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(July 2017 to December 2017)
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–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #43, Heroes in Crisis #1-4, and Green Arrow Vol. 7 #10-11. Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, and several other high-profile superheroes plan-out, set up, and launch “Sanctuary” (no connection to the JLA Sanctuary), a Nebraska-based rehabilitation and therapy center for traumatized superheroes and super-villains, much akin to veterans’ crisis centers. The heroes set up Sanctuary on a farmhouse, complete with a robot staff that includes Ma and Pa Kent androids. Using Kryptonian tech, Batman designs and constructs “Danger Room”-like sim chambers wherein which visitors will undergo therapeutic hallucination sessions that their own minds will create. Many of these sessions will allow heroes to relive traumatic moments over and over in order to help get over them. The Trinity will keep tabs on all Sanctuary guests and their progress, moving forward—although, Sanctuary is meant to be completely anonymous. Gold masks and white robes will be provided for all guests to wear in common areas, so that everyone can remain incognito. While all therapy consultations/interviews are video recorded so that guests can review their own sessions, all the digital data is supposedly immediately deleted, broken, and scattered afterward (so as to protect secrets and privacy). Batman even personally assures members of the superhero community about this privacy protocol. (Of course, this is a lie. The videos are being stored in a remote JL bunker, protected by hard-light projected constructs of the JL.) Moving forward, Batman will make periodic visits to Sanctuary, both to check-up on the program and to undergo therapy himself. However, the majority of these visits won’t physically appear on our timeline below. (In a summer 2018 episode of John Siuntres’ Word Balloon podcast, writer Tom King said that Sanctuary was formed “years” prior to the main action of Heroes in Crisis, which takes place approximately one year from now. So take King’s statement for what it’s worth—either as gospel or with a fat grain of salt. Your call.) Also, Sanctuary seems less like a therapy center and more like a torture center—”patients” forced to relive their trauma, emotionless robot staffers, no real doctors present, cult-like outfits, etc. What the fuck are Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman (and Tom King) thinking? It’s no wonder this’ll end poorly.
PYGMALION
———————––Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #7 Part 1
———————––Batman: The Brave and The Bold Vol. 2 #8 Part 1
Batman and the CGPD become more concerned about Frank Freeman acting as a fake Batman. Having also learned that Freeman has been parading around as Batman, Catwoman briefly confronts him. Seeing that he’s too far gone in his misconception about being the Dark Knight, Catwoman lets him answer the Bat-Signal. Upon arrival atop GCPD HQ, Freeman is ambushed by Commissioner Gordon and the real Batman. After a brief scuffle, Batman convinces Freeman of the truth and he stands down. As he does, Aurora (aka Hoopoe, the daughter of Magdalena, the woman with whom he’s been living) radios, citing that there is a home invasion in progress at their apartment. The two Batmen team-up and head to the scene of the crime. While the real Batman fights the bad guys (with secret assistance from Catwoman), Freeman rescues Aurora and Ventriloquist (with Scarface). (Scarface has orchestrated the violent attack upon the apartment building while Ventriloquist has simultaneously acted diffident and worried the whole time.) Frank takes a beating by a bunch of Scarface’s henchmen, allowing Batman to gain the upper hand. As the Caped Crusader takes down the thugs, Aurora snatches Scarface and throws him off the roof. In defeat, Ventriloquist detonates a bomb. Batman is surprised that Ventriloquist is able to act so maliciously sans the presence of Scarface. Aurora falls off the roof, but Catwoman saves her. Gordon and Batman take steps to ensure that Frank won’t go to jail for his previous crimes. Catwoman finds and keeps Scarface.
–REFERENCE: In Harley Quinn: Make ’em Laugh #3. Batman begins carrying super-powerful electromagnets in his utility belt.
–FLASHBACK: From the quasi-canonical Harley Quinn’s Villain of the Year #1. Flashpoint Batman spies on Batman from a distance. He will secretly trail him, watching his every action, moving forward.
–Harley Quinn: Make ’em Laugh #3
Two-Face tries to trick a blindfolded Batgirl into stabbing a tied-up Batman with a sword, but Batgirl sees through the ruse and rescues Batman. Ignoring a coin flip telling him to surrender, Two-Face flees. Unknown to the Bat-Family, some super-villains are deviating from their usual MOs thanks to suggestions from Harley Quinn, who is running an underground therapy office for bad guys. Among her clientele are Two-Face, Riddler, Penguin, Catman, and Mad Hatter. Later, Mad Hatter evades Batman’s capture by uncharacteristically blowing up his own lair. Later still, Batman playfully nabs Catwoman while a grossed-out Batgirl watches. Catman was supposed to have been teaming-up with Catwoman (or at least following her around), but under Dr. Quinzel’s orders, he chose to stay in for a night of self-care. Batman soon discovers Harley Quinn’s office and raids it, busting both Harley Quinn and Mad Hatter. Back at Arkham Asylum, Harley Quinn joins a new therapy group led by Nurse Roughcorn and a robot called Talk-a-Tron. In One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest fashion, Harley Quinn, the Ventriloquist (with Scarface), and Crazy Quilt escape after Talk-a-Tron smashes a hole in the wall with a water fountain.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Casting #1. As part of his ongoing mystery dark metal investigation, Batman investigates ruins in the Alps. At the inhumation ground of a death cult of smith workers, Batman finds a scroll from the year 200 CE. The scroll details the treacherous path to the Great Forge of the god Hephaestus, which supposedly exists in Methana, Greece but can only be accessed via sacrifice. In preparation for a possible future confrontation with Hephaestus, Batman constructs a special anti-god armored suit, lance, and shield. He stores these appurtenances in the moon-cave.
–REFERENCE: In Batman & The Signal #1. Batman hosts the first Wayne Manor round table breakfast gathering of the Bat-Family and Bat-squad. This in-costume meeting, designed as an open forum to discuss all pertinent Bat-ventures, will be held once a week, moving forward.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #71. Batman institutes a new emergency signal protocol. In case of extreme emergency, Batman tells the Bat-Family that he will light up the Bat-signal with a high intensity red bulb, after which they must gather at a pre-determined rooftop location to await further instructions.
–Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #25
The Justice League defeats Shaggy Man, during which the guys notice that Wonder Woman is on edge and is curiously not wearing her golden lasso. Wonder Woman is pissed and on edge for several reasons. First, she recently lost her lasso, using it to permanently bind the diabolical gods Phobos and Deimos. Second, she recently realized that her Greco-Roman god patrons have lied to her about her entire history. Third, Dr. Veronica Cale has brought the curse of the Bwundan plant god Urzkartaga back upon the Cheetah, making the fugitive super-villain more capricious than ever. And fourth, Wonder Woman has been unable to return to her home of Themyscira—seemingly vanished to her completely—for a frustrating long time. In Washington DC, US Army officials Sasha Bordeaux and Etta Candy discuss their connection to Wonder Woman’s recent troubles. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman confronts Dr. Cale at her office and demands that she provide a cure for the Cheetah’s curse, to which Dr. Cale refuses. Wonder Woman then meets with Batman and Superman at their special spot in Nevada, filling them in on some of the details. Wonder Woman then visits her gods—Aphrodite, Artemis, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, and Zeus—on Mount Olympus. There, the gods give her some piece of mind and return her lasso. A satisfied Wonder Woman then meets Steve Trevor for a date at her brand new beach house in Virginia. Truly ebullient for the first time in a while, Diana and Steve skip dinner and head straight to the bedroom.
–REFERENCE: In Damage Vol. 2 #15. The Justice League exiles the recently captured Shaggy Man to Monster Rock.
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #10 Part 1. Batman learns about the Teen Titans’ most recent case (which occurred in Super Sons #6-9)—a team-up with Superboy versus the necromancer Kraklow and the living planet Yggardis (also spelled “Ygarddis”).
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #16. Batman complains to Robin that his Justice League teammates never follow orders.
–All-Star Batman #10-12 (“THE FIRST ALLY”)
Early August—this is the earliest that Major League Baseball teams could have been eliminated from playoff contention. From the Blacks and Whites (Penguin, Black Mask, and Great White Shark’s gang), Batman learns about a dangerous weapon being brought into the States via Miami. (As revealed in the second feature to All-Star Batman #14 Epilogue, Princess Vik is delivering the weapon to the Blacks and Whites from Russia.) When Hush, pretending to be Bruce Wayne, goes to Miami in hopes of trading for the weapon, Batman and Alfred chase him to Florida, busting him in front of a packed crowd at Marlins Stadium. In a newly opened Wayne-owned hotel/condo, Alfred threatens to perform reconstructive facial surgery on Tommy (without anesthesia) unless he talks. Tommy spills the beans that the contraband in question is the Genesis Engine, created by the same Russian scientists that tricked-out the KGBeast. Tommy (as Bruce) is scheduled to meet with Thatch, Vanta, Belle Blue, and Devel—descendants of famous pirates—to trade a priceless (actually forged) painting for the Engine. When the boors attack Bruce, mistaking him for a disguised Hush, he takes them out and runs to a back room to find Thatch dead with his chest cut open and a symbol carved into his body. Viewing via remote cam, Alfred looks in shock. The symbol is a tag he used to spray paint on walls as a teenage delinquent punk in England back in the day. Bruce high tails it out of Thatch’s pad and dives into crocodile-stocked waters. Penguin, Great White Shark, and Black Mask rescue Batman. They tell him that the Genesis Engine allows its user to create sentient weapons made out of living tissue. The villains explain that they saved Batman because they want the Genesis Engine destroyed since it’s far too dangerous to exist. (This is a lie, of course. They want it.) The villains then give Batman coordinates of the location of the Genesis Engine, which is held by Tiger Shark in a super-submarine casino. After infiltrating the sub, Batman finds the current Black Knight, a Nemesis Program assassin responsible for Thatch’s death, mercilessly carving-up Tiger Shark. Black Knight slices-up Batman too, who manages to sneakily steal the Genesis Engine from him. Next, Black Knight damages the sub, which causes it to sink, and activates a time-bomb before departing. Above, Alfred rushes via jetpack glider to assist Batman. As Alfred arrives, he spots Black Knight joining his mystery boss, William Briar, who was Alfred’s mentor in the MI6 decades ago. (Alfred once trained to become a Black Night as part of the Briar-run Nemesis Program, but left before ever donning the assassin’s costume when he discovered that Briar had plans to kill his father Jarvis. Briar still currently runs the Nemesis Program, but it has long since gone rogue and has no affiliation with MI6 anymore.) Batman rescues Tiger Shark and gets on the comms of the sinking vessel, declaring to all passengers that he is “Captain Batman.” The new cap’n radios Alfred to scream as loudly as possible to draw the attention of sound-seeking torpedoes, which he hooks to the ship’s hawsers and launches to the surface. The vessel reaches the surface safely, but Batman falls into the sea. He is thankfully rescued by casino employees dressed in functional mermaid gear. Alfred collects Batman, performs life saving surgery and stabs him back to consciousness with an adrenaline shot to the heart back at the hotel. Alfred tells Batman who their opponents are: his old mentor Briar and a highly trained Black Knight assassin, both members of the now independent Nemesis Program, which was formerly part of the British military. All of a sudden, Penguin, Black Mask, and Great White Shark blast the room with machine-gunfire from a helicopter, hitting Alfred in the arm. Hush hops up and takes down Batman, retrieving the Genesis Engine, and joining his pals. The villains’ demolition team topples the entire hotel/condo with wrecking ball cranes.
–All-Star Batman #13-14 (“THE FIRST ALLY” Conclusion)
Early August. As Batman and Alfred tumble from the top of the collapsing Wayne Hotel and Condo Tower, Alfred has a panicked daydream of what Batman’s life in the future would look like without him. (Interestingly, Alfred’s daydream—rather nightmare—features himself retired in Cuba while an older Commissioner Gordon—speaking through an electrolarynx—orders SWAT to gun down the aging Dark Knight.) Alfred snaps back to reality as Batman saves him from the collapsing building before commandeering a motorcycle and hightailing it to the old Elliot family beach house in the Florida Keys. When the Caped Crusader arrives, he finds Hush, Penguin, Black Mask, and Great White Shark sliced-up and out-cold. Black Knight appears and slices-up Batman as well. Briar radios Alfred and tells him he will use the Genesis Engine to transform the unconscious Batman into something new. Alfred recruits Vanta, Belle Blue, and Devel to help him rescue Batman. After Alfred and the pirates shoot down Briar’s plane, Alfred recovers the badly injured Batman on the shore of an island near Cuba. Black Knight attacks Alfred, but a slightly recovered Batman saves his life and knocks off Black Knight’s helmet, revealing a young evil clone of Alfred underneath. Briar has cloned Alfred using the Genesis Engine! Sick of being someone’s puppet, Black Knight kills Briar. Alfred tries to tell his clone that it’s not too late to turn over a new leaf and be a good guy, but he scoffs and walks off into the sunset. Back in Gotham, Batman and Alfred treat their injuries and rest. Batman secures the Genesis Engine in the Batcave and sets global trackers to search for the Black Knight and the Nemesis Program.
–REFERENCE: In Batman & The Signal #1. Bruce initiates Wayne Industries’ newest public construction project—a housing development tower for civic employees in downtown Gotham. The architecturally-unique development will be erected rather quickly (as most things are in Gotham), in the shape of St. Louis’ Gateway Arch but with a sky-high solar antenna spire through its center.
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #13. Batman becomes aware of former Leviathan drug and weapon supplier Tilden Troy, who has recently moved from Metropolis to Gotham to work out of Penguin’s clubs. Batman will closely monitor and log Troy’s actions, moving forward.
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #10 Part 2. Batman begins printing Batarangs on a 3D printer! He also begins forging them out of a magnesium alloy with reinforced WayneTech resin core, making them the strongest Batarangs ever built.
—[1]
–Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #23-25 (“KILL YOUR DARLINGS”)
Amanda Waller sics the Suicide Squad (Katana, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, El Diablo, Enchantress, and Killer Croc) on Frost in Gotham City. As revenge against Frost for having escaped her clutches, Waller uses Diablo to transfer a disease pathogen into Frost. The pathogen causes Frost to lost control of herself. A pissed-off Batman arrives to survey the situation. Using the brain-bomb frequency, Batman is able to quickly nullify the entire Suicide Squad except for Katana, who doesn’t have a brain-bomb in her skull. Katana reluctantly slashes Batman in the back, taking him out. Task Force X choppers arrive to retrieve the downed Suicide Squad and an unconscious Frost. At Belle Reve, the Suicide Squad argues with Waller, specifically over the recent deaths of teammates Rick Flag and Hack. (Hack is dead, but Rick Flag is actually just trapped in the Phantom Zone.) While Batman deals with Killer Croc and infiltrates the prison, Harley Quinn and Katana breach through the prison’s network firewall and learn that Waller has betrayed the US Government and given all of her detailed metahuman files to Russian Government agent Director Karla, who unleashes multiple foreign Suicide Squads to attack multiple locations across the globe as part of his “Joseph Protocols.” Batman then takes out Enchantress before being joined by Katana—who apologizes for attacking him earlier—and Harley, who drags an unconscious Frost. Batman takes Frost and escapes in a military jet while Katana and Harley fight a bunch of Suicide Suit security robots. Meanwhile, Deadshot and Diablo discover that Waller is under the possession of Russian metahuman Gulag, who is a member of Karla’s elite Russian version of the Suicide Squad known as The Annihilation Brigade, which also includes Cosmonut, Tunguska, and Tankograd. Harley and Deadshot fight the possessed Waller and abort her missile attack against Batman. Captain Boomerang—previously thought to be dead—rejoins the Suicide Squad and helps them corner Waller. Katana then slices Waller, releasing her from Gulag while killing the latter in the process. Waller and the Suicide Squad then fight the remnants of the Annihilation Brigade, killing the rest of them at the site of their control center where a deceased Karla—having committed suicide—is found as well. Meanwhile, the Justice League fights against sixteen separate international versions of the Suicide Squad. From the control center, Harley activates their brain-bombs, killing all of them in an instant. Later, Waller visits Batman and Frost at the JLA Sanctuary to explain that she had been possessed, but also to apologize. (This is an odd bit where they all act as though Waller has discovered the JLA’s secret HQ, but it isn’t really a secret. Refugees live there and the heroes have staged televised press conferences there as well. Hmmm.) Waller hands over all the files she has on Karla’s “Joseph Protocols” to Batman. They effectively broker a truce with one another. Meanwhile, Rick Flag Sr (Rick Flag Jr’s grandfather) and Karin Grace—members of the original Task Force X in the 1940s—watch events unfold as they hide out in an old Argent space station in Earth’s orbit. (Argent is the defunct domestic branch of Task Force X, which hasn’t been in operation since the 1950s.)
