Rebirth Era (Post-“Superman Reborn”) Chronology
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YEAR FOUR (2005)
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–REFERENCE: In Dark Crisis #0—originally told in Justice League of America #9. The brand new Justice League encounters and defeats seven vile alien invaders known as the Appelaxians (also spelled “Appellaxians”). Despite having the power to turn people into wood, crystals, or various other organic material, the Appelaxians are defeated by the heroes.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #33. The Justice League applies alien “automatic phase-shift technology” to its dual headquarters at the Hall of Justice and the Secret Sanctuary. This means that, should anything of importance be under threat of destruction, it will instantaneously get teleported to a safe locale. This is kind of like cloud-based data back-up system, but for physical things. We must assume that this kind of tech only works for non-organic stuff (and uses a ton of energy), otherwise why wouldn’t it be used as an invincibility armor or something like that? All in all, this is Mark Waid’s cheeky way of explaining how, despite future JL HQs getting destroyed, all of the weapons and trophies will always be saved somehow. Automatic phase-shift technology will be utilized on all future JL HQs.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #78 and Nightwing Vol. 4 2022 Annual Part 1. Bruce goes on unspecified business outside of Gotham. As snow blankets the city, Dick fights a bully named Shelton Lyle and meets Commissioner Gordon’s daughter Barbara “Babs” Gordon for the very first time. (Babs lives with her mom and brother in Chicago, but she is visiting her dad in Gotham for a bit.) Jim and Babs give Dick a ride home to Wayne Manor. Note that Jim Gordon is referred to as “detective” in this item, implying that he is still a captain, which is big-time continuity error!
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1074. As a symbolic gift for Dick, Bruce purchases the Gotham fairgrounds where Dick’s parents were killed, telling him he should always visit and never forget his motivation. Bruce still has no clue that, despite having befallen similar tragedy, Dick simply isn’t built the same way.
–FLASHBACK: From The Batman Who Laughs #4. Batman and Robin patrol. Robin wears his alternate (New 52-styled) costume.
–REFERENCE: In New Talent Showcase 2017 #1 Part 3. Batman continues training Robin, who has come to regard his mentor as being quite grumpy. Batman tells Robin a few pointers: never take on problems that aren’t worth taking on; always realize that physical pain is only really in your mind; always attack assailants head-on if civilians are in danger; in limited combat space, use your opponent’s body against himself; never get cocky; everyone needs a family to rely on; there’s no problem that doesn’t have a solution; and always rescue babies and children first.
–FLASHBACK: From Justice League Vol. 4 #53 and Justice League Vol. 4 #57. Robin, as he often does, secretly follows Batman, trailing him to Justice League HQ. From the shadows, young Robin is awestruck at seeing the team assembled together.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #33, Justice League Vol. 3 #34, Super Sons #9, Flash Vol. 5 #46, Superman Vol. 5 #5, Event Leviathan #1, Justice League Dark Vol. 2 #12, and Action Comics #1016. Each Justice Leaguer is given their own satellite-linked communicator, so they can be reached in case of emergency at all times. The JL communicator can also act as a universal positioning system tracer, which can also identify anyone in close proximity to the hero being tracked (provided their scanned bio ID is registered in the JL database). Thus, in conjunction with the creation of the JL communicators, the JL now begins logging detailed information about all its meetings and cases, building a database of dossiers and biometric information on the various people—friends and foes—they have encountered. Specifically, Batman and Superman will build their own energy signature catalog as well. The JL also begins keeping an updated list of powerful magick users and begins categorizing all metahumans in terms of their power levels—with the top tier being “Alpha Level.” This is the start of a recurring event not visibly listed on our timeline, in which the JL will add to its database archives constantly. Relatedly, the JL sets up several communications servers at its HQ. Over time, access numbers will be distributed among the trusted superhero community.
–REFERENCE: In DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1 Part 4. Each Justice Leaguer gets their own encrypted JL e-mail address. Batman also begins what will be a tiresome chore for decades to come—going through his emails and reviewing financial budgets related to team expenditures.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #985. Batman gives Robin a tricky test as part of his ongoing training. Having been taught strict obedience thus far, Batman gives Robin a rule that is deliberately wonky and made to be broken. Robin disobeys Batman’s bad order and passes the test.
–the second feature to Detective Comics #1050
The “Shadows of the Bat: House of Gotham” arc continues here, continuing directly from the Batman-less second feature to Detective Comics #1049. Scarecrow leads a group of brainwashed boys from the Martha Wayne Orphanage on an assault upon Wayne Manor, but Robin fends them off solo. Batman arrives just in time to strike Scarecrow in the leg with a Bat-shuriken, but not before the villain poisons the boy that was orphaned by Joker in Year One with more Fear Gas than he’s ever administered to one person before. While Batman, Robin, and Alfred are preoccupied with the boy, Scarecrow escapes.
–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Detective Comics #1051 and the second feature to Detective Comics #1058. Picking up directly from the second feature to Detective Comics #1050, Batman saves the life of the poisoned boy, who goes back to the orphanage. From this point onward, busy Bruce’s visits to the boy will quickly dwindle until he no longer sees him at all. The needless trauma suffered by the boy (his poisoning by Scarecrow but more-so his having been orphaned by Joker) will continue to deeply impact Batman, and he’ll subconsciously think about the victim’s trauma for decades to come (although he’ll eventually more-or-less forget about the boy specifically, thinking of a more generic version of him instead). This displays a flaw in Batman’s superhero actions—he’ll help as best as he can, but then he’ll eventually move on to the next item whether or not the damage from a prior case has been fixed or healed.
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 #112. Batman continues training Robin. They spar in the Batcave. Batman gives Robin a valuable life lesson about channeling one’s anger.
–Batman: Killing Time #6 Epilogue Part 1
January. This item occurs one month after the end of the main Killing Time narrative. (The date specifically given for this item is April 8, but we cannot take any date specificity by writer Tom King at face value, especially if Batman: Killing Time is meant to jibe with his Penguin #6-7 timeline.) Following clues Riddler left for him, Batman tracks Riddler and Catwoman to Morocco where he busts them, sending them back to Arkham Asylum.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. January. For Batman’s monthly “birthday” gift, an escaped Joker kidnaps Crazy Quilt and delivers him to Batman along with a cake.
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 #35, Nightwing Vol. 4 #37, and Nightwing Vol. 4 #39. January. It’s been a few weeks since Dick debuted as Robin. Batman and Robin go on an unspecified mission and the green Boy Wonder messes up badly, which puts him in the Dark Knight’s dog house. Shortly thereafter, an anti-gambling activist known as The Judge (the immortal founder of Blüdhaven, Jacob De Witt) uses telepathy to force random folks to kill three casino developers at Gotham City Hall. A gold casino chip is left on each victim as a calling card. While Dick trains in the Batcave, Batman quickly learns the Judge is responsible and has fled to Blüdhaven (less than an hour away by car). Batman and Robin to Gotham’s sister city and team-up with Blüdhaven’s own baseball-themed resident superhero, Baby Ruthless (Lucy Weatherton), against King Sturgeon, a TMNT-style mutated shark villain that wears a pro wrestling title belt around his waist. A pro wrestling shark! Batman, Robin, and Baby Ruthless then fight the Judge and his henchmen aboard a ship, but the Judge escapes scot-free. Robin, worried that Batman will be upset with his failure, runs away and hides in the Justice Tree, an over 700-year-old tree marking the site of Blüdhaven’s first colonial court held by Jacob De Witt. Batman gives his sidekick a pep talk and all is right in the world again. Before departing for Gotham, Batman and Robin follow-up on the Judge case and learn all about the history of Blüdhaven.
–Batman: Killing Time #6 Epilogue Part 2
January. (The date range specifically given for this item is April 17-21, but we cannot take any date specificity by writer Tom King at face value, especially if Batman: Killing Time is meant to jibe with his Penguin #6-7 timeline.) Batman visits Ra’s al Ghul, asking if he knows where the Help is hiding. Ra’s al Ghul tells him he doesn’t know and they sword duel. Four days later, Batman catches up with Clock King II in Athens, Greece. Batman busts him.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #141. Batman sends Robin to study/train abroad in Paris with his old mentor, the Gray Shadow (Lucie Chesson). Dick will be away for an unspecified amount of time, but likely for the entire duration of the upcoming “War of Jokes and Riddles.”
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #25-26. Mid to late January.[1][2][3] When Joker escapes from jail and kills fourteen people, Batman puts police alerts on locations all over Gotham but is unable to find the Clown Prince of Crime. By the time Commissioner Gordon and the GCPD locate Joker at a comedy club, the morning sun has risen over Gotham. Batman, having patrolled all night long, has gone home to sleep. While the Dark Knight slumbers, Joker kills a dozen more and then blows up the place, calmly walking away while shooting cops left-and-right. Meanwhile, Riddler escapes from Arkham, intrigued by Joker’s antics. After some more brutal killings, Joker meets with Riddler in a skyscraper penthouse. Joker explains that he’s lost the ability to laugh because he always predictably loses to Batman. Riddler says he feels similarly and declares war against Joker over the right to kill Batman. Joker starts things off by putting a bullet in Riddler’s belly, which seemingly adds to the latter’s casus belli. (In actuality, however, Riddler isn’t interested in conflict at all. Thinking of Joker’s inability to laugh as part of a puzzle to solve, Riddler has created his most elaborate and mysterious riddle of all time: a violent war, which itself will function as a complex puzzle that will hopefully lead to Joker laughing again.) Batman tries to chase after Joker, but both Joker and the bleeding Riddler escape. While Joker murders a family in the suburbs, Riddler gets life-saving surgery from underground doctor Jamie Knowles (the doctor that fixes-up Joker in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie!), which leaves him with a scar that he turns into a question mark on his chest. After brutally murdering Knowles, Batman and Commissioner Gordon examine the crime scene. Upon hearing Riddler is alive, Joker calls Carmine Falcone and tells him to execute Riddler. (Notably, Falcone has not only gotten out of prison early, but he’s in the middle of rebuilding his empire and he’s exacted a measure of revenge on Penguin by forcing him to be his lackey again. Or Penguin is merely playing a subservient role as part of a grander scheme. Either way, despite being paired together, Falcone and Penguin hate each other’s guts at this juncture. Honestly, as noted above, this feels like Tom King contradicting his own over-arching narrative, so it might be best to simply ignore Penguin’s involvement in this story altogether.) Falcone sends his men after Riddler, who goes to Poison Ivy for help. When Falcone’s men strike in the park, Poison Ivy wraps them up with vines. (As referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #43, Riddler executes the men tangled in the vines and then tells Ivy that her vines strangled them to death. Not the killing type, Ivy is traumatized by what she thinks she has done. Batman arrives to examine the dead men, immediately seeing that they’ve been shot to death.) Batman also learns from Gordon that one of the deceased was an undercover cop. Joker shows his frustration by murdering both Falcone’s mother and his top men. After shooting Falcone in the arm, Joker then usurps Penguin (whom he calls “Fatman”), making him his own assistant instead. (Notably, from this point onward, the Falcone Mob will retain a presence in Gotham, but it will never be what it once was in terms of power and influence—although many cops will continue to be linked to the organization.) Both Riddler and Joker then recruit super-villains into their respective folds. Nearly every villain in Gotham picks a side. Riddler’s team includes Two-Face, Scarecrow, Clayface, Firefly, Victor Zsasz, Killer Croc, and Deathstroke. Joker’s team includes Oswald Cobblepot, Solomon Grundy, Man-Bat (Kirk Langstrom), Cluemaster, Deadshot, Mad Hatter, Tweedledum, Tweedledee, Mr. Freeze, and the Ventriloquist (with Scarface). These two factions begin warring with each other for weeks, which leads to dozens of innocent deaths. The mainstream media outlets begin to call this carnage “The War of Jokes and Riddles.”
