns Wayne Manor), Batman sets up a new base of operations in the condo that even the Bat-Family doesn’t know about. As Lenny, Batman befriends his new neighbors, including an elderly lady named Ms. Milligan and her dog. Deeply affected by what has occurred in recent months (and still haunted by Zur-En-Arrh), Batman begins patrolling with laser focus and a harder edge. Batman begins tracking Joker’s movements as well.
–Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #12
The fake Joker (John Keyser)—allied with Solomon Grundy, Ventriloquist (with Scarface), and teen sidekick Albert, while also holding Joker’s henchman Mr. Waffles hostage—confronts the still terrified (thanks to Batman’s serum) Red Hood. Keyser undoes Red Hood’s condition using Joker Toxin, asking him for a favor in return. As a distraction, Red Hood lures Batman north of Gotham to the location of his girlfriend Ravager, who puts Albert into the Dark Knight’s care. Meanwhile, south of Gotham, the real Joker (with Killer Moth and an army of henchmen) strikes from a blimp, attacking Keyser’s group aboard a train filled with Joker Toxin (which Keyser plans to crash into the heart of the city). As the two Jokers rumble, Red Hood interjects himself into the mix, but the villains push him out of their train car. Unperturbed, Red Hood uses Killer Moth to ascend into the blimp where he makes radio contact with Batman. Just as the Jokers decide to call a temporary truce, Red Hood crashes the blimp into the train, causing the destruction of a bridge leading into the city. This stops the threat upon Gotham, after which Ravager pulls an injured Red Hood from the bay. Ending the truce, Joker decapitates Keyser and emerges from the bay, declaring himself victorious. (Note that writer Matthew Rosenberg keeps his ending deliberately ambiguous in regard to who actually emerges the victor. Technically, it could be either man. Since we don’t get a definitive answer, this is a headcanon call, although I’ve gone with the legit Joker as the winner.)[4]
—[5]
–Poison Ivy #18
In Slaughter Swamp, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, and Solomon Grundy deal with a swarm of Ophiocordyceps Lamia human-plant hybrid zombies. Poison Ivy begins making an antidote for the zombie plague, but she realizes there’s no way she can distribute it on a mass scale without Batman’s help. In Robinson Park, Poison Ivy meets with Batman, who reluctantly takes the antidote and says he will assist in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Despite having strange abdominal pains, Poison Ivy returns to her lab in Slaughter Swamp and continues to make more antidote serum with Killer Croc and Solomon Grundy. The next morning, Janet Mitchell joins them. Yet again, Poison Ivy is overwhelmed by abdominal pain. She collapses and Floronic Man (whom she’d previously consumed) emerges from her body.
–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.
–Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7
Green Arrow has just returned from a long absence.[6] Surprised to find the Hall of Justice empty, Green Arrow contacts and meets up with Batman, who is in the middle of fighting ninjas. Batman tells him that the JL has disbanded, with the Titans now filling the role as the Earth’s primary super-team. Green Arrow mentions that his relationship with Black Canary is healthy, noting that she’s off with the new Birds of Prey (Black Canary, Batgirl Cassie Cain, Big Barda, Zealot, and Harley Quinn). Batman tells Green Arrow to talk to Superman. As they rescue folks from a fire, Superman tells Green Arrow more about what he’s missed during his time away. Green Arrow questions his new SuperCorp venture with Lex Luthor, but Superman says it’s legit. Green Arrow then speaks with Wonder Woman, who tells him that Amanda Waller is working at the top levels of US government again. Green Arrow also witnesses firsthand as the military units of the federally-funded Amazon Extradition Entity (AXE) chase after Wonder Woman. Hoping to convince someone to reform a team, Green Arrow checks in with Barry Allen (with wife Iris), Black Adam, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl, Zatanna, Ray Palmer (with Ryan Choi), Detective Chimp, Aquaman (with daughter Andy), and Hal Jordan.[7] Everyone turns him down, but Hal does chat with his old pal for a bit. They talk about alt-universe Hals, sidekicks, and family before busting some Khund thieves. (The immediate epilogue of this issue sees Green Arrow debrief with his son Connor Hawke, who—on Green Arrow’s behalf—had been spying on all the above meetings. Connor and Green Arrow note that something feels off about Batman, and they will continue spying on him for a little bit longer, watching up until at least the middle of the upcoming Batman Vol. 3 #139. As such, the epilogue of Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7 partly overlaps with Batman Vol. 3 #139.)
–Titans: Beast World #1-2
The leader of The Church of Eternity (formerly known as the Church of Blood), an evil Tamaranean calling himself Brother Eternity (Xand’r), sends his devotees to Saturn’s moon Titan. On a live televised feed, the cultists unleash a dark god—a Star Conqueror called The Necrostar—that had been imprisoned on Titan by Starro and the Tamaraneans thirty million years ago. The Titans immediately travel to Titan, learning what has occurred. An hour later, at Titans Tower, Starfire briefs the entire superhero community. Superman reveals that the Necrostar is rapidly heading toward Earth. Soon, the monster arrives, releasing tiny mind-controlling Necrospores across the planet. The superheroes fight against the Necrospores, giving Beast Boy time to enact a bold plan. (As flash-forwarded from/referenced in the epilogue to Green Arrow Vol. 7 #6, Amanda Waller secretly spies on the superheroes as they combat the Necrospores—during which time she also kidnaps Cheshire and Roy Harper.) Beast Boy turns into a giant Star Conqueror, releasing his own face-huggers to combat the Necrospores. Cyborg opens up a Boom Tube, allowing the colossal Beast Boy to push the Necrospore (along with one of his own severed arms) five thousand light years away. On Amanda Waller’s orders, Dr. Hate destroys Beast Boy’s mind, seemingly forever trapping him in his Star Conqueror form. Beast Boy’s spores instantly cause billions of Earth’s inhabitants to turn into animal-human hybrids. In Kahndaq, Black Adam is the first metahuman to succumb, morphing into a lion. The superhero community mobilizes to deal with the crisis, saving many lives from raging animal-people. Donna Troy and Starfire fight Black Adam in Kahndaq. In Gotham, Batman turns into a werewolf and begins attacking Nightwing, who realizes that the Necrospores will leave a host if they come across a stronger host body. Nightwing is able to knock out wolf-Batman. (Nightwing versus wolf-Batman is also shown via flashback from Green Arrow Vol. 7 #9.) At the White House, Amanda Waller and Peacemaker visit with President Joe Biden to ask for extra power/authority to deal with the situation by any means necessary.
–Titans: Beast World Tour – Gotham #1 Part 1
Picking up directly from Titans: Beast World #2, wolf-Batman escapes from Nightwing and begins running amok with the other beast-people in Gotham. Infected by Necrospores, Killer Croc turns into a larger mutated crocodile man and attacks Nightwing. Regaining some semblance of control, wolf-Batman helps Nightwing defeat Killer Croc. Seeing that wolf-Batman is barely able to control his own actions, Nightwing knocks him out and cages him at the Blüdhaven Zoo. (The second feature to Nightwing Vol. 4 #109 tells us that Batman is caged in Blüdhaven, not Gotham.)
–Titans: Beast World #3
Picking up directly from Titans: Beast World Tour – Gotham #1 Part 1, Starfire, Donna Troy, Flash (Wally West), and Impulse fight lion-Black Adam in Kahndaq. Meanwhile, Nightwing moves wolf-Batman into Titans Tower under the care of Dr. Bridgette Clancy. Much to the surprise of Batgirl (Babs) and Nightwing, Dr. Clancy reveals that she knows Nightwing’s secret ID. In Metropolis, Power Girl turns into a phoenix and fights Superman (Jonathan Kent). Detective Chimp meets with Batgirl and Nightwing, telling them that the Star Conqueror-Beast Boy (who they are now calling “Garro”) seems to be directing the beast-people to target and destroy infrastructure. In Earth’s outer orbit, the superheroes pause from attacking Garro to allow Donna Troy to restrain him with her lasso. At Stryker’s Island Penitentiary, Amanda Waller visits the imprisoned Lex Luthor, demanding he turn over something he stole from Batman. (As revealed in Titans: Beast World #4, the pilfered item is a Justice League teleporter.)
–Titans Vol. 4 #6
Picking up directly from Titans: Beast World #3, Starfire continues fighting lion-Black Adam in Kahndaq. At Titans Tower, Detective Chimp and Dr. Brigette Clancy run tests on wolf-Batman. Brother Eternity and a mind-controlled Tempest break into Titans Tower. Tempest flood the halls, causing Nightwing to succumb to a Necrospore. Starfire leaves the Black Adam fight in the capable hands of the Shazam/Marvel Family (The Captain and Mary Marvel). (Billy Batson is now going by “The Captain” and Mary Bromfield is now going by “Mary Marvel.”) In Titans Tower, Starfire confronts Brother Eternity, who reveals himself as her old associate Xand’r.
