Rebirth Year One

Rebirth Era (Post-“Superman Reborn”) Chronology

________________________________________________________________________________________

YEAR ONE (2002)

_____________________________________________________________________________

–Batman: The Knight #10 Part 2
Picking up directly from the previous Argentinian flashback (from Batman Vol. 3 #105 and DC: Love is a Battlefield #1 Part 1), Bruce returns to Gotham via plane.^[1] (A flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #53 shows Bruce alighting at Gotham Airport, which directly mirrors Frank Miller’s “Year One.”) Having finished five years of training abroad, Bruce arrives (via taxi) completely unannounced, surprising Alfred Pennyworth at Wayne Manor. (Flashbacks from Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1 and Strange Love Adventures #1 Part 6 also show Bruce surprising Alfred, although the latter mistakenly occurs in the doorway to Wayne Manor instead of the driveway.) Bruce tells Alfred about his training and nascent plans to fight crime—the primary mission being to ensure no one is hurt like he was when his parents were killed. Bruce also inviolably vows never to use guns or lethal tactics, reflecting a promise he made to his mentor Luka Jungo. (Bruce telling Alfred about his training and future plans is also referenced in All-Star Batman #10-12, All-Star Batman #14, Batman Vol. 3 #24, Detective Comics #996, and Robin Vol. 3 #9.) Alfred tells Bruce that his ex-girlfriend Dana Dunlop is now working for Lex Luthor‘s brand new company, LexCorp. (Luthor is a dapper, perspicacious, and crooked business tycoon, who also moonlights as a gaudy costumed super-villain.) Bruce officially moves back into his parents’ palatial mansion, becoming seigneur of the estate. Restless, Bruce rappels down into the caves beneath Wayne Manor.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 Annual #2 Part 1. Bruce puts his mother’s pearl into a safe in Wayne Manor.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Killing Time #1 and Batman: Killing Time #3. Not wanting Ra’s al Ghul’s Eye of Christ artifact close to him, but unwilling to fully part with it, Bruce stores it in a security vault in a bank thirty miles outside of Gotham.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #124—and referenced in Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Spectacular Part 1. Bruce sneaks into Blackgate Penitentiary with plans to get ultimate revenge upon Joe Chill. However, upon seeing him in his cell, Bruce backs down and leaves before doing something he’ll regret. (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 vague, this dialogue could either apply to this item or to Batman finally confronting and busting the escaped Chill later in Year Five.)

–REFERENCE: In The Penguin #6. Bruce examines Gotham Bank’s security system, secretly adding his own security layer.

–REFERENCE: In DC New Talent Showcase 2018 #1 Part 1. To put a capstone on his training, a brash Bruce designs some special hang-gliding gear, climbs to the top of Wayne Tower, and does a base-jump off the top. Bruce suffers a concussion and a dislocated shoulder. Alfred is livid.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #38, All-Star Batman #10, Detective Comics #967, Detective Comics #973, Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #10, Flash Vol. 5 Annual #1, The Batman Who Laughs #3, Young Justice Vol. 3 #3, Batman: Killing Time #4, and I am Batman #17. Bruce becomes the head of his family’s wealthy global corporate business, Wayne Enterprises. (His uncle Philip Kane had been running the company since his parents’ deaths.) Bruce immediately promotes his friend Lucius Fox, a twelve-year veteran of Wayne Enterprises, to a top executive-level position. Lucius will directly oversee day-to-day business affairs for the company. (While unsure of Bruce’s connection to vigilantism, Lucius will, moving forward, often work on special top secret vigilante-related projects.) Bruce meets the Board of Directors, which includes fellow company shareholders Ronald Warner, David, and Julian. (Bruce and Warner will become professionally close over the years, with Warner coming to strongly admire Bruce.) Via its subsidiaries WayneTech and Wayne Industries, the parent corporation has controlling interests in finance, manufacturing, energy, tech, R&D, real estate, construction, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and hospitality. WayneTech owns hotels, factories, refineries, hospitals, banks, and chemical plants all over the world. It also specializes in Internet-related services and products like the WayneNet search engine. Via its subsidiary known as The Thomas and Martha Wayne Foundation (aka The Wayne Foundation), the parent corporation is involved in charity, medical care, philanthropy, human rights, animal rights, and social activism. (Moving forward, Bruce will be as personally involved with the Wayne Foundation as time will allow.)

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #63, Batman Vol. 3 #93, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #14, Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #42, Gotham Academy: Second Semester #11, Deathstroke Vol. 4 #34-35, Trinity Vol. 2 #14, Detective Comics #1001, Detective Comics Annual #2 (2019), The Batman Who Laughs #1-3, The Batman Who Laughs #6, Flash Vol. 5 #65, Event Leviathan #4, Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #10, Batman Vol. 3 #119, Gotham City: Year One #6, Batman Vol. 3 #137, and Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1. After surveying the caverns underneath the Wayne Manor property, Bruce and Alfred draw up plans for a secret lair. (Unknown to Bruce and Alfred, in the 1950s and early 1960s, Bruce’s dishonorable grandfather Richard Bruce Wayne used part of the caverns as a secret trophy room, which connected into Wayne Manor from below.) As preparation for all things vigilante-related, Bruce turns the Wayne Foundation into a front, moving its entire portfolio into multiple offshore bank accounts under different aliases. Through these exchanges, Bruce will be able to hide hundreds of millions of dollars he will spend on vigilante-related projects. One major pitfall of this complicated top secret financial setup is that it potentially puts all of Wayne Enterprises (and Bruce’s personal fortune) at risk since the legit corporation is essentially run by a constellation of illegal shell companies. In addition to this complicated pecuniary framework, Batman initiates other contingencies and securities to protect the flow of money that will be required to fund his war on crime. As further prep for his underground HQ, Bruce and Alfred hire a Wayne Enterprises construction crew. (The crew will work on some of the various projects below, and Bruce and Alfred will keep them guessing when it comes to the reasoning behind the strange jobs.) First, local access roads leading to the Wayne property are repaved using CBR geo-synthetics for load bearing and noise dampening. Soil is spread across the new roads in order to make them look old. After this, Bruce and Alfred build a preserve for the bats (to reduce methane levels) and erect a large foundry inside the cavern. (Note that the underground HQ is literally a bat cave, meaning that no matter how many Chiroptera go in the preserve, there will still be a ton flying around and living within the cavern proper.) Bruce and Alfred then begin building their underground HQ, which will eventually have a garage filled with weaponized cars, a fully-equipped state-of-the-art crime lab, science lab (complete with white lab coats!), industrial design studio, medical bay, weapons depot, training facility, library, and kitchenette. Bruce heavily-secures and camouflages multiple hidden entrances to the underground HQ and then uses computer tech to erase geological records of the cave, which connects to larger waterways via underground rivers. False seismic echo generators are implemented to fool any future radio frequencies, ground-penetrating radar, or micro-gravity scanning. Additionally, Bruce installs holographic 3D surveillance cameras and laser cannons into the underground HQ. Going the full distance in regard to security, Bruce and Alfred set up satellite concealers, effectively blacking-out GPS for a two mile radius around the property. Bruce and Alfred also begin building a labyrinth of impenetrable false cavern walls into the accessible jigsaw catacombs adjacent to the underground HQ. Bruce also builds multiple hidden passageways from the underground HQ to Wayne Manor above—the most famous of which lies behind a grandfather clock in one of the living rooms. One of these hidden passageways can also be activated from a secret switch inside a bust of Shakespeare. The Shakespeare switch opens a passageway to firefighter poles that can be used to slide down to the underground HQ. Also note that Wayne Manor already has several hidden rooms and passageways thanks to a wild design by eccentric occult architect Ambroos Lydecker, who also designed Gotham Academy and Arkham Asylum. Bruce exploits some of these passageways by connecting them to the undergorund HQ. (Gotham Academy is one of Gotham’s most prestigious high schools. Elizabeth Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane—or simply Arkham Asylum for short—is Gotham’s most notorious prison. It is owned and operated by the Arkham family, who also owned the now-defunct Arkham Home in Innsmouth, MA.) Batman and Alfred then make a defense map of the Wayne property (including the caverns below), breaking down specific zones into designated “security sectors.” This security map will be passed down to all close allies in the future. And last but not least, in regard to the underground HQ, Bruce gives himself a special personal code that can lock down all primary entrances. Bruce and Alfred will work on constructing the underground HQ over the course of the rest of the calendar year. They will have building materials delivered to the property under the guise of massive renovations to Wayne Manor.^[2]

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #18. Bruce becomes a stockholder in the Daily Planet, an international news media outlet based out of Metropolis.

–REFERENCE: In Wonder Woman Vol. 5 Annual #1 Part 1 and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #18. Along with the rest of the world, Bruce learns about and sees first images of Metropolis’ recently debuted Man of Steel, Superman (Kal-El/Clark Kent). Becoming instantly obsessed, Batman begins remotely tracking Superman’s movements and trying to figure out as much as he can about him. While we won’t see it on our timeline specifically, Batman will dedicate a lot of time toward monitoring Superman for months to come.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #5 Part 3. Bruce reunites with his old friend Harvey Dent, who is now Gotham’s district attorney, and meets his fiancée Gilda Gold.

–REFERENCE: In All-Star Batman #11, Detective Comics #999, and Batman Vol. 3 #142-144—originally told in “ZERO YEAR: SECRET CITY.”^[3] Despite not having a 100% concrete plan, an obstinate Bruce decides to take his first action. “Unfocused and daring the world to kill him,” Bruce recklessly tests his mettle against Gotham’s vilest crew—The Red Hood Gang (led by The Red Hood i.e. likely the man who will later become the Criminal version of Joker). It’s also possible that there is/was another Red Hood leader prior to the man who will later become Joker.^[4] Unknown to Bruce, several Red Hood members are Gotham cops, including Matthew McLeod, Manny Garbis, Blair, and Danny. Other Red Hood members are regular joes like Brian Biggling, who are simply trying to make some extra cash. In his war against the Red Hoods, Bruce is guided by Alfred, who helps with disguise and makeup. Moving forward, Alfred will often instruct Bruce in matters of disguise. Alfred is a complex individual. In these early days, he’ll be outwardly and vocally reluctant to support Bruce’s dangerous war on crime, yet he’ll always be Bruce’s biggest enabler, helping him every step of the way. While we won’t see it on our timeline ahead, Bruce will challenge the Red Hood Gang on-and-off. Additionally, Bruce now begins getting to know every inch of the city of Gotham inside-and-out. Moving forward, Bruce will gain intimate (and continuously updated) knowledge of the towers, cathedrals, tenements, streets, alleys, shops, and neighborhoods of Gotham.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #66, Batman Vol. 3 #79, Batman Vol. 3 #85, Detective Comics Annual #3 (2020) Part 2, Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 2, and Strange Love Adventures #1 Part 6—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #34, Batman Vol. 3 #37, Batman Vol. 3 #50, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #2 Part 1, Detective Comics #999, and Robin Vol. 3 #9. Originally told in Devin Grayson’s Batman Secret Files and Origins #1 Part 1 and Frank Miller’s “BATMAN: YEAR ONE Part 1” (Batman #404). Bruce continues intensive training at Wayne Manor, which involves kicking through fully grown trees. Bruce will continue his patented tree-kicking technique throughout his life. Bruce also creates a proto-utility belt. On a Sunday night, Alfred sees off Bruce, who goes on a test patrol wearing an all black outfit with a black ski mask and his proto-utility belt. Bruce sloppily bests some robbers outside of a warehouse but gets injured. Bruce returns home and into the care of Alfred, who patches him up. A similar evening of vigilantism ensues on Monday night. On Tuesday night, under Alfred’s guidance, Bruce disguises himself as a homeless army vet (complete with a fake scar on his face) and heads to the rough East End neighborhood. On the street, Bruce runs afoul of Stan the Pimp and gets stabbed by young orphan Holly Robinson. This leads to a fight against Holly’s friend, martial arts expert and sex worker Selina Kyle. (Selina is eighteen-years-old, turning nineteen this year.) Selina and Holly see through Bruce’s disguise, recognizing him as a celebrity. The injured Bruce fends-off Selina but gets shot by cops and thrown into a squad car. En route to the police station, Bruce causes the car to crash. He saves the cops’ lives and then retreats home.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #994, Detective Comics Annual #3 (2020) Part 2, and Batman Giant #2—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #94, Batman: Lost #1, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #3, Detective Comics #999, Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1, Robin Vol. 3 #9, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #7 Part 1, Outsiders Vol. 5 #3, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #13 Part 4. Originally told in Frank Miller’s “BATMAN: YEAR ONE Part 1” (Batman #404). A very badly injured Bruce, having just retreated home after his nearly fatal misadventure in Gotham’s East End, sits contemplatively in Wayne Manor. (Note that the flashback from Batman Giant #2 shows Bruce wearing a robe, which is incorrect.) Inspired by a bat crashing through his window, Bruce swears an oath to his father to become a bat-costumed vigilante. Unknown to Bruce, the bat is none other than the Dark Multiverse’s devil-god Barbatos. (Barbatos, as of yet unable to break free from the Dark Multiverse, can and will, on occasion, wield enough power to control a person or animal. Such is the case now.)^[5] Bruce rings his bell, summoning Alfred to his save his life. Alfred drags the bloody Bruce upstairs to his bedroom and administers medical treatment.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics Annual #3 (2020) Part 2 and Batman Vol. 3 #119—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #21-24, Batman Vol. 3 #53, Batman Vol. 3 #90, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #3, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, All-Star Batman #10-11, Dark Days: The Forge #1, Superman Vol. 4 #25, Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #7, Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #25, Detective Comics #959, Detective Comics #982, Detective Comics #988-989, Justice League Vol. 3 #24, Trinity Vol. 2 #11-14, Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #14, Dark Nights: Metal #2, Deathstroke Vol. 4 #30, The Brave and The Bold: Batman and Wonder Woman #3, Batman: Kings of Fear #1, Nightwing Vol. 4 #50, Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #58, Detective Comics #992-994, Detective Comics #1002, Detective Comics #1008-1009, Superman: Leviathan Rising #1, Event Leviathan #1, Dial H for Hero #5, Batman Giant #5 (Batman: Universe #2), Batman Giant Vol. 2 #5 Part 1 (Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #7), Justice League Vol. 4 #52, Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #5, Batman: Knightwatch – Batman Day Special Edition #1 (Batman: Knightwatch #1), Detective Comics #1044, Batman: Urban Legends #11 Part 4, Batman Vol. 3 #121, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #2, Batman: Knightwatch #4 Part 2, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #18, Batman: Urban Legends #19 Part 5, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #6 Part 1, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5, and Detective Comics #1090. A day after his near fatal East End adventure and subsequent “I shall become a bat” experience, Bruce wakes up with a new mission and sketches a blueprint for a costume designed to strike fear into the hearts of criminals. (The costume is partially based upon Bruce’s father’s old bat masquerade costume.) In their underground HQ, Bruce reveals to Alfred that he will become a bat. At this point, the underground HQ becomes known as the Batcave. While still outwardly reluctant, Alfred tailors the heavily armored high-tech Bat-costume (grey with a black bat chest insignia and purple gloves) and cowl. (Note that Alfred also tailors three different grey-and-black costumes—one with an underwear-on-the-outside look, one without, and one with ribbed padding on the arms and legs. He’ll wear these interchangeably, moving forward. Likewise, in these early days, Batman will wear either his purple gloves or standard black gauntlet gloves with razor-sharp forearm scallops. Not to mention, some of his cowls will have different ear lengths and styles, and the ears will function as communications antennae. Every iteration of the Bat-costume, from now until the end of his career, will have fireproofing, Chobham armor, hermetic sealing capability, and a cape that can turn into a high-altitude glider.) Second, Bruce finalizes a series of utility belts (based upon the proto-utility belt he’s already used) to wear with his new costumes. The finalized utility belts will contain just about anything you can imagine a well-prepared Batman would have, including incendiaries, smoke pellets, flash grenades, shrapnel bombs, infrasound sonic weaponry, a sonic device that attracts bats, rope, various carpentry tools, mini grappling gun, net launcher, tranquilizer gun (with various dart types), bolas (with mini bola gun), protective anti-magick talismans, cellphone, tablet computer, Bat-symbol-shaped headlamp, high voltage tasers, knives, tear gas, laser, Penthrane sleeping gas, gas mask, an EMP device that can temporarily kill electric signals, a GPS tracker connected to plantable mini-tracers, various extending/collapsable weapons (including a truncheon), computer hacking toolkit, multi-lens flashlights, forensic kit, surgical/autopsy tools, handcuffs, chemical sniffer device, bio-life radar detector/health scanner, generic anti-neurotoxin spray, snack bars, hydration kit, pen, notepad, liquid nitrogen capsules, digital compass, tape, medical/first aid kit, adhesive bat-symbol calling cards, smart-watch communicators, and electrified brass knuckles. (This is a lot of stuff—so, while we can definitely suspend our disbelief when it comes to how much Bruce can carry around with him on a nightly basis, we have to imagine that each patrol will have a different combination of utility belt items.) Various utility belts will be kept on display in the Batcave, moving forward. With his costumes and utility belts complete, Batman is officially born.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics Annual #3 (2020) Part 2 and Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU #5—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #21-26, Batman Vol. 3 #53, All-Star Batman #10-11, Action Comics #980, Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #22, New Super-Man #17, Flash Vol. 5 #46, Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #41, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #3, Batman: Kings of Fear #6, Batman: Pennyworth RIP #1, and Batman: The Detective #1-5, and Red Hood: The Hill #3. A day after finalizing his costume, Batman maps out a meticulous schedule to go on his first ever patrol. Despite still outwardly disapproving, Alfred acts as field surgeon and tactical point-man, backing Batman’s incipient operations. Alfred will sometimes (but not always) use the radio call-name “Penny-One” while communicating with Batman. On his first night out, Batman saves a couple from some gang members dressed up as evil clowns. Batman gets stabbed in the arm during the confrontation, so he retreats home. After getting patched up by Alfred, Batman switches to his undamaged alternate underwear-on-the-outside costume, swinging right back out into the  dark Gotham night. While patrolling, Batman is a bit shaky and accidentally fires his grappling gun through a window. From this point forward, Batman will begin routine nightly patrols, based (when possible) on a predetermined route and tight schedule. Alfred will constantly stitch-up the broken Batman as well as have debriefings with him, following patrols. That gem Alfred will also constantly clean-up after the messy and inconsiderate Batman when he returns home from patrol. Alfred will be in charge of mending damaged costumes, fueling-up all the vehicles, re-filling the utility belt, and fine-tuning weaponry. We will simply have to imagine both the patrols and patrol-related occurrences sprinkled throughout our timeline below, although Batman’s MO will be to operate primarily during nighttime hours. Batman will face countless thieves, muggers, and all types of criminals on his near-daily patrols, moving forward for the rest of his career. By the end of his illustrious career, he will have saved thousands of lives—millions if we count how many times he will save entire cities or even planets. Also note that Batman now begins the tedious practice of retrieving as much of his left-behind weaponry as he possibly can following each fight.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics Annual #3 (2020) Part 2—and referenced in Blue Beetle Vol. 9 #4, Detective Comics #1055, Batman: Urban Legends #22 Part 4, and DC’s Ghouls Just Wanna Have Fun #1 Part 8. The day after his first patrol, Batman makes national headlines, appearing as the cover story in the tabloid Arkham Post. From this point forward, photos of Batman will be shown on video and published online and in print newspapers, tabloids, and magazines fairly regularly. The stories will be a mix of negative and positive.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics Annual #3 (2020) Part 2. One night after his first patrol, Batman—in his purple glove outfit—descends upon the city for his second night of action. As the surprised firefighters of the Gotham City Fire Department watch in disbelief, Batman saves a child from a burning building. Injured, Batman returns home and rings his bell. Alfred comes running and saves his life as usual.