–Batman Vol. 3 #27
Late January. Picking up directly from our previous item, Batman shakes down Chuck Brown, asking him to get Joker’s phone number in an effort to find out his location to end “The War of Jokes and Riddles.” Brown reaches out to Deadshot, who gives him a number, but it winds up being untraceable. Batman then orders Brown to set up a one-on-one meeting with Joker (which will be a staging ground for an ambush). Brown calls Joker and sets up a face-to-face, but Riddler finds out and has Clayface kidnap Brown to learn details of the meeting. As revealed in Batman Vol. 3 #32, it is at this time that Riddler begins a campaign of manipulating Brown as part of the longer con. (Riddler wants to ensure that Brown not only becomes a central player in the war, specifically a mole for Batman, but also a ridiculous joke of a super-villain, one silly enough to bring Joker back to laughter.) Batman shakes down Brown yet again and learns that Joker and Riddler are both planning to be at the meeting. A day later, Batman gets in the middle of a battle-royale including Solomon Grundy, Scarecrow, Killer Croc, Riddler, Joker, and Brown. As punishment, Joker straps an explosive device to Brown’s body and tells him his son Charlie will die unless he suicide bombs Batman at their next meeting. Batman puts Charlie into police protection, after which Brown realizes the bomb on his chest is fake anyway. Despite being under protection, Riddler is able to poison young Charlie to death. As referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #32, Batman and Chuck are both by poor Charlie’s side at the time of his passing. (Tom King’s fuzzy date specificity continues here, as he specifically tells us—in Batman Vol. 3 #32—that Riddler kills Charlie on May 6. Again, we must ignore this.) Batman tells Brown he will avenge his son’s death. A distraught Brown becomes the gaudy Kite Man (also spelled “Kite-Man”), returning to offer his services to Joker. Riddler has successfully manipulated Joker’s man into becoming a walking joke.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #28-29 and Batman Vol. 3 #85—and also referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #24, Batman Vol. 3 #30, and Batman Vol. 3 #32. Mid Late January to early February. Picking up directly from our previous item, the “War of Jokes and Riddles” continues. Joker’s army takes over the Upper West Side and Riddler’s army takes over the Upper East Side, turning the park into a war-zone and causing dozens of innocent lives to be lost. Batman and Commissioner Gordon are helpless and watch the city fall apart for a week or so. Gordon meets with both villain armies, asking what they want. Both sides say they want Batman. Gordon then reports back to Batman, telling him that he has asked the US Government for support from the military. When Kite Man is forcibly ejected through a skyscraper window, Batman saves his life. The Dark Knight then confronts Catwoman, who is robbing a Maroni family safe. In a reprieve from the war, Batman meets with Catwoman, who is wearing a new skintight purple costume with black knee-high boots and black elbow-length gloves, and they have sex! Later, Deadshot and Deathstroke begin a solo war against each other. Batman apprehends them both, but not for a few bloody days, which results in 62 deaths. An angry Batman pummels Deadshot so mercilessly that he nearly dies in the hospital. Afterward, Gordon reports to Batman, telling him that two Army Special Forces (Green Beret) units were completely wiped-out by Joker and Riddler. After more bodies pile up, Bruce takes a page out of his mom’s playbook, calling a truce and arranging a meeting at Wayne Manor, during which both sides will share in a nine course French dinner and negotiate an end to the conflict. As Gotham’s worst villains hover around while Alfred waits the table, Bruce tells Joker and Riddler to convince him which side should get to kill Batman. Bruce explains that whoever makes the best case gets one billion dollars, which should be sufficient enough to give the winner the advantage to win the war, thus ending the carnage. After they state their cases, the villains and their crews leave as Bruce says he will send his answer and the prize money later via Commissioner Gordon. Soon after, Batman joins forces with Riddler’s army in exchange for Riddler ordering his men not to kill any more people. (We are never told if Bruce declared Riddler the billion dollar winner, but somehow Batman has thrown-in with his team.) Batman then meets with Riddler, who convinces him to capture Kite Man last. (Riddler needs Kite Man on the playing field as part of his longer plan to claim victory over Joker.)
–Batman Vol. 3 #30
Early to mid February—picking up directly from our previous item. Wearing a Riddler arm band, Batman fights Kite Man, Tweedledum, Tweedledee, and Penguin’s penguin commandos—straight out of Tim Burton’s Batman Returns film. The Caped Crusader punches-out Kite Man (but leaves him free as per Riddler’s order) before apprehending the Tweeds. Batman then neutralizes the Ventriloquist by stealing away Scarface. Next, the Dark Knight shoots Man-Bat out of the sky with Batplane missiles. Meanwhile, Scarecrow takes out Cluemaster. After that, Batman easily takes down Mr. Freeze and then Mad Hatter. Only Kite Man, eyewitness to each of these defeats, remains standing on Joker’s side. (Penguin, Scarecrow, and Solomon Grundy’s whereabouts are unknown.) Before long, Batman and Riddler interrogate Kite Man.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #31-32—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #25-26 and Batman Vol. 3 #32. Mid February—picking up directly from our previous item. The “War of Jokes and Riddles” continues. Kite Man secretly becomes Batman’s man on the inside, delivering the location of Joker’s hideout atop the skyscraper penthouse where the war started. Batman recruits Catwoman to help him. She spies on Joker, who nearly kills her. Batman then tricks Riddler into soliciting Kite Man’s help to break into Joker’s penthouse. Batman instructs Kite Man to build and offer special kite-gliders for Riddler’s army, only they don’t know that they are rigged with jet-propelled inverse parachutes. (Kite Man installs one on Firefly’s flight suit.) After Riddler and his crew crash in and easily take down Joker, Kite Man activates his parachutes and all of Riddler’s men go flying up into the sky where they are detained on the Bat-Blimp, which is piloted by Alfred. Riddler then punches-out Kite Man and faces-off with Batman and Joker, who still frustratingly can’t laugh despite all the ridiculousness that has occurred. Batman, the superior fighter, takes down Joker and Riddler. After confessing that his war games were always simply aimed at making Joker laugh again, Riddler feels dejected by his efforts having been in vain. Batman is outraged to learn that months of tragedy and carnage were in service of nothing more than a joke/riddle. Furious at the Riddler for the loss of life his war has caused, and especially for killing Kite Man’s son so sadistically, Batman decides that Riddler must face ultimate justice. Batman breaks his code against killing, trying to mortally stab Riddler with a knife. However, Joker blocks the would-be fatal thrust by shoving his hand through the knife, saving Riddler’s life. Joker is tickled by the idea of the hero losing his cool and playing executioner. The added irony of himself being the one to prevent Batman from violating his vow to never use lethal force finally causes Joker’s non-laughing streak to end. The Clown Prince of Crime cackles uproariously. Joker, Riddler, and Kite Man all go to Arkham Asylum. The war is over, but Batman is shaken to his core. He is not only extremely troubled by the massive collateral damage caused by the war, but also ashamed by his own attempted murder of Riddler. Batman is also deeply disturbed at the fact that Joker stopped him, feeling as though, in a sense, the Clown Prince of Crime will now and forever more have an emotional stranglehold over him. Batman, hoping to move on, reaffirms his vow to never use lethal force. Despite this reaffirmation, the Caped Crusader will be haunted by his own actions for the rest of his crime-fighting career. Batman then retraces the steps of all parties involved in the war, trying to make sense of it all. Batman studies victim dossiers, watches recordings, interviews witnesses, and collects evidence. He also visits and interrogates each imprisoned villain that took part in the conflict.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #999. February—Bruce’s birthday. As he does every year on his birthday, Batman runs Program 2.1, placing himself into a virtual world that challenges him by pushing him to his most extreme limits.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #23 Part 2. As part of Robin’s ongoing training, Batman teaches him that, if all else fails, you can always improvise in any situation.
–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #17, Harley Quinn 25th Anniversary Special #1 Part 4, and Batman Vol. 3 #42. Joker’s therapist Dr. Harleen Quinzel, having fallen in love with the super-villain, breaks her “Puddin” out of Arkham Asylum, becoming his girlfriend and sidekick Harley Quinn. Batman busts Joker and Harley, who will remain on-and-off partners for years to come. Note that Harley, one of DC’s quirkiest and most over-the-top characters, seemingly has a preternatural awareness that she exists inside a comic book. Of course, unlike most others, Harley’s uniquely-wired brain can more than handle the weight of this knowledge.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1076—and referenced in Batman: Prelude to the Wedding Part 2 – Nightwing vs Hush #1. Someone snaps a picture of Bruce and Dick at a black tie event. Bruce gets the picture, frames it, and puts it in one of the Wayne Manor living rooms. Detective Comics #1076 and Batman: Prelude to the Wedding Part 2 – Nightwing vs Hush #1 are completely separate items, but both occur at a fairly generic black tie event. As such, I’ve combined them.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Pennyworth RIP #1. Batman, as part of Robin’s training, teaches him to be mindful of tools and tradecraft, meaning that, not only must he learn to forge his own throwing-weaponry, but he must also do his best to retrieve any weaponry left behind at the scene of battles. Batman will teach this important set of lessons to all the future Bat-Family members as well.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #64. Batman realizes that Flash, whenever he is near, gives off static electricity that is so strong it feels like it is tugging on his cape. Batman tells Flash about this.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Casting #1 and Dark Nights: Metal #1. The Justice League meets and creates the official JL Bylaws, a set of rules by which each JLer must live by in order to remain on the team. One of the many bylaws bans the incarceration of dangerous criminals without the JL’s full approval first. Similarly, one of the Bylaws states the JL must vote on everything before taking any action.
–FLASHBACK: In Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4—and referenced in Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4. Batman and Robin spar with bō staffs. Later, Batman watches Robin train on the gymnastic rings. This flashback/visual reference combo is drawn vaguely enough that it could be an image of Dick or Jason. But I’ve gone with the assumption that it’s Dick.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #26 and Batman Vol. 3 #55. Batman tells Robin to never use real names when out in the field. This is a tough thing to remember and something that Batman will consistently have to remind Robin while on patrols and missions. Batman also begins referring to Robin as “Chum” while on patrol. This is a double entendre—Batman regards Robin as a legitimate friend and surrogate son, but the Dark Knight has also noticed a fishy miasma pervading the Boy Wonder. This is because Robin wears the same dirty and smelly costume without ever washing it. Ironically, when Batman first started out, he never washed his stinky costume very often either. Batman will call Robin “Chum” often, moving forward. Note that the rule of only using code-names in the field will often get broken by various writers. Thus, despite his insistence, Batman will often break his own rule time and time again. Oh well.
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #61 and Nightwing Vol. 4 #68—originally told in Robin: Year One. Dick goes undercover in a League of Assassins training camp led by Shrike. While training with Shrike, Dick befriends fellow student Boone. Eventually, Batman and Robin bring down the training camp and bust Shrike.
–FLASHBACK: From Catwoman Vol. 5 #17—and referenced in Robin Vol. 3 #3. Batman responds to the Bat-Signal to find Catwoman waiting for him. They engage in a playful chase. As referenced in Robin Vol. 3 #3, by 2021, the super-villain community will be quite familiar with Batman and Catwoman’s not-so-hidden sexual chases across the rooftops of Gotham. While we’ll see a number of these encounters listed on our chronology, we should probably imagine even more of them sprinkled invisibly throughout.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #50. The Lee Weeks-illustrated Bat-Cat love affair continues with a splash page. Batman and Catwoman come face-to-face yet again, playfully sexual as always.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #50. Catwoman poses sexily as Batman approaches her, casting a looming shadow across her figure. This splash, drawn by Ben Templeton and Keiren Smith, is done in a very indie style that may or may not be representative of any actual costume that Catwoman wears in-continuity. In fact, it looks quite like an old DC Animated Universe version of Selina’s black feline costume. However, aside from the color and mouth, it doesn’t look too dissimilar from what she’d be wearing at this point on our timeline (the dun feline outfit), so I’ve placed it here.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #66 and Batman Vol. 3 #50. An escaped Two-Face meets-up with Catwoman (who is wearing a new pinkish-purple whiskers-and-tail costume), promising her a ton of cash and a diamond from the museum if she helps him set up Batman for an ambush. Of course, Catwoman agrees but immediately tells Batman the score. After donning extra armor, Batman leaps into the “trap.” With Catwoman’s help, the Dark Knight takes down Two-Face and his men. After a kiss on Batman’s lips, Catwoman runs off with Two-Face’s cash and the diamond. When Batman catches her, they kiss passionately in the pouring rain. Soon, the chase continues. Batman playfully spars with Catwoman, who turns the tables on and sneaks-up behind the Dark Knight. She lassos his neck with her whip before pouncing down on top of the smiling Dark Knight. Batman and Catwoman remove each other’s clothes as they passionately kiss yet again. Later, Catwoman donates Two-Face’s payoff to charity. Note that the main flashback for this item comes from the hallucinatory Batman Vol. 3 #66. I’ve paired it with similar pin-up splash images (three from Batman Vol. 3 #50 to be exact), all of which seem to coincide with and complete this narrative. The splash pin-ups are by Frank Miller and Alex Sinclair, Tim Sale and José Villarrubia, and Paul Pope and José Villarrubia (in that order).
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #138. Batman gives Robin access to (and the ability to emergency override or shut down) the central system/server hub for the Bat-computer network located in a downtown apartment. Robin’s special vocal access code is the candlelight oath that he swore before starting his training last year (combined with retinal and handprint scans). Presumably, other Bat-Family members will also be given similar access with unique vocal pass-phrases.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #4. Batman learns Hal Jordan’s power ring has an impurity, making his only weakness the color yellow. (Yellow represents fear on the emotional spectrum.)
–FLASHBACK: From Titans Vol. 3 #19—originally told in Justice League Vol. 2 #51. Batman formally introduces Robin to the Justice League. Robin (along with Cyborg) assists the JL in defeating a horde of techno-organic Schrodinger Hounds and an alternate universe version of Mammoth. Afterward, Batman tells Robin that, when he gets older, he will one day lead the JL.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Prelude to the Wedding Part 2 – Nightwing vs Hush #1. Dick is shocked to witness the stuffy Bruce eat a burger with a knife and fork. All of the future Robins will have a similar experience and have the same chuckling reaction to this politesse, thinking Bruce the ultimate product of being raised by a prim-and-proper butler. (These mealtime interactions will have to be imagined on our timeline ahead.)