–Titans: Beast World #6
It’s been a couple days since Batman turned into a werewolf, but the fighting has gone on without him as Amanda Waller’s Bureau of Sovereignty (led by Sargent Steel) has begun rounding up and killing anyone infected with a beast spore. Nightwing and Raven infiltrate Bureau of Sovereignty HQ, taking down Peacemaker. Dr. Hate unmasks, revealing herself to be Raven’s demonic half incarnate. As Raven fights Dr. Hate, Nightwing returns to Titans Tower to brief Batgirl (Babs), Detective Chimp, and Cyborg. Superman (Jon Kent) uses his new electric powers to force the spore out of Batman’s body, returning him to normal. Nightwing tasks Batman to work with Babs to coordinate aid agencies and work with street-level heroes. While Batman cleans up from his werewolf ordeal, the rest of the heroes gather and form a plan of action. Cyborg is able to take over global military computer networks, allowing Nightwing to break into the White House to speak directly to President Biden, who gives the Titans his full support. Superman (Jon) and Donna Troy fly across the globe, releasing the infected from their spores. As they do, the other heroes destroy the spores. Realizing that part of Beast Boy’s consciousness still resides within the spores, Raven telepathically orders her friends to keep the spores safe. Flash (Wally West) and Starfire help Raven defeat Dr. Hate by tossing the Helm of Hate into a volcano. Flash and Starfire leave Raven behind to handle her alter-ego solo. Unfortunately, this mistake allows Dr. Hate to attain victory by containing Raven’s essence within her forehead gem. Pretending to be Raven, Dr. Hate joins the heroes at Titans Tower just as Beast Boy reconstitutes as a mindless shell of his former self. Later, in a public address, Amanda Waller spins the beast calamity as being the fault of the Titans. The Bureau of Sovereignty takes over the Hall of Justice as its new HQ, renaming it as the Hall of Order. Meanwhile, the Detective Chimp, Babs, Power Girl, and the Titans retrieve the severed Necrospore arm from deep space, bringing it alongside Beast Boy’s inert body in the heat of the Sahara Desert. Together, the heroes are able to revive Beast Boy. The heroes celebrate, not knowing that Dr. Hate has secretly replaced their friend.
–Batman Vol. 3 #139-141 (Batman #904-906) (“MINDBOMB”)
This item occurs “weeks” after the end of the conclusion to “The Gotham War” and shortly after the main action of Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7 and Beast World. Batman goes on patrol, busting an arsonist, three robbers (while scaring one of the victims more than criminal did), and a drug dealer. After returning to his new condo, while haunted by Zur-En-Arrh, Batman silently vows to end the three Jokers (meaning each of Joker’s three personas) once and for all. Soon after, Batman investigates Joker’s murder of the heir to a toy company. At the scene of the crime, Batman finds that Joker has left him clues, including a map highlighting many of the places in which he trained when he was younger.[8] Batman realizes that Joker has kidnapped his old mentor Lucie Chesson. The clues lead Batman to a mansion belonging to the grandmother of the murder victim. Batman studies up on the history of the grandmother before heading out to visit the location. (As seen in the epilogue to Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7, Green Arrow and Connor Hawke secretly spy on Batman as he walks toward the mansion.) As soon as Batman enters the mansion, Joker chides him via intercom while his henchman Floyd Shannon strikes with a failed suicide attack. Angered that Joker would sacrifice Shannon like a pawn, Batman trudges deeper into the mansion, seeing portraits of his former teachers, including Dr. Daniel Captio, Takibi Kirigi, and Avery Oblonsky. Thankfully, the captive Lucie is able to escape Joker’s clutches just before Batman arrives in Joker’s inner sanctum, which is modeled off of his old Killing Joke throne room. As Batman approaches a monologuing Joker, the latter says Captio’s post-hypnotic trigger word “arkho tenenbrous,” which draws out Zur-En-Arrh from within Batman’s psyche. (This is shown via flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #146.) Backed by dozens of alternate universe Zur-En-Arrhs, the primary alternate persona violently pummels Joker, intent on killing him. Meanwhile, inside his own mind, Batman’s psyche battles the dozens of alt-Zur-En-Arrhs. Able to resurface to consciousness momentarily, Batman warns Lucie to run away from both Joker and himself. Batman quickly descends back into unconsciousness, entering his “memory palace” in order to defeat all the alt-Zur-En-Arrhs. Despite winning this subconscious battle, Batman remains blacked-out and the primary Zur-En-Arrh controls his body. During this period, as seen via flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #146, the primary Zur-En-Arrh follows the “arkho tenenbrous” command, which makes him rescue Captio and give him the necessary tools to take over Blackgate Penitentiary. Immediately afterward, as seen in the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #141, the primary Zur-En-Arrh battles and defeats the other Zur-En-Arrhs, after which he goes to his cabin where he enacts the “Terminus Project,” separating himself from Batman’s subconscious and uploading himself into the Failsafe robot. Zur-En-Arrh lives! Upon waking, Batman finds himself post-surgery in the cabin’s operating room, face-to-face with Zur-En-Arrh in his new body. Zur-En-Arrh offers Batman a chance to walk away and retire for good, to which Batman scoffs and attacks. Batman flees into the wintry woods with Zur-En-Arrh in hot pursuit. Meanwhile, Lucie breaks into Babs’ Clocktower and asks for Dick. After a brief reunion, Lucie tells Dick about Batman’s situation. Babs and Dick quickly realize that Zur-En-Arrh is involved. Back in the woods, Batman doubles back to the cabin and equips himself with some of Zur-En-Arrh’s weaponry. Despite being better matched, Batman is defeated by Zur-En-Arrh and imprisoned alongside Joker, who says he will reveal his early connection to Dr. Daniel Captio and Zur-En-Arrh. (Unknown to both Batman and Joker, they are being held in Blackgate Penitentiary, which is now fully controlled by Zur-En-Arrh and Captio.)
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #141-145. Picking up directly from Batman Vol. 3 #141, Joker tells Batman his “Year One” origin story (as seen in Batman Vol. 3 #142-144), specifically how he killed his Darwin Halliday-created doppelgängers and subsumed all three Joker personas, upon which Dr. Daniel Captio taught him how to separate and control his schizophrenia using a proto-Zur-En-Arrh method.
–Batman Vol. 3 #145-146 (“DARK PRISONS”)
Picking up directly from the previous item, in their shared Blackgate Penitentiary cell, Batman calls Joker a liar, although deep down he knows that his foe has told disturbing truths. Joker swoons over Zur-En-Arrh, mentioning that he’s only seen Batman’s alternate persona twice before now—during “I am a Gun” and “Batman RIP.” Meanwhile, Zur-En-Arrh declares himself the new Batman and begins killing low-level hoods. Oracle sends Red Hood to check out the new Batman, who greets Red Hood with a digital image of Bruce’s face overlayed across his Failsafe head. Zur-En-Arrh lies to Red Hood, telling him that he is the real Bruce—that his human body was destroyed, at which point he uploaded “his” (Bruce’s) consciousness into Failsafe’s body. Red Hood doesn’t believe Zur-En Arrh, who flies off to patrol the city. Meanwhile, the real Batman breaks out of his cell to find Vandal Savage incarcerated as well. Vandal Savage tells Batman that Zur-En-Arrh has taken control of Wayne Manor and the Batcave beneath it. Zur-En-Arrh’s robot minions (formerly Failsafe’s minions) knock out Batman before he can complete his escape. Downtown, Zur-En-Arrh hacks all citywide comms and delivers a pre-recorded address, declaring a new era of Bat-vigilantism. Mayor Christopher Nakano phones Commissioner Renee Montoya and tells her not to support Batman, citing that “outside forces” are pressuring him to act against the Dark Knight. Zur-En-Arrh ends his message by apprehending Riddler and declaring that Bat-prisoners will never go free ever again. Zur-En-Arrh then confronts Damian, convincing him that he’s the real deal Bruce. In the Batacombs, the rest of the Bat-Family (Oracle, Red Hood, Nightwing, Signal, and the Batgirls) discusses whether or not the new Batman could actually be Bruce. At the new-and-improved Blackgate, Warden Daniel Captio addresses a bound Bruce, telling him that Joker learned about Failsafe when he attacked the Bat-Family and infiltrated the Batcave during “Death of the Family.” Joker then assisted Penguin in faking his (Penguin’s) own death, knowing that it would trigger Failsafe’s response. Meanwhile, across town, Zur-En-Arrh and Robin (Damian) continue to violently bust criminals, including Killer Croc, incarcerating them all at Blackgate and setting up future trial dates. Batgirl (Stephanie) pleads with Damian, telling him that Zur-En-Arrh isn’t really his dad, but Damian won’t listen to reason. Nightwing and Oracle discuss the situation via remote video chat with Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash. In his cell with Joker, Batman begins to recall some previously blacked-out memories of Zur-En-Arrh (himself) working on Failsafe and the minion-bots. Meanwhile, Zur-En-Arrh and Damian bust Harley Quinn and Punchline. Just after Punchline is brought into Blackgate, Batman attacks one of the minion-bots. Punchline releases seventy-six prisoners from their cells (including Vandal Savage, Riddler, Tweedledee, Tweedledum, Magpie, Master Wyze, Miracle Molly, Breaker, and other Unsanity Collective members). A riot starts, allowing Batman to escape. Shortly thereafter, in a brand new Bat-Bunker, Zur-En-Arrh tells Damian that he’s building a crime-fighting army, which will include a new Amazo 3.0 android. Captio radios Zur-En-Arrh to notify him that both Batman and Vandal Savage have escaped. As Vandal Savage does TV interviews to pump up his public image, Superman visits Zur-En-Arrh, who continues to claim he is the real Bruce. Zur-En-Arrh warns Superman that, if he tries to stand in his way, he will go down like the others. Meanwhile, Bruce sneaks out of Gotham.