–FLASHBACK: From The Penguin #6—and referenced in The Penguin #6. Oswald Cobblepot, a rotund diminutive waiter at Carmine “The Roman” Falcone‘s Iceberg Lounge (aka Ice Berg Lounge aka Iceberg Lounge and Casino), endures various abuses by Falcone himself. (Falcone is patriarch of the notorious Falcone family and head of the primarily Italian-American criminal organization known as the Falcone Mob, which is Gotham’s number one mafia group. Cobblepot himself was born unto the wealthy Cobblepot family, but he was given up for adoption at a young age, forcing him into a lower class upbringing.)^[6] After work, Cobblepot returns home to his elderly foster mother Fran Georgi, who exclaims excitedly that she has just seen Batman, who stopped on their roof while on patrol. A couple days later, Batman prevents some of Falcone’s men from robbing Gotham Bank, although he doesn’t know they work for Falcone. Cobblepot leaves a note for Batman, arranging a meeting. After some cursory research on Cobblepot, Batman chats with him, agreeing to let him be his secret informant inside the Falcone organization. While we won’t see all of their communications listed on our timeline, Cobblepot now begins snitching to Batman on a consistent basis, although for the first month, it’ll mostly be information that isn’t very important. And while we also won’t see it on our timeline ahead, Batman will constantly tail Cobblepot, learning more about his motivations. Batman will also familiarize himself with the Iceberg Lounge.

–FLASHBACK: From Justice League Vol. 4 #51, The Joker Vol. 2 #15, Batman Vol. 3 #135 (Batman #900), Batman Vol. 3 #142, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5—and referenced in Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1. Originally told in “ZERO  YEAR” (Batman Vol. 2 #24 Part 1) and Batman: The Killing Joke. (This item is a mash-up of Joker’s Modern Age and New 52 origins.) Batman—in his costume with purple ribbed-padding—takes down the Red Hood Gang (led by the Red Hood i.e. likely the man who will soon become the Criminal version of Joker) in an epic battle at Ace Chemicals (aka ACE Chemical Processing Plant).^[7] Batman prevents the group from detonating a bomb that would have killed thousands. During the fight, Philip Kane is killed and the Red Hood himself falls into a vat of toxic waste. (Of course, the Red Hood here is merely a patsy—a local unnamed comedian that is playing the role of the Red Hood.)^[8] After crawling out of the chemicals, the man playing Red Hood finds himself forever changed. With bleached skin and green hair, he has now become Joker! Notably, as referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #135 (Batman#900) and Batman Vol. 3 #142, Joker’s true transformation into pure evil is due to the time-traveling, mind-invading, multiversial influence of Darwin Halliday aka Red Mask, a villain from the future of an alternate Earth. Halliday’s cosmic meddling not only makes Joker evil (more evil?), but it also creates two nearly identical Joker doppelgängers: a Joker copy called “The Criminal” and another Joker copy called “The Clown.” As stated earlier, the Criminal is likely the Red Hood leader Batman faced earlier in the year, a man with a long gangster history in Gotham. This means Halliday’s cosmic manipulation somehow turns other people that are connected to the Red Hood Gang into the other two Jokers. (The Clown’s identity is unknown, although he’s possibly another prior Red Hood leader or gang member.) Upon gathering themselves, the three Jokers become aware of one another, and they immediately begin a brutal fight to the death! Only one is left alive. Presumably, the other two slide into the toxic sludge from which they crawled. Confused, the sole Joker visits a random housewife, addressing her as if she were his wife, although he calls her Sally when his wife’s name is actually Jeannie. (This points toward the remaining Joker as the Comedian, but his messing up the name gives some doubt. Writer Chip Zdarsky’s idea here is probably an attempt to keep Joker’s origin as “multiple choice.” Could the sole Joker be the Comedian? The Criminal? Less likely the Clown, but who knows?) In any case, the last Joker standing seems to have the personalities of the Comedian, Criminal, and Clown within him, although they are schizophrenically muddled and seem to torture his fragile mind.^{[9][10][11][12]} A befuddled Joker then kills some folks to take over their apartment, where he’ll live in solitude for the next six months. Meanwhile, Batman tests compounds in the toxic vat at Ace Chemicals and chats with GCPD Detective Lieutenant Jim Gordon, who has recently moved back to Gotham from Chicago along with this pregnant wife Barbara Gordon and daughter Barbara “Babs” Gordon. (Once upon a time, Gordon was a rookie cop in Gotham, even present at the Wayne murders, but he moved to Chicago shortly after the tragedy.) Despite not having found a body, Batman tells Gordon he believes the Red Hood leader is dead. (Note that, in the first three years of our chronology, Gordon’s hair color will vary from grey to red. As in previous continuities, we should either ignore this or assume that he sometimes dyes his hair.) Batman scours the area, finding only the Red Hood’s helmet left behind. Batman keeps the helmet as a trophy. This will be the start of Batman’s ever-growing trophy collection. (A rather confusing flashback from Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5, which we can attach to this item, shows Batman thinking for the first time about starting a trophy collection in the empty Batcave.) Notably, the exact arrangement of trophies will be in near-constant flux, thus accounting for myriad artistic liberties that will be taken in conjunction with the display of the trophies in the decades to follow. Shortly after starting his trophy collection, Bruce attends a funeral for Philip Kane.

–REFERENCE: In DC’s Harley Quinn Romances #1 Part 2. February 14. Valentine’s Day. Batman patrols, in what turns out to be his busiest night of action so far. DC’s Harley Quinn Romances #1 Part 2 tells us that Valentine’s Day is the second busiest night of the year for crime in Gotham (second only to Christmas Eve). We’ll have to imagine that Batman steps up his game each 14th of February, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #8 Part 1. While Lucius Fox believes it’s a complete waste of money, Bruce founds WayneSpace, a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises that deals in aerospace engineering. Batman will apply WayneSpace developments in fireproofing technology to his costume for many years to come. We’ll have to imagine these upgrades happening periodically.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: The World Part 4. Bruce briefly rekindles his relationship with Julie Madison. She convinces him to take a short vacation with her to Rome. While there, the restless Bruce sneaks out of their hotel room to patrol in his ribbed padding Bat-costume. Batman rescues a boy named Cesare and his parents from a mugger. Afterward, Batman chats with Cesare. Knowing that he won’t be able to date like a civilian, Bruce breaks it off with Julie. Moving forward, Batman will keep tabs on Cesare.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #37, Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #22, Green Arrow Vol. 6 #29, Nightwing Vol. 4 #32, Batman and The Outsiders Vol. 3 #4, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, Batman: The World Part 10, Batman Vol. 3 #125, Batman: Urban Legends #19 Part 5, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #10 Part 1, Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #10, and Detective Comics #1090. In order to mask any possible connections to Batman, Bruce begins publicly acting as a wild socialite playboy. As part of his dissipation act, an abstemious Bruce will often feign being drunk, secretly chugging ginger-ale instead of booze. (Bruce started this ginger-ale trick a while ago, and he’s been using it ever since.) As a famous (and notorious) public persona, Bruce will attend galas and fancy parties, often carousing with pop-stars and models. He will sometimes be followed by paparazzi and will often have his picture taken and published. During this time, he meets and befriends wild bachelor Colin Fitzroy. Bruce and Colin will be friends and see each other often for years to follow. He also joins socialite clubs, including the Harrow Club, where he meets James Schroeder. Despite having a genuine distaste for business matters, Bruce attends a variety of high-powered business meetings and meets many of Gotham’s financial elites, including the annoying Andrew Kleiner and the amicable Colonel Eric Yellin. Bruce will become fairly close with Yellin in the years to come. Bruce also meets and befriends billionaire couple Daniel O’Malley and Gina O’Malley. Bruce will meet the majority of Gotham’s elites over time.^[13] Ironically, in these business circles, Bruce will earn the reputation of being an introvert that doesn’t like to stay out very late—a stark contrast to his playboy persona. To further enhance Bruce’s pleasure-seeking front, Alfred will plan and schedule random parties, at which Bruce will show up and make a scene. These parties—along with visits to various clubs and hangouts with acquaintances—should be imagined, scattered throughout our timeline, moving forward. Bruce will also become intimately familiar with all the trappings of high society—including the trends of perfume, fashion, fine dining, and more.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #20 Part 4. Bruce meets and pretends to befriend the contemptible Conrad Wilmington V, heir to the Wilmington Steel empire. While we won’t see it on our timeline below, Bruce will spend time with Wilmington on-and-off in an effort to scaffold his playboy persona. Although, Bruce will loathe being around him due to his extremely low morals.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics Annual #3 (2020) Part 2. Alfred and Bruce begin a routine of having brunch every Sunday, during which they plan out their upcoming week together.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #62, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, Superman Vol. 4 #25, Dark Nights: Metal #2, Justice League of America Vol. 5 #14, Detective Comics #985-986, Detective Comics #1000 Part 10, The Batman Who Laughs #6, Batman Secret Files #2 Part 2, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #5, Justice League Vol. 4 #61, and Batman: Off-World #1. In regard to weaponry, Batman acquires a ton of different toys—mostly made out of or pilfered from WayneTech. He also creates various types of bat-shaped boomerangs and flechettes called Batarangs. Different Batarangs will have different features, such as the unfortunately-named Bangarang, which is an explosive weapon. Batman also creates a series of special programmable Batarangs that are voice-code activated. For instance, in “Blackout” mode, the programmable Batarang can emit an electromagnetic burst akin to an ion blast. He also builds: ultrasonic-relay mini-Batarangs that can summon bats by emitting high-pitched frequencies (based upon the pre-existing bat-attractant device he already has); ear-piercing sonic mini-Batarangs; rocket-thruster Batarangs, which do exactly what the sound like they do; camera Batarangs that can be used as makeshift surveillance drones; long-distance remote-controllable Bat-drones; electrified Taserangs; exploding electro-bomb Batarangs; and paralytic Batarangs. A variety of Batarangs will always remain stocked inside Batman’s utility belt at all times. Likewise, Batman will always keep a hidden Batarang taped to his chest, just in case. Furthermore, Batman re-jiggers an armory’s worth of assault rifles into non-lethal “Batarang guns,” which he stores in his weapons depot.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1017. Bruce, having taken control of Wayne Enterprises, also takes control of all the company’s orphanages. Bruce meets the current director of the Martha Wayne Orphanage, Mr. Morrison. Bruce will be in periodic touch with Mr. Morrison, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Batman & The Signal #2, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #3-4, Justice League Vol. 4 #21, Batman Vol. 3 #98, Batman Vol. 3 #132, and Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #29. Batman has a highly regimented diet, down to the last macro-nutrient. With this in mind, Alfred begins the practice of leaving dinner/breakfast out and ready for Batman upon return from his nightly patrol. (Generally, Alfred will set the meal out just prior to midnight, continuing this practice for decades to come.) Notably, when Bruce tries to cook for himself (even the simplest of meals), he fails miserably. Such will be the case, moving forward. Even the great Batman is bad at something! (Note that Batman Vol. 3 #132 reveals that Alfred now begins teaching Bruce how to cook, and while Bruce will never be an expert, he will eventually help make some meals for the friends and family in the future. As such, we should imagine cooking lessons and meal prep scattered throughout our timeline ahead.) Alfred also tries to serve Batman tea, but Batman hates tea, refusing to even touch the stuff. (Specifically, Alfred will serve darjeeling tea whenever Batman is working on a troubling or difficult case.) Coffee is his preference. (Bruce used to drink tea as a kid, but hasn’t had any since his parents died.) Moving forward, Alfred will try various means to get Batman to drink tea, but Batman will always refuse. Alfred will even try to get Bruce to drink tea by offering him home-made bat-shaped “justice-flavored” tea bags served in a “What Would Batman Do?” mug. However, in a few years, Batman will give tea a try and quite like it (especially the darjeeling).

–FLASHBACK: From The Penguin #6—and referenced in The Penguin #6. It’s been about a month since Oswald Cobblepot starting snitching to Batman. Batman tells Cobblepot to start giving him better intel on the Falcone mob. This immediately leads to some stolen goods, drugs, and the bust of Falcone mobster Jess Lion, who Batman prevents from killing a member of the rival Berretti Mob (led by Angelo Berretti and his Z-Boys Gang). Moving forward, Cobblepot will continue ratting out Falcone’s men, leading to more busts. And Batman will continue surveilling Cobblepot as well.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #37. Batman makes several backup Bat-costumes, but, in spite of this, wears the same costume for multiple nights of patrol—something he will do for his entire life. Gross!