–New Super-Man #16-18 (“EQUILIBRIUM”)
After going into a coma following his successful defeat of the evil Super-Man Zero (aka Emperor Super-Man), Super-Man (Kenan Kong) is astrally projected to a “discarded fold of history” by the ineffable All-Yang, who is the living embodiment of the Yang (from the Yin-Yang) and the dark brother to semi-immortal martial arts master I-Ching, who is the living embodiment of both the Yin and the Yang. This “discarded fold of history” is none other than 1937 America, straight out of the pages of Detective Comics #1 from the long erased pre-original Crisis Earth-2. (i.e. a version of it or a somehow preserved chunk of it). All-Yang, in the form of Yellow Peril villain Fui Onyui, shows Super-Man (and reminds the reader) of exactly how racist the DCU (aka DC Comics) were in the 1930s. After Super-Man punches out racist Slam Bradley and bears witness to All-Yang’s execution of the vile Von Holtzendorffs, All-Yang tells Super-Man that he must find the theurgical artifact known as the Red Jade Dragon and unleash his “final power” to become the so-called “Emperor of China.” If he doesn’t comply, he will kill the captured I-Ching. Super-Man then awakes in present day China where he is greeted by his mom (Dr. Omen) and his teammates from the Justice League of China—Bat-Man, Wonder-Woman, Flash (Avery Ho), and Robinbot. The next day, when the JLC registers an energy signal in Metropolis that seems to represent a Superman from an alternate timeline, they are on the case. But as soon as the JLC arrives, their Bat-mech goes haywire and they find themselves fighting with the Justice League. After the Bat-mech is taken down, the two superhero teams great each other with open arms. Super-Man and Superman visit Lex Luthor to inquire about the Red Jade Dragon. At Luthor’s private suburban residence, Super-Man smashes through security Lexbots and retrieves the Red Jade Dragon from Luthor’s vault. All-Yang then appears, revealing that he’s already murdered I-Ching. Super-Man fights All-Yang, who opens a portal to the horrible Realm of the Demigods, releasing a swarm of gigantic demigods known collectively as The Asura. The two Justice Leagues fight against the raging Asura. Super-Man chats with I-Ching’s ghost, who passes his torch, turning Kenan into the new living embodiment of the Yin and Yang. Kenan’s S-sheild on his costume turns into a friggin’ awesome Yin-Yang S-symbol! Using his new power, he defeats the Asura and closes the portal. Super-Man is then able to save Superman’s life and suck All-Yang into the Yang part of his own essence. Back in Shanghai, Kenan tells his mom (Dr. Omen) and dad (Flying Dragon General) that the Justice League of China will now operate independently from the government. The heads of the Ministry of Self-Reliance then reveal to Dr. Omen that they have initiated their new Green Lantern-esque Lantern Corps of China.
–Trinity Vol. 2 Annual #1
On a remote island in Greece, Circe summons Ra’s al Ghul and Lex Luthor to the mystical Pandora Pits, which supposedly can grant power to the right hypostatic union. Luthor scoffs and leaves in a huff, leading Circe and Ra’s al Ghul to ponder whether or not their third could be someone else. Enter Jason Blood, who takes a magick photo of a cave painting that depicts demons eating the entrails of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. He sends the picture to the Justice League before turning into Etrigan to take down a bunch of League of Assassins ninjas. Etrigan then confronts Circe and Ra’s al Ghul, who slice him open, spilling the demon’s blood into the Pandora Pits. This separates Jason Blood from Etrigan, who grows to massive size. This sets off a Justice League alarm that interrupts Bruce, Diana, and Clark, who are dining at Bruce’s restaurant in Gotham. The heroes fly to Greece and battle giant Etrigan and a horde of demons from Hell. Batman tells Jason that he must ensnare Etrigan back within his body, whether he wants to or not. With the help of the Trinity, Etrigan is sucked back into his human host body. Later, Jason, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman examine the caves on the island only to find that the Pandora Pits have disappeared, stolen by Circe and Ra’s al Ghul. Likewise, the photo of the cave painting has been deleted from existence.
–Justice League of America Vol. 5 #10-11 (“CURSE OF THE KINGBUTCHER”)
When the Might Beyond the Mirror—who has already granted wishes to Lord Havok, Nikos Aegeus, and Nadine Terrill—begins granting wishes to people all over America, the Lords of Order take offense to such “meddling with the world’s narrative.” They send their cosmic assassin known as The Kingbutcher (Roland Loop) to eliminate anyone that has come into contact with the Might Beyond the Mirror. Meanwhile, Batman debriefs the JLA on their last mission involving Makson. The Ray (Ray Terrill) doesn’t like Batman’s leadership and expresses this to Black Canary and Xenos. When news reports about wishes being granted and executions that follow in Vanity, Oregon, where the Ray currently lives, the JLA—sans the Atom and Frost—is on the case. The team meets with the Ray’s friend, Mayor Caden Zapote, but are interrupted by an attack by the Kingbutcher. After a short fight that ends in a stalemate, the Kingbutcher transports the JLA to the Ray’s childhood home in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Inside, the Ray is disturbed to find that the Might Beyond the Mirror has granted his mom a wish for a new family. While Batman, Black Canary, Vixen, the Ray, and Lobo defeat the Kingbutcher, the Atom and Frost visit Freedom Beast (Dominic Mndawe) in Lamumba, Africa. Mndawe uses his metapower to “see” inside the heat sickness within Frost, but he is unable to cure her. (As referenced in Justice League of America Vol. 5 #27, Atom and Frost report to Batman about their meeting with Mndawe. Batman does research on Mndawe.) Later, in Vanity, OR, the Ray argues with Batman. That night, Batman is visited in his dreams by the Might Beyond the Mirror, who offers him a wish. Batman turns her down. Upon waking, Batman visits Lord Havok in his prison cell in Kravia. Batman questions Havok about the Might Beyond the Mirror and says he plans to save Havok’s home planet of Angor. In the Sanctuary, Xenos calms a pissed-off Raymond and they share a tender moment. At Ivy University, Ryan finally locates the life signal of the other Atom, Ray Palmer!
–Justice League of America Vol. 5 #12 Part 1
Batman follows Lobo to his hangout spot at Heaven’s Undercarriage in Mammoth City, NJ. Meanwhile, Vixen and Black Canary rescue Vixen’s ex-boyfriend from a shark-themed army. Concurrently, in Pittsburgh, Frost fights Afterthought, who mysteriously disappears during battle. At the Sanctuary, Xenos and Ray give in to a mutual attraction and have a movie date. The entire team is then assembled by the Atom, who tells all about the other Atom (Ray Palmer) being lost in the Microverse.
PANIC IN THE MICROVERSE!
———————-––Justice League of America Vol. 5 #12 Part 2
———————-––Justice League of America Vol. 5 #13-17[2]
Less than a week has passed since the Atom briefed everyone on Ray Palmer’s status. The JLA is now ready to enter the Microverse using a Shrinkship in an attempt to rescue the original Atom. Batman, the Atom, Frost, and Lobo shrink down to subatomic size and enter the bizarre landscape of the Microverse, specifically the city of New Katarth. There, they are shot at and attacked by the odd armored humanoid soldiers of the Null Army, who speak of “the decay” destroying their world, which they call “The Immensity.” They also speak of their prophet and leader, known as “The Null.” (The Null Army’s goal is to eliminate all life in the Microverse in order to end all suffering—sort of like a forced mass suicide or “humane apocalypse.”) The soldiers are defeated thanks to help from the last of the Docent Folk, a warrior named Preon, who wears one of Ray Palmer’s bio-belts. Preon, who is also Palmer’s lover, explains that she was a guide to both Palmer and his partner Dr. Aron Aut until the latter betrayed them, causing Palmer to become lost in a quantum storm. (SPOILER ALERT: Aut is The Null and he actually imprisoned Palmer after he became “lost.”) Preon further explains that “the decay” is a disturbance in the fabric of reality, which emanates from an unknown epicenter in the Microverse and has already begun to erase large portions of her world. She then teleports the heroes to the sentient subatomic realm of Moz-Ga, also known as “The Thinking Planet,” where thousands of restless refugees have fled from the wave of destruction. Aut arrives and freezes Preon with a ray gun. He lies and tells the heroes that Preon is a villain. Then, a quantum storm strikes, causing everyone to scatter. The Atom dangerously shrinks down even smaller in an attempt to speak with Moz-Ga. Meanwhile, Afterthought attacks Black Canary and the Ray (Ray Terrill) in macro-sized Seattle. In Peru, Vixen continues working on the seemingly insoluble Might Beyond the Mirror case, visiting Extraño for help. Back in the Microverse, the heroes fight more Null Army soldiers while the Atom communicates with Moz-Ga, who gives him a giant piece of his flesh to use as a bio-ship. The heroes, along with Aut, travel in the bio-ship to the “ignition point” of the chaos where they finally locate Palmer. The original Atom worries at the sight of Aut, who reveals that he is the Null. The Null shrinks the JLA further down and erects a machine to expedite the destruction. Choi and Frost take action to destroy the Null and his machine, at near certain risk to their own lives. Thankfully, they save the Microverse and survive while doing it. Palmer shows the JLA the exact “ignition point,” in which appears a black hole-like breach and an afterimage of a giant blue hand. (Dr. Manhattan, anyone?) Palmer tells Batman that someone came through. Palmer smooches Preon and gives Choi his seal of approval, anointing him as his official replacement. Palmer has decided to stay in the Microverse to follow-up on the field notes of Angor’s Blue Jay, who has been trapped in the Microverse for a long time now. Batman tells Palmer about his run-in with Lord Havok and also that the “ignition point” seems to register the same energy signature as the Watchmen smiley face button-pin. Batman gives Palmer and Preon a series of tasks to do in the Microverse in relation to the energy signature. As revealed via reference in Justice League of America Vol. 5 #19 and Justice League of America Vol. 5 #25, these tasks involve teaming-up with Blue Jay, bringing Dreamslayer from Angor to the Microverse, convincing Dreamslayer to be a good guy, and rescuing Angoran survivors in Universe-8. Back in macro-sized world, Vixen debriefs Batman, telling him about Afterthought’s actions and that the Might Beyond the Mirror is slowly summoning herself via her wish-granting. In his secret lair located in a pocket of Limbo, Prometheus (the Might Beyond the Mirror’s latest grantee) begins planning an attack on the JLA. (Prometheus will eventually strike at the JLA in about a month’s time, which will be during a time when Batman has taken a leave of absence to deal with Dark Nights: Metal.)
–DC’s Beach Blanket Bad Guys Summer Special #1 Part 3
An escaped Mr. Freeze activates a giant mech-robot called Glacier Vengeance. Along with an entire tech team operating the massive machine from within, Mr. Freeze tests his latest invention in a derelict section of Gotham. From his perch high above the city streets, Mr. Freeze and company witness a corner feud between rival ice cream trucks, one of which is decorated in Mr. Freeze’s image. Angry about the illegal use of his likeness, Mr. Freeze has Glacier Vengeance scoop up the truck. Mr. Freeze then confronts the owners of the truck, but changes his salty attitude after tasting their esculent product, which he finds delicious. Glacier Vengeance destroys the rival truck, giving the Mr. Freeze-themed truck a monopoly over the corner. Mr. Freeze and his crew then ride Glacier Vengeance back toward their secret harbor base just as Batman comes charging at them in the Batmobile. The story ends here, but we can assume Batman busts Mr. Freeze.
–Detective Comics #958-960 (“INTELLIGENCE”)
Batman has had to put his magick investigation on hold for a while since he’s been so busy with other things. But with Zatanna scheduled to perform at Penguin’s New Iceberg Lounge, Alfred suggests that he visit her in civilian attire to question her about her ties to the League of Assassins. Bruce reaches out to Penguin’s people and schedules a visit. Meanwhile, Luke Fox, Jean-Paul Valley Jr, and Kate Kane (finally back from abroad) go to an NBA game at Gotham’s Dixon Arena. When Jean-Paul’s former mentor from the Sacred Order of St. Dumas, Nomoz Smith, wanders onto mid-court covered in blood, Luke uses his tech to black out the entire building. The heroes quickly usher Nomoz toward the Belfry. There, Nomoz reveals that his confraternity has begun a murderous purge. The Council of Leaders has used Ascalon, the first ever android Azrael, to execute all other high-ranking members of the group. At the Iceberg Lounge, Bruce—wearing computer contact lenses—is greeted by Penguin. With Zatanna’s show sold out, Bruce is ushered towards the high-stakes gambling table. There he joins Drury Walker (Killer Moth), actor Harry Day Jr, unscrupulous promoter Funky Flashman, hip hop impresario Maximum Tyrell, and on-the-lam Order of St. Dumas member Brother Kodo. During the game, Ascalon smashes into the casino looking for Kodo. Zatanna interrupts and throws the android through the floorboards. Zatanna zaps Bruce’s costume on before the entire Bat-squad joins the fight. Ascalon is turned away, but Kodo eats a cyanide pill in fear and croaks. Afterward, Batman calls monster luminary Dr. Victoria October to operate on Nomoz. Dr. October is admitted entrance to the Belfry and does her task. In Burnside, Batwing takes Batwoman to his FoxTech company labs. Luke tells Batwoman that his sister (Dr. Tam Fox) has just been appointed CEO. Luke talks about the threat of Ascalon and also shows Batwoman an assembly line of Bat-mech-robots and introduces her to Rookie, a sentient robot that is made from one of the backup Powers Industries Bat-suits that Jim Gordon wore when he was Batman. On the other side of town, Batman tells Zatanna about Tim’s death. At the Belfry, a meditating Jean-Paul hallucinates a demon, which signals the beginning of his Sacred Order brainwashing (aka “The System”) trying to re-take his mind. (Ascalon is the living embodiment of the System.) At a cathedral in the Swiss Alps, Ascalon reports back to the archbishop of the Sacred Order of St. Dumas (Jean-Paul’s dad Jean-Paul Ludovic Valley). Meanwhile, Batman tells Zatanna that he remembers her dad’s mind-wipe from when they were teenagers. She shows him the thaumaturgical Gnosis Sphere (aka “The God Machine”) and it immediately begins probing the Dark Knight’s mind, finding deep nagging unanswered questions about Tim’s death, the current plans of the League of Shadows, and the long mystery surrounding the dark metal energy signature. At FoxTech, Luke attempts to decode the St. Dumas coding-language, but Ascalon teleports in and takes control of a bunch of empty Batwing suits and Bat-robots. (SPOILER: Now within Ascalon’s shell is Jean-Paul’s little brother.) Jean-Paul, brainwashed and hidebound by the System programming in his head (which appears in a hallucinatory image of Jean-Paul’s little brother), arrives to assist Ascalaon and his new army.