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. March. For Batman’s monthly “birthday” present, Joker sends a crudely drawn picture of himself and Batman with the words “Best Friends” written on it. Alfred hates this.
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 #69. Bruce and Alfred celebrate Dick’s thirteenth birthday, surprising him with a cake.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #17 Part 1. Superman reveals his secret ID to Lois Lane, although she likely already knew. Lois and Clark begin dating. Soon after, Superman reveals Batman’s secret ID to Lois. Bruce begins going on double dates with Lois and Clark. We’ll have to imagine random double dates (with Bruce taking random dates or maybe Selina) on our timeline ahead for years to come.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics Annual #3 (2020) Part 1 and Batman and Robin Vol. 3 #12. Bruce, Dick, and Alfred pose for a portrait, which gets hung up in Wayne Manor. Bruce poses for a solo portrait as well.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #5 Part 5. Batman teaches Robin various meditation techniques, stressing the importance of fortitude and stillness.
–FLASHBACK: From Justice League of America Vol. 5 #22. Batman designs and builds the dual-seated Batmobile convertible (the one from Batman ’66). The Dynamic Duo takes it out for a spin.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #90. Batman and Robin chase after Catwoman, who is wearing her skintight purple costume with black knee-high boots and black elbow-length gloves.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League Vol. 4 #7. Batman tells his “criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot” mantra to the Justice League.
–REFERENCE: In Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 Part 2. Batman meets rookie superhero Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) but comes to immediately regard him with disdain, thinking of him as a bargain basement version of himself, with an Arrow Car and Arrow Cave. Unlike in the Silver and Modern Ages, Batman and Green Arrow won’t become close friends.[4]
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #24. Batman continues training Robin, telling him to always take advantage of one’s surroundings while in combat. Batman also tells Robin that most criminals are unable to focus on anything other than themselves, which is a foible that can be exploited.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #81. Batman continues training Robin, teaching him the secret “language of fighting,” in which one can communicate via blows while in combat. Batman will teach this to every future member of the Bat-Family.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Urban Legends #15 Part 2—and referenced in DC’s How to Lose a Guy Gardner in Ten Days #1 Part 6. An escaped Joker gasses a Gotham tourbus. Batman saves the lives of crooks Eel O’Brien and Brad Sampey, and busts Joker. This event (combined with one final arrest by the Cole City Police Department) inspires O’Brien to stop committing crimes. Shortly thereafter, O’Brien suffers a freak accident, turning into the malleable superhero Plastic Man. The Justice League meets the new hero, not sure what to make of the strange stretchy dude.
–DC’s How to Lose a Guy Gardner in Ten Days #1 Part 6
After Plastic Man’s new socialite girlfriend asks to meet other superheroes, Plastic Man obliges, taking her to Central City to visit Flash, who defeats The Rogues (Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, Trickster, and Captain Boomerang). When Plastic Man’s gal flirts with Flash, the latter mentions his fiancée Iris West. Next, Plastic Man takes his lady to meet Hal Jordan in space. After that, Plastic Man takes her to a club to meet a coffee drinking Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter, and Green Arrow. (Note that Martian Manhunter and Green Arrow are drawn in the background and both look a bit off. Notably, Green Arrow definitely shouldn’t have his goatee yet. Another character—looking a bit like Deathstroke, but not quite—appears in the background too. It’s unclear who he’s supposed to be, but it’s definitely not Deathstroke.) The next day, Plastic Man’s girl dumps him and goes on a date with Bruce, who takes her to a charity event. Feeling down, Plastic Man chats with his friend Angel McDunnagh, who works as a waitress at a Cole City diner. (The rest of our story—which doesn’t feature Batman—functions as a several months-long epilogue detailing how Plastic Man comes to fall in love with and date Angel.)
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #30-32. Batman continues training Robin, teaching him investigative skills. Batman tells his sidekick that detective work is “breaking things apart to put them back together”—meaning one must view the greater picture as a bunch of smaller puzzle pieces that must be put together in the correct way in order to solve the mystery. He also stresses that being a hero means helping and protecting everyone, even sometimes bad people who are undeserving.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #43. Batman continues training Robin, impressing upon him that, in their line of work, they must be ready to respond to a call at all times, meaning they can never take a day off. He will stress this idea (and practice what he preaches) for decades to come.
–REFERENCE: In Absolute Power #2-3. The Justice League puts all confiscated weaponry of the Rogues (Flash’s rivals) into its trophy room/armory. These weapons include a Cold Gun, Weather Wand, and other items.
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 2022 Annual Part 3. Batman programs a training robot to practice fighting with Robin in the Batcave. After watching Robin spar with the robot, Batman tells him he must practice something ten thousand times before really getting it right. He also says to never make mistakes, never become vulnerable, and never trust anyone.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League of America Vol. 5 #20—originally told in Detective Comics #50. Batman and Robin defeat the acrobatic super-villain team known as The Three Devils.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1—originally told in Batman #9. This reference actually just shows the cover of Batman #9, featuring a posing Dynamic Duo. While certainly iconic, this cover image in-and-of-itself was never canonical material. For the purposes of our current timeline, we can regard this item as Batman and Robin going on an unspecified adventure together.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Nights: Metal #3 and Titans Vol. 3 #19. Despite having helped form the Justice League not long ago, Batman is plagued with thoughts of the danger that metahumans—good or bad—could potentially pose to the world. The Dark Knight does his best to suppress his concerns. Always the pre-planner, though, Batman can’t help but think of ways to both neutralize and utilize his metahuman friends’ powers to benefit his own personal war on crime. Unable to shake his paranoia, Batman begins pre-planning direct anti-metahuman action.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League Vol. 3 #29, Dark Nights: Metal #4, Super Sons #16, Superman/Batman Vol. 2 #12, Superman: Man of Tomorrow #19, Challenge of the Super Sons #9, Batman Vol. 3 #130, and Flash Vol. 6 #9-10. Hot on the heels of our previous item, Batman succumbs to his paranoia about the possibility of his friends going rogue or being controlled by evil. Taking action to put his mind at ease, Batman compiles multi-layered contingency protocols to combat them if need be. As per his plan, Batman collects (or builds) various countermeasures in the form of specific weaponry that can defeat each of his Justice League brethren. Batman puts his anti-JL items into locked briefcases inside a large safe in the Batcave.[5] The anti-Superman briefcase includes a Green Kryptonite ring, pieces of different colored Kryptonite, and an expanding Red Kryptonite-lined prison cell (of Batman’s own design). The anti-Flash briefcase includes temporal grenades, seizure-inducing vibra-bullets, and a frictionless coating spray (all of his own design). The anti-Cyborg briefcase includes a Mother Box, a ministroke-inducing ion-pulse hacking program (of his own design, and possibly made from the Mother Box), an electromagnetic nerve tree (of his own design). The anti-Wonder Woman briefcase includes the god Hephaestus’ magickal Bind of Veils and an auricular nanite implant (of his own design). (Both of these anti-Wonder Woman items cause hallucinatory experiences.) The anti-Aquaman briefcase includes a binding magnesium carbonate foam spray (of his own design) and a modified Fear Gas spray (of his own design, tweaked from Scarecrow’s chemicals). The anti-Green Lantern briefcase includes a citrine neurolizer, black power ring, and yellow power ring. Batman also devises an extra plan to use against the GL Corps. He learns how to introduce post-hypnotic suggestions and secretly does so to several of his GL pals, making it so he can render them temporarily blind with an activation codeword. Batman also constructs and/or gathers other anti-Superman weapons, putting them into the contingency safe: a red solar-flare projection staff, a particolored “Five Finger Death Punch” Kryptonite gauntlet, a microscopic red sun gauntlet, Kryptonite chewing gum, and magick wrist wraps that can create mystic armor. Batman adds his armored anti-Superman suit (the one based on the Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns) into the mix as well. Batman also devises a hypothetical anti-Superman combat strategy that involves striking at the Man of Steel’s pressure points. Also in the safe: a nanite-fire weapon to use against Martian Manhunter and a liquid-nitrogen weapon to use against Plastic Man. Batman also constructs (and draws up anti-JL plans that revolve around use of) a heavily-armored high-tech combat mech called the Justice Buster. Detailed files related to these contingency plan weapons and strategies are stored in the Bat-computer network and linked into Batman’s costume. Batman will keep his anti-JL contingency plans up to date, moving forward.
–REFERENCE: In Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 #10 (Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 Print Edition #5). Batman adds flame-gauntlets to his anti-Martian Manhunter contingency weaponry.
–REFERENCE: In Superman: Son of Kal-El #18. Batman builds special high-tech shielding as a part of his anti-Superman contingency plans.
–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Vol. 4 #32. Batman, likely related to his anti-Superman contingency plans, designs power-charging gauntlets, which he will wear with his costume from this point forward.
–REFERENCE: In Trinity Vol. 2 #14-15. Batman either obtains or builds a high-frequency sound-vibration ray gun, which has the ability to take down someone as powerful as Superman. The origins of this weapon are unknown, but it is very likely a part of his recent anti-metahuman contingency plans. Batman stores the gun in the Batcave. Batman also adapts this sound-vibration weapon for use via cannons on some of his Bat-vehicles.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #108 and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #12 Part 1. Batman begins training in defense techniques against psychic manipulation and other telepathic/mental invasion. Presumably, Martian Manhunter is and will be one of his primary teachers. Batman also adds binaural defenses to his cowl, which can protect against some forms of hypnotism.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. April. For Batman’s monthly “birthday” gift, Joker orchestrates the demolition of an entire city block.
–REFERENCE: In Bane: Conquest #10—originally told in Batman #14. Batman and Robin investigate the mysterious shooting death of super-sleuth Dana Drye, proving that her murder was actually a suicide. Afterward, Batman and Robin put Drye’s diary in their Hall of Trophies.
–REFERENCE: In Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1—originally told in Batman #24 Part 1 and Batman #700. Batman and Robin befriend Professor Carter Nichols, a genius that has invented a method of traveling through time. While we aren’t given any specifics about the use of this time machine, we can assume that, at the very least, the Dynamic Duo’s original Nichols time jaunt from the Golden Age and their most important Nichols time jaunt from the Modern Age are canon in some fashion on the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier timeline. As such, for the purposes of this item, Nichols sends Batman and Robin, first, to Ancient Rome and, second, to Ancient Egypt.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #25. Batman and Robin fight an escaped Joker atop a moving tanker train filled with Joker Venom, which the Clown Prince of Crime intends to release into the city. Our heroes stop the Joker’s plot, but the villain escapes custody yet again.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5—originally told in Batman #35 Part 3 and Detective Comics #112. Batman and Robin bust old-school gangster Duke Ryall. Afterward, they keep Ryall’s retro tommy gun as a trophy for the Batcave.
–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #1003, Dial H for Hero #1, and Dial H for Hero #4. Thirteen-year-old Snapper Carr briefly becomes the Justice League’s official sidekick/mascot. Batman doesn’t like Snapper.
–REFERENCE: In Superman Vol. 5 #26. The Justice League installs the same high-tech security measures around various important locations, including the Daily Planet Building. Specifically for the Daily Planet Building, Superman can teleport any potential threat into the Phantom Zone, should the threat come into close proximity of the premises.
–FLASHBACK: From Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU #6—and referenced in Flash Vol. 5 #21, Dark Crisis #0, and Batman: One Bad Day – Mr. Freeze #1—originally told in The Brave and The Bold #28. The Justice League defeats Starro the Conqueror, a giant alien starfish that can create mini parasite spores of itself that attach to people’s faces, giving him mental control over them. Batman keeps a dead Starro spore as a keepsake, following this encounter. (Note that a time-traveling Harley Quinn secretly ensures this item goes off without a hitch, although she makes Flash smell like monkey piss and temporarily erases Aquaman from existence.)
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #104—originally told in World’s Finest Comics #30. Batman and Robin battle the returning Penny Plunderer.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League: No Justice #4—originally told in The Brave and The Bold #29. The Justice League encounters and defeats Xotar the Weapons Master. Afterward, they keep his “Eye of Xotar” as a trophy.
–REFERENCE: In Titans Vol. 3 Annual #1, Superman Vol. 4 #20, Super Sons #5, and Nightwing Vol. 4 #24—originally told in The Brave and The Bold #30. The Justice League defeats the creation of Professor Anthony Ivo, the evil android known as Amazo.
–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #976. The Justice League defeats the debuting Despero.
–REFERENCE: In Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #1. The Justice League defeats Wonder Woman’s former best friend and now metahuman rival, The Cheetah (Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva).
–FLASHBACK: From Strange Love Adventures #1 Part 6. May—Mother’s Day. Batman and Robin get ready to go on patrol together. Before departing, a cheeky Robin gives Alfred a hand-drawn Mother’s Day card.