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Deluxe Edition Part 12, Detective Comics #1027 Part 3, Detective Comics #1027 Part 10, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #29. Batman makes several specialized Bat-costumes, including a scuba costume, all-white camouflage snow costume, a bomb-handling suit, a sky diving suit, multiple space suits, a couple heavily-armored suits, and others. Many of these costumes go on display in the Batcave.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #102-104. The Ghost-Maker, now utilizing his patented Ghost-Net technology (which is powered by the semi-sentient Icon AI), challenges Batman, fully aware of his secret identity as Bruce Wayne. Batman bests his longtime rival and convinces him that Gotham is his (Batman’s) city. The Ghost-Maker promises to stay out of Gotham for good, so long as Batman promises to stay out of any city in which he (the Ghost-Maker) has set up camp. Both sides agree and part ways.

–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Vol. 4 #31 and Batman Vol. 3 #92. Bruce sets up his office at Wayne Enterprises, adding the decor of wall art, books, and framed family pictures from his youth. He also acquires an antique motorcycle, which he puts on display as a showpiece in the room.

–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Vol. 4 #34. Bruce meets Wayne Enterprises attorney and financial advisor, Walter, who will remain on top of the company’s books and be the chief legal strategist behind the company for decades to come.

–REFERENCE: In Adventures of the Super Sons #1. Bruce puts WayneTech’s focus on semi-self-repairing structural engineering development. Bruce will monitor projects in this field closely, for decades to come. In the future, Batman will often utilize this tech when doing construction projects for himself and for the Justice League.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 6. Bruce closes one of the main Wayne Foundation branches at Centre Street in Downtown Gotham, turning it into a Wayne Enterprises building.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #5 Part 3. Bruce attends the wedding of Harvey Dent and Gilda Gold.

–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #20, Action Comics #980, Detective Comics #958-959, Detective Comics #967, Nightwing Vol. 4 #24, Batwoman: Rebirth #1, Dark Days: The Forge #1, Superman Vol. 4 #37, Batman: Prelude to the Wedding Part 4 – Red Hood vs Anarky #1, Red Hood & The Outlaws Vol. 2 #25, Batman Giant #3 (Batman: Universe #1), Batman Giant #6 (Batman: Universe #2), Detective Comics #991, Detective Comics #1003, Detective Comics #1005, Detective Comics #1026, The Batman Who Laughs #1, Batman Secret Files #2 Part 1, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 #9 (Legends of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 Print Edition #5), Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #22, Batman: Urban Legends #13 Part 4, Batman: Urban Legends #19 Part 5, DC’s Terrors Through Time #1 Part 8, Batman Vol. 3 #129, Batman: Urban Legends #21 Part 4, Harley Quinn: Make ’em Laugh #3, Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1, Batman Vol. 3 #137-138, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #6 Part 1, Titans: Beast World – Waller Rising #1, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #32. Batman and Alfred prepare to set up the incredibly advanced online Bat-computer network. First, Bruce purchases a downtown apartment that his parents used to live in back when his father was still in med school. This heavily-secured location will be home to the remote central system for the Bat-computer network. Bruce refers to the physical on-site server hub unit as the BatBox. (Bruce will consider this apartment to be his “secret heart,” and he will share this sentiment with many allies in the future.) In the Batcave, Batman and Alfred set up the Bat-computer terminal, a multi-screen holographic display system secretly linked to all of WayneTech’s satellites and Batman’s costume. Both Batman and Alfred have equal access to the network, and Alfred can monitor Batman’s vital signs remotely through the networked costume connection. (All future Robins will have the same networked connection via their costumes.) Batman immediately begins logging information into a computer database that will hold criminal dossiers for every opponent he will face, from the biggest super-villain down to the weakest henchman. While we won’t see Batman logging these dossier entries on our timeline, be aware that he will do this for just about everyone, even for good guys too. Also note that Batman will research and log information about super-villains and superheroes that he’s never even met. Furthermore, Batman begins maintaining a case-file archive/history on Bat-computer databases. This includes detailed summaries of all adventures, departures, destinations, records of various magickal and energy signatures, and biometric data-maps on various individuals—files that will be constantly updated, moving ahead. Each database entry will include holographic 3D photos, weapon info, known associates and affiliations, power info, handwriting sample, fingerprints, and last known addresses/locations. (Note that Batman will tell Alfred about all his adventures every time he comes home. Alfred will keep a private journal about these adventures as well.) In conjunction with the Bat-computer, Batman and Alfred also set up “BatNet,” a constant monitoring system that scans for energy anomalies, and the “Human Kinematic Program,” which can hack into every single security camera or CCTV feed in Gotham, simultaneously scanning the imagery with state-of-the-art facial (and body) recognition software. (Batman links his cowl to the Bat-computer and other law enforcement networks so that he can utilize this FRS capability. His cowl also has: aural GPS amplification and audio-dampening capabilities; infra-red, night, 360-degree, thermal, satellite, diffusion, spectrographic, and internal holographic VR/AR vision capabilities; oxygenated face shielding that provides protection even in the cold vacuum of outer space; and echolocation radar. The cowl will also constantly record video that gets auto-logged into the Bat-computer. It also has voice-activated defense systems that can send out electric shocks or flames if someone tries to forcibly remove it. Note that Batman will make dozens of cowls for himself.) In the future, most of the costumes of Batman’s closest allies will also be networked into the Bat-computer system. And last but not least, Batman and Alfred both create special voice-activated override codes, just in case the system gets compromised.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1012. Batman hacks into and taps the 911 phone line, giving him the ability to listen-into all of Gotham’s emergency calls, a practice he will engage in regularly.

–REFERENCE: In Dark Nights: Metal #1, Detective Comics #965-967, Detective Comics #970, Batgirl Vol. 5 #16, Batman: One Bad Day – Two-Face #1, Batman vs Robin #5, and Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Scorched Earth #1. Via the Bat-computer, Bruce and Alfred set up a complex communications system linked to multiple WayneTech satellites and various other computer networks. With this system, Alfred will have multiple encrypted ways of contacting Batman (and vice-versa). Alfred will also be able to contact Batman in case of emergency at any time. Batman and Alfred also set up tiered emergency level priority codes, with “Alpha One,” “Defcon One,” and/or “Code Red”/”Red Alert” being in the top tier. They also set up a wholly separate numbered code system as well. Batman’s closest allies will use this same comm system and priority coding in the future. In a related note, Batman and Alfred can and will use their complex satellite network/computer network for “eye in the sky” surveillance purposes as well, recording detailed holographic 3D video of pretty much anything unobstructed at ground level. They can and will also be able to utilize this system to hack into pretty much and surveillance camera in Gotham, including those in Arkham Asylum. Furthermore, Batman and Alfred also construct a variety of top-notch sound recording devices to use in the field.

–REFERENCE: In Let Them Live! Unpublished Tales From the DC Vault #3. Batman builds a special algorithm for the Bat-Computer that tracks all missing persons reports and disappearances in Gotham while compiling connections between the cases. Starting now, Batman will look into every single one of these types of cases, no matter if it looks like foul play is involved or not. (We’ll obviously have to imagine Batman looking into every single one of these, and it’s likely that Batman doesn’t have the time to follow up on each one.)

–REFERENCE: In Batman: The Detective #1. Batman begins the assiduous chore of entering detailed information about everyone he saves while working cases or patrols, entering their information into his Bat-Computer database. He will add information for everyone he saves, moving forward. Hey, it’s great to get rescued by Batman, but at least give folks the opportunity to opt out of metadata sharing! Talk about illegal surveillance and information collection, Batman. And these are supposed to be the innocent victims!

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1029. Batman begins keeping his Bat-computer chair angled at four o’clock every time he leaves. This way he’ll know if someone was using the computer the second he returns.

–REFERENCE: In The Penguin #7. Batman adds an encyclopedic list of thread varieties in various materials to the Bat-network database. He will continuously update this. Presumably, Batman will assemble and continuously update encyclopedic lists for many other things as well.

–REFERENCE: In Gotham Academy: Second Semester #11, Batman: Urban Legends #1 Part 1, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #14. Bruce begins collecting war-related items (both new and old), ranging from Feudal Japanese katanas, bō staffs, and samurai garb to Medieval European suits of armor. Bruce will even collect assault rifles and a variety of firearms. These things go into an above-ground armory in Wayne Manor, which has both a public entrance and a hidden entrance. Bruce will add to this personal collection over the years and also train with most of these weapons. Bruce also puts a surplus of guns into an armory chamber of the Batcave. He will study these firearms and reference them on many cases to come.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #998. Batman secretly visits STAR Labs (Scientific and Technological Advanced Research Labs) and meets scientist Dr. Silas Stone, who helps him retool a lot of his tech, fine-tuning a lot of Batman’s gadgetry, including his grappling hooks and other utility belt paraphernalia. Stone also teaches Batman all about the latest in cutting edge science and technology.

–REFERENCE: In Superman Vol. 4 #39 and Flash Vol. 5 #39. While doling out vigilante justice, Batman displays the darker aspects of his personality (which come more naturally to him), adopting a grim’n’gritty, bilious, grouchy, and downright unpleasant demeanor—quite the opposite of his alter ego’s chill party-boy attitude. Over the next few decades, Batman will come to be known by this brooding disagreeable persona by friends and foes alike.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #98. Bruce talks to Lucius about miniaturization of various tech. Lucius mentions how some of Batman’s tech resembles his (Lucius’) own tech. Later, a manically bullish Bruce perfects his Batarangs in the Batcave forge. Alfred makes a crack about how expensive it is to keep the Bat-computer running optimally. Bruce tells Alfred that they’ll eventually have to tell Lucius about their secret. They also chat about upgrading both the utility belt and Bat-costume.

–REFERENCE: In All-Star Batman #14 and the second feature to All-Star Batman #14. Batman has known how to pick locks since he was a teenager, but there’s always more to learn in any craft. Thus, Alfred begins teaching Batman the finer art of lock-picking. He also instructs and helps Batman to surgically sew mini lock-picks into the inside of his cheeks (to use in case of emergency). Alfred will teach Batman many things he learned while in the British military and while working for MI6—including how to use decoys to confuse your opponent while on the battlefield. These lessons will be taught to Batman over the course of the next few years, although they won’t be physically listed on our timeline.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Urban Legends #19 Part 4. Bruce and Alfred learn how to disarm cardinally-synchronized time bombs together—with both hands and one-handed.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #998. Batman fixes-up his grappling gun, retiring his original prototype for a sleeker new version.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #28—and referenced in Batman: Lost #1, Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #12, Batgirl Vol. 5 #14, Batgirl Vol. 5 Annual #2, Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1, The Joker Vol. 2 #9, and Batman Vol. 3 #144. Originally told in Frank Miller’s “BATMAN: YEAR ONE Part 2 and 3” (Batman #404-406). Detective Lieutenant Jim Gordon butts heads with his corrupt police peers, including his boss Commissioner Gillian Loeb. Batman roughs-up rotten Detective Arnold Flass while he attempts a drug deal. Afterward, Batman threatens Gotham’s underworld in dramatic fashion at a fancy mayoral mansion dinner. The dinner attendees include Carmine Falcone, Commissioner Loeb, and Sal Maroni. (Sal Maroni is patriarch of the Maroni Family and head of the linked Maroni Mob aka Maroni Clan organization, which also includes Sal’s dimwitted nephew Bruno Maroni. The Maronis work closely with the Falcones.) Batman later confronts Flass’ drug dealing accomplice and “convinces” him to cop a plea bargain with DA Harvey Dent, exposing Flass as a criminal. Soon after, Batman gets trapped by corrupt cops inside a vacant tenement building. Although cornered and injured, Batman escapes by using his sonar device, which attracts a swarm of bats to his location. Following his near fatal encounter with the cops, Batman befriends and works with Gordon. From this point forward, Batman and Gordon become a tight crime-fighting duo, with Harvey Dent providing support from the DA’s office. (Right now, Gordon is the only one that has a direct line to Batman; Dent won’t gain that status until a bit later.) Moving forward, Batman, Gordon, and Dent will focus on targeting Carmine Falcone’s mob. (With Oswald Cobblepot’s intel, Batman has already been warring against Falcone for months now.) Concurrently, Gordon also begins an extramarital affair with his partner Detective Sarah Essen. And Selina Kyle dons a gray feline costume to become a super-villain thief known as Catwoman (aka “The Cat”).

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #23, Trinity Vol. 2 #11, and Detective Comics #965. Having now worked closely with Detective Lieutenant Jim Gordon, Batman is able to earn the confidence/backing of some of Gotham’s police force and judicial system. As one of Batman’s best crime-fighting partners, Gordon will become one of Batman’s best friends too, sharing a lot about his personal life with Batman. We should note that, while Batman will maintain that he “prefers to work alone” throughout his entire career, he will often find himself working with many allies. A better interpretation of Batman’s concept of “preferring to work alone,” moving forward, will be that Batman “likes to work with others—provided he is in a leadership role.” The best interpretation of Batman’s relationship to teamwork comes from Detective Comics #965, in which Tim Drake says, “Batman needs people.”

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Lost #1. Just as Batman has befriended Jim Gordon, Bruce (as Bruce) befriends Gordon as well. Bruce first met Jim Gordon when his parents died, but Bruce now reconnects with Gordon, who has no idea that he is secretly Batman. While Bruce and Gordon won’t be BFFs, they will always remain on amicable terms.

–FLASHBACK: From Detective Comics #1000 Part 1 and Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 2—and referenced in Batman: Lost #1, Detective Comics #1036, and Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #6 Part 5. Originally told in Detective Comics #27. Batman goes on his first official (non-patrol) mission, “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate,” as it will be labeled by the news media. In this case, Batman attempts to solve the murder of industrial tycoon David Lambert. Batman helps Detective Lieutenant Jim Gordon on an investigation that points to Lambert’s son as a possible culprit. Lambert’s son tells Batman of a strange shadow that had been lurking outside his window. (This is Barbatos secretly rearing his ugly head once again.) While examining the crime scene, Batman finds that one of Lambert’s museum pieces, an ancient looking glass, is actually a forgery. Over the course of the investigation, Batman and Gordon soon switch the focus of their suspicion from Lambert’s son to Alfred Stryker, one of Lambert’s partners. During the case, Batman busts smalltimer Henry Clay, which leads to a famous photograph (i.e. the cover of Detective Comics #27) being taken by Dan Mora, who will come to be known as “Shutterbat” for his many Batman photos that he’ll take during his career. At Apex Chemicals, Batman corners Stryker, who grins and leaps to his death in a vat of toxic liquid below. Unknown to Batman, Stryker is none other than Barbatos, playing head games with Batman. From this point forward, every time Bruce looks at his reflection, Barbatos will be staring back at him, watching his every move. After wrapping this case, Batman realizes the looking glass forgery has nothing to do with the “Case of the Chemical Syndicate,” so he begins a separate investigation. From this point forward, Batman will spend the next sixteen years trying to solve the mystery of Lambert’s looking glass. Some of this investigation will be shown on our timeline, but much of it will have to simply be imagined as going on in random spurts throughout the chronology. (SPOILER: The “Lambert’s looking glass case” is actually an elaborate challenge devised by Slam Bradley, leader of the clandestine Guild of Detection. Batman won’t solve the case or discover the truth about the Guild for another sixteen years.)^[14]

–REFERENCE: In Lois Lane Vol. 2 #5—originally told in Detective Comics #28. Batman begins his trademark method of interrogating criminals: hanging them upside down from buildings and grilling them until they spill their beans. This torturous method will strike fear into the heart of Gotham’s collective underworld for decades to come.

–REFERENCE: In Batwoman: Rebirth #1 and Detective Comics #964. An unknown person is wronged or injured during an unspecified Batman case. They come to blame Batman for their condition. This person will return years later as the evil villain known as “The First Victim.”