–Detective Comics #961-962 (“INTELLIGENCE” Conclusion)
Zatanna apologizes to Batman about her father’s mind-wipe all those years ago. At FoxTech, Batwoman and Orphan go toe-to-toe with an out-of-control Azrael (Jean-Paul). Batman and Zatanna arrive just in time to see an unscathed Orphan knock out Jean-Paul. (This scene beautifully illustrates how Cassie is truly the doyenne of martial artistry in the DCU.) Batwoman, battered and bruised on the other hand, requires a healing spell. With Ascalon and the animated Batwing-suits about to attack the Belfry, Luke realizes that Rookie has been programmed (by Geri Powers) to have the morals of Batman. Luke is able to syphon Rookie’s AI—which can block the influence of the System—into a special Az-Bat-suit he has been working on for months. With this suit (which is based on Jean-Paul’s original Az-Bat suit), Jean-Paul can be immune to Ascalon’s influence. The gang immediately comes to the aid of Clayface and Nomoz, destroying the rogue Batwing suits. Jean-Paul, in his Az-Bat costume, takes the fight solo to Ascalon, who manages to fatally stab Nomoz. With his dying breath, Nomoz tells Jean-Paul that his dad is the evil prelate of the Sacred Order, who has programmed the System into both he and Ascalon. Just as Ascalon is about to claim victory and take over every soul in Gotham, Zatanna overwhelms him with the Gnosis Sphere, which causes Jean-Paul’s little brother to separate from the android shell. Before the duo teleports away, Ascalon tells Batman that Tim Drake is still alive. As referenced in Detective Comics #965, Batman immediately becomes obsessed with finding Tim. (The Dark Knight won’t sleep a wink for the next five days as he tries to figure out what’s happened to Tim.) The next day, Nomoz is laid to rest. A day after that, Batman pushes an injured Jean-Paul in a wheelchair and speaks with him kindly. Jean-Paul says the Batman AI will remain in his system, but he won’t wear the Az-Bat suit. (Luke is making him a new costume.) Meanwhile, in his Swiss Alps cathedral, Jean-Paul Valley Sr is able to spy on this entire conversation. Ra’s al Ghul commends him on a job well done, inviting him into the League of Assassins fold, but speaks of a benefactor that is on an even higher level of authority than he. Maybe he’s talking about God? Or St. Dumas?
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #965. While Batman, having not slept at all in almost three days, continues to obsess over finding the lost Tim Drake, the Bat-squad goes into action against two fire-breathing medieval dragons.
–Super Sons #10 Part 1
September—shortly before the start of the new school year. Bruce checks-in on the status of Damian’s ongoing studies with Alfred, to which Alfred replies that the homeschooling has not really occurred very much due to Robin’s constant superhero-ing. Later, in a remote wooded location, Clark, Bruce, and Damian test Jonathan’s powers. He is now finally able to do everything his dad can do. Meanwhile, in the alternate “Titans Tomorrow/666” Hypertime future, the trench coat-wearing Batman (aka an adult Damian Wayne aka “Batman-666”) rises up out of flames and ash to declare that “the apocalypse is back on.” (As referenced in Super Sons #10-11, this alternate future features a hellish world where both “Titans Tomorrow” Tim Drake and Damian are dual Batmen at the same time.)
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #15. Batman tells Superboy that Robin has a habit of screening calls and putting people on mute. The Dark Knight teaches the Boy of Steel how to hack Damian’s phone and override the muting.
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #10 Part 2 and Super Sons #15. September. The Caped Crusader and Man of Steel decide to construct a gift for their sons: a brand new headquarters at the bottom of the ocean (specifically in Morrison Bay, geographically off the Atlantic coast equidistant from both Gotham and Metropolis). Batman and Superman plan a design—entirely of recycled train cars and shipping containers—and begin construction. This project will go on (in secrecy) for the next three weeks until completion. Batman also begins working on new beta-test underwater rebreathers, which will be specifically for the boys to use.
–Trinity Vol. 2 #12-15 (“DARK DESTINY”)
Weeks have passed since the main action of Trinity Vol. 2 Annual #1. In their secret Antarctic lair, Circe and Ra’s al Ghul care for the Pandora Pits, which summon the Outlaws—Red Hood, Artemis, and Bizarro II. (The opening of this scene in Antarctica is also shown in the epilogue to Trinity Vol. 2 Annual #1.) After being subdued by Circe’s Ani-Men, the Outlaws are turned into raving monster versions of themselves thanks to the Pandora Pits. The transmogrified heroes then travel to Gotham with a swarm of demons at their side. There, they attack Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, who are able to capture Red Hood and restrain him in a JL safe house. Batman then calls John Constantine, Zatanna, and Deadman for help. Shortly after arrival, both Zatanna and Deadman are sucked inside Red Hood’s body. Constantine ventures through Red Hood’s demonic mouth portal to attempt a rescue while the Trinity fights Artemis, Bizarro, and a horde of demons. Expelled through Red Hood’s body as if it were a portal, Zatanna and Deadman are delivered to and enslaved by Circe in Antarctica. Constantine, also ported to Antarctica, is able to easily resist, but Ra’s al Ghul stabs him in the chest with a knife. In exchange for his life, Constantine tells the villains how to use Deadman to control Superman. Minutes later, an evil Deadman emerges in Gotham and controls Superman’s body. While Wonder Woman holds her own, Batman takes the possessed Red Hood to the Batcave. In Antarctica, Zatanna saves Constntine’s life, but Circe then switches demonic possession from Superman to Zatanna in order to teleport Wonder Woman and Superman to her location. Fed up with everyone, Circe betrays Ra’s al Ghul, pushing him into the Pandora Pit. In the Batcave, Batman studies a restrained Red Hood and injects him with potassium chloride, which flatlines his heart causing the demons to leave his body. Demonized Bizarro smashes into the Batcave, prompting Batman to zap him with a high-vibration sound ray gun that stops his heart, thus exorcizing his demons too. Batman then defibrillates Red Hood and Bizarro back to life. Batman and the Outlaws attack Circe head-on in Antarctica. In the mountain cave, Batman blasts the trapped and possessed heroes with the sound cannon, stopping their hearts long enough to free them from demonic possession. The heroes defeat Circe and her Ani-Men, but Ra’s al Ghul stabs Circe in the back and tosses her into the Pandora Pit. Using the Lasso of Truth, the heroes hoist Circe back to safety.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #39-40. While joining the Justice League on an unspecified mission, Zatanna accidentally opens up a portal to the chthonian dimension of Gehenna. Batman and Wonder Woman enter Gehenna to find a knighted warrior called The Gentle Man, who has been fighting hordes of Gehenna, horrible beasts and monsters, for thousands of years. (He’s only been in Gehenna for about a year, but time works differently there. Years in Gehenna only add up to mere days on Earth. Not only that, but you also don’t age while in Gehenna.) For only a few minutes, Batman and Wonder Woman battle alongside the Gentle Man. Before they go back home (after what seems like days but is really only minutes), Batman and Wonder Woman promise to give the Gentle Man one future day off to rest, during which they will substitute for him.
–Batman Vol. 3 #24
Batman stands atop one of Gotham’s highest skyscraper spires next to a fully-recovered floating Gotham Girl. (It’s taken Gotham Girl a long time to fully-recover from Psycho-Pirate’s attack.) Gotham Girl asks Batman what she should do with her life, now that she is 100% better. This leads to a philosophical conversation about what it means to be a superhero and whether or not Batman would ever want to stop being one (or if he even could). Gotham Girl says she wants to be a hero. Batman tells her she will begin training in Europe. After Batman admits his failures and his fear, Gotham Girl tells him that it is okay to be scared and that superheroes have a duty, even if it’s not really what they want to do deep down inside. The Caped Crusader even says, “I’m not Batman because I like being Batman. I’m Batman because I’m Batman.” Later that night, Bruce makes the decision of a lifetime. He gets the diamond that Selina tried to steal the first time they met each other in costume. After having it attached to a ring, Bruce suits up and swings into the rainy windswept Gotham night, playfully chasing after Catwoman. Atop on of the many rooftops, Batman and Catwoman unmask together. Bruce reveals the diamond ring and, on bended knee, offers a conjugal proposal to Selina! (The marriage proposal is also shown via flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #50, Catwoman Vol. 5 #17, Batman Vol. 3 #84-85, Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point #6, and Batman Vol. 3 #113 and visually referenced in Harley Quinn Vol. 3 #61.) Flashpoint Batman secretly watches Batman propose to Catwoman.
THE WAR OF JOKES AND RIDDLES
———————-––Batman Vol. 3 #25-26
———————-––Batman Vol. 3 #28-29
———————-––Batman Vol. 3 #31-32
Before Selina can respond to Bruce’s marriage proposal, Bruce tells Selina that she must first know the true story of “The War of Jokes and Riddles,” a tale no one has ever heard before, about how he crossed a line back in those early days. Before any storytelling can commence, Bruce and Selina knock boots in the master bedroom at Wayne Manor. Post-coitus, Bruce spins his louche yarn, eventually revealing that he tried to murder Riddler only to be stopped by Joker way back in the day. Selina tells Bruce she doesn’t care and he pops the question once more. With tears in her eyes, Selina says yes! Bruce and Selina are getting married! (This arc is also shown via flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #72 and Catwoman Vol. 5 #17.)
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #24. Batman sends Gotham Girl to train in Europe. We aren’t told anything about this training, nor with whom she is training. Gotham Girl will bounce back and forth between Europe and the States fairly regularly for the next few months.
–Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #12
This item goes shortly after Bruce’s marriage proposal to Selina—although they haven’t told anyone the news yet. The Birds of Prey decide to help super-villain The Calculator (Noah Kuttler) when his family (Judith Harris, Wendy Harris, and Marvin Harris) is kidnapped by corporate hooligans working for Benedict Dillon, proprietor of a shady agribusiness company called Terracare. Years ago, the Calculator helped Catwoman steal a Terracare chemical for Poison Ivy. This chemical has the potential to expose the company of fraud, which is why Dillon wants it as ransom for Calculator’s family. Babs calls Bruce, who reluctantly sets up a meeting between Batgirl and Catwoman. Huntress and Black Canary infiltrate Terracare only to get wrapped up in vines as an undercover Poison Ivy makes her presence known by taking over the building. Batgirl, Catwoman, Oracle, and the Calculator rush to the rescue.
—[3]
–Batman Vol. 3 #33-35 (“RULES OF ENGAGEMENT”)[4]
Bruce and Selina, now engaged, decide they must tie up any loose ends from the Dogs of War mass-murder case. This means finding Holly Robinson, so that Selina can be officially exonerated in the eyes of the law. After a quick investigation, Bruce learns that Holly is hiding with none other than Talia al Ghul at her palace hideout in the desert of Khadym. Bruce, Selina, and Alfred come up with a detailed plan to see Talia and Holly, an act that will violate numerous treaties and international law. Bruce also tells Alfred to tell the Bat-Family about his plan to see Talia, but not to say anything about his marriage proposal yet. In preparation for the desert trek, Batman designs and tailors a special costume—Zack Snyder’s “Knightmare” suit from the much maligned Batman v Superman film. While Batman and Catwoman ride horses for half-a-day into the desert half-a-world away (as seen via flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #50), Alfred assembles Dick, Jason, Damian, and Duke (and Ace) at Wayne Manor. He tells them what’s up, but also tells them about Bruce and Selina’s engagement, to which the boys (and dog) react shockingly. Superman, having gotten an alert from Khadym, then calls Alfred, who lies (as per the plan) and tells the Man of Steel that Batman will be “out sick” for a few days due to Fear Gas exposure. Upon hearing that his dad is going to see his mom, Damian breaks down in tears. Meanwhile, in Khadym, Batman and Catwoman are led by the Tiger King of Kandahar to the gates of Talia’s lair. Catwoman easily takes down the Guard in the Desert. Tiger King then leads the lovers through the tunnels. After they emerge in Talia’s palace grounds, Batman and Catwoman fight dozens of Talia’s Silent Soldiers of the Pit. Meanwhile, the JL decides not to take any action yet. Superman convinces Damian and Dick to wait at the entrance to the tunnels. At the other side of the mountain, Talia stabs Batman in the shoulder and then challenges Catwoman to a sword duel. The women cheekily banter while fighting. Meanwhile, outside the entrance to the tunnels, Dick gives Damian a fatherly/brotherly talk, telling him that Bruce just wants to be happy. Eventually, Selina wins the sword-fight, stabbing Talia in the back. Selina embraces Holly Robinson, who agrees to help out (although she won’t leave the protection of Talia). Talia tells a bleeding Batman that she likes his fiancée. Batman and Selina depart, meeting Dick and Damian. Together, they make the 14-hour horseback-riding trek out of the desert.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #50. Holly Robinson leaves Talia and is extradited to the United States where she will soon stand trial and be sent to Arkham Asylum. Catwoman is legally exonerated on all charges related to the Dogs of War case.
–REFERENCE: In Catwoman Vol. 5 #68. Madly in love, Bruce and Selina learn more about each other down to the tiniest cutest detail—including how many fillings Selina has in her teeth.
–Batman Vol. 3 #36
Unknowingly, Batman/Catwoman and Superman/Lois Lane work the same Dr. Double X case. Superman banters with Lois Lane about how he’s hurt that Batman hasn’t told him about his engagement to Catwoman yet. Meanwhile, Batman banters (and reconnoiters!) with Catwoman, who tells her betrothed that she is hurt that he hasn’t told Superman yet. Nearing the end of their patrol, Catwoman reveals that she already knows Superman’s secret ID. While Superman battles Dr. Double X’s powerful doppelgänger for the first time ever, Batman learns that Dr. Simon Echs was released from Arkham. Echs’ trail leads both hero couples to Gotham’s Goodwin Tower. After Lois and Catwoman officially meet, Dr. Double X (Echs and his double) arrives and gets double kayoed in an instant. Superman suggests a double date, which they set up to occur in a couple days.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Casting #1, and Super Sons #13. Talia leaves her “prison” of Khadym. There’s no way Batman doesn’t hear about this.
–Batman Vol. 3 #37
Bruce, Selina, Clark, and Lois go on their double date, but getting it started is no picnic. The four meet up, but can’t agree on what exactly to do. Eventually, on Clark’s suggestion, Alfred drives them to the Gotham County Fair, but they are rankled when they get there because it’s “Super Hero Night,” meaning they have to wear costumes to enter. After swapping costumes—Bruce goes as Superman, Clark goes as Batman, Lois goes as Catwoman, and Selina goes as Lois—they enter the park, paying ushers dressed as the Wonder Twins! (This scene is also shown via flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #84, adding the fact that Flashpoint Batman secretly watches them.) The foursome goes on rides, plays games, and wins prizes. While Bruce and Clark hit some baseballs in a batting cage, Lois and Selina bond while taking shots from a flask. When a purse-snatcher dressed as the Question steals Lois’ pocketbook, Clark guides Bruce, who knocks him out with a baseball. Selina steals the thief’s wallet for fun. After riding the ferris wheel, the foursome eats ice cream cones and the girls split from the boys. Both pairs pontificate about why their two couples work even though they are so vastly different. After switching back into their correct outfits, the boys take their dates to a baseball field to compete in a special pitch-and-hit challenge. (A flashback from Batman Vol. 3 #50 specifically shows the foursome en route to the baseball field.) Lois and Selina watch their men with teenage admiration. Superman pitches a fastball to Batman, who shocks him by miraculously hitting it out of the park.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 #118. Batman and Catwoman complete an unspecified mission together, after which they celebrate by making out on a rooftop.