–FLASH-FORWARD: From Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 Epilogue. Amanda Waller orchestrates the capture and detention of the world’s main superheroes, including Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #2. Batman opens yet another new Batcave, this time in an abandoned underground train station.
–Harley Quinn: Black + White + Redder #6 Part 1
When a new super-villain called Dr. De-Extinguisher King creates a kaiju-robot-clone of a dodo bird (and then straps a kidnapped Nightwing along with a ton of dynamite to it before setting it loose in downtown Gotham), Batman, Robin (Damian), Batgirl (Babs), and Harley Quinn are on the case. And lest ye have forgotten, one of Harley’s cosmic powers is that she’s aware of the fact that she’s a comic book character, and Harley pauses to break the fourth wall and interact with the panel borders of her fictive world, much to the confusion of the captive Nightwing. Harley saves the puzzled Nightwing just as the explosive dodo crashes into its master.
–Action Comics #1062
Bizarro #1 has caused a Bizarro plague to spread across Metropolis, turning all of its inhabitants into mentally-compromised Bizarros. Superman has the virus within his system as well, but he’s able to fight it off to organize a quarantine, keeping the virus to within Metropolis’ city limits. Batman, Dr. Fate (Khalid Nassour), Zatanna, Madame Xanadu, Blue Devil, and John Constantine work to try to find a cure. Within a few days, Metropolis is burning and crumbling. The quarantine breaks and the Bizarro plague spreads across the globe, effecting nearly all other heroes, including Batman. Seeing no other option, Superman visits an also-burning and crumbling Gotham recruit a Bizarro-infected Joker, who is now sane as a result.
–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #1063. Picking up directly from Action Comics #1062, with Joker’s help, Superman defeats Bizarro #1 and saves the world. No one, except for Superman, retains any memories of what has occurred. All they know is that Bizarro struck and Superman defeated him. No physical trace of Bizarro remains, but his spirit seemingly remains deep inside Superman’s head.
–REFERENCE: In Red Hood: The Hill #3. Hoping to commit crimes in The Hill without getting caught by Batman, Demitrius Korlee Jr and Lenora Ford (of the Grand Imperial Gang) secretly watch the Dark Knight, familiarizing his regular patrol route through their neighborhood. Notably, Batman drives through The Hill at around 10:45 PM each night, dropping off the Batmobile at a WayneTech facility before continuing his patrol. Unknown to Batman, Demitrius Jr and Lenora will watch him for a few evenings straight.
–Batman: The Brave and the Bold Vol. 2 #11 Part 5
It’s unclear whether or not this item is canon (or if it goes earlier with caveats), but we’ll leave it here for now. Batman investigates a grisly scene of chopped-up body parts at Gotham Cemetery. Among the appendages, Batman finds the mutilated corpse of Ratcatcher (!) and several of Zodiac Master’s severed fingers. After getting Zodiac Master’s fingerprints checked by Oracle, Batman searches Ratcatcher’s lair only to find that his rats are being summoned across the city. (Batman is pretty solo these days, so turning to Oracle would likely be a reluctant last ditch move.) After following the rats to an occult ritual being conducted by Zodiac Master and some diseased cultists, Batman easily take the bad guys down. Despite being hauled back to Arkham Tower, Zodiac Master claims his ritual was a success and he is now “The God of Twelve Tales.” Batman can only wonder.
–Red Hood: The Hill #3
In order to protect The Hill neighborhood in which he lives, Red Hood has joined a vigilante group known as The Watch, consisting of his new girlfriend Strike (Dana Harlowe), Edge (Sophia), Track (Gary), Wisp (Anna Ortiz), and Block (Kish). Wanting to take them down, Demitrius Korlee Jr and Lenora Ford turn to Killer Croc (who also keeps an apartment in The Hill). Killer Croc tells them to hire a metahuman called The Kreckk (Lenny Kreckk). Later, Demitrius Jr and Lenora, as they have been doing for a bit now, spy on Batman as he routinely patrols The Hill. Not far away, Dana checks on her journalist sister Denise and local superhero Captain Battle, who has been recently injured while fighting Slayer (Omar Diseko) of the Grand Imperial Gang. Afterward, Dana meets with her fellow Watch members at a restaurant called Lorett’s Lounge. They discuss the Grand Imperial and Demitrius Jr’s involvement with a mysterious mentor named Ms. Ahsha. Meanwhile, at Annie B’s Diner (a restaurant owned by Dana), Denise questions waitress Carmen about Diseko (who used to work at Annie B’s). Denise learns that Ms. Ahsha trained the Watch, Omar, and Demitrius Jr after the “Joker War.” The next day, Demitrius Jr and Lenora visit the elderly Demitrius Sr north of Gotham. As the sun sets, several demonic monsters attack the members of the Watch (along with Gary’s husband Travis and Anna’s dog Sheba). At Jason’s apartment, Jason and Dana are able to kill one of the monsters, after which they are approached by a concerned Batman.
–Detective Comics #1071-1073 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE: ACT II”)
Construction is finally complete on the brand new Orgham Place. On the eve of the grand opening, Batman briefs the Bat-Family on the history of the Orghams (as was told to him by Talia). Having learned from his previous fight with Neang Modhram, Batman equips himself with syringes of blood thinner, which he knows can neutralize the villain. With Oracle remotely monitoring, Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl (Cassie Cain), and Jim Gordon surveil the Orgham Place grand opening event. Batman discovers that the tunnels beneath Orgham Place are reinforced. (Note that Issue #1071 contains various interlude flashbacks detailing the history of the Orghams in Svatrstal. It also shows Queen Dariah Orgham speaking with her psychic mother Amenah, who has the magick Skye-stone of Erhem embedded in her head. Vandal Savage is shown raiding the royal palace, killing Amenah, and taking the Skye-stone. This sequence, while not specifically marked as a flashback, definitely is one, specifically taking place last year just after Ra’s al Ghul’s death in Shadow War.) Batman descends into the sewers beneath Orgham Place and begins fighting Orgham troops. Inside the main building at Orgham Place, Prince Arzen Orgham is presented with a music box that begins to cause a powerful transformation within him. Outside, Nightwing spots Orgham troops planting bombs and the fights an Azmer-powered foot soldier. In the tunnels, Batgirl finds empty cages, confirming that all the captives have been turned into Azmer warriors to be unleashed into the crowd above. At the on-site GCPD command truck, Gordon tries to brief a stubborn Commissioner Montoya, but she turns him away. On the commissioner’s behalf, Officer Eric Wells works the crowd undercover. Back in the tunnels, Batman fights and defeats Gael Tenclaw and Neang Modhram. After speaking briefly with a gloating Shavhod Erhad, Batman is attacked by Arzen Orgham. As Batman attempts to shut down the Thelemus Engine, bombs explode at Orgham Place, crumbling the main building to the ground in flames. As Batman fights Arzen Orgham, Shavhod Erhad addresses the citizenry of Gotham while using her metapowers of persuasion combined with the amplification of the Thelemus Engine in an effort to reconfigure Gotham’s grand design. Arzen doses Batman with an Azmer, which forces him to engage with Barbatos inside his own head. Bruce fights Barbatos’ influence, but the demon warns that he will soon succumb.
–Detective Comics #1074-1075 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE: ACT II” Conclusion)
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #1073, Batman succumbs to the Azmer in his system. In a possessed demonic state, Batman patrols, fighting some smalltime crooks, who accidentally blow up an entire building with grenades. Afterward, Officer Henry Fielding (now out of Arkham Asylum and back on the police force) questions the crooks about the incident. After checking in with Commissioner Montoya, Fielding and another cop named Alan Nash begin tracking Batman’s movements. Meanwhile, Batman remembers a visit to Morton’s ice cream shop from when he was a boy, but he also hallucinates a giant wolf swallowing his father whole. Becoming more Mephistophelian and wraithlike by the minute, Batman travels to Gotham Reservoir where he briefly encounters Killer Croc. They don’t have any altercation as Batman quickly moves on to the old Gotham fairgrounds. There, Batman beats up some of Joker’s old henchmen and sets the entire place ablaze while Killer Croc watches from a distance. Later, Shavhod Erhad interrogates Killer Croc, after which Fielding does the same. As Batman wanders through the night, he remembers the day he purchased the Gotham fairgrounds for Dick, realizing that Dick never needed the same motivations as he did. The unholy hallucination takes over the memory again, as Batman sees a vision of a giant wolf swallowing up Nightwing. Batman snaps to his senses to find himself on Crime Alley. Hallucinating, Batman speaks with Barbatos, who challenges the stalking wolf on Batman’s behalf. Meanwhile, still following, Fielding realizes that the fairgrounds and Crime Alley both have connections to Bruce Wayne. After witnessing a vision of a young version of himself departing with Barbatos, Batman leaves a rose at the spot where his parents were killed. He then travels to visit the graves of both his parents and Alfred in the cemetery attached to Wayne Manor. Fielding tracks him there only to be shot and killed by Nash, who is under Shavhod’s spell. Shavhod arrives, ordering Azmer soldiers to pummel Batman. She also gives Nash a telepathic suggestion to kill himself. Prince Arzen Orgham arrives, surprised to find Bruce’s face under Batman’s mask. The soldiers drag Batman away, after which Prince Arzen contemplates the nature of his family’s actions.