–REFERENCE: In The Batman Who Laughs: The Grim Knight #1. Batman goes to ludicrous lengths to bust some random bad guys, showing Detective Lieutenant Jim Gordon that he refuses to use firearms. While not listed on our timeline specifically, Gordon will witness Batman uphold his anti-gun stance over and over, moving forward—even in the most precarious of situations.

–FLASHBACK: From Robins #6—and referenced in Robins #4-5. Bruce enters a bidding war against tech guru cum virtual reality video game designer Cormac Dodge, as both men vie for control of a VR firm. Through this tumultuous process, Bruce visits Dodge’s software HQ, meets his investors, and meets his adopted daughter, genius teenager Anita Jean Dodge (aka “AJ Dodge”). With the assistance of DA Harvey Dent, Bruce exposes Cormac Dodge’s VR games as being potentially dangerous to children, thus causing him to lose the bidding war. Pushed over the edge, Cormac Dodge targets Bruce, quickly discovering his dual identity as Batman. Empowered, Cormac Dodge becomes the straight-jacket-wearing super-villain known as The Escape Artist. The purple-glove-wearing Batman is forced to take on the Escape Artist in a series of dungeon challenges that involve various SKP hard-light technology constructs. Batman engages in real life first person shooter scenarios, deals with a bunch of killer canines, rides on a dinosaur (or dragon), fights a swarm of grues in a deadly maze, and gets thrown into a watery death trap while in chains. In his obsession with ruining Bruce, the Escape Artist winds up killing a lot of innocent bystanders as well. During this adventure, Batman begins using surveillance drones to monitor himself in action. He will do this on occasion, moving forward. Eventually, Batman secretly meets with young AJ Dodge, getting her to turn on her abusive dad. With AJ’s help, Batman is able to best the Escape Artist atop an incinerator plant. Before Batman can react, AJ shoots her dad in the head and then seemingly commits suicide by jumping into an incinerator, all while creepily chanting the poem “The Wedding of Robin Redbreast and Jenny Wren.” A distraught Batman departs the scene. Unknown to him, the deaths have actually been faked using SKP hard-light construct visuals. The Escape Artist and AJ go off the grid, where they will remain in hiding for nearly two decades.

–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #3, Catwoman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular Part 6, and Batman Vol. 3 Annual #2 Part 1—originally told in Catwoman: Her Sister’s Keeper #1-4 (Catwoman #1-4). When Catholic nun Maggie Kyle (Catwoman’s sister) is kidnapped by Stan the Pimp, Batman is on the case. (Selina slightly suspects Batman may be the same man she encountered on the street in the East End, but she still doesn’t know his true secret identity—not yet anyway. On the other hand, the crafty Batman deduces Catwoman’s secret identity—as will be told in next year’s Batman Vol. 3 Annual #2 Part 1, he has “known since the beginning,” meaning right now.) Batman and GCPD Detective George Flannery help Catwoman save Maggie from Stan, who dies during the altercation. There is clearly mutual attraction here between Batman and Catwoman, but Batman casts aside any thoughts of romance, instead choosing to regard Catwoman as a criminal (albeit sympathetic) nuisance for now. Note that, in the original Modern Age version of this item, Batman and Catwoman kiss for the first time ever. However, this is not the case on our current timeline.

–FLASHBACK: From The Penguin #6—and referenced in The Penguin #6. Thanks to informant Oswald Cobblepot’s intel, Batman saves the lives of thirty-seven women that had been enslaved by a human trafficking ring run by the Falcone Mob. Batman continues to secretly surveil Cobblepot as well, watching him at the Iceberg Lounge, while he commutes, and at home with his foster mother Fran Georgi. Moving forward, Cobblepot will continue ratting out Falcone’s men, leading to more busts. And Batman will continue surveilling Cobblepot as well.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #26, Detective Comics #1000 Part 9, and Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #21. The mainstream media begin to call Batman by various appellations, including “The Dark Knight,” “The Caped Crusader,” “Dark Detective,” and “The World’s Greatest Detective.” The not-so-humble Batman begins referring to himself by some of these names as well. Despite now being a public figure, much of the world will regard Batman as an urban myth or urban legend for years to come.

–REFERENCE: In Batwoman: Rebirth #1, Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #18, Detective Comics #973, Trinity Vol. 2 #21, and Knight Terrors: Batman #1—originally told in Batman #1 Part 2 and “BATMAN & THE MONSTER MEN.” Batman deals with his former psychologist Professor Hugo Strange, who uses his patented Monster Serum to turn asylum residents into hulking “Monster Men.” Using a specially-developed extra-strength knockout gas, Batman defeats the Monster Men. The Dark Knight will keep reserves of his new knockout gas in his utility belt from this point forward.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5—and referenced in Flash Vol. 5 #21 and Detective Comics #1000 Part 2. Batman fights a giant robotic Tyrannosaurus rex at an amusement park. Afterward, Batman keeps the giant T rex and puts it on display as a trophy in the Batcave. Alfred throws his back out helping Bruce move the T rex.

–REFERENCE: In Green Arrow Vol. 6 #29 and Blue Beetle Vol. 9 #12—originally told in Swamp Thing #7. Batman begins the habit of ending conversations as soon as he gets the information he needs, doing so by simply vanishing without a trace. Similarly, he begins the habit of surprising people by showing up out of nowhere. He does both of these things with Jim Gordon, various law enforcement officials, fellow superheroes, and others. Both of these things will become the Dark Knight’s signature trademarks, moving forward on our timeline.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1009. Alfred notices that Bruce has been neglecting Wayne Enterprises duties in order to focus on being Batman full-time. Alfred encourages Bruce to have some balance in his life, but Bruce won’t really listen. Alfred will be like a broken record about this for a very long time to come. Moving forward, the efficient planner that is Alfred will schedule most of Bruce’s business appointments and remind him up until the minute they are set to occur.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #22, and Lazarus Planet: Dark Fate #1 Part 1—originally told via flashback from Detective Comics #350 Part 1. Batman is defeated by the regal-themed super-villain known as The Monarch of Menace. After regrouping, Batman gets his revenge and takes down the Monarch of Menace.

–REFERENCE: In Justice League of America Vol. 5 #25. Batman busts the serial killer known as Birthday Boy (Ray Salinger). Prior to this reference, Birthday Boy was only canon on the Earth-1 timeline as per Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Batman: Earth One.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #95. Bruce visits the dilapidated Monarch Theater and offers to purchase it, but the owner isn’t interested in selling. Bruce will attempt to purchase the theater several more times in the years to come, but the owner won’t budge (even after allowing it to fall into dereliction and desuetude). We’ll simply have to imagine Bruce’s future business visits to the rundown Monarch on our timeline ahead.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Secret Files #1 Part 2, Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #2, and New Year’s Evil #1 Part 7. Bruce begins co-funding Arkham Asylum’s day-to-day functions via Wayne Foundation grant money. Wayne Foundation grants will help Arkham stay afloat for decades to come. Furthermore, Bruce funds the construction of the GCPD Armory where all super-villain weaponry, costumes, and the like will be catalogued and secured by WayneTech security staff. Bruce also begins closely monitoring all purchases and shipments that are made/sent to Arkham.

–REFERENCE: In Deathstroke Vol. 4 #41 and Batgirl Vol. 5 #50 Part 1. Bruce begins donating a ton of money to the GCPD via Wayne Enterprises. He will do so for the rest of his life. Likewise, Bruce also begins donating to Gotham Academy, various museums, and multiple hospitals.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1014. Scientist Dr. Victor Fries begins working at WayneTech Cryogenics Lab. Bruce will check-in on Dr. Fries and his wife, ballet dancer Nora Fries, from time to time over the course of the next month. Bruce will also make several donations to Nora’s ballet company.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #86. Bruce continues his habit of doodling elaborate city skylines (i.e. “Little Gothams”)—now sometimes on casebooks instead of napkins. He’ll do this for the rest of his life. From this point onward, Alfred will often use these daydreamy moments of sketching to encourage Bruce to envision a real world where Batman isn’t needed and where Wayne Enterprises can help positively (and more progressively) shape the world instead. Alfred and Batman have a long conversation about his city designs and the necessity of Batman, a conversation they will have time and time again, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Nightwing Vol. 4 #29. Batman gets the Bat-costume that his father once wore at a masquerade. He puts it on display in the Batcave.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #89. While Batman is on a stakeout, Alfred quizzes him on basic encryption key words. Alfred will test Batman’s skills in this area as a general practice while the Dark Knight is on stakeouts, moving forward. In this way, Batman’s ability to decode or decipher scrambled or hidden messages will increase tenfold over the years.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #25-26, Batman Vol. 3 #31, All-Star Batman #10-11, Detective Comics #959, Detective Comics #967, Detective Comics #986, Detective Comics #994, Detective Comics #1003, Detective Comics #1013, Dark Days: The Forge #1, Dark Nights: Metal #1-2, Super Sons #10 Part 2, Flash Vol. 5 #46, Batman: Kings of Fear #1-3, Batman Secret Files #1 Part 5, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #3, The Batman Who Laughs #1, Teen Titans Vol. 6 #25, Dog Days of Summer #1 Part 2, Event Leviathan #5, Batman Vol. 3 Annual #4, Batman Giant #11 (Batman: Universe #5), Batman Giant Vol. 2 #1 (Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #2), Detective Comics #1029, Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 3, Legend of the Dark Knight Vol. 2 #6, Batman: Urban Legends #9 Part 2, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1, Wonder Woman #793, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25 Part 2. Batman finishes construction on the Batcave, stocking it with new vehicles of his own research and design. Moving forward from this moment, Batman will constantly augment his collection of weaponized cars and bikes, filling his underground garage with Batboats, a hyper-submarine, a mini-sub, motorcycles, planes, motorized hang gliders, jetpacks, all-terrain APCs, snowmobiles, combo jet-ski swamp-mobiles, a swamp airboat, a blimp, tanks, an all-terrain war machine hummer, burrowing subterrene, a three-wheeled Bat-Raptor, a Bat-gyro-ball, a bathysphere, a BatRocket, a Batcopter, Whirly-Bats, and new tricked-out Batmobiles (pretty much every concept Batmobile from film and TV, including an antique red sedan). Every vehicle is equipped with a portable crime lab, appropriate piloting gear, and foodstuffs. In case you haven’t already noticed, Batman loves adding the “Bat” prefix to the names of stuff, but now he’ll start doing it with just about everything that belongs to him (including all these vehicles), so get used to it. All of these vehicles have state-of-the-art security systems that include full emergency lockdown modes. Most of the Batmobiles will be self-driving, remote-controllable, and linked to a homing beacon in Batman’s costume. The highest-tech Batmobile will also have a full medical lab inside of it, complete with various blood packs in case the need for emergency transfusion should come up. Alfred will be well-versed in all Bat-tech, including the vehicles, and he will keep the blood packs up-to-date. Note that, while we won’t necessarily see it on our chronology, Batman will always upgrade his vehicles to the latest and greatest models. Also note that Batman adds some high-tech accoutrements to his civilian vehicles as well.

–FLASHBACK: From Strange Love Adventures #1 Part 6. After perusing the Bat-Computer, Batman heads out on patrol in the Batmobile. Alfred cleans up guano in the Batcave.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Giant #2. Batman drives the Batmobile while on patrol.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #29, Batman & The Signal #2, Batman Vol. 3 #53, and Robin Vol. 3 #9—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #25-26, Batman: The Merciless #1, Detective Comics #969 Part 2, Batman & The Signal #1-3, Batman Giant #5-6 (Batman: Universe #2), the second feature to Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #3, Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4, and The Penguin #8. Originally told in “ZERO YEAR: DARK CITY” and Detective Comics Annual #8. (This item is a mash-up of Riddler’s Modern Age and New 52 origins.) Batman—in his costume with purple ribbed-padding—bests newcomer Dr. Death (Dr. Karl Helfern aka Karl Hellfern).^[15] After that, Batman matches wits with Riddler (Edward Nigma aka Edward Nygma aka Edward Nashton), who debuts by committing a series of big-time heists, leaving public riddle clues/challenges for both the Caped Crusader and law enforcement before each crime. Batman also deals with Riddler’s femme fatale henchwomen Query and Echo during these heists. After a very public confrontation with Batman, the Riddler claims victory and takes over the entire city, ruling with an iron fist for weeks while Batman remains in a coma. The injured Batman is cared for and nursed back to health by the Thomas family (Elaine Thomas, Doug Thomas, and young Duke Thomas). Duke is particularly encouraging and inspires Batman to make a dramatic return—wearing a sleeveless costume and riding a steam-powered motorbike. Aided by information from his stool pigeon Oswald Cobblepot, Batman teams-up with Lieutenant Gordon against Riddler. (While we won’t see it on our timeline ahead, Cobblepot will inform on Riddler to Batman time and time again for years to come.) Eventually, Batman fights the super-villain one-on-one, sustaining multiple serious injuries. In the end, Batman wins and punches Riddler’s lights out so mercilessly that he knocks his teeth out and puts him into a coma for two days. After Riddler’s hospital stay, Batman personally escorts a new-toothed Riddler to prison. Shackled behind Arkham Asylum bars, Riddler will quickly become a police consultant for complex and bizarre crimes, sort of like Hannibal Lecter.

–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #2, Batman Vol. 3 #54, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #1. Following Riddler’s “Zero Year” takeover and arrest, Batman claims his gaudy green question mark costume and a giant question mark statue as trophies, which he puts on display in the Batcave. Batman also builds a trophy wall on which he will affix commemorative plaques (presumably of his own design). The first three plaques feature pictures of a question mark, the Red Hood’s helmet, and a rosette. The rosette, and this might be a stretch, could represent Carmine Falcone. Roses are kinda his thing.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #999. Also following Riddler’s “Zero Year” takeover and arrest, Batman collects some of Riddler’s DNA from the villain’s costume. This begins the practice of capturing and storing DNA from every villain that Batman will face with regularity. We won’t see this DNA collection on our timeline, but we can imagine it happening in conjunction with all of Batman’s many future battles. Presumably, Batman also sets up a DNA-typing lab in the Batcave.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War – Battle Lines #1 and Batman Vol. 3 #143. Batman becomes aware of several hoodlum hangout spots, including the wharf, the rail yards, and a dive bar called Flunky’s. Batman visits the bar, meeting bartenders Flannigan and Fingers. While we won’t see it listed on our timeline ahead, Batman—sometimes in disguise—will visit Flunky’s every once in a while to seek intel. (Note that, in the future, Gotham’s super-villains will regularly visit Flunky’s, hoping to hire potential henchmen.)

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #52—and referenced in Doomsday Clock #2, Doomsday Clock #6, Detective Comics #1014, Batman: One Bad Day – Mr. Freeze #1, the second feature to Detective Comics #1085, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5. Note that the second feature to Detective Comics #1085 specifically places this item prior to Commissioner Gillian Loeb’s resignation. Upon discovering that his wife Nora has terminal cancer, Dr. Victor Fries tries to save her by cryogenically freezing her at the WayneTech Cryogenics Lab. Victor’s actions effectively hijack the entire lab, putting the lives of hundreds of others in jeopardy. Bruce (with the police) is forced to intervene, during which a terrible confrontation occurs and Victor is doused with chemicals, becoming Mr. Zero, an icy super-villain that must keep his body temperature at absolute zero at all times. Despite donning a gaudy super-suit, Mr. Zero is busted by Batman atop a speeding train. Batman keeps Mr. Zero’s costume as a trophy, putting it on display in the Batcave. Victor Fries will spend his entire criminal career obsessed with reviving his wife.