–REFERENCE: In Trinity Vol. 2 #12 and Green Arrow Vol. 7 #10-11. The Justice League purchases properties in major cities all over the world to use as emergency safe houses. In Gotham, for example, the JL sets-up at least one brownstone apartment building as a safe house. Likewise, the JL begins setting up secret storage bunkers all over the globe. Batman will keep vehicles and weaponry in these bunkers.
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #10 Part 2, Mera: Queen of Atlantis #2, Wonder Twins #1, Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 #9, Flash 2021 Annual #1, Absolute Power #1, and Titans Vol. 4 #14. Batman and Alfred already use a tiered emergency level priority code system, with “Alpha-One” and “Code Red” being in the top tier. The Justice League now initiates a tiered system as well, but one that uses a mix of greek letters, numbered order, and colors. “Class-One,” “Alpha,” “Omega,” and “Code Red” are designated the highest priority JL alerts. “Code Black” is used for any alien-related emergencies. Additionally, the superhero community jointly sets up emergency communication signals, one called the “Red Channel” and another called “Channel Omega.”
–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #976 and The Green Lantern #3—originally told in Justice League of America #3. The Justice League fights the debuting Kanjar Ro, a vile Dhorian super-villain that wields the powerful Gamma Metal Gong, which he uses to place all of humanity into suspended animation. Kanjar Ro forces the Justice League to challenge and defeat his evil alien rivals—Hyathis, Kromm, and Sayyar. Eventually, the Justice Leaguers turn the tide at the far end of the universe and take all four tyrants captive, freeing the people of Earth simultaneously.
–REFERENCE: In Strange Adventures Vol. 5 #1—originally told in Mystery in Space #75.[6] Kanjar Ro travels to the planet Rann to challenge human space adventurer Adam Strange, Strange’s girlfriend Alanna, and Alanna’s father Sardath. (Adam Strange is the champion of the planet Rann. He is able to travel back and forth between Earth and Rann via bizarre Zeta-Beam technology that only he has mastered.) The Justice League intervenes on Rann, helping Adam Strange bust the Dhorian despot. During this fight, Adam Strange saves Batman’s life. Note that Adam Strange and Batman will team-up on several occasions moving forward, but we’ll simply have to imagine these team-ups on our chronology.
–FLASHBACK: From Green Arrow Vol. 7 #7—and referenced in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #32 and Green Arrow 2024 Annual #1. Originally told in Justice League of America #4. Green Lantern (Oliver Queen) joins the Justice League. Soon after, Carthan (an alien exiled from his home planet of Dryanna) kidnaps Green Arrow and forces the JL into a series of trials. (The benevolent Carthan has been forced to act badly due to the influence of Dryanna’s totalitarian ruler, his arch rival Xandor.) Eventually, Carthan traps all the JL members (except Batman, Superman, and Green Arrow) in a diamond prison cell aboard a spaceship. Green Arrow proves his worth by shattering the prison cell using a diamond-tipped arrow. Freed of Xandor’s control, Carthan departs Earth.
–REFERENCE: In Green Arrow Vol. 6 #25 and Green Arrow Vol. 6 #29. Despite having just joined the Justice League and completed a successful first mission with them, Green Arrow won’t make very strong connections with anyone else on the team, often acting as an uncertain ally of sorts. Upon learning each other’s secret identities, Green Arrow and Batman fail to connect despite both being mega-rich playboys in their alter-egos. Batman already thinks of Green Arrow as a discount version of himself, with his Arrow Cave and Arrow Car. Batman and Green Arrow just don’t get along very well, nor will they in the future. (As mentioned above, this negative relationship between Batman and Green Arrow is the same in the New 52, but decidedly different from the Silver and Modern Ages where Batman and Green Arrow were close friends.)
–FLASHBACK: From Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 Part 7. Green Arrow introduces his young sidekick Speedy (Roy Harper) to the Justice League and Robin. This is the start of Green Arrow’s Arrow-Family (aka Team Arrow).
–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #6, Adventures of the Super Sons #1, Batman: Urban Legends #18 Part 4, and Knight Terrors: Robin #1—originally told in Justice League of America #5. The Justice League defeats The Getaway Master (Monty Moran), Captain Cold (Leonard Snart), Professor Menace, the original Clock King, Puppet Master (Jordan Weir), Electric Man, and Dr. Destiny (John Dee). (Unknown to all, Puppet Master is actually a secret agent working for the Department of Metahuman Affairs.) Note that Dr. Destiny has the power to control dreams by wielding the Dreamstone, an artifact that is a part of and which belongs to Morpheus aka The Sandman aka Dream of the Endless. Dr. Destiny refers to the Dreamstone as the “Materioptikon.” Following this case, Batman does extensive research on how to recognize whether or not one is in a dreamscape. This research gets attached to Dr. Destiny’s file in the JL computer database.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #7—originally told in Flash #123 (“THE FLASH OF TWO WORLDS”). Flash (Barry Allen) harnesses his ability to vibrate across the Bleed into alternate universes, meeting Earth-2 Flash (an alternate-Earth counterpart of Jay Garrick). (The Bleed is a tesseract space that serves as the blank void/highway between universes. The term “Bleed” was first coined in 1999 by Warren Ellis in Planetary #1 and The Authority #1.) Flash reports of this momentous interdimensional occurrence to Batman.
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #33. While on an unspecified Justice League mission, Flash becomes nervous and loses his cool. Batman, hoping to motivate his friend, shouts, “Just run faster!” Sure enough, Flash is inspired and regains his sangfroid, helping to save the day. From this point onward, Batman will often say this “just run faster” line to Flash to pump him up.
–REFERENCE: In Trinity Vol. 2 #9. During an unspecified Justice League mission, Flash takes hold of Batman and uses his powers to vibrate them through a wall. Batman does not like the experience and lets Flash know. While we won’t see every instance of this practice moving forward on our timeline, Flash will use this move in conjunction with Batman multiple times in the future, much to his chagrin.
–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Vol. 4 #22. The Justice League defeats the debuting Dr. Light (Dr. Arthur Light).
–FLASHBACK: From Batman vs Robin#2 and Superman Vol. 6 #17—and referenced in Flash Vol. 5 #21 and Justice League Dark Vol. 2 #8. Originally told in Justice League of America #10. The Justice League faces off against the debuting Epoch aka The Lord of Time. During this battle, the immortal occult-villain Felix Faust manipulates the heroes into obtaining a few magickal artifacts—the Red Jar of Calythos, the Silver Wheel of Nyorlath, and the Green Bell of Uthool—for him. Once gathered, Faust uses these items to summon the extremely powerful Demons Three (Abnegazar, Rath, and Ghast). Eventually, the JL defeats Faust, Epoch, and the demons. Afterward, they put the artifacts, which hold the Demons Three, into the trophy room. Hal Jordan calls the trophy room the “Hall of Lost and Found.”
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #50. Catwoman debuts a new purple-and-green caped-dress costume. Amidst a bunch of cats purring at their ankles, Catwoman and Batman kiss.
–REFERENCE: In Flash 2021 Annual #1. Having become fast friends with Speedy, Robin tries to impress him by taking the Batmobile for a joyride. Of course, Batman finds out and flips his lid, scaring young Speedy half to death in the process.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 1. Batman and Robin confront Catwoman at a circus.
–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Inc #9—originally told in Detective Comics #77. Batman and Robin deal with the Crime Doctor (Dr. Bradford Thorne aka Matthew Thorne), an underground surgeon for injured mobsters.
–REFERENCE: In Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 Part 1—originally told in Detective Comics #81. Batman and Robin defeat the debuting Cavalier II (Mortimer Drake), a copycat of the original Cavalier (Hudson Pyle).
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #29—originally told in Detective Comics #107. Batman and Robin have already faced off against a handful of evil cults that have tried to kill them, but they haven’t dealt with a cult specifically trying to ritualistically sacrifice them until now. Bugs Scarpis aka Scorpio hypnotizes wealthy bankers into joining his cult in order to embezzle money from their firms. After hypnotizing Robin and nearly getting him to kill himself, Scorpio is busted by Batman, who rescues the Boy Wonder and shuts down the cult. Note that in Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #29, which occurs in 2022, Batman implies that many cults have tried to sacrifice he and Robin over the years. While we will see a lot of cult action on our timeline ahead, there won’t be much in the way of specific attempts to ritualistically sacrifice the Dynamic Duo. There were a some instances in previous continuities, but it’s unclear which of those occurrences are canon now. As such, we’ll have to imagine most of these items sprinkled throughout our timeline ahead. I’ve included this reference to Detective Comics #107 since it is the first time in the comics that a cult tried to use either Batman or Robin as a victim of sacrifice.[7]
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 1 and Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 #4 (Legends of the Dark KnightVol. 2 Print Edition #2)—originally told in Detective Comics #140. Batman and Robin challenge and best an escaped Riddler, who throws extra large puzzle traps at his foes.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #17 Part 2 and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20. Batman and Robin go on an unspecified case, earning a giant 8-ball as a trophy.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20—originally told in Batman #50 Part 2. Batman and Robin bust a crook pretending to be Two-Face, after which they keep a giant bust of Two-Face’s head as a trophy for the Batcave. Batman and Robin also obtain a matching giant bust of Joker’s head as well. It’s unclear if the Joker bust is connected to the Two-Face bust. It’s also unclear if the Dynamic Duo goes up against Joker or a fake Joker to win this second bust. Nevertheless, Batman and Robin put both statues on display next to each other (and next to the giant 8-ball) in the Batcave. Note that the 8-ball and giant busts are a direct nod to Dick Sprang’s Secrets of the Batcave lithograph (1995).
–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Nightwing Vol. 4 #106-108—originally told in Detective Comics #154. When prison inmates begin escaping through an “underground railroad of crime,” Batman and Robin expose and bust its ringleader, a crook named Hatch Marlin.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #28—originally told in Batman #59 Part 3. Professor Carter Nichols sends Batman and Robin one hundred years into the future where they engage in a rocket ship race through the solar system and help Gotham Chief of Police Rekoj (Joker’s descendant!) bust some pirate saboteurs. Chief Rekoj shines a giant Bat-Signal on the face of the Moon.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #44—originally told in Batman #62. Batman and Robin go after Catwoman (wearing her purple-and-green caped-dress costume). She shows her callous evil side to the Boy Wonder, evading capture. Soon afterward, the Dynamic Duo finds themselves chasing after Catwoman again. This time, however, she shows a completely different side of her persona, initially eluding the Dynamic Duo but then backtracking to save the Dark Knight’s life from a collapsing building. During the implosion Catwoman is knocked unconscious. When she comes-to, Catwoman vows to leave her criminal days behind. Convinced, Batman lets her go free. Selina winds up opening a pet shop in Gotham.
–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #57. Bruce and Selina visit the Gotham ballet, dancing together at the fancy masquerade ball that accompanies the show afterward. While we won’t physically see it on our timeline ahead, Bruce and Selina will visit the ballet/ball dance together frequently for the next couple years. Dick will often ask to come, but they usually won’t ever let him.
–REFERENCE: In Fire and Ice: Welcome to Smallville #2—originally told in Batman #69. Batman and Robin defeat the King of Cats (Drew Dworkin). In earlier continuities, the King of Cats was Selina Kyle’s brother, but that doesn’t appear to be the case now.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #975—originally told in Batman #75. George “Boss” Dyke is executed by the state, after which a scientist in his employ revives his brain and transplants it into the body of a giant gorilla. Dyke, now going by “Gorilla Boss,” terrorizes Gotham, but is eventually defeated and jailed by Batman.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Forge #1, Dark Nights: Metal #1, and Batman: Urban Legends #17 Part 2. Hawkman (Carter Hall/Katar Hol) joins the Justice League. The JL also meets his wife and crime-fighting partner Hawkgirl (Shiera Sanders Hall/Shayera Hol). Both Carter and Shiera are also members of the Justice Society of America, which has existed since the 20th century. (Carter will now be on both the JL and JSA while Shiera will be a part time JL member.) Both Carter and Shiera are immortal, having existed in some form for thousands of years, constantly reincarnated as different champions of justice. Their current incarnations—Thanagarian-styled soldiers—are simply the latest in a long line of Hawk-related warrior gimmicks. (Hawkman himself is around 140-years-old at this point.) Unlike many of the other heroes, Hawkman and Hawkgirl won’t share their secret IDs or history with the hero community. Batman also learns more about the mysterious Nth Metal, which gives power to Hawkman and Hawkgirl. [8]
–REFERENCE: In Batman Giant #11 (Batman: Universe #5). Batman and Robin ride in the Batcopter. Robin complains that there are no cup holders. While we won’t see it on our timeline in the future, several other heroes will ride in the Batcopter and they will all mention the lack of cup holders.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League of America Vol. 5 #5. The Justice League meets and works with The Atom (Professor Ray Palmer). He also officially joins the JL. The JL also meets the Atom’s fiancée Jean Loring.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 3. July. An escaped Joker throws an evil party for Batman’s “birthday” at the zoo. A shirtless Batman is forced to tranquilize a raging gorilla.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League of America Vol. 5 #5, Deathstroke Inc #2-3, and Black Canary: Best of the Best #2. The Justice League meets and works with Black Canary (Dinah Drake), daughter of the original Black Canary (Dinah Lance). The younger Black Canary officially joins the JL. The superhero community also meets Detective Larry Lance (father to Black Canary II and husband to Black Canary I).