–the second feature to Detective Comics #1079
This item picks up directly from Detective Comics #1076. Under the influence of an Azmer, Batman remains chained and trapped in the ruins of the old Arkham Asylum, captive of the Orghams.
–Detective Comics #1076-1078 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE: INTERMEZZO”)
This item picks up directly from the second feature to Detective Comics #1079. Shavhod Erhad’s telepathy, combined with the effect of the Thelemus Engine, have caused nearly the entire citizenry of Gotham to become violently anti-Dark Knight. The Orghams announce Batman’s public hanging will occur in three days. (Notably, upon learning about this, Catwoman mentions that “she isn’t on the best of terms with Batman at the moment,” but this isn’t actually true. While it’s been a rough year for them, especially recently, they’ve come out on pretty decent terms.) Catwoman assembles a rescue team consisting of Jim Gordon, the Question, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Cheshire, Cheshire Cat aka Shoes, Eiko Hasigawa, Oracle, Batgirl (Cassie Cain), and Solomon Grundy. Prince Arzen confronts a chained Batman, who remains trapped in the ruins of the old Arkham Asylum, telling the Dark Knight that he will be executed by hanging. Despite still being under the influence of an Azmer, Batman is able to tell off Prince Arzen. Later, Catwoman sneaks into Batman’s cell to both check on him and initiate a plan to save him. Catwoman kisses the hallucinating Batman before sneaking back out. With the kiss, Catwoman has secretly dosed Batman with a Poison Ivy-made concoction that will cause Batman to be in a state of near death until adrenaline revives him. (This kissing scene is also shown via flashback from Detective Comics #1079.) Later, Catwoman adds Azarael to her rescue team. On execution day, before a rabid cheering audience of thousands, a defeated Batman is marched to the gallows. As Batman stands before the noose, he continues to fight the Azmer within him. Several among the crowd begin to break, demanding Batman’s merciful release. Meanwhile, Catwoman’s team strikes at the Orgham troops. Azrael dons his old Az-Bat costume to challenge Gael Tenclaw. As a distraction, Eiko (posing as Selina) puts a knife to Prince Arzen’s throat, demanding Batman’s release. The gallows lever is pulled and Batman is hanged. Poison Ivy’s concoction keeps the Dark Knight alive but fools the Orghams and audience into thinking he has died. (Batman’s hanging is also shown via flashback from Detective Comics #1083.)
–Detective Comics #1079-1080 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE: INTERMEZZO” Conclusion)
This item picks up directly from Detective Comics #1078. As the crowd reacts to Batman’s “death,” Cheshire, Cheshire Cat, and Solomon Grundy battle Orgham soldiers in the tunnels below Orgham Place. They lead a group of captives into the care of Jim Gordon. Mr. Freeze, Batgirl, and the Question form more distractions at the other end of the tunnels. Above ground, Azrael fights Gael Tenclaw. Eiko Hasigawa reveals herself to Queen Dariah Orgham and Prince Arzen Orgham before fleeing. Meanwhile, Selina retrieves the comatose Batman’s body from Orgham troops, injecting him with another Poison Ivy serum to stabilize him. Talia al Ghul and Two-Face watch events unfold from a distance. Catwoman and Gordon try to drive Batman out of the city, but they are stopped by Neang Modhram and company. Two-Face helps Catwoman and Gordon escape with Batman in tow. Meanwhile, Queen Dariah tells Prince Arzen that, despite Batman’s escape, their Thelemus Engine has already started to make everyone forget the Dark Knight ever existed. Queen Dariah also exposes the truth that Prince Arzen helped Catwoman by secretly feeding her information about their plans. For his betrayal, Prince Arzen is poisoned to death by his own mother. At the Eastside Docks, Catwoman and Gordon deliver Batman into Talia’s care. She explains that only she can bring back the broken Batman (who is in a bizarre catatonic state due to the combination of continued Azmer possession and having been hanged while under the influence of Poison Ivy’s concoction). Taking him aboard her yacht and traveling out to sea, Talia watches over the comatose Batman for months. All the while, she successfully defends attacks from Orgham soldiers only to eventually capsize in a storm. Talia is left at sea in a small raft with the sleeping Batman by her side. Concurrently, the world slowly forgets about Batman due to the Thelemus Engine effect, although the Bat-Family continues to protect Gotham. Elsewhere, Simon Hurt chats with Eduardo Flamingo, telling him that he plans to raise Barbatos from within Batman (i.e. using Batman as a vessel for Barbatos). In the Wayne Manor cemetery, the Question investigates the murder of Henry Fielding.
–Detective Comics #1081-1083 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE ACT III”)
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #1080, Talia arrives on the mystical shores of Aras. While riding a skeleton horse, she drags the comatose Batman through the desert, passing ghouls and demons. On the twelfth day in the desert, Talia obtains some psychedelic tea and a broken compass from some traveling ladies. After giving Batman the tea, Talia leaves him. The tea causes Batman to finally awaken, coming face-to-face with Simon Hurt, who describes Aras as “the place between places” and “the slipped sand of all time.” Hurt tells Batman that he’s here because he nearly died and remains in a limbo trapped between life and death, haunted by Azmer demons. Batman is cursed to fight an Azmer wolf/bat demon, and he begins doing so. Meanwhile, in Gotham, the Thelemus Engine has caused everyone to forget Batman ever existed. The Question continues to investigate the murder of Henry Fielding, visiting his partner Alan Nash’s mother’s apartment for clues. The Question soon finds Nash, a victim of suicide. In the endless desert of Aras, Batman fends off his demon long enough to meet wanderer Farhad I Parethes. As they have a fireside chat by a tree made of doomed souls, Farhad tells Batman to follow the broken compass. Soon, Batman’s hallucinatory adventure takes him to a strange city where Hurt is king. Atop the tallest spire, Barbatos watches. Batman soon confirms that the entire city and its people (aside from Hurt) are a mirage, merely a vision of what could be. As Batman fights Hurt, dozens of bizarre citizens watch and an evil clown monologues. Batman then battles the Azmer wolf/bat demon in a repetitive cycle until Hurt takes him aboard an airship to show him another vision of violent chaos in Gotham. Meanwhile, in the real Gotham, the Orghams “sanitize” the city by rounding up and executing undesirables. Knowing something is wrong, the Question continues her investigation, coming across Batgirl (Cassie Cain), the only member of the Bat-Family that has retained her memory of Batman. Batgirl tells the Question that, only through sheer will, has she been able to fend off the effects of the Thelemus Engine. After interrogating one of the Orgham troopers, the Question vows to take down Shavhod Erhad, who has continuously been preaching her telepathic sermon on TV. Across the globe, Talia’s men find a bloody and bandaged Batman unconscious (and still hallucinating) in the desert. In Batman’s hallucination, he enters a future version of Gotham where he meets versions of folks he met during his Omega Sanction in 1776—Brutus Wainwright, Aldridge Pearce, and Marcus Martin. Bruce then battles an evil future version of himself before being confronted by Hurt and the Azmer wolf/bat demon. In the real Gotham, a live TV panel, which includes Shavhod Erhad and Mayor Christopher Nakano, discusses how crime is down, homelessness is down, and property values have gone up in Gotham. Under the spell of the Thelemus Engine and Shavhod Erhad’s telepathy, the crowd roars their approval. One audience member, able to see through the fog, accuses the Orghams of arresting or exiling unhoused folks. He gets arrested for his accusation. Meanwhile, the Question clones Shavhod Erhad’s cellphone to find evidence linking her to Fielding’s murder. Back across the literal and spectral seas, Batman’s hallucination takes him into the desert where the Azmer wolf/bat demon finally fades into nothingness, after which Barbatos speaks with Batman, demanding that he accept him (Barbatos) as his true self. Batman refuses, fighting and defeating Barbatos. Batman then awakens, born again with new purpose. He approaches a terrified Hurt, who had expected a victorious Barbatos to emerge instead of Batman. After punching out Hurt, Batman reunites with Talia, helping her defeat Eduardo Flamingo, who is also shocked to see that Hurt’s machinations have failed. (As seen via flashback from Detective Comics #1084, Bruce spends over a month training in the desert with Talia and the League of Assassins. During this time, he grows a beard and begins sleeping with Talia again, and they get along very lovingly. Eventually, Lady Shiva delivers the corpse of Arzen Orgham to Talia. She tells Bruce that Arzen died because he betrayed his family to help him. She plans on resurrecting him. She also tells Bruce that the Orghams have been running Gotham in his absence, to which Bruce decides it’s time to return home. With a sweet kiss on Talia’s cheek, Bruce leaves the desert behind. Back in Gotham, as referenced in Detective Comics #1084, Batman preps sonic anti-Azmer weaponry, collects security video evidence proving that the Orghams killed Henry Fielding, and catches himself up to speed. Downtown, the Question delivers her damning evidence to Jim Gordon. Orgham soldiers attempt to execute the Question and Gordon, but the returning Batman, using an old-school method of attracting a swarm of bats, takes them down.