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to All-Star Batman #10, Batman Vol. 3 #26, Batgirl Vol. 5 #14, Detective Comics Annual #1 (2018), Detective Comics #1000 Deluxe Edition Part 12, The Joker Vol. 2 #5, The Joker Vol. 2 #9, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #1 Part 1, and Batman Vol. 3 #142-143—originally told in Frank Miller’s “BATMAN: YEAR ONE Part 4” (Batman #407). Batman and Lieutenant Jim Gordon have been supported by DA Harvey Dent in their war against Carmine Falcone’s mob for a while, but up until now only Lieutenant Gordon had a direct line to Batman. Batman and Lieutenant Gordon decide to change that by inviting Dent deeper into the fold, turning the crime-fighting duo into an official trio. Dent becomes very close with Batman in the process. With their new perfected alignment, Batman, Lieutenant Gordon, and Dent target Falcone with laser focus. Unfortunately, Lieutenant Gordon’s personal life doesn’t go as smoothly as his professional life. Exposed, Lieutenant Gordon tells his wife Barbara the truth about his affair with Sarah Essen (which has now ended, with Sarah transferring out of Gotham). The Gordon Family is shaken to its core. Soon after, Barbara gives birth to James Gordon Jr, their second child. Eventually, Batman, Lieutenant Gordon, and Dent (along with a meddling Catwoman) bust key members of the Falcone Mob and prove that Commissioner Gillian Loeb had been in cahoots with Falcone the entire time. In a last ditch effort to bring Lieutenant Gordon to his knees, the Falcone Mob kidnaps James Junior, but Batman saves the baby’s life. Facing indictment, Loeb resigns. Matthew McLeod, just as corrupt as his predecessor, is appointed new Interim Commissioner of the GCPD. He immediately begins targeting Batman. (Batman Vol. 3 #144 tells us that McLeod is commissioner for a few months, but there’s really only enough time for him to be commish for a a little over one month tops.) Meanwhile, Gordon is promoted from lieutenant to captain. Note that while the Falcone mob has been dealt a critical blow, they are not completely out. The trio of Batman, Gordon, and Dent will continue to deal with all matters Falcone-related from this point forward—that is, until Dent’s unfortunate accident at the hands of Sal Maroni. Meanwhile, Joker has yet to publicly debut, but he calls into a radio station with a threat to poison the Gotham Reservoir. Joker is merely bluffing and takes no action. However, Interim Commissioner McLeod is spooked and begins pouring resources into testing, cleaning, and defending the waterworks.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #142. Batman takes down the Gray Ghost Gang, a copycat group that mimics the Red Hood Gang.

–FLASHBACK: From The Penguin #6—and referenced in The Penguin #6. Batman begins further pushing his informant Oswald Cobblepot, instructing him on how to be a better spy. This quickly leads to intel allowing Batman to bust Falcone mobsters Michael Falcone, Joey Martello, Murd Pantis, and Paulie Falcone. Note that Batman busts Paulie at Ace Chemicals, during which one of Paulie’s henchmen slips and falls into a chemical bath. This is likely writer Tom King trying to cutely shoehorn Joker’s origins into his Penguin story, but this obviously cannot be the case. Joker fell into the chemical bath months ago and has already debuted. Additionally, Joker’s origins were not Falcone-related, they were Red Hood-related. Not to mention, Paulie’s henchman crawls out of the bath more-or-less right in front of Batman. If anything, this sequence shows that Batman has a bad track record when fighting guys near chemical vats. (This is the third time this year someone has gone into a chemical vat while fighting Batman!) Moving forward, Cobblepot will continue ratting out Falcone’s men, leading to more busts. And Batman will continue surveilling Cobblepot as well.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #142. Batman takes down the Red Mask Gang, a copycat group that mimics the Red Hood Gang.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #142-144—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #145 and the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #145. August—it’s been six months since Red Hood fell into the vat of toxins at Ace Chemicals. Still unsure of himself and having debilitating schizophrenic episodes, Joker talks to himself in the mirror. (In line with his “multiple choice” origins, the dialogue here can be read as him being either the Criminal or the Comedian i.e. the boss or the patsy. Either way, he’s got the clashing personalities of both within his head.) At GCPD HQ, Detective Harvey Bullock tells Captain Jim Gordon that Interim Commissioner Matthew McLeod wants him to re-write his report about Batman from six months ago at Ace Chemicals, citing that it’s too vigilante friendly. In the hall, Gordon gets in a fight with corrupt cop Manny Garbis. (Secretly, McLeod and Garbis are at the top of what remains of the Red Hood Gang.) Meanwhile, at Flunky’s, a shaky Joker gets in a fight with several goons, who kick his ass. Former Red Hood Gang member Brian Biggling hears Joker’s voice, recognizing him as his old Red Hood boss. (This hints that Joker is the Criminal, but each Joker would have the same voice, so it’s not definitive.) Joker departs with Biggling. Batman’s old mentor, Dr. Daniel Captio, who has been spying on Joker, is also present. Garbis quickly learns that the old boss is back, ordering his team to kill him. Soon after, Batman—in his ribbed costume with purple gloves—busts the Black Hood Gang (another Red Hood copycat group). Batman chats with Gordon, telling him the Red Hood leader might still be alive after all. Later that night, Joker sees Batman patrolling and returns to Ace Chemicals in a panic. There, Joker suffers a schizophrenic breakdown, seemingly tortured by his multiple personalities. Captio approaches Joker, saying he wants to train him to harness his mind. In the Batcave, Batman and Alfred test Ace Chemical toxins on a cadaver, finding that they bleach the skin white. At Flunky’s, Batman shakes everyone down, learning that a “white skinned man” left with Biggling. At Biggling’s apartment, the Red Hood Gang attacks Joker. Batman arrives as well, taking on the Red Hoods, but Joker flees before being seen by the Dark Knight. Biggling helps Batman take down the Red Hoods, unmasking one of them as a cop named Blair. At GCPD HQ, Gordon interrogates Blair. Gabris sets up what appears to be a chance for Blair to escape, but instead Gabris uses the moment as to execute (and silence) Blair. Angered by obvious witness assassination, Gordon attacks Gabris, earning an immediate suspension without pay. Across town, Joker meets with Captio, citing that training will “make him whole.” Captio’s training will supposedly serve to eliminate Joker’s fears, cure him, and expand his mind. As the intense training ensues, Captio reveals his subconscious alternate persona of Karh Em Zed, essentially a proto-Zur En Arrh. Captio teaches Joker how to control his nestled personalities within—the Clown, the Demon (aka the Comedian), and Cold Death (aka the Criminal). Having mastered his personalities, Joker attacks Captio. (As referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #145 and the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #145, Joker badly injures Captio, after which he keeps him captive.) At the other end of the city, Gordon spends time with his wife Barbara and their son James Junior before being confronted by Batman. They discuss a plan of action, which involves setting up bait for the Red Hoods in the form of a low security Wayne Manor gala. Soon afterward, Batman deduces that Interim Commissioner McLeod is the new leader of the Red Hoods, putting a note in his desk drawer accusing him as such. Later, Bruce hosts an opera fundraiser as bait for the Red Hoods. Bruce hobnobs with millionaire diamond magnate Henry Claridge and his wife. After Batman radio checks-in with Gordon, the latter returns to GCPD HQ to surveil Garbis. Dressed in a Joseph Grimaldi clown costume, Joker is also present, pretending to report a crime at the front desk. Garbis and his cop buddies play their hand. Instead of targeting Wayne Manor, they put on their Red Hood masks and rob GCPD HQ, causing a violent gunfight. Joker plays his hand as well, bombing the precinct, raiding the armory, and taking down all the Red Hoods. Gordon takes down McLeod. Batman arrives just in time to see Gordon victorious, although Joker has already fled the scene, having kidnapped Garbis. After testing the first ever strain of Joker Venom (aka Joker Juice aka Joker Toxin aka Smylex aka Fun Juice) on Biggling, Joker then kills Garbis, vowing to use McLeod as part of long grift in the future. Soon after, McLeod is sentenced to ten years in prison. Joker returns to Flunky’s to kill the dudes that beat him up earlier.

–REFERENCE: In The Joker Vol. 2 #5 and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #1 Part 1. Jack Grogan is appointed the new official Commissioner of Police. Like McLeod before him, he continues pouring resources into testing, cleaning, and defending the waterworks (based upon Joker’s prior threat).

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #95—originally told in the intro to Batman: The Man Who Laughs. It’s been nearly one month since Joker threatened to poison the Gotham Reservoir. Joker still hasn’t struck at the waterworks, nor will he yet, but he’s now finally ready to make a big public debut. Batman meets with Captain Gordon at a chemical warehouse full of rictus grinning murder victims. They don’t know it yet, but these are Joker’s test subjects for his Joker Venom. After killing a news cameraman to gain access to his broadcast signal transmitter, Joker appears on live TV, threatening to kill and rob Henry Claridge at exactly midnight.

THE WINNING CARD
————————–Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #1 Part 1
————————–Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 1
————————–Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #5 Part 1
————————–Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #9 Part 1
This arc picks up directly from our previous item. At the stroke of midnight, despite massive police protection (including from Captain Gordon himself), Henry Claridge keels over with a forced smile on his face—victim of time-release Joker Venom, with which he had been dosed earlier in the day by Joker. Earlier in the day, Joker had stolen a diamond from Claridge and left what will be his signature joker playing card in its place. Meanwhile, as his twelve o’clock plan unfolds perfectly sans his presence, Joker chats with a missing child in a park before escorting her home and stabbing her father to death. Concurrently, a fancy gala is held at Wayne Manor, but Bruce is nowhere to be found. Alfred makes excuses to inquiring guests, including notorious gangster Brute Nelson. In actuality, Batman is across town busting a man that has killed his wife. After his patrol, Bruce returns home to the party and speaks with Nelson, glaring at him while subtly hinting that his days as a free man are numbered. A few days later, Joker threatens to murder another high profile Gothamite, Jay Wilde, again at the stroke of midnight. Having hid inside a suit of armor in Wilde’s mansion all day, Joker delivers on his promise. Wilde is murdered, along with eight cops. Having been left as a witness, Gordon debriefs Batman. (As referenced in Batman: Three Jokers #1, another of Joker’s signature playing cards gets delivered to Batman.) Later that evening, Bruce phones Nelson, manipulating him to challenge Joker. Thus, with Nelson as bait, Batman plans to snare Joker, who predictably publicly threatens to kill Nelson at the stroke of midnight in his own home. (As referenced in Batman: Three Jokers #1, Joker not only threatens Nelson. Hoping to settle old scores, he also makes a declaration of war against all organized crime.) A couple days later, at midnight, Joker attacks Nelson. Batman intervenes to save Nelson’s life, meeting Joker face-to-face for the first time. Batman chases Joker out into the street. Despite being injured with bullet wounds from Nelson, Joker gains the upper hand and throws Batman off a bridge. Later, Joker disgustingly hides in the bottom of a portable toilet to get the jump on another murder victim. (Note that this item incorrectly shows use of the Bat-Signal, which wouldn’t have been invented yet. This is a major continuity error. Mark Waid’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #18 makes it clear that the Bat-Signal isn’t invented until after Jim Gordon becomes commissioner.) Meanwhile, Alfred patches up Batman, who has broken bones, torn muscles, and a bad fever. After Joker kills a mother and her child on the highway, Batman suits up and heads out to meet with Gordon. Unfortunately, Batman collapses and passes out during their conversation. Listening in, Alfred radio instructs Gordon to place Batman into the Batmobile, which autopilots home. After yet again getting patched up by Alfred, Batman instructs his butler to pump up his adrenaline by repeatedly punching him in the face. Alfred reluctantly complies. Meanwhile, Joker’s killing spree continues. A day later, he publicly announces that he will assassinate Judge Drake, citing that he once sent him to prison. GCPD’s Chief Chalmers benches Gordon, saying that he and the SWAT team will personally handle Joker. Disguising himself as Chief Chalmers, Joker gains access to Judge Drake and kills him as promised. As referenced in Batwoman: Rebirth #1 (and originally told in Batman: The Man Who Laughs Part 1 and Batman #1 Part 1), Joker does a few things while Batman is on the mend. First, Joker continues his war on organized crime by attacking members of the Lew Moxon gang. Second, Joker gasses store owner Virgil Myers, who winds up with metahuman powers due to a an allergic reaction. (Myers will return years later as the super-villain known as The Mute.) The next day, the injured Batman crawls out of bed, memorizes all the names of Joker’s murder victims, and chases after Joker. In the woods, Joker stabs Batman in the stomach, causing him to pass out. Upon awakening, Batman is surprised to find Joker sitting by his side, calmly looking at him. As they resume their fight, a laughing Batman tells a bad “Bat-tery” joke, which Joker doesn’t find funny at all. Batman defeats Joker, sending him to Arkham Asylum. The next day, while fishing, Bruce and Alfred discuss the Joker case. A day after that, at another Wayne Manor gala, Brute Nelson chats with Bruce. Later, Batman visits Joker at Arkham Asylum. The hero and villain both agree that this is just the beginning of their relationship.

—^[16]

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #995, Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #57, the second feature to Batman Vol. 3 #128, and Batman/Superman Vol. 2 #10. Batman and Alfred study Joker Venom samples, creating a novel antitoxin by synthesizing various antibiotics, vaccines, and steroids. Note that, from this point on, the Jokers will use many different variations of Joker Venom. With every new strain, Batman will always create and carry the latest antitoxins in his utility belt. Batman also begins the practice of depositing leftover Joker Venom at Gotham Industrial Clean Waste, which is owned by Wayne Enterprises. Moving ahead, the Dark Knight will do this for most dangerous chemicals he encounters.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 5, Detective Comics #1000 Part 10, and Dial H for Hero #5. September 21. Batman begins the annual tradition of visiting both Crime Alley (where his parents were killed) and the cemetery where his parents are buried on the anniversary of the day they were murdered. Batman, from this point forward, will leave two red roses on Crime Alley every year.

–REFERENCE: In Doomsday Clock #2, The Batman Who Laughs #1, The Batman Who Laughs #6, and the second feature to Detective Comics #1058. In the Batcave, Batman sets up a newspaper clipping cork board dedicated to all things Joker-related. He will add to this board whenever Joker takes any action whatsoever. (Not all of Batman’s interactions with Joker will be listed on our timeline below. Since Joker will be Batman’s arch enemy, there are a lot of cases that we must simply imagine sprinkled throughout the chronology.) At this juncture, Batman begins obsessively studying gelotology and Joker’s sadistic nature. Batman finds Joker so detestable that he briefly considers breaking his vow never to kill. Moving forward, Batman will often dream of killing Joker. And even when awake, Batman will question whether or not to kill Joker from time-to-time, which is something he will never even think about in regard to his other foes.

–REFERENCE: In Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #20. Batman puts Joker’s costume on a display mannequin in the Batcave.

–REFERENCE: In Batman: Three Jokers #3 and Joker: The World Part 1 (also pre-released as Joker: The World – Batman Day Special Edition #1 Part 1). It’s been about one week since “The Winning Card” arc. Batman discovers the secret identity of Joker. The Dark Knight learns about Joker’s wife Jeannie, who is pregnant with his child and has gone into some sort of witness protection program in order to escape Joker’s abusive behavior. She now lives in Comoedia, Alaska where she will soon give birth to a baby boy named Jeremy. Batman decides to make it a top priority to protect Jeannie. He will keep tabs on her, moving forward, while also making sure that no one knows about her existence. Thus, Batman will keep Joker’s ID a secret, even from his closest compatriots. (As seen in Joker: The World Part 1, Joker will still eventually come face-to-face with Jeannie and Jeremy in Alaska, but it seems like pure chance that he stumbles upon them. Additionally, it’s hard to tell if he even recognizes Jeannie when he sees her. This is Joker, though, so who really knows?)