–Deathstroke Vol. 4 #30-32 (“DEATHSTROKE VS BATMAN”)[5]
Alfred goes out for a pint with his old pal William Randolph Wintergreen. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon calls Batman to the scene of a safety deposit box robbery, handing over an unopened file addressed to Batman, which the thieves left behind. Batman privately examines the contents of the file, finding DNA test result printouts that claim Deathstroke is Damian’s biological father. Not long after, Batman tails the thieves (with the Batmobile hidden in the back of a semi driven by Alfred). After busting the crooks, Batman sets his sights on the man they stole from, coke dealer Bernie Chua. Batman tracks down Chua in Dubai, but so has Deathstroke. The master tacticians go head-to-head in an epic battle, which ends in a relative stalemate. Batman shows Deathstroke the DNA test results, to which Deathstroke scoffs. He admits that he’s slept with Talia, but says that the test results are fake. The two men uneasily part ways, but Batman vows to get to the bottom of the mystery. Later, Bruce meets with Jake Townsend, CEO of noted tech-firm Tangerine, who hopes to lease the brand new WayneTech microprocessor chip for use in Tangerine’s new T-Phone X. Bruce says he will consider it. Shortly thereafter, government officials meet with Bruce, telling him not to lease the far-too-powerful microprocessor for civilian use, citing various international security risks. Bruce agrees to modify the WayneTech chip before leasing it to Tangerine. Not long after, Townsend’s team builds the first prototype for the WayneTech-powered T-Phone X, but uses the original WayneTech chip anyway. A few days later, while Bruce studies intel files related to Deathstroke and examines photos of Slade Wilson’s family, Commissioner Gordon pays him a visit and tells him that someone stole Townsend’s prototype phone with the WayneTech chip inside. Bruce finds out who stole the phone and takes some rough-and-tumble private security guards to threaten the thief at his apartment. In the shakedown, Bruce learns information that leads him to the guy’s employer, Deathstroke’s ex-wife Adeline Kane, who runs the government spy organization known as Defiance. Batman then breaks into the spymaster’s HQ and confronts Adeline herself. She runs-off all the complex ways she thinks Batman might have infiltrated her supposedly-impenetrable compound, but (as per the theme of this arc) it’s likely none of them and something much more simple—although, we aren’t told. Bruce begins traveling with Adeline, picking her brain to learn more about Slade’s psyche. Meanwhile, Alfred keeps tabs on and confounds Deathstroke—as per a detailed plan concocted by both he and Batman. This plan involves having hired seven fake Bruce Waynes/Batmen to do various things all over the globe. Knowing that Deathstroke is also keeping tabs on Batman, the hope is that the existence of multiple Bruce Waynes/Batmen will cause Deathstroke great confusion. For instance, all at once, Deathstroke tracks a disguised Bruce on a date in France, Bruce speaking at a Wayne Foundation event, and Matches Malone committing a breaking-and-entering in Australia. Shortly thereafter, one of the fake Batmen trails Deathstroke’s jet as it flies over the Middle East. Talia al Ghul and the Al Lajna terrorist cell, also tracking Deathstroke, shoot down his jet over Saudi Arabia. Deathstroke disrobes the fake Batman in the desert before getting defeated and captured by Talia, who kisses him passionately. Wintergreen, having survived the plane crash, communicates with Alfred, trying to salvage a mission to “save their boys from themselves.” Later, Batman learns about all the hits Deathstroke has scheduled, arranging for all of the targets to be put into protective custody at multiple safe houses across the globe. Batman also surveils Slade, who has sex with Talia in a hotel room in Kuwait. The Dark Knight threatens Slade over Talia’s cell phone, to which Slade has a hacker acquaintance mess with Bruce’s financial accounts, making it look as though he is involved in serious criminal fraud. This immediately affects Alfred in Barcelona, who is unable to use credit and is approached by police. In Gotham, Commissioner Gordon receives a warrant to freeze Bruce’s assets and bring him in for questioning. Over breakfast, Slade—citing the seven Waynes he’s been tracking—tells Talia that he doesn’t believe “Bruce Wayne” is even real, simply a cover-concept invented by Batman, whose actual ID no one has ever discovered. In any case, Slade is convinced that it doesn’t matter anyway because Batman is real. The next day, Batman chases after Deathstroke, who chases after a new hit: elderly metahuman Ace Masterson (aka The Human Dynamo), formerly of the short-lived 1970s super-team known as The Justice Experience. Masterson himself has hired Deathstroke as form of grandiose assisted suicide in the form of an epic “final battle.” Upon learning that the powerful Masterson is suicidal, Batman radios the Justice League and preps them to teleport Masterson to the new Sanctuary where he can be cryogenically frozen. But Masterson blocks the teleportation and gets a fatal bullet in his head courtesy of Deathstroke. Meanwhile, at Wayne Manor, Damian, who knows about the letter claiming that Slade is his father, watches a video message reply sent to him by Jericho. A troubled Damian has asked Jericho to talk about his dad, Deathstroke. Damian also watches a three-year-old video on Tim’s phone (saved but never sent), in which Tim wears an old-school Robin costume—both for theatrics and to stress the importance of legacy—and speaks directly to Damian. In the video, Tim talks candidly about his own relationship to Bruce before revealing that he’s found information on the dark web that supposedly proves Damian is Deathstroke’s son. (The end of Tim’s video is also shown in Deathstroke Vol. 4 #35.)
–Deathstroke Vol. 4 #33-35 (“DEATHSTROKE VS BATMAN” Conclusion)
Commissioner Gordon delivers to Batman a list of bank clients from the safety deposit robbery, and the Dark Knight learns that Tim was one of them. Bruce deduces part of the mystery and tells Alfred: someone leaked fake DNA test results to Tim three years ago and he put them into his safety deposit box. But Bruce still doesn’t know who faked the test results. Meanwhile, Robin doesn’t think that Deathstroke is his real dad, but he wants to know who is behind the fake DNA report too. Thus, with Batman secretly monitoring everything from the shadows, Robin joins Deathstroke in a small town in Pennsylvania to help him retrieve a Spyral bio-weapon that has been stolen by a rogue scientist. In PA, Deathstroke and Robin fight a Spyral-hired Nightshade (along with her magickal familiar, a shadow raven called Hugin) and some Spyral subalterns. After some trickery, Robin and Deathstroke walk away with the bio-weapon intact. Later, Wayne Enterprises’ lawyer Walter calls Bruce at home to alert him that the company has more-or-less been bankrupted, hemorrhaging $2 million a day ever since Deathstroke’s hacking. But Bruce shrugs it off. He’s just hacked into all of Deathstroke’s offshore accounts, stolen his money, and donated it all to charity. The US Department of Homeland Security, having issued special warrants, authorizes the FBI to raid Bruce’s office. Adeline Kane, using her government authority, personally oversees the raid. While Adeline rummages through Bruce’s files, Jericho confronts her, urging her to back down. Meanwhile, Dick visits Bruce and Damian at Wayne Manor, delivering a framed and signed photo of the family that was taken from Tim’s belongings following his “death.” Damian tells Bruce about Tim’s phone video and talks about the possibility of Deathstroke being his father, to which Bruce drops the framed picture and angrily scolds Damian. Deathstroke, wearing his original costume, breaks into Wayne Manor and puts a gun to Bruce’s head, leading him down into the Batcave. Meanwhile, Alfred and William Randolph Wintergreen arrive at the manor and are greeted by Dick and Damian. The FBI arrives as well and storms the house. In the Batcave, Bruce plays coy, leaving Deathstroke to wonder whether or not he is speaking to Batman or merely Batman’s benefactor. Bruce trips the lights and does a miraculously quick switch into the nearest duds he can get his hands on, one of his old costumes from a display case. Deathstroke fights Batman—as also shown via flashback from Deathstroke Vol. 4 #48. During the fight, Batman slips on the gauntlet-gloves from his anti-Superman battle suit. During the epic melee, Deathstroke plays mind games and accuses the Caped Crusader of faking the original DNA test he did on Damian years ago, claiming that it could be a possibility that Damian actually isn’t Batman’s biological offspring. Batman angrily kayos Deathstroke, but passes out himself after taking a sword strike in the belly. Forming a reluctant truce, Batman and Deathstroke help each other up to their feet. Alfred and Wintergreen seal-off the Batcave, begin pumping in knock-out gas, and tell their boys to end the feud. Meanwhile, Jericho takes control of an FBI agent’s body and tricks the feds into leaving Wayne Manor. Batman and Deathstroke make it to a secret exit at the edge of the underground caverns to find Nightwing and Robin waiting for them there. (The scene of Batman and Deathstroke ending this fight and meeting Nightwing and Robin is also shown via flashback from Deathstroke Vol. 4 #42.) Later, all charges are dropped against Bruce. After recovering, Batman disguises himself as Deathstroke and infiltrates Defiance HQ yet again. He accuses Adeline Kane of manipulating the DNA tests, but she has no clue what he’s talking about. Elsewhere, Deathstroke meets with Talia, the person really responsible for faking the DNA test results. Back in Gotham, Bruce orders a DNA lab test. Upon receiving the results, Bruce decides to toss it into a fire, citing that “no matter what’s in this envelope, he’s my son.” The final panel shows us (the reader) that Damian is indeed Bruce’s legit biological son.
–Batman Vol. 3 #38
Selina moves into Wayne Manor. When Wayne Enterprises Board member Ronald Warner and his wife Victoria are brutally murdered, seemingly by Victor Zsasz, Bruce parts ways with Selina at Wayne Manor to meet with and console young orphaned Matthew Warner and his new parental guardian, his longtime butler Taylor. An investigation into the crime by Batman and Commissioner Gordon quickly reveals that Zsasz is involved somehow but hasn’t left Arkham anytime recently. Later, when Zsasz’s own parents are murdered by the same killer, Batman interrogates Zsasz but can’t figure out what’s going on. After another similar double murder, but one that contains a clearly bogus link to Two-Face, Batman deduces that Taylor is the killer. During dinner with Selina, Bruce realizes the horrible truth and soon finds Matthew at his parents’ grave with the words “Thomas” and “Martha” carved into his face. Matthew always adored the story of Bruce Wayne overcoming his parents’ tragic death, so much so he wanted to replicate it, ordering his troubled butler Taylor to commit the killings. Matthew, now a ten-year-old super-villain called Master Bruce, goes into an institution while a saturnine Bruce returns to Selina at home.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League Vol. 3 #42. Batman shares the news of his engagement to Selina with the rest of the Justice League.
–REFERENCE: In Batman: Prelude to the Wedding Part 1 – Robin vs Ra’s al Ghul #1, Batman: Prelude to the Wedding Part 2 – Nightwing vs Hush #1, and Batman Vol. 3 #49-50. Bruce and Selina begin planning their wedding, ultimately deciding that Batman and Catwoman should get married while, publicly, Bruce and Selina, do not. The ratiocination for this is because it raises too many questions if Bruce all of a sudden marries Selina out of the blue. Secret IDs could get exposed and targets could be made out of innocent folks around them. Thus, the marriage, while legit, will be a superhero marriage for the superhero community. Bummer, but oh well. In regard to their actual wedding ceremony, no date is set, but a very select few are officially told of the engagement. There will definitely be some ongoing wedding preparations that sporadically happen for months to come, but Bruce and Selina specifically decide that flossy planning is not a priority. In fact, they won’t really talk about specifics of the ceremony, opting only to keep things low key and chill.
–Detective Comics #963-964
Underneath Monstertown, the sleep-deprived Batman discovers an underground anarcho-syndicalist farming commune, complete with solar lights, green houses, and a tent city that houses Gotham’s poor and needy. The autarkic commune employs the likes of Harper Row and Dr. Leslie Thompkins and is run by Anarky![6] After some digging, Batman approves of the commune’s function, but does not approve of Anarky being attached, learning that Anarky helped the First Victim become a super-villain and hurt Spoiler in exchange for help starting-up the commune. Immediately thereafter, Batman and Dr. Victoria October prep for a series of tests that might be able to cure Clayface of his condition. Excited but nervous, Clayface meets with Mudface in Arkham to tell her the news. The next day, Batman and Clayface visit Dr. October in Monstertown and the tests begin. Clayface stays in his old-school monster form for an uncomfortable twelve hours straight, during which time he fights mutated creatures in the sewers, checks-in with Dr. October and Batman, rages out of control, and is calmed down by a hug-giving Cassie. Meanwhile, Spoiler, now teamed-up with Anarky, meets with him in Monstertown where they beat the tar out of some ARGUS soldiers. Batman, having left Clayface in Dr. October’s care, trails Spoiler and Anarky into Anarky’s underground commune. Spoiler is shocked to find Harper and Dr. Thompkins working there. She is so moved by Anarky’s good deeds that she kisses him. Batman appears and gets Anarky to reveal the dark truth about his involvement in her torture at the hands of the First Victim. She instantly turns on Anarky, allowing Batman to bust him. Batman tries to tell Spoiler that Tim is still alive, but she bails before he can get a word out. Later, at Arkham, thanks to a assistance from a crooked guard, Anarky is able to hack and clone Spoiler’s cell phone, obtaining a ton of videos of the Bat-squad for the First Victim.
–Detective Comics #967-968 (“A LONELY PLACE OF LIVING”)
While the Bat-squad busts drug dealers, a sleep-deprived Batman obsesses over how Red Robin could possibly still be alive. Meanwhile, Red Robin has just escaped from Mr. Oz’s prison with the help of an alternate timeline Batman—a jaded gun-wielding adult Tim Drake from the dystopian “Titans Tomorrow/666” Hypertime future. (As referenced in Super Sons #10-11, in this alternate future both Tim and Damian are active Batmen.) Older Tim, believing that his world is now merged with Earth-0’s primary timeline, thinks the only way he can stop his dark future from occurring is to execute Batwoman. Thus, he shocks Red Robin into a coma. When Red Robin’s costume distress beacon goes off, Batman finds an awake but weakened Tim at the hospital. Reunited, they embrace. At home, Tim fills in Bruce on all that he has endured and witnessed. In the morning, Kate Kane has breakfast with cousin Bette Kane (former Bat-Girl, Flamebird, and Hawkfire), who is on vacation from schooling at West Point Academy. Bette tells Kate that she wants to return to her old Flamebird name and join the Bat-squad. Kate tells her no way before heading to the Belfry where everyone has gathered to greet the returning Red Robin. Red Robin tells everyone he originally wanted to call the Bat-squad the “Gotham Knights,” thus re-christening the team with an official new name. Meanwhile, future Tim stalks Spoiler, who listens to a news report about ongoing terrorism in Metropolis and civil war in Logamba, Africa—both caused by Mr. Oz (as seen in Action Comics #987-990). At the Belfry, Red Robin tells Batman that evil future Tim told him about his best friend “Conner” (Conner Kent), who is Tim’s bestie that has been erased from collective memory. At Wayne Manor, future Tim greets Alfred. Why didn’t anyone tell poor Alfred that Tim was back!? Soon after, Batman, Red Robin, Nightwing, Red Hood, and Robin (with Titus) arrive to fight future Tim, who takes over the Bat-computer to activate Brother Eye! In an instant, future Tim is able to expedite the finalization of Brother Eye’s programming, bringing the evil AI to full operational capability for the very first time. Brother Eye takes over Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong’s drones and targets them on the Belfry. The AI also activates all Batmobiles and has them attack inside the Batcave. Despite painfully phasing in and out of reality due to Hypertime tachyons, future Tim defeats Batman using some mind game psyche-out tactics. Both Tims then ride the Bat-subway to the Belfry, which is under drone siege. Batwing is able to block Brother Eye’s controls, allowing for Batwoman and Red Robin to take down future Tim. Outside of a crumbling Old Wayne tower, the rest of the Bat-Family flies older model Batplanes to shoot down the drones. Defeated, future Tim stands down. Fully-activated Brother Eye, also defeated, retreats into future Tim’s suit. Hypertime tachyons, attempting to eliminate the spacetime anomaly, force future Tim back to his alternate chronology. Following this affair, there’s no way Batman doesn’t try to purge or delete Brother Eye completely. It’s likely that Brother Eye might be out of the Bat-computer, but parts of the evil AI still exist both within OMAC (Kevin Kho) and on Ulysses Armstrong’s phone (as referenced in Detective Comics #974).
–Detective Comics #1000 Part 10
September 21. Batman and Alfred assemble the entire Bat-Family for a photograph. En route to the picture-taking, Batman busts Kite Man. In attendance at the gathering are: Batman, Alfred, Nightwing, Robin (Damian), Red Robin, Spoiler, Batwoman, the Signal, Red Hood, Batgirl, Huntress, Orphan, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Catwoman. (Note that Red Robin is drawn wearing the wrong costume here, and he is also incorrectly referred to as just Robin.) After developing the Bat-Family photo, Bruce, as he does every year, visits the cemetery where his parents are buried. He smiles as he lays down the photo before his parents’ graves. (Note that creators Tom King and Joëlle Jones, as Josh Williamson and Howard Porter have also done before, incorrectly show the Waynes as buried at a public city cemetery. This contradicts other stories—notably by Scott Snyder, Scott Lobdell, Peter Tomasi, Warren Ellis, Greg Rucka, Chip Zdarsky, and Ram V—which show that the Waynes are buried in the private cemetery adjacent to the Wayne Manor property.)