–Detective Comics #1084 (“GOTHAM NOCTURNE ACT III” Continued)
Picking up directly from Detective Comics #1083, Batman defeats a troop of Orgham soldiers and forces an Azmer demon out of a goon using a low frequency sound blast. Jim Gordon and the Question are happy to see Batman back in Gotham. The Dark Knight delivers the video evidence of the Henry Fielding murder to the Question. Batman tells Gordon all about his surreal adventure in the desert, after which he and Gordon survey the city, noting that it has become pristine, clean, and gentrified under the control of the Orghams. As Batman begins to doubt whether he is needed, Gordon reminds him that this world of ivory towers is not for the underprivileged, who have all but been forgotten. Gordon tells Batman that he must stand opposed to the hidden evils of the Orghams. Later, as Queen Dariah Orgham and Shavhod Erhad privately address their inner cabal, which consists of Black Mask and a couple others, Batman makes his return to Gotham publicly known by blasting a giant pyrotechnic Bat-symbol into the side of one of the new Orgham towers. Nearby, Batman reunites with Catwoman, who is very glad to have him back as well. After they chat, Catwoman meets with Joker.
–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Wonder Woman #800 and the second feature to Wonder Woman Vol. 6 #3 (Wonder Woman #803). Wonder Woman’s daughter Lizzie Prince is born. The details of her parentage, birth, and early upbringing are currently unknown. Since we don’t see Wonder Woman pregnant during this time period, we must assume that Lizzie isn’t her actual biological daughter. And since we don’t see Lizzie at all during this time period, we must assume that she is being raised by the Amazons on Themyscira. It’s also entirely possible that Lizzie could wind up being non-canon, in which case all notation notes pertaining to her will be removed.
–Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #1-4
December 23-24. When vampire bat creatures attack Gothamites, Batman and Robin (Damian) are on the case. After determining that Kirk Langstrom isn’t involved, Batman turns to help from Zatanna, who identifies the monsters as The Draug, ancient undead from the Nordic regions. Santa Claus (riding reindeer Prancer) joins the heroes to fight the Draug! Across town, Batman, Robin, Zatanna, and Santa help Nightwing and Batgirl (Babs) defeat some Draug. Zatanna tells everyone Santa’s origin story, specifically how he became disconnected from the Norse pantheon of gods while battling his demonic rival known as The Krampus. (We also learn that the Krampus not only used to be good, but he was also Santa’s partner back in the day.) Speaking of the devil-man, the Krampus himself appears, incapacitating Zatanna. Before fleeing, the Krampus reveals that he was the one that unleashed the Draug upon Gotham. Santa gifts Batman and his comrades a magick box before delivering Zatanna into the care of his Huldufólk (aka his “little helper elves”). At the Batcave in the underground train station, our heroes open the box, which shows them more of Santa and the Krampus’ shared history, including how Santa originally imprisoned the Krampus. Everyone realizes that the Krampus was released back into the world during Knight Terrors. The next day, in Blüdhaven, Batman, Robin, Miss Martian, Green Arrow, and Black Canary defeat the remaining Draug just as Superman arrives. In Scotland, the Krampus awakens an army of Nordic harpies. Soon after, the harpies attack London, prompting Batman to send Hawkgirl, Joe Mullein, and Wonder Woman into action against them. Using diplomacy (and her magick lass), Wonder Woman convinces the harpies to stand down. Meanwhile, the other heroes (Batman, Damian, Babs, Nightwing, Miss Martian, Jaime Reyes, Superman, Green Arrow, and Black Canary) join with Peppermint Jon of the Huldufólk, who teleports them to Norway to help Santa defeat a giant sea serpent (which had once been imprisoned by Santa and has now been released by the Krampus). Afterward, the heroes travel to Greenland to fight the Krampus head-on. The Krampus mind-controls Superman, causing him to smash open a glacier that releases the long imrprisoned Norse Monsterkind—giants, dwarves, trolls, and other great beasts. While the heroes fight Superman and the Monsterkind, a captive Robin realizes that the Krampus is only acting out because he is also possessed by an evil spirit. By pretending to me a repentant child, Damian is able to notify Santa of his location. Batman and Santa rescue Robin and exorcise the evil spirit from the Krampus, turning him good again. The rest of the heroes defeat the Monsterkind. Afterward, Santa (and the Krampus) decide to deliver some gifts across the globe (even though they stopped the practice long ago). Robin excitedly joins them. Meanwhile, the rest of the heroes celebrate with a giant Xmas feast hosted by the Huldufólk.
—[9]
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
<<< Infinite Frontier Year 21 (Part 2) <<< ||| >>> Infinite Frontier Era Year 23 >>>
_____________________________________________________________________________
- [1]COLLIN COLSHER: Insomnia causes many people to suffer nightmares in which Batman (or some version of Batman) appears as a character. Of course, because these are merely dreams, the issues in which these nightmares are detailed are not included on our timeline. Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1-2, Knight Terrors: The Joker #1-2, Knight Terrors: Nightwing #1-2, Knight Terrors: Catwoman #1-2, Knight Terrors: Harley Quinn #1, and Knight Terrors: Punchline #2 all contain dream sequences with Batman in them. We should also note that Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1 gives us a specific July setting, although abnormal weather patterns are causing snowfall. Since it’s unclear where reality ends and the dream begins in this issue, it’s hard to ascertain whether or not the July setting or the snowfall should be regarded. Suffice to say, it’s definitely not July, and the July reference is likely only nodding to the fact that this comic was originally released in July 2023. However, dream or not, Knight Terrors: Detective Comics #1 does give us a great excuse to ignore topical weather in any comic book, as Jim Gordon speaks about the snowfall in summertime, citing that Gothamites “barely blink at freak weather,” which is the result of humans “damaging the world.” Thus, anthropogenic climate change, even to this extreme degree, seems to be typical or normalized in the DCU. Keep that in mind if a story doesn’t seem to fit on account of something weather-related or seasonal!↩
- [2]TODD CUNNINGHAM: Knight Terrors never addresses exactly how the nightmare wave functioned in terms of in-world science/physics, so we don’t know the exact impact of this event in terms of loss of life. That being said, Insomnia’s global death toll is likely massive—in the millions at least. First, those killed by nightmare monsters (after they came to life) would be dead for real, so there’s a significant death count there. But even if the living nightmare monsters were neatly banished afterwards, and all nightmare damage reversed/undone (and that’s a generous take), there would still be millions that died in car crashes, in plane crashes, in natural disasters, due to lack of medical care, etc when the sleep wave first hit. There is kind of a grey area in regard to how the nightmares begin because we only technically see it from the heroes’ perspectives. Nevertheless, the global sleep wave seemed to quickly affect everyone all at once, hence the robot heroes picking up the slack. Obviously, it’s not writer Joshua Williamson’s intent to explore mass casualties, but they would have surely happened, even if it’s not the focus of the story. I guess that, in the DCU, massive events like this with large death tolls are not so far out of the ordinary. The average DCU citizen has lived through so many crises at this point.