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 #68. Bruce and Dick sit down for an Alfred-cooked meal at Wayne Manor, but are interrupted by the Bat-signal shining brightly in the night sky. They immediately depart to answer the call. Batman and Robin patrol together, completing an unknown case.
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 #47 and Nightwing Vol. 4 Annual #2. Batman and Robin patrol together. I’ve taken the liberty of combining these two generic flashback images. This could even be attached to the previous item as well.
–FLASHBACK: From Dark Crisis #1—and referenced in Flash Vol. 5 #21-22, Doomsday Clock #2, Doomsday Clock #7, Dark Nights: Death Metal #2, Stargirl: Spring Break Special #1, Deathstroke Inc #2-3, World’s Finest: Teen Titans #1, Lazarus Planet: Assault on Krypton Part 4, Justice Society of America Vol. 4 #5, and Absolute Power #2. Originally told in Justice League of America #21-22. The Justice League meets and teams-up with superheroes from an earlier generation—members of the Justice Society of America, including Green Lantern Alan Ladd-Scott, Wildcat (Ted Grant), Dr. Fate (Kent Nelson), Flash (Jay Garrick), Hourman (Rex Tyler), Dr. Mid-Nite (Charles McNider), Atom (Al Pratt), Starman (Ted Knight), Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Black Canary (Dinah Lance), Johnny Thunder, Yz, Star-Spangled Kid (Sylvester Pemberton), and Power Girl (Kara Zor-L/Karen Starr). (Most of these 20th century heroes, including the two youngest team members Star-Spangled Kid and Power Girl, have been endowed with extended youth via magick. Power Girl is a Kryptonian and current resident of Earth-2, but she actually comes from a defunct/erased universe that resembles the universe that once housed the pre-Crisis Earth-2 of the Golden/Silver/Bronze Age. Also, in case you didn’t know, Dr. Fate is linked to the immortal demigod known as Nabu, who is a charter member of the cosmic Lords of Order. The Lords of Order are, naturally, enemies of the Lords of Chaos.) The JL and JSA go up against the one-shot threat of The Crime Champions (Chronos, Dr. Alchemy, Felix Faust, The Fiddler, Icicle, and The Wizard). The JL also visits Valhalla Cemetery, a final resting place for superheroes that have fallen in battle. The cemetery is located in a high-security, magickally-protected underground bunker in Washington DC. Following this affair, the costumes of Hourman and Wildcat go into the JL trophy room. As does the costume of Chronos, along with his time-traveling technology. Notably, this event is the first of its kind to publicly garner the “Crisis” tagline. Moving forward, “Crisis” will get applied to several major cosmic kerfuffles that involve alternate universes, the first of which will be the highly important “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” While the JL/JSA team up versus the Crime Champions doesn’t rank as an official Crisis, it is a precursor.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 1. Deathstroke fights Batman and Robin, luring them into an ambush atop the roof of the GCPD HQ building.
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #21 and Absolute Power #2. The Justice League defeats Matter Master and keeps his wand as a trophy for the “Hall of Lost and Found.” The JL also places Matter Master’s other various weapons into its armory.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #5 Part 5. Batman and Robin begin the practice of doing hours-long meditation sessions (complete with burning incense) after particularly tough patrols.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #24. Batman assigns Robin ongoing homework to read the criminal records and info sheets for all masked super-villains, even crooks that neither he nor Batman have met before. Both Bruce and Dick will do this practice for the remainder of their crime-fighting careers, constantly keeping up to date on all things in the hero-villain community, whether it affects them directly or not. Batman also teaches Robin how to turn any object within reach into a weapon, encouraging him to continue training himself in this regard, moving forward.
–FLASHBACK: From Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular Part 4. Batman tells Robin a series of important crime-fighting mantras to keep in mind while in the field.
–FLASHBACK: In Batman: Three Jokers #3. Joker captures Robin, but Batman is able to rescue his sidekick.
–REFERENCE: In Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 #4 (Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 Print Edition #2). While chasing after an escaped Riddler, Robin solves the Riddler’s clue-riddle, which points the Dynamic Duo in his direction. Robin loves solving Riddler’s riddles, and he always will.
–FLASHBACK: From Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. Batman and Robin take down Joker and his henchmen.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20. Slightly dinged up from patrol, Batman hangs out with Alfred and a joyous Robin in the Batcave.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #143. Dick begins forcing Bruce to watch zombie movies. While we won’t see it on our timeline, Bruce will have to endure a lot of zombie flicks.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 2021 Annual. Bruce, Dick, and Alfred pose for a photo.
–FLASHBACK: From the second feature to Nightwing Vol. 4 #102. Batman and Robin survey the scene of a murder mystery. Batman coaches the Boy Wonder to look more closely at the details. Regarding investigations in general, Batman shows his distrust of humanity, telling Robin to “believe no one” under any circumstances.
–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #57. Bruce, Selina, and Dick see a ballet performance of Turandot, which is Selina’s favorite. This is the first time Bruce and Selina finally let Dick join them at the ballet/masquerade ball.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #44—originally told in Detective Comics #203. Selina Kyle has quietly worked at her new pet shop for months with no inclination of returning to costumed thievery. However, when a vituperative series of articles are printed in the Gotham Gazette that poke fun of her time as a kitty-themed villainess, Selina is furious. When some cheap hoods harass Selina in her own store, Batman is there to shoo away the jerks. Batman tells Selina not to take the objurgation and harassment personally. But for Selina, it’s too much to bear. Selina re-dons the purple-and-green caped Catwoman costume and commits a series of daring public heists, disappointing the Dark Knight. Catwoman, now a wanted criminal again, goes into hiding.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #28—originally told in Detective Comics #241. While fighting bad guys, Robin is badly hurt while being filmed by a live TV news crew. In order to downplay the injury and keep attention away from his injured sidekick, Batman engages in the strangest act of media spin ever. He creates a series of differently-colored Bat-costumes, wearing a brand new bright-toned suit on several successive patrols. Sure enough, the news cycle shuts up about an endangered child soldier and begins obsessing over Batman’s odd fashion. Notably, this item is pretty clearly shown in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #28, although Tamra Bonvillain seems to have forgotten to color each Bat-costume a different color. I guess she missed the memo! We can also simply regard the image, which shows a bunch of Bat-costumes on mannequin displays, as Batman setting out his duds just prior to dyeing them.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #10 Part 3. Originally told in Batman #81 Part 2—Batman and Robin best Mr. Camera, a caped super-villain that wears a goofy box-shaped camera helmet with a giant lens faceplate.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #10 Part 3—originally told in Batman #90 Part 3. One-shot baseball-themed superhero Batboy (Midge Merrill) helps the Dynamic Duo bring down some gangsters.
–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #4 and the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #128—originally told in Detective Comics #247. Batman defeats Professor Achilles Milo, who uses hallucination-inducing chemical attacks against him.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Three Jokers #1—originally told in Batman #113 Part 2. Bruce and Dick watch a live variety show headlined by Kelani “Fatman” Apaka, a heavyset comedian that wears a Bat-costume and lampoons the Dark Knight. Later, Batman and Robin team-up with Fatman to shut down the returning Red Hood Gang. Note that, in the original story, the villains were the “Red Mask Gang,” but this is clearly a clever retcon by writer Geoff Johns, linking the Red Hood Gang to this item.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5—and referenced in Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #31. Originally told in Batman #115. Batman battles some gangsters atop Gotham’s famous giant typewriter, after which the Dark Knight keeps several of the oversized typewriter keys as trophies for the Batcave. Interestingly, the editorial note from Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #31 references the handful of giant typewriter adventures from prior continuities (mostly the Golden Age), labeling the typewriter itself with “As seen in countless Batman stories since 1949!” We could take this to mean that Batman has several adventures with the giant typewriter on the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier timeline, but this is a pretty cheeky line, so I wouldn’t use it as gospel guidance. Suffice to say, we can confirm this giant typewriter appearance and an upcoming one with Riddler. The inclusion of any others is up to your own personal headcanon.
–REFERENCE: In Batgirl Vol. 5 #34—originally told in Detective Comics #253. Batman and Robin apprehend the thrill-seeking Terrible Trio, which consists of The Shark, The Vulture, and The Fox.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 2—and referenced in Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #31. Batman returns to Gotham’s famous giant typewriter, this time to duel an escaped Riddler atop its oversized keys. This JH Williams flashback scene is meant to be a generic nod to the Golden Age, specifically paying tribute to Dick Sprang (although its curiously drawn in the style of Paul Pope). As noted above, while there were indeed a few giant typewriters in Batman’s prior continuity past (mostly in the Golden Age), the only time Riddler engaged with a giant typewriter was in the Modern Age’s Run Riddler Run #3 and the Justice League Action cartoon. In any case, we can take this item either as a unique Golden Age-inspired flashback or something based upon Run Riddler Run and/or JL Action.
–REFERENCE: In Red Hood and The Outlaws Vol. 2 #20 and Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #22—originally told in Detective Comics #259. Batman fights the debuting Calendar Man (Julian Day), who strikes first at a garden show, dressed in a flowery “spring” costume. The next day, Calendar Man, dressed in a “summer” hazmat suit, attacks a swimsuit contest. On day three, Calendar Man bests Batman with an autumn-themed wind-blower assault. On day four, Calendar Man dresses up like a snowman for a “winter” blitz on the Dynamic Duo. Finally, Batman and Robin bust Calendar Man in his maharajah gimmick, foiling his “monsoon season” strike.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #28—and referenced in Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #8 and Detective Comics #1076. Originally told in Batman #125. Batman and Robin get a dog, naming it Ace aka Ace the Bat-Hound. Bruce and Dick hang out and play with their new pet. While we won’t see it much on our timeline ahead, the dog will sometimes patrol with the Dynamic Duo.
–REFERENCE: In The Green Lantern #1—originally told in Batman #128. Batman and Robin stumble upon an alien conflict in the outskirts of Gotham. They watch as one being is mobbed by a large group of crustacean-like aliens. Choosing to help the outnumbered party, Batman and Robin are bested and teleported to an intergalactic prison light years away on the penal moon of Ergon. The Dynamic Duo was too hasty in their discernment and had aided a wanted pirate named Kraak against the Ergonian Space Police. Batman and Robin are soon released from jail, after which they bust Kraak on a nearby asteroid.
–REFERENCE: In the quasi-canonical Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1—originally told in Batman #129. Batman and Robin defeat The Spinner (Swami Ymar).
–FLASH-FORWARD: From Detective Comics #1000 Part 9. Batman and Robin patrol, punching-out a dude at a casino.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Prelude to the Wedding Part 2 – Nightwing vs Hush #1—originally told in Batman #134. Batman publicly fights “The Rainbow Creature,” a razor-toothed monster made entirely out of light from the color spectrum.
–REFERENCE: In The Green Lantern #3—originally told in Detective Comics #291. The last Rukk (the final living survivor of the otherwise extinct alien species known as the Rukks) comes out of suspended hibernation on Earth and soon finds itself face-to-face with Batman and Robin. The heroes fight the raging hairy green cyclops, finding its ship, in which they learn about the Rukks and their long-destroyed home-planet Sharl. Eventually, the Dynamic Duo causes the last Rukk to flee into deep space.
–REFERENCE: In The Green Lantern #9—originally told in World’s Finest Comics #124. Batman, Robin, and Superman fight three green humanoid aliens thieves from the planet Durim (Hroguth, Sklur, and Hansh), who get the better of them. Later, the heroes meet a fourth Durimian, the teen superhero Logi, who is accompanied by his pet, a lobster/horse hybrid monster called Quisto. Batman, Superman, Robin, Logi, and Quisto defeat Hroguth, Sklur, and Hansh. You really just can’t make this stuff up!
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1063—originally told in Batman #149. Batman and Robin defeat musical-themed supervillain known as The Maestro (Payne Cardine).
–REFERENCE: In The Green Lantern #3—originally told in World’s Finest Comics #127. Zerno the Sorcerer, a warlock from the planet Y’Bar, attacks Gotham with his Gzann familiar. (A Gzann is a crab-slug hybrid monster.) Batman, Robin, and Superman fight Zerno, his Gzann, his mind-controlled sidekick Sborg, and several other equally bizarre alien creatures in a solid defense of the city (and planet).
–Batman: Urban Legends #23 Part 2
Firefly injures Batman, prompting Robin to rescue him and take the wheel of the Batmobile. Despite reservations, Batman decides to trust the Boy Wonder, allowing him to drive wildly, which ultimately results in the defeat of Firefly.