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #139. The GCPD begins using radio code “7-20” in reference to suspected Joker crimes.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Giant Vol. 2 #5 Part 1 (Batman: Gotham Nights Vol. 3 #7)—and referenced in Detective Comics #958 and Batman Vol. 3 #94. Wearing his ribbed padded-arm costume (with purple gloves), Batman battles the debuting Killer Moth (Drury Walker), who escapes via retractable hang-glider wings. Batman is inspired to add a hang-glider to his collection of crime-fighting tools. Soon after, Batman fights Killer Moth again and the villain escapes once again. Note that Killer Moth will have three primary costumes that he will wear interchangeably for decades to come. The first is his main purple and green costume (seen here), which mirrors his classic outfit from the Silver and Modern Age. The second is his New-52 style look, which is darker and features a mohawk. The third is his Rebirth Era costume, which is an armored suit.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #141. Having just fought Killer Moth for the first time, Batman keeps some of the villain’s tech, modifying it to create a flame-retardant expanding foam, which he will keep in capsules in his utility belt, moving forward.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #26. Batman—in his ribbed padding costume with purple gloves—briefly encounters master assassin Deathstroke aka Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson). Batman won’t learn Deathstroke’s name (or anything about him) yet.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #7, Detective Comics #997, and Batman: Knightwatch – Batman Day Special Edition #1 (Batman: Knightwatch #1). Batman permanently retires his ribbed padding costume and purple gloves. He also puts one of his first costumes (with funny shaped cowl ears) on display in the Batcave.

–REFERENCE: In the quasi-canonical Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1—originally told in Batman: Tenses. Serial killer Ted Krosby goes on a twelve-hour murder fest, killing folks all across Gotham. During this reign of terror, Krosby engages in nearly every serial killer horror movie trope possible (eating people, mutilating people, etc). Krosby even skins his own dad alive and then wears his face Ed Gein-style. Batman busts the twisted Krosby. Note that Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1 is only quasi-canonical, featuring a super-villain awards show gala that almost every single villain (and Red Hood) attends. Harley hands out awards based upon actual voting done by fans online. While this award show itself cannot be a canonical event, instead likely only occurring in Harley’s mind, every storyline nod or character appearance connected to the show can and will function as a canonical reference or flashback (just as it has here with this Krosby item, and as we’ll see in other items yet to come).

–REFERENCE: In Gotham City Monsters #1. Batman defeats the deadly vampire and evil cult leader known as The Mad Monk.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #53 and Detective Comics #1027 Part 1—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #25, Batman Vol. 3 #69, Batwoman Vol. 3 #7-8, Detective Comics #964, Detective Comics #967, Detective Comics #985, and Batman: Kings of Fear #5. Batman fights the debuting Scarecrow (Professor Jonathan Crane), who unleashes his tortured and brainwashed students, including Abigail O’Shay, upon the Caped Crusader. (Abigail will return years later as the super-villain Madame Crow.) Scarecrow also uses his patented Fear Gas on Batman, causing him to have intense hallucinations. Eventually, Batman wins the day, although Scarecrow goes free and Batman doesn’t learn his secret identity. However, Batman is able to collect a sample of Scarecrow’s Fear Gas. From this point forward, Batman will collect samples of Scarecrow’s Fear Gas, of which there will be a variety of different strains, every time they face one another. Both Batman and Alfred will study Scarecrow’s poisons quite often, becoming more than familiar with their effects and chemical makeup. Batman, for the next few years, will expose himself to every variation of Fear Gas in order to memorize the effects and feel of each strain. Also, from this point forward, Batman will keep both Fear Gas and Fear Gas antidote syringes in his utility belt.

–REFERENCE: In Knight Terrors: Batman #1 and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5—originally told in “Choices: A Tale of Halloween in Gotham City” (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #1). October 31. Halloween. Batman defeats the returning Scarecrow, who appears on horseback and dons his “noose necktie” costume for the first time. Despite being beaten, Scarecrow evades capture while again keeping his true identity a secret from the Dark Knight. Afterward, Batman creates a replica of Scarecrow’s mask and noose necktie, putting it on a bust display in the Batcave trophy room. (Notably, in the Modern Age, Scarecrow didn’t have the “noose necktie” look until years after Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #1—but, here on our Rebirth/Infinite Frontier timeline, Scarecrow debuts it in attachment with this item.)

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 8—originally told in “THE LONG HALLOWEEN.” October 31. Halloween. A number of key players in the Falcone Mob are shot and killed by a mystery gunman, dubbed “The Holiday Killer” (aka “Holiday”) by the media. Batman, Captain Gordon, and Harvey Dent investigate. Originally, this item was a part of the Modern Age’s The Long Halloween arc, which ran from Halloween to Halloween. However, The Long Halloween cannot fit as a yearlong narrative in the bloated Rebirth Era—there’s just no room for it. At most, this yarn can run about two months, up until Dent becomes Two-Face at the end of this year.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: Three Jokers #1, Detective Comics #1027 Part 3, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #14 Part 5—and referenced in Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #1 Part 2, Dark Days: The Casting #1, and Doomsday Clock #2. Originally told in Batman #1 Part 1. According to Detective Comics #1027 Part 3, this is Batman and Joker’s second face-to-face encounter. Technically speaking (and more specifically), this is the start of the second Joker case (which will be a series of connected Joker encounters). This follows the first Joker case (“The Winning Card”), which also featured a series of connected Joker encounters. Notably, Detective Comics #1027 Part 3 places this item in November, but that must be ignored. Onto a synopsis! Joker escapes from Arkham Asylum. Soon after, Joker taunts Batman, flashing a deck of cards and telling him to pick one. (This scene of Joker taunting Batman with the deck of cards is adapted straight from the splash title page of Batman #1 Part 1.) Shortly thereafter, Joker challenges Batman with a host of deadly tricks, including a pair of oversized dice, a flower that sprays acid, an electric hand buzzer, razor sharp playing cards, false teeth, and a gun that shoots out a flag instead of bullets. Batman keeps all of these items as trophies in the Batcave. Shortly thereafter, Joker surprises the Dark Knight with a bound-and-gagged policeman, who wears a “happy birthday” sash and has a bomb strapped to his chest. The cop is blown to smithereens. (Thus begins the Jokers’ sadistic ritual of giving Batman a twisted “birthday present” every single month, moving forward. The Joker will never miss sending Batman his dark “gift,” not even once. Even from jail, he’ll make sure something gets sent or done on his behalf. While we won’t see all of the Joker’s monthly “largesse” on our timeline, we will see a handful. The rest we’ll just have to imagine.) Soon afterward, at a factory, Batman fights Joker, who wings him with a few bullets.

–REFERENCE: In The Joker Vol. 2 #3. Picking up directly from our previous item, Joker continues to run amok. One of them goes on a murderous crime-spree, prompting the FBI to come in to work the case with Captain Gordon and the GCPD. From a remote location, Joker leads an entire FBI unit into a death trap at a balloon factory, but Batman is able to save all but one agent.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #29, Batman Vol. 3 #53, Batman Vol. 3 #95, Batman: Three Jokers #1, Punchline #1, Robin Vol. 3 #9, and The Joker Vol. 2 #15—and referenced in Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #1 Part 1. Originally told in Batman: The Man Who Laughs Part 2. Picking up immediately from our previous item, Joker continues his rampage. He finally comes through on his prior threat and launches an attack upon Gotham Reservoir, drawing the response of Batman and Jim Gordon. Atop GCPD HQ, Batman chats with Gordon.^[17] At the waterworks, Batman battles clown henchmen before busting Joker, preventing him from poisoning the drinking supply. Joker goes to Arkham Asylum.

–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Casting #1. This item picks up immediately from our previous item. Batman returns home from busting Joker at the Gotham Reservoir to find one of the villain’s signature playing cards inside the Batcave. Worried that Joker knows his secret ID, Bruce visits Arkham Asylum under the auspices of a Wayne Foundation business visit. There, Bruce sneaks off, meets with Joker, and shows him the playing card. Joker looks at Bruce, but makes no response or recognition. Even though the connection between Bruce and Batman has to be quite evident, Bruce believes that Joker’s twisted mind works in mysterious ways. He thinks that Joker doesn’t care who he is beneath the mask, and never will—that Joker is incapable of even broaching the subject of Bruce Wayne, for it might ruin his fun. Is this true? Or does Joker have more cunning faculty in regard to this matter than Bruce is willing to admit? (Joker definitely knows, that’s for sure.) Later, Batman enlarges Joker’s playing card and hangs it on display in the Batcave as a trophy.

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Detective Comics #1057. Batman installs a tripwire alarm at the Gotham Light and Power Offices in hopes of preventing anyone from ever messing with the reservoir or water supply ever again.

–REFERENCE: In Batgirl Vol. 5 #14 and Batgirl Vol. 5 Annual #2. Captain Jim Gordon is promoted and officially made Gotham’s newest police commissioner. Unfortunately, in another instance of a good professional life occurrence getting balanced out by a bad personal life occurrence, Jim gets divorced. Barbara moves back to Chicago along with daughter Babs and son James Junior.

–Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #18-19 (“THE ORIGIN OF THE WORLD’S FINEST TEAM: PHANTOM RIDDLES”)
Batman begins investigating strange public vanishings—what the media calls the “Ghosting of Gotham.” Soon after, following a big heist, Riddler leaves behind a riddle written in Kryptonese. Commissioner Gordon, Detective Harvey Bullock, and photographer Charlie examine the scene, with the latter snapping a few shots. In Metropolis, Clark Kent and Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen view Charlie’s photos. Superman immediately visits Gotham, meeting Gordon for the first time. In conversation, Gordon realizes that he doesn’t have a means of signaling Batman. An eavesdropping Batman interjects, meeting Superman for the first time as well. As they discuss the case, Batman and Superman team-up to bust a debuting Spellbinder and Magpie. They then shake down multiple informants, hoping to find Riddler, but they come up short. Unknown to our heroes, Riddler is being abused and used by Kryptonian villain Jax-Ur, who has escaped from the Phantom Zone. The Phantom Zone (aka Ghost Zone) is an extradimensional tesseract hyperspace that is home to a litany of Krypton’s worst criminals, who were ironically spared their lives when Krypton exploded. Jax-Ur was sent to the Phantom Zone by Superman’s father Jor-El using a device known as a Phantom Zone Projector. The Phantom Zone is one of many realms within the Underworld (which also includes Hades, Erishkagal, Annwn, etc).^[18] In the morning, Bruce chats with Alfred, who is still reluctant about fully supporting Bruce’s war on crime. In the middle of their conversation, Alfred vanishes. Having been monitoring Superman for months now, Bruce quickly deduces his secret identity. Bruce phones Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White to arrange an interview with Clark. At Wayne Manor, Bruce confirms that Clark is Superman. Bruce shares his secret with Clark as well, but Clark reveals that he also already knew. Shortly thereafter, Batman and Superman study another Riddler clue, which leads them to his location at a shipyard. There, Jax-Ur ambushes Superman and exiles Batman into the Phantom Zone. Alfred greets Batman, explaining to him what he has learned about the Phantom Zone. He also tells Batman that strange portals between Universe-0 and the Phantom Zone have been opening, resulting in the “Ghostings” and Jax-Ur’s escape. Superman telepathically contacts Batman, telling him about his deceased biological parents (Jor-El and Lara), Jax-Ur’s various crimes, and the destruction of Krypton. After Batman is able to exit back to Earth via one of the mysterious portal openings, Superman realizes that Jax-Ur is now planning to destroy the Bottle City of Kandor. En route to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude in the Arctic, the Man of Steel tells Batman all about the Fortress, Phantom Zone Projectors, and Kandor. (Specifically, as referenced in Justice League: No Justice #1, Man of Steel #3, and Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #7, Batman learns that Superman’s arch rival Brainiac had shrunk down and bottled-up whole cities, including Kandor, a Kryptonian city filled with the last survivors of the planet. Unable to bring the Kandorians—including the Science Council led by Professor Kim-Da—back to full-size, Superman kept the Bottle City inside the Fortress of Solitude for safe-keeping.) As Superman battles Jax-Ur inside the Fortress of Solitude, Alfred telepathically tells Batman that a strange being (Aethyr the Messiah aka Aethyr the Oversoul) is trying to weaken the boundaries between the Phantom Zone and Universe-0. As per Superman’s plan, Batman tricks Jax-Ur and uses a Phantom Zone Projector to send him back to the Phantom Zone. In victory, Batman tells Superman they should do battle training together. The heroes then bring all the missing Gothamites home. In Gotham, Batman and Superman bust Riddler. For Superman and Batman, Alfred draws a picture of Aethyr, whom they realize was responsible for creating the portals opening and closing. Afterward, Batman and Superman part ways, having discovered newfound respect for one another. (It’s unclear whether or not Batman and Superman were serious about training together, but we can imagine that they actually do start training with one another in some fashion, moving onward from this point.) Meanwhile, in the Phantom Zone, Aethyr vows to one day free everyone.

–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #22, Batman Beyond Vol. 8 #7, Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #6 Part 5, Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1, Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #18, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #7 Part 1. Batman, in conjunction with Commissioner Gordon, creates the Bat-Signal, a spotlight bat-symbol that will shine in the night sky both to frighten criminals and as a means of summoning him if he is needed by the police. (The Bat-Signal has orthographic variances of “Batsignal,” “Bat-signal,” or “Bat Signal”.) On the GCPD rooftop, “Shutterbat” Dan Mora photographs Batman responding to the Bat-Signal for the first time ever. Soon after, Bruce purchases the original print of the photo at an auction.

–FLASHBACK: From Absolute Power: Origins #2—and referenced in Trinity Vol. 2 #8, Superman Vol. 4 #20, Wonder Woman Vol. 5 Annual #1 Part 1, and Super Sons #5. Batman meets Superman’s love interest, intrepid reporter Lois Lane. Despite having gotten to know one another better and respect each other, Superman and Batman remain completely at odds—so much so that Batman builds an armored anti-Superman suit (based on the Frank Miller-designed costume from The Dark Knight Returns) and challenges Superman to a fight. Batman and Superman scrap, but cooler heads eventually prevail. (This fight is loosely based on their combat from Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice film.) Suffice to say, Batman won’t come to fully trust Superman (and vice-versa) just quite yet—not until the Justice League forms next year. In fact, Batman and the “Man of Steel” will often get into heated arguments when they cross paths. Most of these fights will happen invisibly, scattered throughout our timeline below.

–DC’s Crimes of Passion #1 Part 1
Batman begins warring with Japanese hypnotist Tito Daka. At a party hosted by Tommy Elliot and his mother Marla Elliot, Bruce meets and falls in love with Linda Page, who quickly reveals that she hates Batman, thinking of him as an abusive bully. When Daka mind-controls everyone at the elder home where Linda works, Batman swoops-in and saves the day, breaking Daka’s control over Linda by revealing his secret ID to her. Thanks to the hypnosis, Linda doesn’t remember this. Despite being saved by Batman, Linda blames him for endangering innocent lives. This prompts Bruce to break up with Linda. (The moody snowfall in the background of the breakup sequence should likely be ignored as we are not yet in wintertime. Otherwise, we can chalk it up to extreme anthropogenic climate change.)