COLLIN COLSHER: Seeing only the heroes’ perspective of the nightmare wave’s inception does leave an unfortunate grey area. Some of the heroes don’t just drop into unconsciousness. Instead, they sort of slide into a weird state of waking and dreaming, still semi-active in their real lives until it’s apparent they are fully in a nightmare. Yet, we also get the contradictory impression that sleep comes to the planet in a literal wave, enveloping the masses quickly. Again, there wasn’t much scientific thought put into how this worked, and it’s possible that Williamson’s concept doesn’t involve mass worldwide death only because he simply didn’t think of it or didn’t want to address it. (After all, Superman and Wonder Woman don’t say a word about genocide, instead only worrying how people feel about them and the lack of tourists at the Hall of Justice.) By story’s end, the heroes of the world would have been awake to play defense, so the number of deaths could actually be below the million(s) mark. In any case, we just don’t know. However, I will agree that there’s no way there isn’t a tragic level of collateral damage here, including a fairly high casualty rate. And yeah, maybe (as sad as it may be), there’s been so much madness, mayhem, and mass murder in the DCU that it’s become commonplace.↩
- [3]COLLIN COLSHER: Geoff Johns’ The New Golden Age #1 and Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #1 show the detailed history of Huntress’ timeline, including the deaths of her parents (Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle). As Johns’ narrative in these issues (and in Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #5) implies, Huntress’ timeline is meant to be the Earth-0 timeline but one that gets altered (i.e. relegated to an alternate timeline) and eventually erased. Since we are dealing with an alternate timeline, the flashbacks and references from said timeline are not included on this chronology. Notably, Huntress’ alternate timeline never jibed with our primary timeline anyway, containing curious differences, such as Frank Miller’s “Year One” occurring a mere thirteen years prior to “The New Golden Age.”↩
- [4]COLLIN COLSHER/DYLAN HALL: Since there have been multiple Jokers since the beginning, is there such a thing as a “real” or “legitimate” Joker anymore? No matter who you decide to choose as the winner at the end of The Man Who Stopped Laughing, this question still/especially rings true because Darwin Halliday could have transferred memories to all Jokers, including John Keyser. In this sense, the idea of every Joker functioning as a true Joker is certainly food for thought. In this publication era, DC has really been doubling, tripling, and quadrupling down on presenting an archetypal Joker, having done so by leaning into the concept of canonical character as an idea more connected to thematic element than actual narrative history. In a many ways, the myriad Jokers have led to a Joker that has transcended continuity (despite the heavy continuity of having a multitude of canonical Jokers and alt-Jokers).↩
- [5]COLLIN COLSHER: Justice League vs Godzilla vs Kong (2024) features contemporary 2023 DC characters (including Red Hood and Damian), but it is definitively non-canon since it also features anachronisms like Clark proposing to Lois and a Legion of Doom modeled after the one from the old Super Friends cartoon show.↩
- [6]COLLIN COLSHER: As gleaned from Green Arrow Vol. 7 #6-7, Speed Force #3, and Titans: Beast World Tour – Star City #1, Green Arrow definitively returns from his long hiatus just prior to Titans: Beast World #1. Note that Green Arrow Vol. 7 #6 contains an epilogue (detailing Amanda Waller kidnapping Cheshire and Roy Harper) that actually occurs during the middle of the upcoming Titans: Beast World #1, even directly lifting a panel image straight from that issue. So yes, due to what is likely a botched editorial job, Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7 actually occurs shortly before the epilogue of Green Arrow Vol. 7 #6, which we can regard as a flash-forward. Notably, Titans: Beast World Tour – Star City #1 implies that Lian Harper (aka Shoes) will returns to Gotham during Beast World in order to prep for her involvement in Ram V’s “Nocturne” arcs. However, this line is vague and could possibly be disregarded in terms of how it affects the placement of other arcs, so I wouldn’t lean to heavily upon it.↩
- [7]COLLIN COLSHER: Note that Andy is four-years-old, and Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7 creators Joshua Williamson, Carmine Di Giandomenico, and Trevor Hairsine correctly draw her that way. Sadly, not everyone will get the memo (or be following proper continuity). In the recent Titans: Beast World Tour – Atlantis #1, multiple creative teams (Sina Grace/Riccardo Federici and Meghan Fitzmartin/ML Sanapo) present Andy as a one-and-a-half-year-old.↩
- [8]COLLIN COLSHER: The map shows the following places marked:
–Alaska — Training with Willy Doggett (from “Shaman”).
–British Columbia — Training with both Luka Jungo (from Batman: The Knight #6) and Dr. Shannon Lentz (from Batman Incorporated Vol. 3 #1).
–New York, Metropolis, or Gotham — Training with the Zataras (from Batman: The Knight #7), unspecified training (from Batman: The Knight #8), and training with Wildcat.
–Alabama — Training with Harvey Harris (from Detective Comics #226 and Detective Comics Annual #2).
–Rio de Janeiro — Training with Don Miguel (from the second feature to Batman Vol. 2 #21).
–Dublin or London — Encounter with Tommy Tivane (from Batman Vol. 3 #102 and Batman: The Knight #8) or Scotland Yard training (as referenced in Batman: The Knight #7).
–Paris — Training with Lucie Chesson (from Batman: The Knight #2-3) and Henri Ducard (from Batman: The Knight #3). Encounter with Cassander Wycliffe Baker (from Batman Vol. 3 #94).
–Moscow — Training with Avery Oblonsky (from Batman: The Knight #5).
–Afghanistan — Training with Sergei Alexandrov (from the second feature to Batman Vol. 2 #22).
–Egypt or Arabian Desert — Additional training with Sergei Alexandrov (from the second feature to Batman Vol. 2 #22) and training with Ra’s al Ghul (from Batman: The Knight #9).
–Himalayas, Tibet, and Gobi Desert — Training with the Memory of the Mountain (as referenced in Batman Vol. 3 Annual #2 Part 2, Justice League Vol. 3 #38, Batman Vol. 3 #75, and Batman Vol. 3 #81), Ra’s al Ghul (from Batman: Killing Time #3-4), monks of Nanda Parbat (as referenced in Detective Comics #1027 Part 1 and Knight Terrors: Batman #1), Koyta (from Batman: Urban Legends #11 Part 2 and Batman: Urban Legends #12 Part 2), Baba Tomar (as referenced in Batman: The Knight #8), the Desert Kings (from Batman Vol. 3 #103), and Shao-La, H’sein Tsan, and Dragon (from Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #52-53 and Batman: Shadow of the Bat #0).
–Japan — Training with Takashi Nakata (as referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #94, Batman Incorporated Vol. 3 #1, and Batman Incorporated Vol. 3 #5).
–North Korea — Training with Takibi Kirigi (from Batman: The Knight #4).
–China — Training with the Zhuguan (from Batman Confidential #50-54) and Skyspider (from Batman: The Knight #8).
–Thailand or Bhutran — Learning Muay Thai (as referenced in Batman vs Robin #4) and studying with Rhana Bhutra (as referenced in Superman #710).
↩ - [9]COLLIN COLSHER: DC’s ’twas the ‘Mite Before Christmas #1 Part 8 is a Batman-less Christmas story that takes place at Wayne Manor and features Bat-Mite, Dick, Tim, Alfred, and Damian in his 2022-2023 black-and-grey costume. Alfred’s appearance makes this item non-canon.↩
Hey man love what you do here.
This is certainly tricky, as Jim during Knight Terrors mentions “its snowing in July” even after waking up BUT the mention of hottest month of the year in Batman 137 makes it sound like its in July but this makes no sense as the 8 week jump should land us in early September …so Jim was groggy from the nightmares and was wrong about the month and Batman 137 is in July putting Knight Terrors in May? Is my best guess..qhat do you think?
Thanks for the kind words, Gabriel! Topical references are a tricky thing aren’t they? I love the logic you’ve put behind this, but in my experience analyzing comic book continuity, logic sadly doesn’t always apply, especially when we look deeper at possible cause. Since ongoing continiuty comics were invented, writers have added topicality to their stories, which imo unless it’s directly a part of the narrative, then there’s no reason to do it. In fact, when playing with so many others in the sandbox, the less topicality the better, so that things will gel and jibe with the rest of the line. The way continuity comics work, the second you write something it has to get slotted in with a thousand other things, so your topicality becomes secondary to other more important continuity factors.
Basically, what I’m getting at here is that Knight Terrors: Detective Comics was published in July, which is likely why Dan Watters (a relatively new writer) made a July reference. And Batman #137 was published in early September, which on the East Coast has been known to get the hottest day of the year. Now, if we were to think of our weekly comics as generally coinciding with realtime, then this would be fine and dandy. But our weekly continuity comics don’t function that way. And when you factor in how slowly a year actually passes in-story, or how slowly characters age in-story, then you really begin to see how differently time works in comparison—which in turn makes taking seasonal/topical references as gospel a very difficult prospect.
That all being said, this was a very thoughtful provocation, and one that I think warrants both a footnote and separate inclusion somewhere on the site, maybe even a blog entry too. So thank you so much! And in the end, because of how things shift and shuffle over time, the specificity of these items being in summer might actually wind up working down the road. You never know.
I totally get it! You’re absolutly right.Thank you too for this massive undertake of putting together the ENTIRE Batman timeline! Lots of respect to you!
Hey Gabriel, just wanted to say that I’ve gotten multiple messages from site contributors that feel pretty strongly that Knight Terrors is in summertime too. I’m still not so sure it’ll make sense, but I’ll take a look and reconsider over the course of the next few months. Depending on other stories, I may or may not make a change. Thanks again for your insights!
Also reading JSA6 and Battle Lines back to back made me think that maybe JSA6 takes place in between Battle lines , cuz Bruce seems pretty clueless about Selinas antics
but in BLines Selina outlines exactly what she’s doing so my guess is that scene in NY with Helena is AFTER Bruce wakes up from the coma but BEFORE he and the batfamily meet Selina in the bar, also giving a good reason to not tell her about their alt-daughter
I complety forgot about the one week time jump at the end of JSA5,which ruins my idea that the NY apartment scene is in between Battle lines as Batman JUST woke up from the coma… so I guess it means its Battle lines -> JSA5 -> a week later JSA6 ->Batman 137.Sorry my mind is a mess after reading all these books and trying to figure out a timeline
No worries, my head went through the same thought process at first!
Honestly, “the new golden age” interests me more than anything related to Dark Crisis, Knights Terrors, and the individual series. After Death Metal, I’m really tired of multiversal wars. I think Johns manages to use these elements in a different way, like the difference between a novel and a short story. Justice League v2, Doomsday Clock, DCU Rebirth & Three Jokers, I love them too. I just wanted to express my pleasure, I know that more than one person here will understand me. Excuse me if my English is difficult to understand; It is not my native language. Colin, it is always a pleasure to read all your work here, I consult it whenever I have questions. I send you my respects!