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #1000 Part 5. September 21. Batman, as he does every year on the anniversary of his parents’ murders, visits Crime Alley (where his parents were killed).
–Action Comics #992
When Superman goes off the radar for a couple days, Batman learns the reason why: Superman’s father, Jor-El (aka Mr. Oz), has just made his presence known as a super-villain. Superman fought his pop only to see him vanish away thanks to an unknown force (i.e. Dr. Manhattan). Worried about his friend, Batman flies to the Fortress of Solitude to find the Man of Steel, distraught at the fact that his dad could be evil, smashing up the place in anger. Batman tells Superman that his experience with Jor-El is similar to his experience with his Flashpoint dad (from “The Button”), and that they are both linked to the same time anomaly. After saving some refugees and speaking with Lois, Superman joins Hal Jordan and travels to the living planet of Mogo (Green Lantern HQ) where they can view a holographic video of Krypton’s destruction to see how Jor-El could possibly have survived. On Mogo, Green Lantern Salakk (aka Salaak) shows Superman the video, but it is corrupted and fizzles-out. Superman realizes that it’s not the video that is messed up—someone has tampered with time itself. The Man of Steel hops on the Cosmic Treadmill and pops backward in time in an attempt to view Krypton in its final moments. As Superman disappears into the time-stream, Booster Gold and Skeets appear a second too late to stop him.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #975. In a rare moment of pure openness (and likely due to receiving so many quips and jabs regarding his diminutive stature from Superboy and the Teen Titans), Damian turns to his dad for some compassion. Bruce tells Damian that he wasn’t much taller when he was his age. (This may or may not be true.)
HARD-TRAVELING HERO
———————-––flash-forward from Green Arrow Vol. 6 #25
———————-––Green Arrow Vol. 6 #29
———————-––Green Arrow Vol. 6 #31
(This item, according to Teen Titans Vol. 6 #12, occurs “more than month” prior to Dark Nights: Metal #2.) A few months ago, Oliver Queen lost his company and was wrongfully accused of murdering Wendy Poole. This is all part of a sinister ongoing plot by the Ninth Circle and its leader, Ollie’s own mother Moira Queen. Having posted bail and with a trial pending, Green Arrow has become a virtual outlaw. Seeing no other options, he asks the Justice League for help. While sympathetic, they still turn him away. Bruce later discusses Green Arrow’s legal situation with the rest of the JL. Soon after, Green Arrow’s fight with the Ninth Circle brings him to Gotham, where the Ninth Circle’s offshoot group known as The Underground Men have engaged in a human-trafficking ring and a series of murders. Ollie meets with some scummy rich elites, who invite him to a Court of Owls conventicle at the Labyrinth HQ. There, the businessmen dress up as Talons and hunt innocent victims for sport. After knocking out the elderly leader of the group, Green Arrow does a little hunting of his own, taking down the would-be thrill-killers. Batman, working the Ninth Circle case and the Underground Men trafficking case, arrives to save the would-be prey. After the heroes argue with each other, a Burned soldier—one of the fire-breathing lieutenants of the Ninth Circle (known collectively as The Burned)—grabs one of the Talon victims and attacks, revealing a link between the Ninth Circle and the Court of Owls. Batman and Green Arrow save the boy and kick the Burned dude’s ass. Afterward, Batman tells Green Arrow that he will need help to defeat the Ninth Circle. The Caped Crusader gives Green Arrow a signal device that can be used to contact the Green Lantern Corps. Meanwhile, in Star City, Black Canary, Emiko Queen (Ollie’s half-sister), and Henry Fyff discover that Wendy Poole is still alive, thus finding the evidence needed to clear Ollie’s name. (Wendy is captive of The Auctioneer, who is one of the leaders of the Underground Men.) Shortly thereafter, Green Arrow and Hal Jordan find themselves fighting a powerful Burned agent aboard a Ninth Circle satellite in Earth’s orbit. Green Arrow is able to blow up the satellite, prompting the Justice League to eliminate falling debris all over America and save both Green Arrow and Hal Jordan. Meanwhile, underneath Star City, Emiko (having become Red Arrow) and Black Canary defeat the Auctioneer and his Underground Men, rescuing Wendy. Later, aboard the old JL moon Watchtower, the JL (with Hal), having finally gained obeisance for Green Arrow, offers him a spot on the roster! He turns down the offer, but becomes an “unofficial member,” which he refers to as “rogue operative” and “satellite member.” In private, Batman tells Green Arrow that something terrible is coming Earth’s way, referring to his Dark Metal investigation. The Caped Crusader tasks Green Arrow with protecting Gotham, especially Robin, if he is unable to in the near future.
–Super Sons #10 Part 2
Early October. Batman and Superman (with some help from Cyborg) finish construction on their sons’ new underwater HQ in Morrison Bay. Bruce and Alfred decide that Damian should study with Jonathan at his private school in Metropolis, the West-Reeve School. The morning of the big surprise HQ reveal, Bruce donates a Pantagruelian sum of money to West-Reeve and enrolls Damian. A few hours later, the stunned boys look on in awe as Batman and Superman unveil their HQ—a state-of-the-art facility that has a digital link to the Batcave and Watchtower computer networks, a 3D Batarang printer, pre-nav rocket pods, and a basketball court. Superboy names the new HQ “The Fortress of Attitude,” much to the chagrin of Robin. (As referenced in Super Sons #15, Batman gives the boys his new emergency underwater rebreathers, but warns them that they are untested in the field.) Batman then tells the boys that all “Class-4” emergencies and below will be their business to handle. Batman tells Damian that he’ll be starting at the West-Reeve School, a fact that exasperates the Boy Wonder. After Batman and Superman leave, the boys go on their first mission, defeating Chemo in Metropolis. (Note that, as per reference in Super Sons #13, Damian won’t actually begin attending the West-Reeve School for a few more weeks.)
MILK WARS[7]
———————-––Mother Panic/Batman Special #1
———————-––Doom Patrol/Justice League of America Special #1
Batman descends upon the former site of Gather House (a notorious school for brainwashed child assassins) when he hears it is back in operation. Upon arrival, Batman is ambushed and forced to ingest a milk product that causes his history to be altered. The interdimensional “reality estate” mega-corporation known as Retconn has struck. Retconn is attempting to rewrite the history of entire DCU via a reality-altering lactose beverage that has already been secretly mass-disseminated. (As referenced in Doom Patrol Vol. 6 #1, Justice League of America/Doom Patrol Special #1, Justice League of America Vol. 5 #27, and Doom Patrol Vol. 6 #11, Retconn recently has been taken over by the being formerly known as Haxxalon the Star Archer, who murdered Retconn’s guardian Ahl (the immortal “God of the Superheroes”) and took over Retconn’s extradimensional home-realm known as Final Heaven. Haxxalon was able to murder Ahl by bashing-in his skull with Danny the Street, who was trapped in a single brick the time. Ahl’s backstory: Ahl was a fictional comic book character from some unknown hypertimeline that was given life by Retconn. Traveling to Earth’s Palaeozoic Era, Ahl visited the current location of Happy Harbor, leaving a physical handprint that acted as a seed containing “the idea of the superhero,” which later grew into the collective consciousness of the planet once human life began. In a demiurgic/extra-cosmic sense, all superheroes are non-direct “symbolic descendants” of Ahl. Superman, in fact, has a direct “symbolic lineage” to Ahl.) Back to our story at hand, by manipulating Ahl’s corpse, Retconn has been able to create a milky formula that can change character continuity. In an instant, the anti-canon milk morphs the Caped Crusader into the liturgical “Father Bruce,” an evangelical Christian priest version of Batman that preaches from the “Book of Bat Manners” to his large congregation of Robin-esque child soldiers. With an evil nun—a milk-based construct created by Retconn—by his side, Father Batman begins ushering dozens of children into a cosmic machine that rewrites each kid’s history, turning them into weird sidekick superheroes. When Mother Panic crashes into the new Gather House chapel, which is complete with a Bat-crucifix, Father Batman shows her around and delivers a rip-roaring conservative Born Again sermon, urging her to drink the tainted milk like the children of his flock. Mother Panic watches in awe and horror as the sidekick machine morphs a line of children into oddball superheroes. (This entire sequence is also shown via flashback from Mother Panic: Gotham AD #1.) Notably, seven-year-old Rosie (a girl Mother Panic has saved multiple times before) is turned into the amazing Fennec Fox! Eventually, Mother Panic fights the entire congregation and smashes the milk nun to pieces, causing Batman’s history (and costume) to return to status quo. Mother Panic and Batman usher the kids out of the building as Mother Panic burns the place to the ground. While Batman procures safe places to stay for the kids, Violet takes Rosie to her apartment. That night, Cave Carson, having just discovered Retconn’s nefarious plot, sends his cybernetic eye to the Batcave. The eye, via a recording, bears the bad news and begs Batman for help. Upon visiting the Paige mansion to speak with Violet, Batman’s secret ID is immediately outed by Violet’s psychic mom Rebecca, who sees right through his mask. Batman tells Violet about Retconn and recruits her to help him fight against them. Using the cybernetic eye, Batman, Mother Panic, and a stowaway Fennec Fox teleport to Final Heaven. There, they meet up with Wonder Woman, Shade (aka Shade the Changing Girl), the JLA, and the latest incarnation of the Doom Patrol—Casey Brinke, Danny the Street (who is now an ambulance), Flex Mentallo, Jane (formerly Crazy Jane), Negative Man, Robotman, and Fugg. After familiarizing themselves with everyone’s powers and learning that Haxxalon has just been killed, the heroes crash into the Retconn home office to rescue Cave Carson and ex-Doom Patroller Elasti-Woman, who suffers through a horrible crucifixion. The heroes fight a horde of bovine shock soldiers and the powerful Milkman Man, a conservative “superhero” created by Retconn using the DNA of Casey Brinke and Terry None. (The fight against Milkman Man is also shown via flashback from Mother Panic: Gotham AD #1.) As the fight goes on, everyone is faced with the stark probability that they are merely fictional characters (at least on some level of existence). At the other side of the building, Retconn executives—including marketing managers Johnson and Charles—attempt to finalize the sale of Universe-0’s entire continuity to Manga Khan and Mr. Nebula! But when Nebula sees the chaos happening at Retconn, he calls off the sale. This prompts Johnson to enact his emergency action plan, which is the activation of device that begins to reset all continuity to scratch. As the “reality bleach” begins to burn away existence, Elasti-Woman escapes her torturers and breaks through a fourth wall to see a child watching a superhero TV show. The child’s mom sets her coffee down onto the child’s Multiversity Map (!), staining it. This meta-action presumably is the cause of the start of the reality bleach. (As referenced in Doom Patrol Vol. 6 #11, the child is but one of several gods collectively known as The Eonymous. They are addicted to the cosmic “TV show” that is the entire DCU. Retconn’s very existence is to warp and mold reality simply to keep the infantile-gods constantly entertained.) Obviously, the Eonymous are a meta-reference to comic book fandom in general. Overall, the inclusion and introduction of the Eonymous is part of an amazingly deep metalepsis that’s a little tough to comprehend. And the heroes at Retconn can barely comprehend it either. Batman orders Flex Mentallo to use his weird powers to save the day! Flex uses “inflation intensity” to blow himself up like a giant ballon. Vixen uses her powers to allow all the heroes to blow up like balloons as well. While in balloon form, the heroes are safe from the reality bleach. Elasti-Woman stretches to infinity, literally becoming everything—becoming the blank pages of the comic book that is reality. Elasti-Woman reboots the entire DCU, preserving the timeline as it was (for the most part). As Retconn is dismantled and erased entirely, Chrysalis (aka Eternity Girl aka Caroline Sharp), a fictional character from a comic book, is given life off the page and is able to escape into the real world of the DCU. She, along with most of her history, is retroactively folded into continuity! Robotman changes back to regular non-metal human Cliff Steele, the way he was before his accident. Mother Panic and Fennec Fox get sucked to 2026 of a dystopian hypertimeline where Batman is dead and Gala rules Gotham. Cave Carson, his daughter Chloe Carson, and scientist Marc Bartow are sent to a black hole to engage in an interstellar adventure. Shade the Changing Girl finds herself a few years into the future, now Shade the Changing Woman. In Happy Harbor, the shell-shocked heroes, with only confused memories of the battle they’ve just waged, recuperate and celebrate their victory.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman & The Signal #2—and also referenced in Dark Days: The Forge #1. Originally told in “THE CURSED WHEEL.” This item is said to take place only weeks prior to Dark Days: The Forge #1, hence placement here. Bruce moves Duke’s permanently Jokerized parents into Wayne Manor, where they are confined to safe padded cells and cared for by round-the-clock nurses. Batman and Alfred develop a sacred-geometrical diagram, which they call the “Cursed Wheel.” This sigil-like image, based upon concepts related to color theory, depicts an ultra-condensed version of all of Batman’s experiences combined with Alfred’s unique tenets regarding human psychology. Batman shares this occult “Cursed Wheel” with Duke. Later, Batman and Lark bust Victor Zsasz, but Lark questions his ability to be a successful superhero. Questioning himself, Duke re-evaluates everything and ditches his codename “Lark,” which never suited him very well. While Batman deals with the Riddler, who is able to strike from his Arkham Asylum cell thanks to the help of Daryl Gutierrez, Duke is accosted by Daryl and his Jokerized parents at Wayne Manor. While Batman saves the day downtown, Daryl tells Duke that he (Duke) has a sui generis physiology, possibly metahuman or even alien. Duke’s mom’s eyes glow yellow as she attacks Daryl to help her son. Duke’s eyes glow yellow as well, with his sight-view appearing akin to a fulgent version of Daredevil’s vision, as he punches-out Daryl.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Forge #1. After debriefing with Duke on recent events, Batman looks into weirdness surrounding Duke’s mom Elaine, but she’s far too gone in Joker-land to reveal anything. Unknown to Duke and Batman, Elaine has secret metahuman connections to the clandestine group of immortals known as The House of Action. The House leader, Immortal Man (Klarn Arg), is able to secretly watch/listen-in on Batman’s meetings with Elaine. Notably, Immortal Man is also the leader of the secret superhero group aptly known as The Immortal Men.
–Batman Vol. 3 #39-40 (“SUPERFRIENDS”)
Babs phones her dad to talk about how Gotham Knights QB Chris Campbell has pathetically blown another game. Their conversation is cut short when Wonder Woman switches on the Bat-Signal. She meets with Batman atop GCPD HQ and tells him that the Gentle Man is ready for his one day break from fighting the endless hordes of Gehenna. As per a recent deal they made with the Gentle Man, Wonder Woman and Batman (in a ridiculous-looking armored costume provided by Wonder Woman for this exact task) enter Gehenna, trading places with the Gentle Man, who meets and hangs out with Selina. In Gehenna, Batman and Wonder Woman begin slaying monsters and beasts left-and-right. Years pass for them in the nightmarish world. Meanwhile, Selina and the Gentle Man idly get dinner and fend-off a mugger. Selina is shocked when she hears about the difference between Gehenna time and Earth time (and that you don’t age while there). Her hubby-to-be might be returning in 24 hours, but he will be living decades alone with only Diana at his side in Gehenna! After over ten years in Gehenna together (and only hours passing on our primary timeline), a horny Bruce and randy Diana contemplate succumbing to their carnal urges, but they resist temptation and vow to remain platonic. Meanwhile, upon discovering that time is passing exponentially for Bruce and Diana in Gehenna, Selina flips-out on the Gentle Man, who admits that he never told them the full extent of the time deal. After the Gentle Man spends a couple hours with his wife, he returns to Gehenna, allowing Batman and Wonder Woman to return home. By the time they return, Bruce and Diana have spent thirty-seven years in Gehenna together! THIRTY-SEVEN YEARS. Damn.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Casting #1, Super Sons #13, and Detective Comics #993. Batman hears rumblings on the criminal grapevine that Leviathan is moving against Talia al Ghul’s leadership. Essentially, a civil war within the ranks of Leviathan has begun. He also hears that Talia has brought the great retired assassin known as the Silencer (Honor Guest) “back into the fold.” From this point onward, Batman will intercept as many Leviathan transmissions and communications as he can. He will, however, only be able to de-crypt a message here-or-there every once in a while.