–REFERENCE: In Trinity Vol. 2 #13 and Justice League Vol. 3 #29. Batman pontificates upon Superman’s origin story, noting how lucky the world is that two benevolent kind-hearted people raised Clark to be a decent human being. Any number of alternatives could have been disastrous. Batman will think about this circumstance of fate quite often over the course of his crime-fighting career. The Dark Knight begins studying Superman very closely, also noting that the Man of Steel typically holds back his full power while in combat, aware of the destructive capability of his Kryptonian abilities. Batman also notes that Superman gets his power from the rays of Earth’s yellow dwarf sun (i.e. white sun), while discovering that red solar rays nullify his power.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 8—originally told in “THE LONG HALLOWEEN.” November 28. Thanksgiving. Holiday strikes again, killing another Falcone Mob connection. Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and Harvey Dent continue to investigate.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics Annual #2 (2019) and Detective Comics #1030. Having now seen a metahuman hero (Superman) up close and gone on a bunch of fantastic adventures, Batman decides to begin keeping a log of any bizarre events involving metahumans, supernatural occurrences, aliens, or anything else seemingly beyond the realm of human comprehension. Batman and Alfred begin compiling this intensive log, which is known as “The Black Casebook.” Batman decides the Black Casebook should also contain details about personal failures and unsolved mysteries. Notably, Batman creates a section of the Black Casebook dedicated to the (unsolved) multiple assassination attempts upon him when he was a teen. Batman will also fill the Black Casebook with various newspaper clippings. Batman and Alfred also begin logging “The Red Casebook.” We can only wonder what is in that one. In any case, both these casebooks will get filled-out accordingly, moving forward. Batman and Alfred also put the Dark Knight’s case-files (so far) into chronological order! Yes, they have their very own Batman Chronology Project! They will bind all the Dark Knight’s case-files into physical tomes—”Year One,” “Year Two,” “Year Three,” etc—and keep them in the Batcave library. Likewise, in the future, Batman and Alfred will bind very special cases into physical books for their library too.^[19]

–Detective Comics Annual #1 (2018)
Three weeks ago, second-generation superstar Hollywood actor Basil Karlo crashed his car, resulting in first degree burns and severe facial injuries. Thanks to the use of a discontinued experimental gel called Renu (belonging to his deceased dad), Basil was able to temporarily sculpt his face back to its prior shape. Needing more of the product, Karlo travels to Gotham’s Daggett Chemical, run by crook Roland Daggett, to steal more. (Daggett, a canon immigrant from Batman the Animated Series, is also spelled Dagget, with one t.) With a tip from Commissioner Gordon, Batman gets the jump on Karlo and busts him. Batman investigates Daggett and learns that Renu destabilizes neural pathways in its user’s brain, and that Daggett has been experimenting with it on human guinea pigs for decades. Batman then tells Karlo that no one will press charges against him, and that he should go to DA Harvey Dent to assist in giving testimony that will but Daggett away for a long time. The next day, however, Karlo wigs-out and tries to steal the evidence stash of Renu from the courthouse. Some crooked cops shoot at Karlo, causing the entire batch of toxic gel to pour over him. Karlo instantly becomes the shape-changing super-villain Clayface. In a wild rage, Clayface attacks the set of a film in which he was supposed to star. He targets director Veronica St. Clair and leading man Harry Day Jr before dumping a barrel full of Renu onto his girlfriend, production assistant Glory Griffin, which turns her into a clay-based metahuman as well—only Glory doesn’t have the ability to change shape. (Glory will return years later as a super-villain named Mudface.) Batman then brings Clayface to justice. (A flashback from Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4 shows Batman fighting Clayface, during which Batman suffers a permanent scar. I’ve attached this flashback to this item.) Presumably, Daggett is brought to justice as well.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #973. Bruce has Wayne Chemical (a sub-branch of WayneTech) clean up after Clayface’s nightmarish debut. He orders his scientists to collect leftover globs of living mud left behind by Clayface at the scene of the crime. Wayne Chemical will continuously store living residuum from Clayface every time he makes an appearance, moving forward.

–the second feature to Detective Comics #1047-1048 (“SHADOWS OF THE BAT: HOUSE OF GOTHAM”)
This item is said to occur specifically “months” into Batman’s career but after Clayface’s debut, hence placement here. Batman chases an escaped Joker to an apartment where he has just axe-murdered a married couple. Their small unnamed child, who had been hiding, emerges and blames both Joker and Batman for the loss of his folks. Later, District Attorney Harvey Dent and Commissioner Gordon examine the scene and speak with the young orphan. Unfortunately, the boy winds up in the temporary care of trauma specialists at Arkham Asylum. Having been badly injured by Joker, Batman is rescued by Alfred, who drives him home and stitches him up. The next day, Bruce visits Arkham to check up on the boy, who is under the not-so-watchful care of Dr. Harleen Quinzel. Bruce gives a donation and chats with recently appointed hospital director Dr. Jeremiah Arkham, who is carrying on his family legacy. Bruce then meets Dr. Quinzel for the very first time. Bruce is distressed to find that the boy is playing with Clayface (Basil Karlo). Bruce separates the boy from Clayface, after which he places the boy into the Martha Wayne Orphanage. Unfortunately, Dr. Jonathan Crane is one of his primary psychiatrists. (Neither Batman nor the public are aware that Crane is Scarecrow yet.)

–REFERENCE: In the second feature to Detective Comics #1049. Picking up directly from the second feature to Detective Comics #1048, Bruce visits the orphanage to give toys to the young boy who was orphaned by Joker. While we won’t see it listed on our timeline ahead, Bruce will visit the boy (and give him toys) frequently over the course of the next few years.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Deluxe Edition Part 12. Oswald Cobblepot is arrested and put on trial. Batman personally attends the trial. DA Harvey Dent does his best to obtain a conviction, but an army of expensive Falcone Mob lawyers gets him off scot-free. I’m not sure this Detective Comics #1000 reference (2019) fully jibes with Tom King’s The Penguin #6-7 (2024), but we can fanwank an interpretation that makes it fit more decently. Since Cobblepot is Batman’s informant, it makes sense to protect him by having him go on a show trial in connection with the Falcones. However, Cobblepot is just a bartender, so it’d be a bit strange to target him. Therefore, it’s possible (and serves our timeline better) if Cobblepot was one of several Falcone associates put on trial here.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1022 and Detective Comics #1068. Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and DA Harvey Dent shut down the McKillen Mob, sending the McKillen sisters (Erin and Shannon) to jail.

–REFERENCE: In Red Hood: Outlaw #51—originally told in Batman: The Hill #1. Batman and the GCPD chase jewel thieves into the predominantly Black section of Gotham known as The Hill, a neighborhood into which Batman rarely ventures. In the ensuing chaos, a fourteen-year-old is killed by police gunfire, inciting the neighborhood. Tensions in the community rise and protests erupt. After meeting the untouchable Demitrius Korlee Sr, head of the notorious Hill Gang, Batman sets into motion an elaborate plan that involves subterfuge, espionage, disinformation, and a fake Batcave. Korlee, thinking he has exposed a huge secret of the Bat, lets his guard down, allowing Batman to get the jump on him and bring him to justice. (Note that this item is said to occur twenty-one years prior to the events of Red Hood: Outlaw #51, which occurs in late 2020. However, the earliest it can go is here, eighteen years prior. The twenty-one year specificity is merely because 2021’s Red Hood: Outlaw #51 is the start of a sequel to 2000’s Batman: The Hill by Christopher Priest and Shawn Martinbrough. Martinbrough, having returned to script Red Hood: Outlaw #51, is cutely referencing the twenty-one years that have passed in-between the original Hill and the follow-up.)

–FLASHBACK: From Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #12 Part 5. Batman fights and breaks the nose of Falcone henchman Barney. Batman also meets Barney’s affable wife. Moving forward, Barney will work for many different villains. While we will only see Barney and his wife interact with Batman on a few occasions over the decades to come, we should imagine random encounters between the Caped Crusader and the couple sprinkled throughout the timeline ahead.

–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #139—originally told in Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #1-5 (“SHAMAN”). December. Batman defeats members of the so-called Chubala Cult, which is actually just a front for criminals Carl Fisk and Dr. Madison Spurlock. Batman also defeats a returning Thomas Woodley.

–REFERENCE: In DC’s Harley Quinn Romances #1 Part 2. December 24. Christmas Eve. Batman patrols, noticing a significant uptick in criminal activity. DC’s Harley Quinn Romances #1 Part 2 tells us that Xmas Eve is the busiest night of the year for crime in Gotham. We’ll have to imagine that Batman steps up his game each 24th of December, moving forward.

–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 8—originally told in “THE LONG HALLOWEEN.” December 25. Christmas. Holiday strikes again, killing another Falcone Mob connection. Batman, Jim Gordon, and Harvey Dent continue to investigate.

–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #53, Batman: Black and White Vol. 5 #5 Part 3, Robin Vol. 3 #9, and Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #2 Part 4—and referenced in Batman Vol. 3 #25, Detective Comics #987, Detective Comics #1000 Part 8, The Batman Who Laughs #1, Detective Comics #1062, Batman: Killing Time #4-5, Batman: Urban Legends #21 Part 1, Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #10 Part 3, and Batman: Hush 20th Anniversary Edition. Originally told in “THE LONG HALLOWEEN.” Late December.^[20] Holiday seemingly strikes again, killing Carmine Falcone’s son, Alberto Falcone. Of course, his body isn’t recovered, which curiously doesn’t match up with the other Holiday murders. (Alberto has faked his own death.) Meanwhile, Harvey Dent is horribly scarred on half of his face by Sal Maroni, who throws acid at him in the courtroom. After Batman deals with Sal and Bruno, he is on-hand at the hospital when a distraught Gilda sees her badly injured husband for the first time. But the injuries are more than skin deep as Dent becomes the murderous super-villain Two-Face. In his first act as Two-Face, Dent badly injures Sofia Falcone Gigante (Carmine Falcone’s daughter) and shoots Carmine Falcone, who barely survives. Commissioner Gordon meets with Batman, telling him that he’s found evidence that proves Dent was Holiday. However, a returning Alberto kills Sal Maroni and publicly claims to he Holiday. Alberto goes to Arkham Asylum, but Two-Face kills him there. Batman then challenges his old friend, who hires a crew of henchmen, including top man Cicero. (While we won’t see it on our timeline ahead, Batman will encounter Cicero on occasion.) Two-Face also begins using a signature move of flipping his lucky coin to determine his actions. Batman immediately begins using one of Two-Face’s unnamed henchmen as an undercover inside source/street informant. Upon confrontation, Two-Face slices-up Batman, leaving permanent scars. Eventually, the Caped Crusader brings Two-Face to justice. Two-Face cryptically tells Batman and Gordon that Alberto may have killed Maroni, but his claim to be Holiday was false. Two-Face tells his former pals that the Holiday murders were carried out by both he and his wife Gilda. Of course, there’s not enough evidence to prove this and the deceased Alberto has already taken the rap. Two-Face goes to Arkham Asylum and Gilda leaves the country.

________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

<<< Rebirth Era Early Years <<< ||| >>> Rebirth Era Year 2 >>>

1. ^[1]COLLIN COLSHER / JACK JAMES: All-Star Batman #11 places Bruce’s birth before the Falklands War, meaning somewhere in the 1980 to 1982 range. The Batman Who Laughs #1 confirms that, by the year 2019, Bruce is in his late 30s or early 40s. We’ve gone with the 1980 birthdate, which means Bruce is currently twenty-one-years-old (soon to be twenty-two).↩
2. ^[2]COLLIN COLSHER: Bruce and Alfred will all but finish their massive underground HQ undertaking in less than a year. On our Rebirth Era timeline, we will see numerous instances of skyscrapers and superhero (and villain) headquarters being built to completion in a matter of months or even weeks or days. Battle damaged buildings, flooded natural disaster zones, and entire metropolitan infrastructures devastated by nuclear holocaust or alien attack will sometimes get fixed up in no time flat. Unlike in our reality—where One World Trade Center took over seven years to top-out—the DCU is a place of magick, metapower, and sci-fi technology. Put these things together and things get built quickly. We also cannot ignore trigger-happy writers, eager to return things to status quo, to add new toys to the sandbox, or to just plain get on with their stories. Simply put, be prepared to suspend your disbelief when it comes to the speed of building and reconstructing things in the DCU. (Hell, Scott Snyder had Superman put a destroyed Moon back together like a puzzle in mere minutes.)↩
3. ^[3]COLLIN COLSHER: Batman’s first year on the Rebirth/Infinite Frontier Era timeline features a tricky combination of his prior origins, Frank Miller’s “Year One” and Scott Snyder’s “Zero Year.” While Snyder is one of DC’s chief architects during this period, it’s Peter Tomasi and Snyder’s protégé James Tynion IV that cement Batman’s origin story here. Tomasi’s intent is to marry “Zero Year” and “Year One” (as evident in Detective Comics Vol. 3 Annual #3 Part 2), which shows the “Zero Year costume” (among other tiny nods and winks to “Zero Year) while also showing the all-important “Year One” butler bell. However, Tomasi clearly omits any direct visuals of the night Bruce decides to become Batman in the Annual, instead fleshing-out the night in other stories, notably Detective Comics #994 and Detective Comics #999, which both clearly demonstrate that Bruce’s East End outing leads straight into the bat crashing through the window and him ringing his bell, directly mirroring “Year One.” Meanwhile, Tynion heavily alludes to “Year One” in both Batman Vol. 3 #94 and Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #3, ostensibly favoring it over his mentor’s “Zero Year” version of events. Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Max Dunbar’s Batman: Urban Legends #7 Part 1 directly references “Year One” also. Last but not least, in Batman Giant #2, Jimmy Palmiotti tries to marry “Zero Year” and “Year One” as well, showing a robed Bruce in his father’s room (reminiscent of “Zero Year”), but with the broken window and bat (reminiscent of “Year One”). So there’s actually a lot of evidence that shows elements of both “Zero Year” and “Year One” are canon and mashed together, although “Year One” still seems to hold more weight. It’s definitely possible that Bruce fights the Red Hood Gang the day before his “I shall become a bat” moment (à la “Zero Year”), but that big moment definitely comes right on the heels of his East End fight from “Year One”.↩
4. ^[4]COLLIN COLSHER: Gotham City Villains 100-Page Anniversary Giant #1 Part 4 (by Stephanie Phillips and Max Fiumara) is a Red Hood Gang origin story that just doesn’t fit into continuity, which is fine since Gotham City Villains 100-Page Anniversary Giant #1 has at least one other non-canon yarn in it (Danny DeVito’s Penguin/Catwoman love story). However, the gist of the story—that there was a Red Hood prior to the man that becomes Joker, in this case a crook named Hank that gets whacked by his own gang—still can ring true. It’s possible that Batman comes right out of the gate, besting two different Red Hoods, or hell, maybe even more than two. However, Phillips’ narrative includes the Bat-Signal and seems to take place closer to a year into Batman’s costumed career, neither of which jibe.↩
5. ^[5]TODD CUNNINGHAM: The Modern Age’s Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 shows that Bane had been haunted by visions of a bat at an early age. At the time of its publication, these visions obviously had nothing to do with Barbatos, pre-dating the Rebirth incarnation of the character. But retroactively, one could imagine—if Barbatos was indeed the bat that flew through Bruce’s window—that the evil bat god was also long present in the life of one of Batman’s primary rivals as well. Admittedly, the The Joker Vol. 2 series seems to hint at different inspirations for Bane’s hatred of bats, Batmen, and Bat-Families, but it’s up to your personal headcanon to decide whether or not Barbatos was making others batty besides just Bruce.↩
6. ^[6]TODD CUNNINGHAM / COLLIN COLSHER: Typically, especially in these early years, Carmine Falcone is meant to exist as a stark contrast between wild costumed super-villains versus old-school organized mobsters. Such was the case in Frank Miller’s original “Batman: Year One,” Jeph Loeb’s The Long Halloween, and other works throughout multiple continuities. Tom King seemingly forgets this or goes against this grain, making Falcone less like Vito Corleone (on whom the character was originally based) and more like… well, more like Penguin. In The Penguin, Falcone is extremely uncouth, violent, garish, and over-the-top. He likes to get his own hands dirty, deals directly in sex trafficking, and at times acts like a super-villain himself. Overall, King tends to write a grim-and-gritty style for everything and everyone, which is weird because he’ll often swing into camp, likely thinking he’s adding necessary levity to his extremely dark storytelling. But, the effect is usually a confusing rollercoaster of tone, coupled with portrayals of characters that seem to vacillate between 1980s grim-dark versus 1950s high camp. This seems to be at play in regard to his portrayal of Falcone.↩
7. ^[7]COLLIN COLSHER: Catwoman Vol. 5 #50 reveals that Ace Chemicals has been abandoned since the 1990s, when its last function was the production of energy drinks.↩
8. ^[8]COLLIN COLSHER: Note that Flashpoint Beyond #5 reveals that this comedian is named Jack Oswald White on the Flashpoint timeline. It stands to reason that he might be named Jack Oswald White on Earth-0 as well, although that isn’t 100% confirmed.↩
9. ^[9]COLLIN COLSHER: Here’s the deal. There are three Jokers that are born at Ace Chemicals. Then they fight, leaving only one alive. Batman Vol. 3 #135 aka Batman #900 (2023) and Batman Vol. 3 #142 (2024), both by Chip Zdarsky, unequivocally show the existence of three separate embodied Jokers that come into existence. Batman Vol. 3 #135 includes a scene of literal three Jokers, and a comment by one of the Jokers about “making a fourth,” which cements the existence of the three Jokers as fact. Batman Vol. 3 #135 tells us outright that the three Jokers were birthed into existence via Darwin Halliday’s cosmic time-traveling magick hoodoo. Batman Vol. 3 #142 reiterates this, as dialogue says Halliday “inadvertently created triplicates of the Joker,” as in three living physical Jokers. Interestingly/confusingly, the framework for the three Jokers—the Comedian, Criminal, and Clown—come directly from Geoff John’s Three Jokers (2020). However, since Zdarsky immediately kills off the other two Jokers and, as we will see in Batman Vol. 3 #143, has the remaining Joker obtain mental control over the disparate personalities of the Comedian, Criminal, and Clown, we wind up with a curious item that directly references the Three Jokers series while at the same time seems to paradoxically ignore its existence. As revealed in a 2024 Popverse interview, Zdarsky (along with editor Ben Abernathy) were here attempting to reference Johns’ concept of the three Jokers (as introduced in 2016’s Justice League Vol. 2 #50 and reemphasized in DCU Rebirth #1), but not the actual Three Jokers series itself. However, even though Zdarsky technically only references Justice League Vol. 2 #50, in which Batman first learns about the existence of the three Jokers (sans any detail), the level of specificity provided in Batman Vol. 3 #142-144 directly nods to Three Jokers (the series) no matter how you spin it. Plus Justice League Vol. 2 #50 and DCU Rebirth #1 are both New 52 releases, meaning the only legit Rebirth/Infinite Frontier reference to the three Jokers comes from Three Jokers itself. Therefore, Three Jokers (the series) should still be canon, and actually, whether he meant to or not, Zdarsky has quite cleverly created a scenario where Three Jokers can still take place as is when read from a certain perspective. (By the time we get to Three Jokers in Year 17, instead of three Jokers having been around for years, now the story can/should be read as Joker having recreated/brought back the other original Jokers.)