Hey Diego, thanks always for your continued support and kind words. Reading you loud and clear. Geoff Johns current Justice Society of America series is a delight, one of my faves. As is Mark Waid’s World’s Finest series. For my money, Johns and Waid are the main writers keeping things afloat at DC these days.
Hello Colin. First of all, thank you for your opinion in my previous comment!
I was reading Dark Knights Metal and it seems to me (I hope I’m wrong) that Snyder is still taking into account the timeline of The New 52, but the Crises there are canon when. It would be very strange if there were one Crisis per year (at least that’s how I saw it when I wrote it in my dentist’s waiting room. Yes, I use timelines as a hobby). So they happened in a few years? If “Superman Reborn” didn’t exist, could we still have the Crises return to the timeline of The New 52? Greetings !
Hey Diego, while Dark Nights: Metal is a follow up to/continuation of Scott Snyder’s New 52 long running Batman arc, it is definitely a Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Era title. I’m not sure I quite understand your question, but as it stands, I have Crisis I in Year 8, Crisis II in Year 10, Crisis III in Year 12, Crisis IV in Year 13, Crisis V in Year 14, Crisis VI in Year 16, and Crisis VII (Metal) in Year 16. The New 52 itself is devoid of these major Crises. Hope that makes sense!
Hey Collin! I was wondering how to get around the inconsistancies of DetComics 1027 where Joker brings a present for batman every month, it says Jokers first “appearance” was in November of Year one but this cannot be as Joker was shown to go public till December 3rd of Year One in Batman Year one and the fact that Alfred is alive raises red flags too and Robin and the Teen Titans in Year Four contradicts Dark Victory as we know Robin made his debut in Year Five
The only good timeline take aways I can make is that DC or at least that writer shows a 22 year scale unlike the usual 10 or 13 scale from DC like in the new JSA books which directly says Year One was 13 years ago which just cannot be as Dick was 13 in Year 5 /DV and was robin till 18 so Year 10 and immedietly replaced by 13y old Jason who died 3 years later before turning 16 (we know this cuz he died at age 15 on April whwn his B’day is august so he must have died before going on 16) in Year 13 so already we are at Year 13 before even seeing Tim drake so the 13 year scale just doesn’t work but a 22/23 year scale does fit as ; in Year 13 Jay dies and 13y old Tim takes his place, Year 17 Time is 17 and meets damian (age 10) .Rebirth Damian is 13 so Year 20 then Infinite Frontier tells us Damian is 14 but judging by Nightwing 106 shows that “Ric” era AKA Rebirth was 2 years ago so Damian must be 14 going on 15 and not just turned 14
Meaning Infinte frontier is in Year 23 !
I’m sorry it’s a VERY long post ,I hope everything makes sense!
Hey Gabriel! First off, I would refrain from trying to line up Detective Comics #1027 Part 3 with the Modern Age, as it simply isn’t a Modern Age story. With that said, we can examine the details. Detective Comics #1027 Part 3 starts with Batman’s supposed second encounter with Joker, which is in November of Year One. This has to be at least his third encounter with Joker and it can’t be November. In current continuity, Joker debuts much earlier—as early as August. Tom King’s “The Winning Card” details Batman’s first encounter (first series of encounters actually) with Joker. Depending on how the still-ongoing “The Winning Card” plays out (and swallows up other references), the depiction of Batman’s “second encounter” with Joker could change, thus requiring further revision of Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. We’ll see.
In regard to the current JSA book, it’s already been revealed that the 13yo timeline is an alternate timeline.
The Nightwing reference to Ric being two years ago actually tracks. Dick loses his Ric persona in Year 19, and we are currently in Year 21.
But getting back to the heart of your comment. Detective Comics #1027 Part 3 is a strange (and overambitious) story where some of the month and year specificities work out, while others simply do not. In my site, I’ve already added notes for each entry detailing what the problems are. And yes, the story going into “Year 22, Month” 4 does mean it goes into the future. Certain things, like Jim Gordon as commissioner or Alfred being alive at the end are either errors or we must make narrative assumptions accordingly.
Hello Colin. Lucas’s question reminded me of something you said a few months ago. You wanted, or so you said, to re-read Tom King’s chronological data, to decide which ones should stay on your timeline and which ones you could delete. Something like that. Or maybe I misunderstood. I don’t remember where to find that post so I can read it again. Anyway, do you still want to do it? when? 😀
Hey Diego, I don’t quite remember that either. If it’s okay with you, I’d strongly prefer to avoid re-reading any of Tom King’s work! lol
It’s okay, Colin. You already do a lot of work with the current canon to also add more work (especially if we’re talking about King. haha)
Hello again. How are you?
So: Gotham Nocturne is officially part of the Dawn of DC. I do have a few tweaks to suggest.
1: At bare minimum, the Overture and Act 1 have to be pre-Failsafe. Bruce loses his hand by the end of Bat-Man of Gotham, so it would make sense that he still has both of them for Act 1 if it occurs before Failsafe.
1-Argument: you could say Batman having both hands in Batman & Robin makes this part not matter since some artists forget to draw it and acknowledge the missing limb. It even happens in the Catwoman parts of the Gotham War event which has the robot hand featured prominently! But moving Gotham Nocturne Overture and Act 1 before Failsafe does allow it to be closer to Infinite Frontier events referenced in the backups.
2. Act 2 opens with Bruce preparing to tackle Orgham place and has flashbacks to his prep and conversation with Talia. There could be a hidden ellipses there allowing for Failsafe and Bat-Man of Gotham (and a brief conversation with Catwoman) to occur between Act One & Act Two / Intermezzo.
To recap: Overture > Act One > Failsafe / Catwoman in prison > Bat-Man of Gotham / Catwoman escapes prison > Act Two / Intermezzo.
Overall, Ram V Detective is only getting more interesting with the reveal of one painful medical practitioner and all the Barbatos stuff. It captures the best parts of the mystery of Barbatos effect on Gotham in Dark Knight, Dark City while referencing more recent events and sprinkling in some new lore. Gotham War was pretty fun too. Rosenberg and his shenanigans may outshine both for me personally. Would love your opinions, besides your thoughts on timeline placement.
Hey Dylan! I’ve been ignoring the hand stuff for the very reasons you mention here, but yes, I was thinking that there might be an ellipsis somewhere in the narrative, but I hadn’t the time to go back and search, so thanks for doing the work for me. I’ll take a closer look and likely break it up this morning. I think that the Orghams starting construction on Orgham Place near the end of Act I, and then Act II starting with the Orgham Place grand opening ceremony also speaks to an ellipsis between Acts. Thanks again!
Generally speaking, I’ve become a fan of Rosenberg and I’ve enjoyed his work lately. Chip Zdarsky is still a tough sell for me. I know people love him, but he’s just not my cup of tea. I’m glad the Bat-Cat War is over, ready to move on. Ram V’s long run has been interesting to say the least. Adding Hurt into the mix is great. In terms of continuity (and playing well with others), I’m always wary of an arc that only seemingly spans a short amount of time, yet takes years to wrap up publishing-wise. But it seems like Ram V is working with the team in a way that will make sense while delivering a satisfying narrative.
I do hope Rosenberg sticks around at DC. I’d love for him to do a Red Hood series once his current projects wrap.
I definitely see why people are mixed on Zdarsky’s Batman. It’s much more out there than even the latter half of his Daredevil run, but I also think that’s partially just the character at this point. I’m excited to see what happens next and I like how he has been addressing Bruce’s relationships. I think he does character dynamics and interactions well.
I’ll be curious to see how Ram’s run and its continuity go, especially since marketing implies the current Intermezzo is after Gotham War. But maybe the implications of that is the Azmer is what sets Zur into high gear for Gotham War and makes Batman more of a dick than normal. After all, Zur is meant to be a counter to invasions of his mind 🤷♂️. At least this arc will move faster, which is good because we finally seem to be getting to the Orgham’s endgame.
Hey Dylan, I missed that marketing/solicitation “Batman, now under the control of an Azmer demon, is to be publicly hanged to atone for his crimes! With both the city and the Dark Knight under the Orghams’ spell, it’s a lawless land, and with the Bat-Family out of the picture after the events of “The Gotham War,” who will help him?”
I hate to use this kind of stuff as canon-influencing, but I think it’s safe to put Act II fully after “Gotham War.”
… although, Catwoman says that she and Batman aren’t on good terms, which seems to imply that it’s before the actual end of “Gotham War.” Plus, she’s kinda pretending to be dead after “Gotham War” and that isn’t the case in Detective Comics #1076. Hmmm. I think I might keep it where it is for now.
Do we know for sure which Joker won at the end of Man Who Stopped Laughing? I thought the point of the ending is that is unclear. Or are you just making a guess for the sake of a cleaner timeline?
Hey Dylan, I know they left things deliberately ambiguous, but I’ve seen a few folks mention that the lack of distinct eye scars on the surviving Joker implies that the real Joker overcame the fake one, but that’s a stretch since both faces are badly burned, making it hard to see the difference between the two. I’ve also seen a few folks say that you can trace the end narration (which seemingly comes from the winner) back to the beginning of the series to see that it connects to a specific Joker, although I tried that and it’s still pretty vague. Sometimes the narration seems to be coming from the real Joker while other times it is definitively Keyser’s.