–DC’s Terrors Through Time #1 Part 2
October 31—Halloween. Damian and Jon switch costumes to go trick-or-treating. They visit the Fortress of Solitude, Batcave, Atlantis, and Themyscira to no avail (in terms of getting candy). Soon afterward, the boys find the Justice League (with Green Arrow) taken captive by the Demons Three. Robin and Superboy distract the Demons Three long enough to foil their plot and defeat them, thus saving the adults. Flash then takes the boys to eat some of Martian Manhunter’s Oreos. Note that the entire end sequence of this item occurs at the Hall of Justice, which is a massive continuity error. The JL will soon return to the Hall of Justice, but they haven’t yet. As such, we must ignore the setting, instead reimagining as occurring on the Watchtower. (This item can’t go any later than this due to a number of factors, including costume designs, Aquaman’s appearance, and Superboy’s age.)
–Detective Comics #969 Part 1
November.[8] From their Arkham cell, the First Victim is able to leak video and photos of the Gotham Knights to the press. There is instant negative backlash in response to what the public perceives as Batman having initialized an extra-illegal Batman Inc-like secret army (with the villainous Clayface as a member, to boot). After months without a legit political leader (ever since Sebastian Hady’s assassination), former police commissioner Michael Akins is appointed as the new mayor! Hamilton Hill Jr, son of former mayor Hamilton Hill is instated as deputy mayor, functioning as Akins’ right-hand man. At Arkham, Stephanie Brown visits Anarky while Basil Karlo visits Mudface. Later, Tim discusses everything he missed while trapped with Mr. Oz with the Gotham Knights and Bat-Family. He decides that he’s not going to go to college, so he can focus on crime-fighting. Across town, at her warehouse HQ, Stephanie mulls over things while looking at her dad’s old Cluemaster costume. (Cluemaster is currently in-hiding, but Stephanie thinks he’d dead.) Tim surprises Stephanie at her HQ. In tears, they embrace and kiss. Tim invites Spoiler to rejoin the Gotham Knights. Back together at full force, the Gotham Knights (mostly independent of Batman) begin cleaning-up Gotham crime in record numbers. The team will continue to do so over the course of the next three weeks (in-between the other items listed below, of course).
–REFERENCE: In Heroes in Crisis #9. Batman suggests Selina, Cassie, Stephanie, Babs, Dick, Jason, Tim, and Damian undergo therapy sessions at the Nebraska Sanctuary. Each of them will go at some point in the near future.
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #15. Batman and Superman set up a secret emergency alarm inside their sons’ Morrison Bay HQ. The alarm is linked to the Watchtower. Batman informs all the Justice Leaguers that the boys are to be rescued and returned to their homes in the event of an emergency at their HQ.
—[9]
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #13. November. Damian finally begins attending the West-Reeve School. Alfred begins a routine of flying Damian there in a helicopter every morning (!) and then delivering his angry messages back to Bruce upon returning to Gotham. Note that Damian will miss a lot of school, moving forward.[10]
–Dark Days: The Forge #1[11]
“Crisis VII” begins! Bruce receives word of an emergency at Wayne Enterprises “Black Site #14” in the Bermuda Triangle. Knowing that the emergency is related to his top secret “dark energy” metal investigations, Batman bans all Bat-Family from entering the Batcave, ordering Duke Thomas to stand guard. Using his anti-lava mech suit, Batman is able to rescue Dr. Madison before a volcanic eruption destroys the island base. With Aquaman’s help, the entire staff is rescued. In the sky above, Lady Blackhawk watches with keen interest. In his moon-cave, Batman listens to Dr. Madison’s recordings and learns that there are highly disturbing geological anomalies related to metal in the Earth’s core. In the secret underground “city of the immortals” that lies one mile beneath Philadelphia (known as “The Campus”), the leader of the immortals, Immortal Man, tells one of his aides about Elaine Thomas and explains that the world faces a crisis unlike it’s ever seen before. Meanwhile, on Mogo, Ganthet briefs Hal Jordan on a top-priority mission, saying that a ubiquitous threat is imminent thanks to a “terrible truth” coming to light inside the Batcave. Hal flies to Earth and, upon entering the cave, is karate-kicked in the face by Duke. Hal shrugs off Duke and uncovers the secret wing of the Batcave. The duo wanders through the entrance together. On the moon, Batman enters Dr. Madison’s new data into the Shadow Drive. He also sends a message to Lucius Fox, telling him to set up “Black Site #15,” another deep drilling operation. Mr. Terrific shows up, revealing that a metaphysical frequency that resembles the “dark energy” frequency not only exists but is growing stronger and more unstable across both Earth-1 and Earth-2 as well. Batman and Mr. Terrific both agree that it’s time to pull the quiescent Plastic Man out of storage. Back down on Earth, Hal and Duke wander deeper into Sub-Cave Alpha. Hal’s ring begins to short-circuit as a voice begins to communicate with them via a PA system. The voice speaks of Batman’s secret investigations into the “dark energy” frequency linked to Electrum and Dionesium. Amid Court of Owls trophies, holographic displays show magickal metal items and an image of the Outsiders. Duke and Hal are surprised to learn from the voice that Batman has had several incarnations of this covert-ops team for years now. Concurrently, Batman contacts Mr. Miracle (Scott Free) and tells him to meet at the Fortress of Solitude. There, Superman watches as Mr. Miracle opens up the unassailable secret room hidden beneath the Fortress. Superman and Mr. Miracle are surprised to see what Batman has been storing all these years: an interdimensional tuning tower from the original Crisis. Batman believes the tower can show him everything he needs to know about the “dark energy.” Back in the hidden wing of the Batcave, Hal and Duke open a containment cell to reveal the person attached to the voice that has been guiding them: Joker! Joker has been held in a Batcave cell for months now.
–Dark Days: The Casting #1
Feeling like the dark metal mystery is only just beginning to unravel, Batman dons his anti-god armor suit and goes to Hephaestus’ Great Forge in Methana, Greece. There, Hephaestus’ guardian, the griffin Amphitrion, battles with Batman until Wonder Woman arrives to calm both sides. She tells Batman that the gods have left the mortal plane because a great war is coming that will re-shape the entire cosmos. She also says that Hephaestus spoke to her in a vision and told her to give Apollo’s mystic flaming Sunblade, which was forged by Hephaestus out of the powerful but impure “Eighth Metal,” to Batman. En route back to Gotham, the Sunblade begins to vibrate and guides Batman to the Sonoran Desert in Arizona. There, Batman discovers a secret US Government/Project Cadmus base that is under siege by Talia al Ghul and her men. After sending an alert to the Outsiders, Batman is greeted by an injured Dubbilex, who tells him that the dark metal has prematurely activated some DNAlien monsters. Notably, test soldier Elvis Ethan Avery morphs into the Hulk-like Damage. Talia and Batman converse, unfazed by the chaos unfolding around them. Talia tells Batman that there have been secret wars to contain the dark metal for decades, but the greatest war is coming soon. She also tells Batman about the gathering of the Council of the Immortals that occurred in the 1940, revealing the magick “Ninth Metal” lightning knife of Mamaragan, which Ra’s al Ghul procured from the wreckage of Challengers’ Mountain. (Mamaragan is an Aboriginal Australian lightning god and one of the “Wizards of Shazam.” He is the “M” in “SHAZAM,” along with five other gods. The Wizards of Shazam are led by a sixth god, the aptly named Wizard Shazam.) Batman trades the Sunblade for Mamaragan’s knife. Meanwhile, in Sub-Cave Alpha, Joker escapes from his cell and smashes-up Batman’s cloning machine, an action he claims is heroic because the machine could bring about the destruction of the world. Joker refers to Duke as “The Signal” and tells him that he and his mom have the dark metal running through their veins. Hal and Duke contain Joker, but Duke’s metapower goes wild and Joker disappears. Just then, Batman returns. Hal gives him guff, but Batman does his best to explain. When the Caped Crusader pulls out Mamaragan’s knife, it has a strange interaction with Duke, who has a vision of the cloning machine all fixed-up and functional. Hal gives Duke a power ring, with which Duke makes a construct of the cloning machine along with constructs of the magickal metal items that were on display in Sub-Cave Alpha. A seal is broken and Batman is irradiated with Nth Metal rays. (This sequence is also shown via flashback from Dark Nights: Metal #2.) A cosmic window opens to the Dark Multiverse, through which Batman peers only to see black emptiness. Batman collapses as the portal closes. Unknown to Batman, he saw nothing because the Strigydae high priests of Barbatos’ Judas Tribe magickally masked what should have been in plain view: a vision of the Dark Multiverse’s evil Bat-themed anti-JL known as The Dark Knights. The Dark Knights comprise Bruce Waynes (and one Bryce Wayne and one Barry Allen merged with a Bruce Wayne) from alternate Negative Earths of the Dark Multiverse: The Red Death (of Negative Earth-52), The Murder Machine (of Negative Earth-44), The Dawnbreaker (of Negative Earth-32), The Drowned (of Negative Earth-11), The Merciless (of Negative Earth-12), The Devastator (of Negative Earth-1), and The Batman Who Laughs (of Negative Earth-22), and the self-proclaimed “True Father of Batman” (i.e. Barbatos himself). (As revealed in Dark Nights: Death Metal – Multiverse’s End #1, Barbatos is being secretly influenced by Perpetua.) The cassock-wearing Strigydae, having once again successfully completed part of the “Mantling” ritual via manipulating Batman into irradiating himself with Nth Metal, claim that the final seal is broken, which means that evil can once again come into the light. Batman also doesn’t know that Hawkman, who has been trying to solve the Dark Metal mystery for thousands of years now, remains trapped in the Dark Multiverse (where he’s been for the past three years).
–Dark Nights: Metal #1
Batman addresses Hal Jordan and the Justice League (Jessica and Simon in absentia), telling them a bit about the dark metal mystery. Before he can say more, Mongul II, having escaped from Braalian prison and rebuilt WarWorld, kidnaps the JL and Hal, nullifies their powers, and forces them to fight organic-matter alien creatures and large robo-monster versions of themselves before a bloodthirsty audience. (The scene of the JL poised for battle in the arena is also shown via flashback from Flash Vol. 5 #39.) Mongul’s robo-monsters have been built by an also-kidnapped Toyman (Hiro Okamura), who was forced to make them. Thankfully, Okamura has built in a secret failsafe, which Batman discovers and activates, allowing the medieval armor-clad JLers to ride in their robo-creatures and assemble a giant Voltron-esque JL-mech, which they use to kick Mongul’s ass. When they get back to Earth, they find that Challengers’ Mountain has appeared through an interdimensional portal right in the middle of Gotham. Hawkman, Red Tornado, and The Challengers of the Unknown (Kyle “Ace” Morgan, Lester “Rocky” Davis, Matthew “Red” Ryan, Professor Walter Haley, and June Robbins), missing ever since disappearing into the Dark Multiverse three years ago, have finally returned. The JL enters the core of the mountain to find a lab with a titanium pod containing the comatose Challengers (locked in stasis) and warnings written in blood on the wall. Lady Blackhawk and some Blackhawk soldiers then arrive. Lady Blackhawk unmasks, revealing herself as Kendra Saunders (former Hawkgirl). They all travel to the cloaked Blackhawk Island in the South Pacific where Kendra shows off one of the last slivers of Nth Metal and tells the origin story of Hawkman and Hawkgirl, revealing their endless search for the Dark Multiverse and ties to the Blackhawks, Dr. TO Morrow, Dr. Will Magnus, the Metal Men, the Challengers of the Unknown, and Starman (Will Payton)—all of whom have helped in the investigation.[12] Kendra then shows the JL the Map of the Multiverse (from Multiversity!), flipping it over to show that there is a Dark Multiverse that evilly mirrors the 52 universes of the local multiverse in which they live. (This scene is also shown via flashback from Sideways #8.) Kendra tells all that Nth Metal originates from the Dark Multiverse, and that Hawkman, the Challengers, and Red Tornado breached through only to relay a message about unspeakable horror existing on the other side. The team then disappeared completely. (This happened three years ago, with zero contact ever since.) Kendra tells the JL that the Dark Multiverse is ruled by the evil god Barbatos, who, according to legend, will one day crossover using a human vessel as a doorway: that vessel is “Wayne.” Barbatos has been, for thousands of years, watching and waiting for the arrival of Batman, prophesied to act as his charon into the regular multiverse. Not only that, but Barbatos has created an army completely modeled off of Batman’s nightmares. Kendra continues: After Hawkman and his team disappeared, she destroyed her wings and vowed to get rid of all Nth Metal, becoming Lady Blackhawk in the process. Just then, a dormant Red Tornado comes alive and attacks. Batman uses the distraction to steal the Nth Metal sliver and ride a dinosaur (there are dinosaurs on Blackhawk Island) to the Hyper-Sub, which Alfred remotely pilots to his location. Elsewhere, Barbatos and his Dark Knights begin to breach through the void into the regular multiverse, an act that is sensed by Dr. Fate, Steel, and a still inert egg-shaped Plastic Man. In the Batcave, Batman and Alfred study the Nth Metal. A vibration noise begins emanating from the study above in Wayne Manor. Batman finds Hawkman’s hidden journal and begins reading from it, learning some of the truth about the dark matter (pun intended) at hand. Then, enter Sandman. Dream of the Endless appears! Note that the current Dream is the former human born in the Dreaming, Daniel Hall, who happens to be the son of Lyta Hall (formerly Fury) and Hector Hall (formerly Silver Scarab/Dr. Fate), making him Hawkman’s biological grandson!
–REFERENCE: In Dark Days: The Forge #1, Dark Days: The Casting #1, and Dark Nights: Metal #1-2. With Dream guiding Batman and providing further (albeit highly cryptic) context to Hawkman’s journal, the Caped Crusader reads the entire book, which contains a story that functions as a thousands-of-years-long prelude to the main Metal narrative of present day, beginning as far back as 20 million years ago.[13]
–REFERENCE: In Dark Nights: Metal #2, Teen Titans Vol. 6 #12, and Nightwing Vol. 4 #29. Having just read Hawkman’s journal, Batman now knows almost everything about the Mantling, Barbatos, and the Dark Knights of the Dark Multiverse. He formulates a complicated plan of action and calls a meeting with the Gotham Knights and Bat-Family. Feeling more dread than ever before, Batman fills them in on the Dark Multiverse case. Nightwing tells Batman about a recent encounter with Simon Hurt, Professor Pyg, and Deathwing (as seen in the New 52’s Nightwing Vol. 4 #20), during which Deathwing cut him with an Nth Metal blade, causing him to see visions of other realities. Batman then reveals his plans and gives his troops orders accordingly, also telling them not to follow him after they part ways—no matter what. Before they all depart to initiate Batman’s plan, the Dark Knight tells Nightwing to “Keep the lights on,” but leaves out the end part of the saying, which usually goes “until I get back.”
–REFERENCE: In Justice League of America Vol. 5 #18-20, Justice League of America Vol. 5 #25, and Justice League of America Vol. 5 Annual #1. With the threat of the Dark Multiverse looming, Batman decides to take a leave of absence from the JLA. He believes in his team, thinking of them as a representation of hope and togetherness, even without him physically there. As the Caped Crusader is preparing to depart, he finally receives the location of the Del-Marzopan (aka space dolphin) homeworld from Aquaman. Batman records a holographic video message containing the coordinates of the planet, which he immediately delivers to Lobo. Afterward, Batman tells the JLA to stay out of his affairs and begins his leave of absence.