–REFERENCE: In Punchline: The Gotham Game #4. Penguin kidnaps Robin, trapping him inside a giant egg. Batman rescues Robin.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1. Penguin kidnaps Robin yet again, holding him hostage in a Metropolis warehouse. This prompts Batman to call Superman for assistance. Superman enters the warehouse to find that Penguin has allied himself (thanks to Lex Luthor) with the Weaponers of Qward. (The Weaponers are a military force from Qward, a planetary system of Universe-3 aka the Anti-Matter Universe.) While Superman takes down some Thunderers (elite Weaponers that wield literal bolts of lightning), Batman downs Penguin and rescues Robin. Batman tells Penguin he’ll go to Blackgate Penitentiary because he’s not insane enough to go to Arkham Asylum. (It’s unknown whether or not charges stick here, but suffice to say, Penguin is definitely insane enough for Arkham.)
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1027 Part 1. Batman and Robin fight Penguin, who unleashes an arsenal of new deadly trick umbrellas upon the pair.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #29. Batman leaves on unspecified business, putting Robin in charge of protecting Gotham while he is gone. Before leaving, Batman jokingly says, “Keep the lights on until I get back.” Moving forward on our timeline, Batman will similarly leave Robin in charge of protecting Gotham every once in a while, and each time Batman will deliver that very same line.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics Annual #2 (2019). Batman busts Eraser, a man that looks like a pencil and has the power to literally erase people from existence.
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 #23 and Nightwing Vol. 4 #31. Batman and Robin defeat the massively powerful but mindless Blockbuster (Mark Desmond), who is controlled by his devious brother Roland Desmond.
–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.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #20 Part 1—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #37, Justice League Vol. 4 #19, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #20 Part 1. Bat-Mite, a magickal imp from the 5th Dimension (where Mr. Mxyzptlk comes from), very publicly bothers and pranks the Dynamic Duo while they are on an unspecified case. Bat-Mite adores Batman and even wears a mini Bat-costume. Bat-Mite tells Batman he’s his biggest fan, turning the Batmobile into a living dinosaur inside the Batcave. Eventually, the annoying Bat-Mite poofs back to his home realm. Shortly thereafter, Zatanna (wearing a brand new blue-and-white caped costume) visits the JL Satellite.[9] (Zatanna still isn’t a member of the Justice League, but she is on close terms with most of the team members.) Batman has lunch with Zatanna, telling her all about the curious Bat-Mite. Dumbfounded, Zatanna can’t believe the strange 5th Dimensional imp she met when she while time-traveling as a teen is now back in her life. Feeling responsible for Bat-Mite bothering Batman, even though she bears no responsibility whatsoever, Zatanna vows to make sure Bat-Mite messes with Batman as little as possible, moving forward. After lunch, Zatanna meets with Yz to get more info on the 5th Dimension.
–REFERENCE: In Action Comics #1000 Part 9—originally told in Detective Comics #311 and Superman/Batman #31. A goofy minuscule alien named Zook gets stranded on Earth. Even though Zook is really annoying and not-so-bright, Martian Manhunter decides to keep him as a pet/sidekick, making him an official Justice League mascot. Zook is immediately troublesome and constantly in everyone’s way, especially Batman, who lets the little guy have an honest earful. With his feelings hurt, Zook leaves Earth for good, moving to the 5th Dimension.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #28—originally told in Batman #158 Part 1. Batman, Robin, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Bat-Mite all team-up to best a crime gang.
–REFERENCE: In Arkham City: The Order of the World #5—originally told in Detective Comics #319. Batman and Robin capture the debuting Dr. No-Face. (Note that previous incarnations of Dr. No-Face were all male, but Dr. No-Face has been gender-swapped for the Infinite Frontier Era.)
–REFERENCE: In Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 Part 1—originally told in Detective Comics #323. Batman and Robin defeat Zodiac Master.
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #73—originally told in Detective Comics #344 and Batman #192 Part 1. Evil genius/White supremacist mobster Johnny Witts (Johnny Wittleson) kidnaps Robin and gloats in Batman’s face. Robin escapes to re-join Batman, after which a chess match of back-and-forth maneuvers goes on for a while, with Witts keeping one step ahead of the Dynamic Duo. Batman eventually busts Witts, but charges don’t stick and he walks free. Soon afterward, Witts disguises himself as a psychic called The Swami, using this ruse to gain access to his marks’ valuables. Witts is exposed by Batman and Robin, but, as before, runs circles around the duo. Our heroes eventually nab Witts again, but he avoids jail time. Done playing around with Batman, Witts moves to Hollywood.
–REFERENCE: In Checkmate Vol. 3 #2—originally told in Detective Comics #354. Batman meets and defeats the Fu Manchu-themed super-villain known as Dr. Tzin-Tzin.
–REFERENCE: In The Green Lantern #9—originally told in World’s Finest Comics #163. Batman and Superman are whisked away to a distant planet known as The World of Wonders by the alien Jemphis, who hosts an annual intergalactic superhero convention. There, Jemphis forces Batman to fight a de-powered Superman in a series of public arena battles. Batman and Superman eventually team-up with other abducted superheroes from the distant cosmos—Aeroman, Windlass, Solar Man, Serpento, Dr. Chill, and Zardin the Boy Marvel—to defeat Jemphis.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #88—originally told in the 1966 Batman movie. Batman and Robin defeat “United Underworld”—the team-up of Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman. During this adventure, Batman discovers a secret radio frequency that Riddler has been using to communicate with the other Bat-rogues. With the line compromised, the defeated villains stop using it.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #27 and Detective Comics #967. Kathy Webb-Kane, daughter of notorious ex-Nazi Otto Netz (Dr. Dedalus) and ex-wife of Bruce’s long-deceased uncle Nathan Kane, becomes Bat-Woman. She goes on adventures with Batman and Robin, even debuting her own sidekick, Bat-Girl (Bruce’s cousin Bette Kane). Batman and Bat-Woman become lovers, but the relationship is ill-fated. Bat-woman breaks up with Batman and the female Dynamic Duo retires from crime-fighting.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #988, Batman: Knightwatch #3 Part 2, and Absolute Power #4. Disgraced Hollywood pyrotechnic expert Ted Carson debuts as a new Firefly, getting busted by Batman and Robin. Carson’s costume is gaudier than Garfield Lynns’ costume, but he’s ironically less over-the-top, despite also being a pyromaniac. From this point forward, both Fireflies will remain active in the DCU. Batman donates one of the new Firefly’s flamethrowers to the Justice League trophy room/armory.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #23 and Dark Nights: Metal #2. Batman meets and befriends Swamp Thing, a Plant Elemental with the memories and personality of deceased scientist Alec Holland. Swamp Thing is a member of the Parliament of Trees, a group of ancient elder Plant Elementals that keep watch over and control the Green (the mystic force that binds together all vegetal life). The Caped Crusader and several other heroes learn the exact location of the headquarters of the Parliament of Trees deep in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. Around the Parliament of Trees’ HQ, there grows a natural plant-killing exfoliant, which local tribesman destroy in order to protect their “plant gods.” (It is possible that the heroes visit, but this is not confirmed.)
–FLASHBACK: From the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #128—and referenced in Dark Nights: Metal #1-2, Nightwing Vol. 4 #29, Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #38, Detective Comics Annual #2 (2019), Robins #6, and Batman Vol. 3 #126. Billionaire John Mayhew attempts to recruit Batman and Robin onto a new team of international heroes dubbed The Club of Heroes. Of the recruits are the so-called “Batmen of All Nations,” including Knight (Percival Sheldrake), The Squire (Cyril Sheldrake), Wingman (Benedict Rundstrom), El Gaucho (Santiago Vargas), Man-of-Bats (William Great Eagle), Little Raven, The Legionary (Alphonso Giovanni), The Musketeer (Jean-Marie), and The Ranger. (Most of these international heroes are also part of a UN-like international policing collective known as “The Dome,” which is a direct precursor to what will eventually become The Global Guardians. Gaucho was also the inspiration for and current ally to the Argentinian superhero team known as Súper Malón.) Once assembled, Mayhew’s Club of Heroes venture fails immediately. The team doesn’t get along and disbands in less than half-an-hour. Shortly thereafter, during an encounter with Achilles Milo and agents of the evil spy organization known as Spyral, the Dark Knight is sprayed with a gas weapon that causes a vivid hallucination. Batman lucidly dreams that he is on a distant planet known as Zur-En-Arrh, where he is endowed with super-powers and gets to meet his perfect alien double, who wears a garish purple-and-red bat costume. (Note that “Zur-En-Arrh” unwittingly comes from the deep reserves of Bruce’s memory where on the fateful night of his parents’ murders, his father said, “they’d probably throw someone like Zorro in Arkham.”) As Batman hallucinates, Robin busts Milo. Batman eventually comes-to, but he is shaken to his core. Not long after, Dr. Simon Hurt implants post-hypnotic suggestions into Batman’s psyche while the Dark Knight is undergoing sensory deprivation tests. Hurt is actually Thomas Wayne, Bruce’s great(x5) uncle born in the 1700s, endowed with quasi-immortality. During these sensory deprivation tests, Hurt is able to psychoanalyze Batman and literally hear in detail about all of the Dark Knight’s hallucinations, new and old. Hurt implants a post-hypnotic trigger word into Batman’s brain. Once triggered, Bruce will “shutdown” and lose all memory of having ever been a crime-fighter. After a lengthy period of sleep-deprivation in an isolation chamber, Batman temporarily believes Robin has died as a result of an alien encounter (another vivid hallucination). Afterward, Batman forgets ever meeting Hurt thanks to hypnosis. Hurt also blocks all of Batman’s memory of him using hypnosis. Batman then begins having blackouts and night terrors as a result of his sleep-deprivation testing. Things get so bad that Batman is defeated by a group of ape-masked rookie gangsters known as the Gorilla Gang (Ceasar, Joe, Bingo, Magilla, King, and one unnamed other). Troubled, the Dark Knight considers retirement. However, Batman shakes the cobwebs out as best he can, summoning up enough courage to bust the Gorilla Gang in a rematch. Immediately thereafter, Hurt sics three substitute Batmen (cops Josef Muller, Branca, and Michael Lane) against a groggy and confused Batman, who still easily defeats them. Hurt blocks Batman’s memory of the fight against the substitutes and then sends the Dark Knight on his way. Batman still has no real memories of ever meeting Simon Hurt or of fighting his substitute Batmen, only extremely hazy dreamlike visions of them instead. Batman writes about these strange fleeting visions, which he regards as a drug-induced hallucination, into his Black Casebook. Hurt will retrain (and sadistically torture) his substitute Batmen for many years before unleashing them upon Gotham again.
–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #125-129, the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #136, Batman Vol. 3 #138, and Batman Vol. 3 #143. Batman reflects upon his recent hallucinatory experiences, terrified of what could happen if a villain were able to access or break his mind. With this very concern, Batman applies the teachings of his mentor Dr. Daniel Captio to create a special brain helmet, with which he utilizes to initiate grueling private “self-therapy” sessions intended to of strengthen his mental faculties. With his brain helmet, Batman creates for himself the ultimate defense mechanism against psychological attack—an anti-trigger backup personality, complete with garish red-and-purple costume, based upon his recent “Zur-En-Arrh” hallucination. Should he come under psychological attack, Batman’s mind will be temporarily overwritten, automatically turning him into the “Batman of Zur-En-Arrh.” Batman immediately begins beta testing his wild Zur-En-Arrh persona, but in order to do so, he will black out completely, giving full control of his mind and body to the alternate persona. While blacked-out as Zur-En-Arrh, Batman even creates a secret lab for his alter ego, hidden within the Batcave. Additionally, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh creates a Robin costume that matches his own in color scheme and pattern. For the next month or so, Batman will endure brain helmet sessions with increasing frequency as he perfects his alternate persona. We can imagine these sessions scattered in-between the items listed below.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #36. Dr. X (Simon Echs) and his symbiotic partner Double X—together known simply as Dr. Double X—fight the Dark Knight and Boy Wonder. Echs winds up behind Arkham bars.
–REFERENCE: In Young Justice Vol. 3 #18. Batman and Robin take on the debuting Egghead.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: Worlds’s Finest #11—originally told in Batman #195. Batman and Robin defeat translucent electric skeleton man Bag O’Bones (Ned Creegan).
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #44—originally told in Batman #197. Catwoman debuts yet another new costume, this one a skin-tight kelly green affair complete with cat’s eye goggles. In her new duds, Catwoman attempts to play superhero—via staged altercations with her own henchmen, who pretend to fight her. Catwoman even fights side-by-side with Batman and Robin. Later, she meets privately with Batman and asks him to marry her! Batman turns her down. In response, Catwoman captures the legit heroes, trapping them on an intense sound-blasting “Cataphonic Cat’s Cradle” platform in her “Catacombs” hideout. Batman and Robin escape and bust Catwoman.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #50 and Detective Comics #1076. Batman busts Catwoman and handcuffs her on a rooftop. They lean-in close to each other for a kiss. It is highly unlikely that Batman takes Catwoman to jail here. Batman Vol. 3 #50 and Detective Comics #1076 are two separate flashbacks, but both depict a fairly generic image of Batman and Catwoman kissing, so I’ve combined them.