I can def add something about the ambiguous nature of the ending, but it would seem like a big continuity leap for the Joker to have died and been replaced with another one.
With there being multiple Jokers seemingly since the beginning, is there such a thing as a “real” Joker anymore 🤔? Especially since Halliday could have transferred memories to all of them. Food for thought.
In regards to your placement of Poison Ivy post Gotham War, is that largely based on the comment in issue 16 about a meteor? There have been no explicit references to the event that I have caught in the recent issues. I see how it would be a strange coincidence, but I think the Bat office is very out of wack in terms of continuity. Look no further than Cheshire and little Cheshire in Detective Comics and Green Arrow recently. Both seem to be post Gotham War, does that mean the entirety of Green Arrow up til now would go Ram V Detective Act 1, Knight Terrors, Gotham War, Act 2/Intermezzo of Ram V, then Green Arrow 1-6 leading into Beast World/Birds of Prey? I know this is a Batman site, but the Batman side of things makes the timeline confusing for the rest of DC.
Touché. DC really has been doubling, tripling, quadrupling down on the concept of the archetypal Joker, leaning into the concept of character canon as an idea more connected to thematic element than actual continuity. In a many ways, Joker has transcended continuity. But I’m giving DC too much credit here. It’s a bit of a mess.
Poison Ivy #13-15 directly connects to Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #1-3, and I’ve little doubt that the Poison Ivy #16 meteor reference (which shows Batman in action) is meant to dovetail with the end of Gotham War. At first glance, Green Arrow Vol. 7 #1-6 bridges the gap between the end of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and Beast World—at least a year’s worth of in-story time. However, Green Arrow Vol. 7 #1 begins “months” after Dark Crisis, so if we push that as far as we can, it actually works? So YES your timeline is correct: all of Green Arrow Vol. 7 #1-6 goes right before Beast World (with the final issue overlapping).
So only issue with having to slide Ram V act 2 after Gotham War is the Skye Stone needs to be flashback now.
But man I am interested in what V is cooking, it just takes a long ass time. I think he said his last issue is 1089?
Oh yes, that was an issue no matter what. I’ll make a note of it. Thanks!
Beast World Tour – Star City seems to imply that Green Arrow’s return comes right before Beast World since Ollie and Connor are working together to find Roy. In that same issue, it is mentioned that Lian returns to Gotham for “unfinished business.” This line is probably meant to fit Lian’s adventures in Green Arrow #1-6 before her apperances in Ram V’s Detective, but that can’t be right since Lian works with Cheshire in the Outlaw storyline and Cheshire is missing alongside Roy by the time of Beast World. So once again: Ram V and the Bat office’s refusal to play nice with other storylines is going to make this complicated. Somehow, the timeline will have to go Knight Terrors then Gotham War then Act 2 and the Intermezzo AND Act 3 of Ram V’s Detective (since all seem to happen back-to-back-to-back) then Lian gets kidnapped and Green Arrow returns then Birds of Prey’s first arc and finally Beast World.
Would it kill DC to have a timeline in their books? The Star Wars novels used to have them and that was helpful when still cared / was reading those.
Yeah, this is like New 52 levels of messy continuity. I already have Act II, Intermezzo, and Act II connected—as they are clearly connected and written as such. The quick shot/mention of Lian returning to Gotham stopped me on a dime too. I think it’s vague enough that we could ignore it, not forcing it into attachment to anything specific (even if that was the intention). However, I think you may be correct, that it’s meant to guide us toward a specific order of things.
“Mindbomb” supposedly happens weeks after the end of the conclusion to “The Gotham War” and shortly after the main action of Green Arrow Vol. 7 #6-7 (which dovetails with Beast World). I think this might mean we have the following order (which, as stated, would solve/confirm the Lian issue):
“Gotham War” > Beast World (which touches GA #6-7) > “Mindbomb” > Ram V’s “Nocturne Act II-III”
After all, Ram V’s arc is taking months of in-story time, and seems like it might wind up having bigger ramifications than any other story…
Also, since the epilogue to Green Arrow #6 shows the kidnapping of Roy and Jade by Amanda Waller simultaneously occurring while Beast World #1 is going on (it even shows a panel from Beast World #1), that means the botched editorial has created a situation where the epilogue of Green Arrow #6 takes place after Green Arrow #7. Basically, we have to regard the epilogue of Green Arrow #6 (the kidnapping scene) as a flash forward.
Maybe comics should change to a solely graphic novel approach, at least in terms of continuity. Releasing them week to week and month to month is apparently too fast to keep things lined up. But thank God for Williamson, my man is trying.
For Green Arrow specifically, seems the timeline is Green Arrow 6, then 7, then epilogue from 6, then issue 8 then Beast World. It’s why comics shouldn’t try to reference stories that haven’t completed or the dates they are released. Just makes the timeline too wibbly wobbly.
Back in the day, the old school style in superhero comics was doing long arcs, but ultimately writing for the single floppy, month to month. I think part of the problem is that superhero comics still function as such and are published that way (in a monthly episodic format), but writers don’t write that way anymore. And in fact, creators specifically go against that grain, being told by executives and higher ups to write 12-issue arcs for trade paperback sales. If everyone is basically already writing graphic novels and TPBs that take place in their own bubbles, then the idea of splitting up one’s story into monthly installments doesn’t make much sense. And therein lies the contradictory problem of which we speak.
The publication format/style needs to match the writing format/style, and right now they definitely don’t jibe with one another.
I’ve always said, as a writer that is playing in a sandbox, you need to play well with others. Don’t try to reference something too recent. Give space within your own narratives for others to insert their ongoing stories as well. It’s called a shared universe for a reason!
Hey Collin, Antonio here. I hope everything’s all right.
Please please please, can you explain to me what is happening in Joker Year One? Is it a story about the future? Is it rewriting BYO and all Joker’s first appearances? And what is the real story about the 3 Jokers? This one or the Black Label one?
I’m just not getting the point here…
Thank you
Hey Antonio, it’s part Joker origin story, part story happening in the future. It’s unclear, especially since Zdarsky’s run has featured alternate timelines, if the future is a legitimate one. I’m going to wait until this arc wraps before really digging into the Joker origin story. At first glance, it does seem bonkers. I’m not quite sure I understand much of the narrative either. And I can tell you right away, it’ll certainly need caveats in order to fit with the huge amount of Joker Year One stuff that already exists. I’ll get back to this in a couple weeks, once the next issue comes out.
Yeah, thanks Collin.
I don’t know how many of them are out there anymore… who’s the original… if the 3 of them are all original… I’m confused about the red hood gang… their leader… the criminal? The clown? Who’s trying to kill Joker at the beginning? One of the 3?
Once this wraps up it’ll give you headaches trying to get some sense out of it.
I miss the Modern Age so much where things were simpler and writers used to respect other writers’ work. The Killing Joke origins were so complete and so beautiful… I miss Alan Moore so much…
I said numerous times already: all this freaking thing of the 3 Jokers is a huge mistake and an incredible way to shoot themselves in the foot.
They are destroying the character.
Zdarsky has made it clear that the original Joker that falls in the vat is the Comedian. I’m not sure about the scene of the Three Jokers fighting with each other, but my initial assumption is that they react at first seeing one another with shock and dismay, leading to a struggle (before they eventually decide to work together).
The timeline given so far is pretty wonky. I think the six month ellipsis in the Y1 narrative is meant to allude to the New 52 version of Scott Snyder’s “Zero Year” which took over six months to wrap (what with Riddler’s city takeover and Batman being comatose). However, it’s going to be tough to find room for that ellipsis on our current timeline, which mashes up Miller’s “Year One,” “Zero Year,” and a few other important tales. I’ll do my best, we shall see, etc. (I think that Snyder’s “Zero Year” is going to be just as prominent, maybe more prominent, with the year starting with Red Hood/Jokers, but then without Batman being comatose and, instead, with him being active with everything already on our Y1 timeline.)
I think Nightwing #111 has to be before Dark Prisons because the latter seems to be leading into the summer event of this year. Just a thought.
Yeah, newer stuff doesn’t really settle until we get the context of everything else. If it’s before Dark Prisons, then it has to go post-Beast World (it’s specifically set after Beast World), which means it has to squeeze in right before Mindbomb. I’ll move it for now, thanks!
Yeah, I gotta double down. Nightwing #111-112 has to be pre-Mindbomb / Dark Prisons. They getting messy out here. And don’t get me started on how Batman and Robin will eventually tie in to current events.
I don’t doubt ya! Nightwing Vol. 4 #112 specifically says this item occurs “a few weeks” after Titans: Beast World, so if it is squeezing in before Mindbomb, then that can’t be true. More like a few days, tops. I’ll move it again, just feels off. But, as you say, things are getting messy.
Could Nightwing go… later instead? Nightwing #113 features Dick’s bday, which I currently have in March.
I think maybe DC is going a little too hard in the paint regarding having things occur in relative real time. We might want to consider sliding everything recent closer to present day 2024.