–Dark Nights: Metal #2-3
As unnatural storms rage across the globe and giant glowing Bat-symbols that can been seen from space light up the planet (thanks to the actions of Barbatos’ ancient Judas Tribe followers), Batman initiates his grand plan of action. The Caped Crusader kidnaps baby Darkseid from Grail, affixing to him freshly made “godwave goggles” that prevent Omega blasts from going off by accident. The kidnapping of baby Darkseid, which is also referenced in Wonder Woman Vol. 5 #33, causes the hero community—including the Justice League, Zatanna, John Constantine, Blue Beetle, and Green Arrow—to chase after the Caped Crusader. The Bat-family places transmitters that send off Batman’s false signal in locations all over the globe (and in other dimensional planes as well)—including Gorilla City, the House of Mystery, and LexCorp—in order to lead their fellow heroes astray. The JL catches up with the Bat-Family in the Amazon Rainforest. There, Robin drives the Bat-Hog through the swampy river while the rest of the fam (Nightwing, Batwoman, Batgirl, Batwing, and Red Hood)—each disguised as Batman using EMP holographic masks—rides on combo jet-ski swamp-mobiles. The Bat-Family lures the JL into a trap as an angry Swamp Thing emerges from the Parliament of Trees HQ to fend-off the “invaders.” Superman grabs “Batman”—actually Clayface wearing a device that replicates Bruce’s heartbeat exactly. By the time Superman and Wonder Woman see through the ruse, the real Batman is long gone, across the world in an underground tomb in Egypt with Dream of the Endless. Meanwhile, Kendra Saunders meets with the immortals at the lava pits of Finnisterre, Antarctica, where the mobile Hall of Doom is currently located. The immortals order Kendra to fire the Anti-Monitor’s astral brain into the Rock of Eternity in order to destroy the entire Dark Multiverse. (The Rock of Eternity is the source of Shazam’s power and the cosmic center of the local multiverse.) In Egypt, Superman and Wonder Woman confront Batman, who pulls baby Darkseid out of a backpack! The Caped Crusader explains that he wants to use baby Darkseid to Omega Sanction himself into the past again so that he can defeat Barbatos the same way he once defeated the fake Barbatos (aka the Hyper-Adapter)! Kendra radios the heroes and tells them they’ve fallen into a trap, but it’s too late as the Strigydae and several Court of Owls members enter and defeat Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The Court of Owls—always in league with their Judas Tribe ancestors—had somehow accessed Hawkman’s journal and altered the coordinates of the Tomb of Prince Khufu to the Tomb of Hath-Set. The villains drizzle the final “Mantling” metal—the ironically-named Powers Industrial-created Batmanium—onto Batman. The searing-hot metal engulfs Batman, seemingly killing him while turning his body into a literal doorway to the Dark Multiverse. A dozen chain-leashed cannibalistic Dark Robins (aka Groblins), quasi-human pets of the Batman Who Laughs, come through and gobble up the Court of Owls folks. Soon to follow through the doorway are the Dark Knights themselves, flanked by a towering Barbatos. (This final scene of Dark Nights: Metal #2 is also visually referenced in Nightwing Vol. 4 #29 and Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #26. In both issues, Nightwing has a vision of the Barbatos-related events that occur. In the latter issue, Nightwing also has a second vision of himself talking to Batman in front of large windows. This second vision is also referenced in Green Arrow Vol. 6 #32. What does it mean? I haven’t a clue.) Despite resistance efforts of the heroes (and some villains), Barbatos controls the planet with an iron fist. While a weeklong morass descends upon Earth-0, Batman, nearly drained of all life to the point his hair turns grey and his body is emaciated, remains trapped in a limbo-space in the Dark Multiverse. Likewise, Superman and Wonder Woman are forced to live out thousands of dream scenarios that each end in brutal defeat at the hands of Barbatos, who watches gleefully and forces Batman to watch as well. Barbatos pretends to be Batman calling out to Superman for help as the latter goes through each terrible simulation. Eventually, during a sim featuring the heroes celebrating victory in Smallville, Batman is able to deliver a musical message via Jonathan and Damian playing guitar—the Neal Hefti Batman ’66 theme song, no less! The song acts as a warning for Superman to stay away from the Dark Multiverse. However, Superman mistakes Batman’s signal for the old alphabet cipher emergency code and vows to rescue him. The Man of Steel is then himself rescued by Wonder Woman, who has broken out of her own simulation loop. In Metropolis, Superman is shocked to see towers made entirely of zombified skeleton-like humans and other folks turned into Doomsdays (thanks to a healthy dose of the Doomsday Virus). Superman flies to Gotham to find more skeleton people lining the walls of Challengers’ Mountain, atop which is perched Barbatos himself, flanked by twin Joker dragons (dragons with Joker faces). The Dark Knights pummel Superman until he is rescued by Dr. Fate and Flash, who take him to Nightmaster’s Oblivion Bar in a secure pocket dimension. There, Superman convenes with Kendra Saunders, the rest of the JL (sans Batman and a defeated Cyborg), Dr. Fate, Mr. Terrific, Plastic Man (still in inert egg form), Nightmaster, Detective Chimp, Steel, Nightwing, Robin, Green Arrow, and Deathstroke. Superman quickly realizes that Barbatos is trying to permanently replace the regular multiverse with the Dark Multiverse. Green Arrow and Robin tell all that Nth Metal can hurt the Dark Knights and their henchmen. Plastic Man’s body begins vibrating, spitting out coordinates of several locations. After eristic confrontation, the heroes decide to split up and investigate the coordinates while Superman leads an expedition to rescue Batman. The Dark Knights breach into the Oblivion Bar, forcing the heroes to expedite the start of their various missions. Nightmaster stays behind and is horribly slaughtered. Wonder Woman, Kendra, and Dr. Fate go to Bialya; Aquaman and Deathstroke (along with their giant seahorses Storm and Imp) go to the outskirts of Atlantis; and Hal Jordan, Mr. Terrific, and Plastic Man go to Thanagar Prime (a “phased presence” planet that secretly exists at multiple coordinates all at once).[14] At the Fortress of Solitude, Steel straps himself onto the Anti-Monitor’s antenna tower while Flash powers his Nth metal body up with Speed Force. This energy is funneled into the Phantom Zone Projector, which opens up a portal to the Dark Multiverse. Upon arriving in the Dark Multiverse, Superman and Flash are accosted by zombified evil Supermen from alternate Negative Earths. Superman is restrained and turned into a living battery that will be used to swap the regular multiverse with the Dark Multiverse. Batman watches and laments that the Man of Steel has walked right into Barbatos’ trap.
–Batman: Lost #1
A white-haired and physically-drained Batman, attached to a wall of other captives that forms a towering living battery, is forced to astrally-project through various universes of the Dark Multiverse. First, he plays the role of a seventy-eight-year-old Bruce telling a tweaked version of his history to his granddaughter. This segues into Batman re-living a altered version of his first ever case. Then Batman finds himself, with a bizarre guide, bearing witness to the early days of Barbatos’ manipulation of the ancient tribes of humankind. Around what appears to be 3300 BCE, the Bat Tribe (a Eurasian offshoot of the Miagani, which an Omega-sanctioned Batman himself spawned in 38,000 BCE) fights a war against the Bird Tribe (aka Hawk Tribe). The guide explains this war to Bruce, stating that a proto-Hath-Set (influenced by Barbatos) led the Bat Tribe versus a proto-Carter Hall and a proto-Kendra Saunders, who co-led the Bird Tribe. This great war culminated with the trio’s Nth Metal immortality reincarnation cycle. From here, Batman bounces from Negative Universe to Negative Universe in quick succession, seeing various horrible Bat-dystopias. Batman also plays the role of Thomas Wayne (aka Simon Hurt) during the famous Barbatos-summoning ritual from 1765. After that, Batman plays the role of his great-great-grandfather Alan Wayne during the time of his death at the hands of the Court of Owls in the late 1880s. Batman then returns to the old man scenario and confronts Barbatos, who appears as his own reflection in a window. Barbatos claims that he’s been there since 38,000 BCE, that he was the bat that crashed through the window inspiring him to become Batman, and that he has been watching him ever since his first case and in every single reflection he’s ever looked at. Barbatos then reveals his true shrouded demonic form, showing Batman a kaleidoscope of thousands of Negative Universe timelines, each based on nightmare versions of Batman’s life. Batman sees the defeat of his fellow Justice Leaguers at the hands of the Dark Knights. He screams in terror and begs for mercy as the vision loop begins all over again. (A reference in Dark Nights: Metal #4 reveals that Batman, from his perspective, will live through this nightmare loop for thirty years! Jesus. (Between living through the recent thirty-seven year ordeal in Gehenna and now this thirty year nightmare loop, Batman has incredibly managed to accrue the life experience and accumulated sagacity of a nonagenarian despite being way younger.)
–Dark Nights: Metal #4-6
As a white-haired and emaciated Batman is surrounded by evil versions of Superman, he wakes up the real Superman and calls out to Dream for help. Dream poofs them away to Lucien‘s “Library of Impossible Stories” in the Dreaming. Meanwhile, at the Rock of Eternity, Wonder Woman, Dr. Fate, and Kendra Saunders fight The Seven Sins (Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, Avarice, Pride, Lust, and Envy). Concurrently, on the outskirts of Atlantis (at the edge of the Mariana Trench), Aquaman and Deathstroke come across butchered Atlantean guards, who had been charged with protecting the sacred Tomb of Arion. (This is actually a fake Tomb of Arion designed to hide the real one.) Deathstroke cuts through a coffin revealing a interdimensional portal beneath. Meanwhile, on Thanagar Prime, Hal Jordan, Mr. Terrific, and Plastic Man (still in egg form), gain an audience with the supreme ruler of the Thangarian Empire, Onimar Synn. Synn reveals his is partnered with Starro the Conqueror and also that he is completely aware of the Dark Multiverse situation. In response to the situation, he currently has aimed at Earth a giant “Phoenix Cannon,” which can supposedly “raise” the planet, preventing it from succumbing to the Dark Multiversial incursion. Synn and Starro are able to easily capture Hal and Mr. Terrific. Meanwhile, in the Dreaming, Lucien’s library begins to burn. Dream tells Batman and Superman the origin story of the Multiverse and Dark Multiverse, explaining that, billions of years ago, not only were the Monitor and Anti-Monitor given life, but the Forger and, later, a cosmic dragon (Barbatos) were given life as well. The Forger made his home in a 6th Dimensional pocket of the Dark Multiverse, spending eons creating new universes based upon the hopes and fears of all gods and celestial beings, doing so using a cosmic hammer and anvil at the World Forge aka The Forge of Worlds. The most stable worlds were allowed to ascend into the multiverse above whereas the unstable ones were to remain in the Dark Multiverse to be destroyed by Barbatos. However, Barbatos betrayed and killed the Forger and allowed the unstable universes to exist under his rulership. Dream tells the heroes that they must travel to the World Forge, which can be accessed via the center of the Dark Multiverse. There, they must make sure that it is alight, for if it goes dark, all hope is lost. Dream sends Batman and Superman through a portal. As they travel, Superman gives Batman a much-needed pep talk. Meanwhile, inside the Rock of Eternity, Kendra reveals the astral brain of the Anti-Monitor. She attempts to use it to destroy the Dark Multiverse, but fails and morphs into an evil winged Lady Blackhawk. Black Adam appears and zaps Dr. Fate away, revealing that he and Vandal Savage have made a deal with Barbatos and are now helping him. At the World Forge, Batman and Superman are shocked to find a towering (and evil) Carter Hall, who wields the Forger’s hammer against them. Barbatos has temporarily reverted Carter back into one of his prior incarnations, an unnamed towering hawk-monster. Now as the new Dragon of Barbatos, a subservient Carter attacks his pals. Meanwhile, Aquaman and Deathstroke are transported to the Earth’s core where they find strange magickal Atlantean-Nth Metal hybrid technology. Before they can extract some Nth Metal, they are attacked by Black Manta, the Drowned, the Red Death, and the Murder Machine. At the World Forge, Batman’s plucky hope causes a spark of light to flicker to life. Despite this, the blanched Batman and weakened Superman begin to sink into astral magma. At the Rock of Eternity, Wonder Woman finds Hawkman’s old mace and kayos Black Adam. The Batman Who Laughs shoots Wonder Woman in the head with an Eighth Metal bullet. On Thanagar Prime, Hal, Mr. Terrific, and Martian Manhunter (!) team-up to take down Starro and Synn. Unfortunately, that are ambushed by the Dawnbreaker, the Merciless, and the Devastator. Plastic Man’s egg body powers the reversed Phoenix Cannon, which sucks energy from all the Nth Metal where the heroes are fighting. The Phoenix Cannon then causes the Earth’s final submergence into the abyss. Back at the Rock of Eternity, the Batman Who Laughs leaves Wonder Woman for dead, but don’t count out Diana! She shakes the cobwebs out and smacks some Lasso of Truth sense into Kendra, who becomes good again. Wonder Woman and Kendra return to Earth, which has sunken into the Dark Multiverse and become an unfamiliar landscape with a hellish physiognomy, populated by monster versions of the deadliest super-villains. As Wonder Woman and Kendra fight toward their friends, Plastic Man comes alive to assist, saving everyone! Wonder Woman and Kendra then descend into the World Forge to confront Dragon-Carter. There, they are aided by the arrival of the interdimensional ship known as The Ultima Thule, which carries Cyborg, Flash, Raven, Detective Chimp, Mr. Stubbs, the Primate Legion of Earth-52,[15] Earth-19’s Bat Man (aka Gotham by Gaslight Batman), Earth-30 Batman (aka the anti-Soviet Batman), Earth-43 Batman (aka vampire Batman), and Batman from Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns universe! With reinforcements backing them up, Wonder Woman and Kendra are able to light the World Forge. Superman and Batman are immediately restored and, along with Wonder Woman, are endowed with armor made of the strongest metal in the omniverse: the 10th Metal, Element X! Batman rides a Joker dragon into battle and creates Element X armor for Aquaman and Hal Jordan, who kick the Dark Knights’ asses. Everyone trapped on the living battery is freed as Dragon-Carter betrays Barbatos and attacks him. In his lair, the Batman Who Laughs straps a captive Monitor (Mar Novu aka the resurrected original Monitor from the original Crisis!) into a chair. With defeat looming, Barbatos and the Batman Who Laughs plan to mash-up the Monitor with the astral-brain of the Anti-Monitor, an act that will completely destroy both the Multiverse and Dark Multiverse. Batman teams-up with Joker to defeat the Batman Who Laughs and rescue the Monitor. (This fight is also shown via flashback from Dark Nights: Death Metal – Legends of the Dark Knights #1 Part 1 and visually referenced in Year of the Villain #1 Part 1.) The five Element X-armored heroes join hands and use the power of the metal to call all the lost souls back, effectively fixing the universe by raising it back up to its correct state. (Element X contains trace amounts of all known matter, which basically means that Element X is comprised of all living things, or something like that. I dunno.) The scene of the Element X-clad heroes joining together is also shown via flashback from Harley Quinn Vol. 4 #20 and Dark Nights: Death Metal – Multiverse’s End #1, which also reveals that this act reboots Universe-3, thus resurrecting the Crime Syndicate of Amerika (which had previously been wiped out during “Darkseid War”). As seen via flashback from Aquaman Vol. 8 #38, while imbued with the power of Element X, Aquaman makes a magickal wish for his deepest desire to come true. (This wish will soon come true, causing Atlantis to rise back up to the surface.) The five heroes then break through the Source Wall at the edge of the universe, connecting with what they believe to be “The Great Hand of Creation,” who was the über-creator of the multiverse. Sadly, they’ve actually exposed the multiverse to the impending horror of Perpetua instead. The multiverse is saved, but the damage to the Source Wall is extensive and highly volatile, posing an even greater threat than before.