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Elmer Fudd #1 and The Penguin #9. Bruce begins dating the gorgeous Silver St. Cloud (Lisa St. Claire’s cousin). Bruce learns all about Silver and her family. Silver quickly falls in love with Bruce but breaks up with him upon discovering that he is Batman. Wanting a less-complicated (and safer) partner, she begins dating Elmer Fudd. Unknown to Silver, Fudd is actually a hitman.
–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #21-23—originally told via flashback from Nightwing Vol. 4 #11. The Dynamic Duo busts neophyte “art terrorists” The Pigeon (Beatrice Butler) and her teenage sidekick Defacer (Shawn Tsang).
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 #32. Batman and Robin bust three random bad guys and swing away into the Gotham night.
–Batman/Elmer Fudd #1
Silver St. Cloud wants to leave her boyfriend Elmer Fudd because she has just learned that he is a hitman. Seeing a parallel to how she left Bruce due to his secret profession, Silver starts an elaborate ruse to mess with both Fudd and Bruce. Silver fakes her own death, leaving clues that lead Fudd to a bar they used to hang-out at called Porky’s Bar. There, hitman Bugs the Bunny, as per Silver’s orders, tells Fudd that Bruce Wayne put the hit on Silver. Fudd, who already hates Bruce for having dated Silver, goes into a rage. He sneaks into a fancy gala at Wayne Manor, shoots Bruce with a shotgun, and makes a hasty retreat. But of course, Bruce ain’t dead. Batman—incorrectly shown wearing his classic costume—ambushes Fudd at his apartment and they fight. Eventually, they decide to team-up when they realize that something ain’t right about Silver’s murder. Batman and Fudd go to Porky’s where they beat-up Yosemite Sam, Foghorn Leghorn, Sylvester, Tweety, Marvin, Taz, Daffy, and a guy who owns a frog named Michigan J Frog. Silver then makes her dramatic appearance and tells off her exes before departing for good. Porky serves up three carrot juice cocktails for Batman, Fudd, and Bugs.
–FLASHBACK: From Nightwing Vol. 4 #50. An escaped Scarecrow takes over Gotham University’s Symposium of Fear. Batman and Robin bust him. Scarecrow immediately escapes from Arkham Asylum and goes after Robin. The Boy Wonder debuts his escrima sticks and kicks Scarecrow’s ass solo.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Three Jokers #1—and referenced in Batman: Three Jokers #1. Batman fights Riddler, who wears an alternate costume and wields an electrified question mark staff. Afterward, Batman puts Riddler’s alt-costume on display (on a mannequin, complete with the electrified question mark staff) in the Batcave.
–Batman: Urban Legends #17 Part 1
In Central City, Flash busts the Rogues (Mirror Master, Trickster, and Captain Boomerang), but one member (Captain Cold) is curiously missing. That’s because Captain Cold is in Gotham. Teaming up with Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold battles Batman and steals an icy isotope from STAR Labs. Flash travels to Gotham to work the case with Batman. As they scour the city, they get to know one another better. (Flash does a good job of breaking the ice, but Batman won’t become close friends with him yet.) As Alfred serves dinner in the Batcave, Barry suggests that Bruce, Clark, and Lois go on a triple date with he and his fiancée Iris West. Soon after, Flash and Batman prevent Mr. Freeze and Captain Cold from releasing the isotope into Gotham’s water supply.
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #43-44—originally told in Batman #237. Jewish concentration camp survivor, Dr. Benjamin Gruener, goes on a killing-spree as the grim reaper-themed super-villain known as The Reaper. Batman defeats him. Don’t forget that the Reaper from the League of Assassins still exists as well, but he’s a different person. “The Reaper” is not a very original name, guys.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #44 and Batman Vol. 3 #85—originally told in Batman #256. Batman and Robin work a murder case at the circus. Coincidentally, an escaped Selina Kyle has been working at the circus under a fake identity in an effort to free the captive tigers. When Batman and Robin dig around, Selina is exposed. Debuting yet another new costume (a red, black, and blue thingy), Catwoman fights Batman, rides one of the Siberian big cats like a pony, prompting Batman to chase after her on horseback. Batman busts Catwoman then returns to flush-out and apprehend the circus murderer with Robin.
I AM A GUN
————————–the 2nd feature to Batman Vol. 3 #128
————————–the 2nd feature to Batman Vol. 3 #129
————————–the 2nd feature to Batman Vol. 3 #130
Despite a month of sci-fi brain helmet-wearing “self-therapy” designed to strengthen his mental resolve, Bruce continues to have concerns about what could happen if a villain were able to access his mind. After a session, Batman has what he thinks is a random thought of his father saying, “they’d probably throw someone like Zorro in Arkham.” Pushing the memory aside, Batman meets with Commissioner Gordon, who reports that Joker has killed a bunch of security guards, curiously leaving a very uniquely different type of rigor mortis grin, one that looks deliberately like a fake smile, on their faces. Batman catches up with Joker at a pharmaceutical company, where he has killed yet again. Joker exclaims that he is pissed that Achilles Milo supposedly “broke Batman’s brain.” As he fights Joker, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh persona, perceiving Joker as a psychological threat, begins to take over Batman’s mind. While combating Joker, Batman argues with the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, which makes it appear as though Batman is talking out loud to himself. Batman even begins hallucinating images of his mother and a sane Joker. All the while, a confused Joker takes a beating. (The Zur-En-Arrh-influenced Batman’s confrontation with Joker is also shown via flashback from the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #145 and also separately referenced in the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #145.) A concerned Batman immediately returns to the Batcave to work out the kinks of his wild alternate persona. Wearing his special sci-fi headgear, the Dark Knight attempts to wrangle control over his Zur-En-Arrh persona. As before, Batman sometimes blacks out completely, giving full control of his mind and body to the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh during these sessions. Eventually, feeling as though he is in firmer control of his backup persona, a satisfied Batman tailors a new Bat-costume with a yellow oval insignia on its chest, showing it off to Robin. Batman cites that the yellow oval will draw gunfire to his heavily armored chest, but clearly he’s been influenced by the yellow oval on the chest of the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, who still remains an active factor within his mind.
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #20, Bug! The Adventures of Forager #1, Super Sons #5, Gotham Academy: Second Semester #12, Flash Vol. 5 Annual #1, and Batman Vol. 3 #44. Having just officially switched to his yellow oval costume (as seen in “I am a Gun”), Batman makes one more tweak to his look, tailoring a new blue-and-grey costume to go with the yellow accent. Starting now, Batman will begin using only this blue-and-grey (with yellow oval) costume. He puts his old costume on display in the Batcave. (In the decades to come, Batman will put many old costumes—both his own and other Bat-Family members’ costumes—on display in the Batcave.) Moving forward, depending on the artist, Batman’s new costume will often vary in its shade of blue—but it is meant to be on the middle-to-lighter end of the spectrum.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #146 and Batman Vol. 3 #149—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #125-130, the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #136, Batman Vol. 3 #146, and Batman Vol. 3 #149. Batman blacks-out completely, once again giving full control of his mind and body to the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. With Batman’s previously-devised contingency plans in mind (literally and figuratively), the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh begins taking action. Playing Bruce, Zur-En-Arrh visits Wayne Enterprises and sets up a series of illegal secret off-shore accounts (worth billions of dollars), which he will use to fund his elaborate plans for decades to come. With this unlimited revenue stream, Zur-En-Arrh uses Amazo tech to begin constructing Failsafe, a super-powered anti-Batman robot. He also begins constructing an army of robot minions as well. He also sets anti-Justice League traps onto a specific Gotham block that is owned by Bruce—with the idea that Failsafe can lure any potential foes there if need be. The concept of a living contingency plan (the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh himself) now creating another contingency plan is not lost on the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh. As such, he wipes his own memory of the knowledge of how to defeat Failsafe. While still not 100% programmed, Failsafe goes dormant and is hidden in the Zur-En-Arrh lab, which itself is hidden behind a rock wall in the bowels of the Batcave. Failsafe is designed to activate only if it receives news reports that Batman has committed murder or turned evil. The Batman of Zur-En-Arrh pretends to be Batman, tasking Alfred with monitoring false alarms for Failsafe and overriding/resetting its pending activations. Presumably, Alfred is instructed never to speak of Failsafe in any capacity. Shortly thereafter, Batman returns to status quo with no memories of what the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh has done. Alfred will follow orders and keep the secret from Batman. Meanwhile, the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh will periodically take over Batman’s mind and body to continue programming, updating, and perfecting Failsafe and the minion-bots in the years to come. We’ll have to imagine Zur-En-Arrh taking over Batman to do this every once in a while on our timeline ahead.[10]
–Batman: Dark Patterns #1
Batman is wearing his new blue-and-grey/yellow oval duds and says he has been doing costumed vigilantism for three years, hence placement of this item here. On the police scanner, Batman hears about boys jumping in front of trains, wild dogs running loose, a building fire, and a bizarre series of torture murders. However, he’s unable to be everywhere all at once, so he chooses the latter, visiting the scene of the latest murder to examine the corpse of a Mr. Choi with forensic pathologist Dr. Sereika and Commissioner Gordon. (Unfortunately, Gordon is referred to as a lieutenant in this item, which is one of the very worst Gordon-related continuity errors on our entire timeline. Ignore.) The body is covered with needles and missing its tongue and teeth. Before departing, Batman tells Gordon that he doesn’t trust Dr. Sereika. Across town, Batman breaks into the office of the first torture murder victim (attorney Francis Oakley), fighting off a swarm of security guards in the process. Back in the Batcave, Bruce sews up a bullet wound while chatting with Alfred and doing research on the Bat-computer. Bruce learns that Oakley recently represented the other two victims (Kenneth Armitage and Choi) in court cases. Bruce realizes that the killer is murdering Oakley’s recent clients in alphabetical order. With Bruce distracted, Alfred takes over and finishes stitching him up. Batman bugs the home of the killer’s next target, Michael Gallo—a man that had run afoul of the Falcone Mob a year prior, leading to his wife’s murder and a brief association with Oakley. When Batman overhears the killer accosting Gallo, he smashes into the apartment to meet The Wound Man, a strange villain pierced with needles, nails, tacks, spikes, and rebar. After a short fight against Batman, the Wound Man flees. At Wayne Manor, Bruce reviews one of his father’s old medical books, telling Alfred that the Wound Man is modeled off pain maps from manuscripts dating back to the 14th century.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #147—and referenced in Flash Vol. 5 #21 and Flash Vol. 5 #64. Batman meticulously works on upgrading his smoke bombs in the Secret Sanctuary at Happy Harbor. Flash interrupts Batman, reminding him that he is a chemist and showing off one of his own smoke bombs. Flash tells Batman that there’s no reason they shouldn’t be good friends. From this point onward, Batman and Flash will be very close. As referenced in Flash Vol. 5 #21 and Flash Vol. 5 #64, Flash (who has always been fascinated and impressed by Batman) begins talking with Batman for hours about chemistry, evidence, and CSI stuff, something in which the other team members are less versed or interested. There has already been great public debate about who is faster, Flash or Superman, but after working with Flash in the JL crime lab, Batman instantly is more concerned with who is a better detective—himself or Flash. Batman will always admire Flash’s forensic science skills and often ponder this question.
–FLASHBACK: From Absolute Power: Origins #1—and referenced in Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular Part 1 and the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #150. Joe Chill escapes from Blackgate Penitentiary, leading to Batman busting him and finally gaining some semblance of revenge/resolution for his parents’ deaths. Batman also collects and supplies enough evidence to Commissioner Gordon to keep Chill locked in Blackgate for the rest of his life. Gordon holds a public press conference, mentioning the new evidence that proves Chill acted independently as the sole killer of the Waynes, while also declaring that “law and order has now closed one of Gotham’s most notorious cold cases.” (Prior to this, some believed that Chill—despite his confession of guilt—must have been a part of some greater conspiracy against the Waynes, but Batman and Gordon put an end to the rumors.) Notably, Gordon refers to Batman as a “confidential informant” and refuses to answer questions about “a masked vigilante acting extrajudicially.” This dialogue feels a bit Year One-ish, but this item should remain here since Batman is wearing his yellow oval costume and there is mention of Green Arrow having already debuted. (We should also mention that, in the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #150, which occurs in 2024, Bruce says that he “eventually made Joe Chill pay,” which, while vague, can only apply to this item. Furthermore, dialogue in Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular Part 1 says that Bruce is “an adult by the time [he finds his parents’ killer].” While also vague, this line could either apply to this item or to Bruce visiting Chill earlier in Year One. Interestingly, this Absolute Power: Origins #1 flashback depicting the yellow oval-wearing Batman busting Chill is wholly unique to the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Era and does not reflect any prior canon.)