   Now that we’ve addressed the elephant in the room, let’s look at the metaphysics of the three Jokers concept. In the original narrative of Three Jokers, the creation of the three Jokers was kept deliberately vague by Johns, but he strongly implied that the three Jokers came into existence around the same time but prior to Joker’s public debut (i.e. the Claridge affair based upon Batman #1). The three Jokers were implied by Johns to each have been different characters related to the Red Hood gang—the Criminal as former Red Hood leader and big time gangster (reflecting the Golden Age Joker that debuted in Batman #1 Part 1), the Comedian as the stand-up comedian (reflecting the Bronze Age Joker and his Modern Age origin from Killing Joke), and the Clown as (likely) another former Red Hood leader or gang member (reflecting the Silver Age Joker). Halliday’s cosmic meddling likely turns the latter two into the copies (as opposed to simply conjuring up new Jokers out of the ether). Notably, Zdarsky’s Batman Vol. 3 #135 gives clarity to/fills in the gaps of Three Jokers while, again, forcing us to read it through a different lens. Batman Vol. 3 #135 seems to re-emphasize the Killing Joke as Joker’s true origin story and the Comedian as the original Joker (even if only for a minute or so before the doppelgängers are made). However, Batman Vol. 3 #142-143 muddles this, hinting that the original Joker could be either the Criminal or the Comedian. Again, we should remember, the very idea here is likely to stamp in the “multiple choice” origins of the character. In the end, we have one Joker with every Joker’s origin within him. (Because we don’t know which Joker is left standing, Joker’s enduring “multiple choice” origin stays intact—with the last standing Joker retaining the split personalities of all three.) It’s also important to note that Halliday seemingly imbues/imprints part of his evil personality into the Jokers, thus further acting as a semi-creator/shaper of the Jokers. It really can’t be ascertained as to whether or not this is a radical shift in continuity since Zdarsky never reveals if Joker would have become a good guy (or anything close to it) had he not been given some of Halliday’s evilness. Either way, it’s likely that Halliday’s impact on the Jokers, in terms of personality, is limited.

   I’d be remiss if I didn’t emphasize that the three Jokers concept, whether taken literally or figuratively (or any other way), reflects the phases of Joker from the previous canon of the Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age. In the Golden Age, Joker was a homicidal criminal. In the Silver Age, Joker was not really homicidal at all, acting more as a silly clown. And then, the Bronze Age onward (including the Modern Age’s Killing Joke) returned Joker to his roots, making him, what we could call in our current context, a murderous comedian.↩

10. ^[10]TODD CUNNINGHAM: The physics (or metaphysics) of Darwin Halliday’s influence on the creation of Joker (and other Jokers) are murky at best. First and foremost, the creation of Joker (along with other alternate timeline Jokers or Harley Quinn) is totally dependent upon a specific brew of toxic chemicals. Halliday merely imbues his evil personality into Joker and then creates two more from the original. In fact, there’s nothing that says you need Halliday to have a Joker, only that Halliday—according to Chip Zdarsky—is at least partly the reason for Joker’s “sane” wickedness. Zdarsky likely didn’t put much detailed thought into this (maybe purposefully), so the more you prod, the more it’ll fall apart, and the more questions will arise. For instance, are Jokers less evil without Halladay’s influence? It’s hard to answer without a writer specifically addressing this in more detail. Halliday obviously has an impact that makes Jokers more out-of-control, raging, and devious than normal, even causing them to have glowing red eyes. However, this is a bit of a bogus concept because Jokers are already extremely wild, raging, and devious to begin with. Right? Or is Zdarsky trying to tell us that Jokers are only really the way they are because of Halliday? Probably not, since we’ve seen other Jokers throughout the multiverse that haven’t been influenced by Halliday, and they seem extremely wicked. No matter what, the idea of evil versus more evil is a bit hard to parse out. Zdarsky seemingly hasn’t fully fleshed it out himself (or he wants us to ponder these ideas). The author is leaning heavily into cosmic manipulation in the vein of magick. We shouldn’t look for logic because it just won’t add up—for better or worse. In terms of Halliday’s effect upon other Jokers beyond our Earth-0 trio, Halliday will later (in the main action of Batman Vol. 3 #135 aka Batman #900) travel through the multiverse resurrecting, creating, or “infecting” Jokers. We should assume that Halliday is only responsible for Jokers on timelines that he visits, meaning that he’s not the outright godlike template for every Joker in the omniverse. Again, Zdarsky is playing fast and loose, and the rules are very vague—either deliberately or because he’s unsure of them. Either way, in the end, we don’t necessarily need to know the rules in order to make general sense of the narrative.↩
11. ^[11]EARTHMINE52 (GALANEO MINAREK): While it is not made clear which Joker is the original, Geoff Johns always likely meant him to be the Comedian. However, Chip Zdarsky later chose to keep things less clear, opting for the classic “multiple choice” origin. But who are the Criminal, the Comedian, and the Clown? As his name implies, the Comedian was a failed stand-up comic (from The Killing Joke, modeled off the Bronze Age Joker). He also had a chemical engineering background and was a former employee of Ace Chemicals. He has the skill and means to invent various poisons (likely derived from the chemicals that created him) but otherwise lacks everything the other two Jokers have. The Criminal (from Batman #1 Part 1, modeled off the Golden Age Joker) is skilled at using guns, knives, and explosives, and his experience as an ex-mobster gives him knowledge on how to pull off heists, robberies, and assassinations. The Clown (modeled off of the original Silver Age Joker), unlike the Comedian in his old life, is actually funny, creative, and theatric, with a penchant for twisting trick gags into lethal weaponry.↩
12. ^[12]DYLAN HALL: Darwin Halliday (Red Mask) is a strange character. Chip Zdarsky implies that Halliday is partly the reason for Joker’s twisted intelligence, but it’s debatable what Halliday’s exact impact is in regard to influencing his personality. Even if we find the concept reasonable, the execution of Halliday using “multiverse poison” aka “multiverse gas” on the Jokers is suspect. How does the gas work exactly? The original Earth-0 Joker does react to Halliday being in his head and pushes him out (and it seems to happen again with one of the other three Jokers). Maybe this is what connects Joker’s mental state with Halliday’s, similar to how Batmen from different universes were able to read other Batmen? Maybe Halliday isn’t making Jokers, but instead simply resetting them to original recipe? On his Substack, Zdarsky addresses the above by saying, “I’m leaving a lot open to interpretation by writers who will come after me, but in my mind, Halliday accidentally created two more Jokers in Batman #135 aka Batman #900 with his universe hopping. Did Joker succeed in killing them? Maybe! In a lot of ways, the RED MASK stuff was a bit of a RED HERRING (see how smart/stupid I am?) as my focus was actually on Captio helping to create three Joker personalities.” Stemming off that quote, let’s theorize deeper. We know Halliday peers into this era three times, thereby creating two extra Jokers. This leads me to think that he has no major influence on Joker’s creation. Seemingly, Halliday essentially “copies” the already-preexisting multiple personalities within Joker’s mind onto the two Joker clones (and the other Jokers throughout the multiverse). This lines up with how Prime Batman links minds with the other multiversal Batman and copies their Zur-En-Arrhs into his mind. Both Halliday and Batman are affected by the multiverse gas (which has an  effect on the brain), which allows Prime Batman and Halliday to interact with their multiversal counterparts. However, a big lingering issue/problem does remain: Where do these other Jokers come from? It makes sense in the other universes where he either revives corpses of Jokers or just copies other (more violent/crazy) personalities into other Jokers. For example, Joker ’66 suddenly having one of Prime Joker’s personas in his brain would explain his character change that we see. But that still doesn’t explain why/how Halliday makes matter out of nothing.↩
13. ^[13]COLLIN COLSHER: I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Tom King’s obsession with the surname Yellin. Besides Colonel Eric Yellin, we’ll later see Professor Lena Yellin (the Colonel’s daughter), Nathan Yellin (the Colonel’s patricidal son), Nicole Yellin (the Colonel’s second wife), Nat Yellin (a pawn shop owner), Professor Yellin (who once taught and was killed by Riddler in the non-canon Black Label Riddler – One Bad Day title), and Professor Erica Yellin (from the Black Label Jenny Sparks title). So, yes, three of the Yellins are professors. While some of the Yellins have different racial ethnicities (the Colonel’s family is white, Nat and Erica are black, and Riddler’s ex-professor—first name not given—could be mixed race), it’s possible that they are all part of the same family. Anyway, this is an unexplained curiosity more than anything else.↩
14. ^[14]COLLIN COLSHER: It’s already been mentioned earlier, but it’s worth repeating here: Tom King’s Gotham City: Year One #6 (2023) heavily implies that Slam Bradley is Bruce’s biological grandfather, revealing that he slept with Bruce’s paternal grandmother (Constance Wayne) nine months prior to the birth of Bruce’s dad, Thomas Wayne. King delivers further evidence as well. At the time of Thomas’ conception, Constance is also said to have not been sexually active with her husband (Richard Bruce Wayne), plus she asks Slam to act as father figure to Thomas following Richard’s death. It’s up to your own personal headcanon on how you want to field this major revelation.↩
15. ^[15]COLLIN COLSHER: While the second feature to Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #1-9 (by Matthew Rosenberg and Francesco Francavilla) is non-canon, it exists as a comic book on Earth-0 (as revealed in Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 and Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #10, in which the comic book itself factors into the main narrative of the issue). This in-story comic book, despite being surreal and comedic, is based upon real people that exist on Earth-0. The mention of Dr. Death in the story speaks to his existence on the timeline, hence his inclusion here. Also, on Earth-0, a version of creators Matthew Rosenberg and Francesco Francavilla (authors of the in-story Joker comic) exist.↩
16. ^[16]COLLIN COLSHER: Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #9 Part 4 (2024) contains a non-canon story by Bruno Redondo. This tale features a Year One Batman that suffers a fall and subsequent injury while fighting Joker. As he recovers, Lucius Fox delivers him his very first grappling gun. As we know, Bruce trained abroad with grappling guns and he even screwed up while using a grappling gun on his very first night of patrol—so grappling guns have been around from the very start. As such, the anachronistic debut of the grappling gun here simply doesn’t fly. Also, this story tells us that Condiment King is a Year One villain, which also doesn’t jibe.↩
17. ^[17]COLLIN COLSHER: It’s snowing in the scene where Batman and Jim Gordon meet atop the GCPD HQ in The Joker Vol. 2 #15. The snow should likely be ignored as we are not yet in wintertime. Otherwise, we can chalk it up to extreme anthropogenic climate change. Additionally, The Joker Vol. 2 #15 is narrated decades in the future by Gordon, who has an admittedly shaky recollection of the event. He mentions not still not taking Joker seriously at this point, but that’s not true. He’s been serious as a heart attack about Joker since his debut. Gordon’s fuzzy future narration also mentions Batman having only gone toe-to-toe with Joker once prior to now. Technically speaking, this could actually be regarded as true, from a certain point of view. Batman’s first Joker case is “The Winning Card,” which is a series of connected Joker encounters. Thus, Batman’s second Joker case can indeed be regarded as the current item, which is attached to our previous items, similarly making the case a series of connected Joker encounters.↩
18. ^[18]COLLIN COLSHER: Here’s a quick rundown of the Map of the Multiverse. The outermost layer is the infinite-sized sentient lacuna known as the Overvoid (aka Overmonitor), which is comprised of the living Source. (The God of the Abrahamic faiths is pure Source.) Moving inward, we cross through the Source Wall to enter the Monitor Sphere (aka Nil). Moving inward still, there exist various pockets of Limbo, including The Place Between Pages (aka Comic Book Limbo) and Purgatory. The next layer is the Sphere of the Gods, which is home to the Underworld realms (the Phantom Zone, Hades, Erishkagal, Annwn, etc), Hell (yes, Christian Hell is its own thing, separate from the Underworld), Apokolips, Nightmare, and more. Notably, Purgatory is the Limbo space directly adjacent to Hell. Likewise, the Place Between Pages is a Limbo space beyond the fourth wall of fiction where unused characters are banished.↩
19. ^[19]COLLIN COLSHER: One of the books shown on the Batcave library shelf in Detective Comics Annual #2 (2019) is entitled “Lost Year.” This could be random book, but it could also be a reference to Kate Kane’s “lost year” when she went on a bender after being kicked out of the army. In the Modern Age, Nightwing had a “lost year” in the form of Marv Wolfman’s “Nightwing Year One,” but this is not canon in the Rebirth Era, so it is unlikely that the “Lost Year” book is a reference to that. Also note that one of the books on the shelf is entitled “Year Zero.” This is not a reference to Batman’s first year in action. It is merely a log of Riddler’s “Zero Year” scheme, which briefly occurs during Batman’s first year.↩
20. ^[20]COLLIN COLSHER: Don’t forget, the Rebirth Era version of “Long Halloween” has been compressed from a full year to about two months. Instead of going from Halloween to Halloween, it goes from Halloween until New Year’s Eve. Though, I’ve still tried to adhere to the holidays as the key points of action for this arc since it revolves specifically around a serial killer that only strikes on holidays. It’s entirely possible that the Holiday murders are entirely non-canon on our current timeline, especially since the meager references are from secondary or tertiary titles. It’s up to your own personal headcanon on whether to include a compressed version of Long Halloween or not. Also note that 2021’s Batman: The Long Halloween Special #1 (re-released in 2024 as Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #0) is the starting point for a non-canon coda to the “Long Halloween” arc, meant as a standalone continuation of the original Long Halloween and Dark Victory, set outside the bounds of any particular continuity. Essentially, Batman: The Long Halloween Special creates a Geoff Loeb/Tim Sale-verse in the same way that Dark Knight Returns and All-Star Batman and Robin spawned a separate Miller-verse back in the day. This alternate Loeb/Sale-verse (continued without Sale following his unfortunate death) includes Batman: The Long Halloween – The Last Halloween #1-10 (2024-2025). This series must be non-canon because it speaks to the yearlong events of the original Long Halloween series, even going so far as to state that Two-Face and Gilda remain in hiding for an additional year following the end of the events of the yearlong Holiday killing spree. It also places Harvey becoming Two-Face at the end of the yearlong Holiday narrative, specifically on Halloween. There’s absolutely no room in contemporary canon to accommodate any this.↩