–REFERENCE: In Batman/Santa Claus: Silent Knight #1. Batman tells Robin that Santa Claus is real and that he trained with him before. Dick doesn’t believe Batman and thinks he’s only joking.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Urban Legends #22 Part 4. December. With a Christmas-shopping Alfred watching, Batman stops some motorbike-riding thieves from robbing Schott’s Toy Shop. (This is one of Toyman’s old toy stores, and while he doesn’t run the company anymore, it’s pretty wild that whoever does would keep the original name. Brand recognition, I guess.) Batman gives a Batman action figure to a girl who witnesses the altercation.
–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1004. Killer Croc, Anton Arcane, and others start a full-scale riot in Arkham Asylum. While Batman contains inmates that have made it outside the walls of the building, prison director Dr. Jeremiah Arkham tries to calm the rest of the inmates with the help of his pregnant wife Dr. Ingrid Karlsson. During the chaos, Ingrid goes into labor. Joker, Harley Quinn, Clayface, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and Solomon Grundy show a softer side, helping Ingrid deliver a healthy baby girl, who she names Astrid Arkham. Unfortunately, a random rioting inmate throws one of Batman’s discarded Batarangs at Ingrid, killing her instantly. Saddened, the inmates return to their cells. From this point forward, Astrid will basically live at Arkham Asylum and be “raised” by all of Batman’s rogues. Having now met Dr. Arkham, we can presume that Batman does some homework on him, learning all he can about the man who runs the asylum.
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- [1]COLLIN COLSHER / MARTÍN LEL: Here are the cold hard facts about Tom King’s “War of Jokes and Riddles.” The Bat and the Cat (who wears a later costume) are very clearly a sexual item (thus placing it after King’s other Catwoman stories, including Killing Time). Most of the Bat-rogues have debuted already, including Deathstroke and Poison Ivy, who have both encountered Robin by this point. Jim Gordon is commissioner. Batman is already in the Justice League. Oswald Cobblepot is Penguin. While not directly mentioned by the “Penguin” name, Oswald wears a top hat and monocle (in Batman Vol. 3 #25), wields a potentially fireproof umbrella as a shield (in Batman Vol. 3 #25), points an umbrella either in preparation to use it as a gun or shield (in Batman Vol. 3 #29), and contributes non-lethal penguin commandos (á la Batman Returns) to his team (in Batman Vol. 3 #30), so he’s definitely Penguin! In general, this arc feels like a later story, not a Year One or Year Two story. These undeniable facts help us place this item. Of course, there are the usual King continuity snarls that must be addressed before diving in, but there are actually far less to deal with here than if we were to place this story earlier. Batman, narrating from decades in the future, recalls this event as happening roughly a “year after first donning the cowl.” We are obviously well past that point, so this line can be chalked up to Batman’s bad memory or, better still, to the fact that King always gets numbers incorrect. Likewise, we should ignore King’s specific April 8 to June 2 setting (56 day duration) for this item, which was originally referenced via victim collages in both Batman Vol. 3 #26 and Batman Vol. 3 #32. I have our version of “War of Jokes and Riddles” occurring in January through February, spanning closer to five-and-a-half weeks (around 38 days) in duration. There’s simply no room for it to run any longer that than. (We are operating under the belief that King himself, with each new entry into this era of Batman’s life, retconned his own timeline over the years, shortening his previous works—”War of Jokes and Riddles” included. We’ll explore this idea further in the following footnote attached to this item. However, if you don’t subscribe to that concept, then you have to envision a timeline that has “War of Jokes and Riddles” going from January into March, thus likely causing multiple other stories to be compressed or sandwiched into very tight spaces. That’s your personal headcanon call.) Additionally, King tells us that Riddler has been imprisoned for almost a year, which simply cannot be true since he appears in other recent stories prior to this. Robin isn’t featured or mentioned in this item, but that doesn’t mean he’s not around. It’s entirely possible that Batman keeps him out of harms’ way for this deadly affair. Last but certainly not least, the colossal elephant in the room is Penguin being ostensibly shown as Carmine Falcone’s lackey. When we last saw Falcone, he had been betrayed by Cobblepot and sent to prison. However, since this story definitively features Penguin, we must assume what occurs regularly to all of Gotham’s villains has happened to Falcone—he’s gotten out of jail and exacted some measure of revenge on Penguin, making him his lackey once again. Another possibility is that Penguin has somehow (for whatever reason) deliberately wormed his way back into Falcone’s inner circle. Either way, it’s ridiculous that Falcone and Penguin would be paired up here after all that’s occurred between them—and yet, here they are, so we must either ignore Penguin being a part of this story altogether or we need a fanwank. It’s very probable that, when King first wrote “War of Jokes and Riddles,” his intention was for the super-villain war itself to influence Cobblepot to become Penguin. (Cobblepot starts as Falcone’s colorless lackey, then Joker recruits him, then he becomes Penguin after meeting all the outlandish rogues.) The subtext is clearly there. However, King’s more fleshed-out Penguin origin from The Penguin overwrites all of that.↩
- [2]TODD CUNNINGHAM / COLLIN COLSHER: At the time of writing “War of Jokes and Riddles,” Tom King clearly had originally envisioned Oswald Cobblepot as not yet having been Penguin (or at least not a full-fledged super-villain during the opening half of the war), instead portraying him as still partnered with Carmine Falcone. It seems that King later tried to dovetail The Penguin with his “War of Jokes and Riddles” narrative, placing the latter just prior to Cobblepot helping Batman bring down Falcone (in the former). However, the cherrypicking of the Penguin/Falcone arc for this particular part of the narrative never took into account the myriad other interconnected characters in other stories (some also penned by King himself). As such, if we don’t ignore Penguin/Falcone in “War of Jokes and Riddles,” then, as stated already, there needs to be a huge fanwank to explain their paradoxical partnership at this juncture. Here’s the huge fanwank. It’s a stretch, but maybe Penguin pays Falcone a big enough fine to be forgiven for the earlier betrayal. After Long Halloween, Falcone must surely be hurting financially, so a big enough payout might suffice for an apology. On top of that, Falcone might see the benefit of Oswald having Batman’s ear. And, if Penguin and Falcone let bygones be bygones, maybe Penguin can direct Batman’s attention towards other mobsters (and away from Falcone). The alternative would be for Penguin and Falcone to go to war with each other, which wouldn’t be good for either party. After Falcone was released from prison, it’s possible he had a (probably tense) sit down discussion with Penguin where they had a frank conversation about current power dynamics—discussing the way Penguin had been treated in the past, how they are equals now, how Penguin has a direct link to Batman, what each party needed to do in order to “make it right” with each other (financially, other assurances, etc), and what needed to be done moving forward. Again, they would surely both agree that a full on war isn’t good for either of them, so a meeting of this nature could have potentially led to them reluctantly shaking hands.↩
- [3]COLLIN COLSHER / DYLAN HALL: “War of Jokes and Riddles” was released in issues of Batman Vol. 3 from August through December 2017, mere five months after the official end of the New 52 (“Superman Reborn,” March 2017). Because of the close proximity to the end of the New 52, there’s a really good chance that author Tom King and some members of DC editorial were still operating with a modified New 52-ish timeline while conceiving “War of Jokes and Riddles.” This could explain why King, throughout his Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Era run on Batman Vol. 3 (which spanned 2017 through 2020), ostensibly had the Justice League, Robin, and Cat/Bat relationship all happening within Batman’s first year (which is where the Batman Chronology Project had previously placed these items at one point, mostly in accordance with “War of Jokes and Riddles” and the rest of King’s run). Over the years, King kept adding more and more tales to this era of Batman’s life, doing so in such a way that it almost feels like he has retconned his own stories. The messy King has shown time-and-time again that he doesn’t seem to care about time specificity (despite consistently using very specific dates and times). If the author doesn’t seem to care, then there’s no reason we shouldn’t compress “War of Jokes and Riddles” in order to accommodate everything else on the timeline (including King’s own other stories). Keeping “War of Jokes and Riddles” in Year Two would drag a ton of later material (again, even King’s own other stories) into the earliest part of the chronology, fattening and exploding Year One, thus causing the very foundation of the entire timeline to collapse. Furthermore, one could make an argument that King’s timeline was forcibly retconned (after its conclusion) in 2020 due to overarching editorial mandates stemming from Doomsday Clock fallout and Dark Nights: Death Metal.↩
- [4]COLLIN COLSHER: Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 Part 2 contains a two-page non-story section called “Lessons in Friendship with Oliver Queen!” that shows various copy-pasted images from Green Arrow comics from yesteryear, including a few panels of Green Arrow interacting with Batman from the Silver and Modern Ages. This section, which isn’t listed in the table of contents, is meant only to be a brief look back at old Green Arrow stories in celebration of the character’s 80th anniversary. As such, we shouldn’t take this section as an indicator of canonization.↩
- [5]COLLIN COLSHER: The idea of Batman having anti-JL contingency weapons originally comes from Mark Waid’s JLA “Tower of Babel” story arc (2000). The anti-JL contingency briefcases come directly from Geoff Johns’ Forever Evil (2013-2014). Peter Tomasi references the briefcases in Superman Vol. 4 #37 (2018) and references “Tower of Babel” in Challenge of the Super Sons #9 (2021). Scott Snyder’s Batman Vol. 2 “Endgame” arc (2014), Bryan Hitch’s Justice League Vol. 3 “Legacy” arc (2017), and Peter Tomasi’s Super Sons #16 (2018) all include additional anti-JL contingency weapons as well. For the purposes of our timeline, I’ve mashed all the weapons together in order to be as inclusive as possible.↩
- [6]COLLIN COLSHER: Note that Strange Adventures Vol. 5 is a Black Label title, meaning that its canonicity could go either way. Writer Tom King has even said that it’s really up to the reader or other creators as to whether or not Strange Adventures is canon. Since there is nothing within the arc that seems to contradict continuity, I’ve regarded it as canon. Bear this in mind as you regard future instances of this title.↩
- [7]COLLIN COLSHER: In current continuity, the only example of Batman being specifically being captured and made into an attempted ritual sacrifice (prior to 2022) is during his Omega Sanction time-jaunt when the Black Glove tries to kill him. Even the Dynamic Duo’s major cult opponents—the cult of the Mad Monk, Kobra cult, Church of Blood, Religion of Crime, Order of St. Dumas, Deacon Blackfire’s cult, False Face Society, etc—won’t really attempt to sacrifice them. Yes, they will definitely try to kill Batman and Robin, but not via ritualistic sacrifice. In fact, while there are plenty of instances of Batman and Robin dealing with cults sacrificing other people, there are only a few prior-continuity instances of Batman and/or Robin themselves winding up captive and in a ritualistic sacrifice situation (aside from the aforementioned Black Glove incident and Detective Comics #107). Theses instances include Batman #142 Part 3 (versus Dr. Hartley’s cult), The Brave and The Bold #98 (versus Clorinda and Enoch’s coven of witches), Batman #271 (versus a Vedic Agni-worshipping cult), and Batman Annual #27 and Detective Comics Annual #11 (versus La Saligia).↩
- [8]COLLIN COLSHER: One of Hawkman’s prior incarnations was Katar Hol of the Thanagarian Hawk-Police (aka the Wingmen). This incarnation occurred at a point well before his days with the Justice League. In fact, it occurred prior to the late 19th century, which is where our oft-resurrected warrior first became his current self, Hawkman Carter Hall. In regard to Hawkman’s secret identity, he uses “Carter Hall” on Earth and “Katar Hol” (the same ancestral name of his prior incarnation) on Thanagar.↩
- [9]COLLIN COLSHER: In the Silver/Bronze Age, Zatanna debuted with her classic fishnet/tuxedo/top hat costume (her 1960s and 1970s look), then later briefly switched to a red-and-black caped look (in the late 1970s), after which she switched to a blue-and-white caped outfit (her 1980s look). On our contemporary timeline, Zatanna still debuted with her classic original look, but she then switched to the red-and-black duds, followed now by the blue-and-white duds. However, unlike in prior continuities, Zatanna will wear both of these costumes interchangeably for the following years to come before eventually settling back on something akin to her original fishnet/tuxedo/top hat look.↩
- [10]NICO / COLLIN COLSHER: Batman Vol. 3 #127 implies that the start of Zur-En-Arrh’s creation of Failsafe is in close proximity to Batman’s creation of anti-JL contingency plans. While Batman blacks out every time Zur-En-Arrh works on Failsafe, Failsafe is essentially Batman’s subconscious contingency plan for himself. Notably, the full creation of Failsafe will be a long process that takes many years. Because Chip Zdarsky’s narrative surrounding Failsafe is a bit vague when it comes to details (and because the Failsafe-building process takes so long), its origin could technically first occur at any moment following “I am a Gun” (Zdarsky’s Zur-En-Arrh arc), even a few years down the road. However, it makes the most sense to go here, near to “I am a Gun.”↩