–REFERENCE: In Dark Nights: Metal #6 Epilogue, DC Nation #0 Part 3, Justice League: No Justice #2, and The Batman Who Laughs #1. The Monitor chains and imprisons Barbatos deep inside the World Forge. He will remain there until judgement at the hands of the original World Forger (Alpheus), who is destined to return to take over the World Forge one day in the future. Note that the Alpheus is part of the divine trinity of creation, which includes his brothers, the Monitor (Mar Novu) and the Anti-Monitor (Mobius). This super-celestial trio are the sons of Perpetua.[16] With Barbatos locked up, all of the damage done by the demon god is instantly undone on Earth. Challengers’ Mountain returns to its original location in the Colorado Rockies for the first time in decades. (Challengers’ Mountain was originally built in the Rockies but then later moved just outside of Metropolis.) Carter Hall, restored, goes into rehabilitative bedrest—under the careful watch of Red Tornado and the Metal Men—on Blackhawk Island. Carter, still temporarily imbued with cosmic thought, sees multiple omnipotent images and writes about them in his journal before passing out. On Blackhawk Island, Batman and Kendra read, learning that Lucien’s library in the Dreaming is safe, but one book is missing along with Dream himself. Carter’s journal also hints at the future, with vague words about a new age of superheroes, Controllers, Darkstars, Atlantis rising, a dark pantheon, a Flash War, “no justice,” a group of Galactus-like planet-eaters, and long-dormant evil forces being stirred awake. Elsewhere, Immortal Man and his Immortal Men (Ghost Fist, Stray, Reload, and Timber) bear witness to their own cosmic vision of the near future, viewing several new superheroes that will soon debut. Batman also becomes fully aware of the House of Heroes, the original Monitor’s pandimensional satellite that now sits in a fixed position (outside spacetime) in the Bleedspace between universes. The House of Heroes is the headquarters of former Monitor Nix “Superjudge” Uotan and the multiversial JL known as Justice Incarnate aka “Justice League Incarnate”—Earth-23 Superman (aka President Superman), Earth-17 Batman (aka Atomic Batman), Thunderer (of Earth-7), Earth-20 Green Lantern, Aquawoman (of Earth-11), Captain Carrot (of Earth-26), Mary Marvel (of Earth-5), Machinehead (of Earth-8), and Red Racer (of Earth-36). With the recent revelation of the existence of the 53rd universe and with the World Forge now alight, there exists a possibility of new worlds (and new threats) coming into existence. The Caped Crusader then contacts the New Gods to discuss what happened with the Source Wall, learning that it does indeed have a hole in it, meaning that the universe is exposed to new unknown threats. Aquaman compares the breach to a fishbowl being poured into the ocean. The Justice League then meets with US Government officials, including Amanda Waller, and reveals to them the existence of the Source Wall and information about its breach and potential security threats as a result. Finally, the Monitor speaks with Batman about the Batman Who Laughs, telling Batman the super-villain’s origin. In this way, Batman learns that Joker’s heart contains a super-toxin, which will cause anyone who kills him to turn into the next Joker. This was how the Batman Who Laughs came to be. Supposedly, Earth-0 Joker has the same poison heart.
–Justice League of America Vol. 5 #24
Batman, having just wrapped up Metal stuff, meets with Ray Palmer, who delivers news from the Microverse about how they can save Angor. Having just defeated Prometheus without Batman, the JLA—still sans Batman—now finds itself going head-to-head with the Might Beyond the Mirror (aka Tsaritsa), her evil Woodsmen, and a turncoat Frost, who has been cured via wish and doesn’t want to give up her new life. With the Sanctuary in complete rubble, magickal goddess of imagination Promethea (no relation to Prometheus) shows up in Happy Harbor to assist the heroes and protect her realm of Immeteria! Eventually, Frost sees the error of her ways and defeats Tsaritsa. Promethea gives words of wisdom to the JLA before departing. Batman, along with Ray Palmer, returns with news of a new mission for his JLA! But he’ll hold off on giving the formal report until further preparations have been made with Ray Palmer. (The JLA won’t discuss their new mission until close to the end of the construction of their new HQ, a few months from now.)
–Dark Nights: Metal #6 Epilogue
Diana tells Bruce and Clark a horrible future prognostication that has been shown to her in a vision by The Fates. The Trinity realizes that the Barbatos war was nothing compared to what lies ahead. Bruce begins setting up big future plans for the JL, including the possibility of splitting the team up into factions and utilizing the old Hall of Justice again. Bruce then sets up a black tie dinner at Wayne Manor to discuss his plans, to celebrate, and to take stock of all that has occurred. At dinner, Bruce tells the JL (and Hal Jordan, J’onn, and Kendra Saunders) nearly everything he has learned since the end of the war. Bruce also invites Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl to join the JL (although neither will officially join for a couple months). After dinner, the heroes join the real party on the dance floor. In attendance (all in festal civilian attire) are Dick, Babs, Swamp Thing, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Mr. Terrific, Detective Chimp, Dr. Fate, and a bunch of others. The live band rocks on with Damian on bass, Jonathan on lead guitar, and Alfred on drums! As everyone parties, the Trinity departs to the study to discuss Bruce’s JL plans. (Again, be aware that the changes to the JL won’t go into effect for a couple of months. You can fanwank or chalk that up to more planning and prep time needed, or you can blame it on the reality of the final issue of Metal getting published months after other stories had to continue on without knowing its ending. Writing in a shared universe sucks sometimes, don’t it?)
–REFERENCE: In Dark Nights: Death Metal #2. Batman arranges for Hiro Okamura (who now uses both the names Toymaster) to build robot versions of the Dark Multiverse’s Dark Knights (The Red Death Robot, The Murder Machine Robot, The Dawnbreaker Robot, The Drowned Robot, The Merciless Robot, and The Devastator Robot). Note that Okamura also now goes by the name “Toyman 2.0” despite actually being the third Toyman. On Batman’s orders, Okamura also builds a giant gaudy Trinity-inspired Composite Superman-Batman-Wonder Woman robo-space rocket. All these things go into a secret bunker.
–REFERENCE: In The Immortal Men #6. Now mildly aware of the existence of a large immortal community in the DCU (thanks to his Metal experience), Batman begins doing investigations related to this. He will conduct these investigations on-and-off for the next year and submit his findings to the JL as he goes along.
–REFERENCE: In The Batman Who Laughs #2 and The Batman Who Laughs #7. With the menace of the Batman Who Laughs firmly in mind, Batman decides that he must prepare for his inexorable return. Knowing that he must be able to bring something new and unexpected to the table, Batman designs his own martial arts technique and begins training in it. Alfred calls Batman’s special new fighting style “Bam Pow.” Batman will train in “Bam Pow” frequently, moving forward. Batman also sets up special anti-Batman Who Laughs harpoon gun traps at various locations, including Crime Alley, the Batcave, the sward of Wayne Manor, and the adjacent cemetery where his parents are buried.
–REFERENCE: In The Batman Who Laughs #3. Bruce, now fully aware of the amount of Dark Metal ingrained in the sediment of the greater Gotham area, begins funding a massive Wayne Enterprises clean-up of the stuff. Digging teams will begin gutting large swaths of the city and surrounding areas in an effort to extract and remove remaining Dark Metal from the earth. To put things in perspective, there is a literal ton of Dark Metal underneath the Batcave alone, so there’s a lot of work to be done. This project will continue, slow but steady, for the next calendar year-plus.
–Batman & The Signal #1-3 (“GOTHAM BY DAY”)
In the recent wake of and in direct relation to Dark Nights: Metal, a bunch of Gotham teens have gained active metapowers thanks to something called “The Dial.” (Over two dozen teens, including Duke Thomas, have already displayed new metapowers within the past two months.) In response to the new influx of metahumans, Gotham officials begin the process of turning the downtown Solarium Rehab Hospital into Arkham Juvenile Detention Center. Meanwhile, Duke moves out of Wayne Manor and into the apartment of his cousin Jay Thomas. Batman (likely with metahuman assistance) builds a secret Bat-Bunker, known as “The Hatch,” underneath the Lucius Fox Center For Gotham Youth. Stocking it with vehicles, gadgets, weapons, and a new costume, Batman gives the Hatch to Duke for use as his new personal HQ. Batman asks a surprised Duke to be the Bat-Family’s primary daytime agent. Duke reluctantly agrees and chooses his new codename: The Signal. An hour later, at Wayne Manor, the Dark Knight calls to order the weekly round table breakfast gathering of the Bat-Family/Gotham Knights, introducing the Signal’s new role. Still unsure of how his Dial metapowers function (he can “see” light in a way that allows him to view the near past or near present), the Signal goes on his inaugural patrol and defeats another Dial metahuman called The Null (no relation to the Null of the Microverse). Less than an hour later, Commissioner Gordon visits Detective Alex Aisi and reports that two Gotham teens developed metapowers and then dropped dead, citing a link to a super-villain called Gnomon. (A gnomon is part of a sundial, in case you were wondering.) After submitting the Null’s DNA samples to the Bat-Family, Duke is visited by his former We are Robin Gang pals Izzy Ortiz and Riko Sheridan. (Duke is now dating Izzy.) The DNA results show that the Null’s Dial powers reacted specifically to Duke’s presence. Not long after, the Signal—remotely guided by Riko and Izzy—goes into the new Arkham Juvie Center only to get attacked by the Null and two other teen metahumans, Killjoy and Palette. The teen inmates are being controlled by the mysterious Gnomon from afar. The fight is broken up by the arrival of Detective Aisi and some guards. Back at the Hatch, Riko, angry at Duke nearly getting himself killed, quits her post. Later, the Signal pops into the GCPD morgue and helps Detective Aisi examine some metahuman teen corpses, finding traces of Nth Metal on their bodies. Using his powers, the Signal is able to see that Wayne Industries’ civic housing development tower—made of 8th Metal—has been acting as a sundial-like filter that uses the suns rays to slowly turn people into metahumans in the Narrows. The Signal, realizing that Batman has known about his metagenes for some time, comes to believe that the Dark Knight has been using his own Wayne Industries building to experiment on people. The Signal angrily confronts Batman in the Batcave, but their conversation is interrupted by the true person behind the solar-metahuman rays and new metahuman teens, Gnomon, who is able to access the Batcave computer and speak directly to our heroes. Gnomon fires up the solar filter, turning almost everyone in the Narrows into raging out-of-control metahumans. Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, Robin, and the Signal immediately converge upon the scene and begin fighting off attackers, who are all chanting the Signal’s name. While Batman goes to check on the Gotham Clock Tower, the Signal heads toward the solar ray with Detective Aisi. Meanwhile, Riko and Izzy save Jay Thomas from a metahuman snake kid. The Gotham Clock Tower blows up with Batman barely escaping. The Signal confronts Gnomon, who reveals that he is his real father! Both the Signal and Gnomon’s shared DNA fuels the solar ray “dial” generator, giving metahuman powers to all the teens in the neighborhood. Gnomon appeals for the Signal to join him by his rightful side, but Detective Aisi shoots Gnomon down. The Signal destroys the generator and is rescued by Batman. Gnomon escapes. The next morning, Duke attends the Bat-Family round table pancake breakfast in Wayne Manor, joining Dick, Damian, Jason, Cassie, Stephanie, Babs, and Alfred. Bruce discusses Duke and Cassie going to a new school together. Duke then meets with his Jokerized parents, but can’t get any info about his real dad. Concurrently, Gnomon approaches Riko. The next morning, the Signal begins what will be his regular routine: Commissioner Gordon-approved daily patrols with Detective Aisi.
–REFERENCE: In Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #15-17. Note that the “Manslaughter” arc is said to specifically occur in 2018, but this is merely a reference to the publication date of this arc. We are still in 2017. In any case, the year has no bearing on the actual story whatsoever. The misandry group known as The Daughters of Gotham spread a flu-like epidemic across Gotham, but it only affects people with a male genetic makeup. With Batman, Alfred, Jim Gordon, Mayor Akins, and all the other genetically-male Gothamites dropping like flies, it’s up to the genetically-female heroes to figure out who is responsible. The Birds of Prey team with Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Batwoman, Spoiler, Orphan, Gotham Girl, and Harley Quinn. (Harley assumes that Joker has likely contracted the virus as well and is only helping out because she wants to be the one responsible for taking him down some day.) Lois Lane does some solo investigating in Gotham as well.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #983. Batman disbands the Outsiders.
–Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #16-17 (“MANSLAUGHTER”)[17]
With all of Gotham’s genetic-males down-and-out thanks to a virus spread by the Daughters of Gotham, the genetic-females take charge. While Wonder Woman teams-up with Amanda Waller and Lois Lane to help out across the city, Green Arrow plays bait, leading to Harley Quinn, Black Canary, and Poison Ivy capturing a Daughters of Gotham member distributing the virus. Meanwhile, Batwoman and Batgirl interrogate another member at GCPD HQ. Huntress cares for Dick. Cassie cares for Clayface, Azrael (Jean-Paul), and Batwing. And Catwoman cares for Bruce. Later, all the genetically-female heroes, including Gotham Girl and Spoiler, fight against the Daughters of Gotham. Councilwoman Muir (the substitute interim mayor) reveals herself to be one of the generals of the misandry army. Harley, Batwoman, and Batgirl are captured and taken to meet the nearly hundred-year-old leader of the Daughters, a villainess calling herself “Patient Zero.” While Poison Ivy and Leslie Thompkins whip-up a cure to the virus, the other genetically-female heroes—along with Detective Renee Montoya—storm the Daughters’ compound. Patient Zero and Councilwoman Muir flee to the arena quarantine site with hopes of killing all the genetically-male people there with a second airborne virus. Gotham Girl releases an estrogen-based antivirus all over the arena, curing all the afflicted. Amanda Waller orders her government soldiers to shoot to kill, which leads to Muir’s execution. Later, Leslie administers the cure to Bruce and Alfred while Catwoman hangs out on the Wayne Manor roof. All the genetic-males of Gotham are given the cure. Harley reluctantly cures Joker as well. With Patient Zero behind bars, the heroes chat about the case. Batwoman makes an awesome comment about the dangers of having a gender-binary view of the world! All’s well that ends well.
–FLASHBACK: From Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular Part 1. Batman beats the shit out of Joker, putting him back in Arkham Asylum. Afterward, Bruce accompanies a psychiatrist Dr. Reeder, who has been brought onto the Arkham staff via a Wayne Foundation grant, to examine Joker. Bruce tasks Dr. Reeder with healing the psychological injury done to countless Joker victims, many of whom are maimed and scarred. Moving forward, Dr. Reeder will remain in close contact about his progress (or lack-there-of) with Bruce. We’ll have to imagine these sad check-ins as appearing periodically on our timeline ahead.
FALL OF THE BATMEN
———————-––Detective Comics #969 Part 2
———————-––Detective Comics #970-971
Early December—three extremely packed weeks have passed since Detective Comics #969 Part 1. When Batman gets wind that Killer Moth is planning to recruit a new gang, he sends the Gotham Knights undercover to infiltrate their meeting. In a warehouse, Killer Moth assembles Solomon Grundy (actually Clayface in disguise), Victor Zsasz, Firefly (Garfield Lynns), and Ratcatcher. (It was only a few months ago that a notably heavier Ratcatcher had retired from crime and moved in with Mother Panic’s mom. However, he has now clearly lost all his retirement weight and returned to his wicked ways.) Killer Moth addresses a bunch of underlings, including Ace from the Royal Flush Gang, a representative from the Whisper Gang, Query, and Echo. (Some of the A-listers were too busy to show up, so they sent their henchies instead.) While the Gotham Knights bust all the bad guys, Batman has a private meeting with Mayor Akins. Their conversation is tense, reflecting the shaky relationship they had back when Akins was commissioner. Meanwhile, the Victim Syndicate—joined by new member Anarky—secretly take control of Arkham Asylum. While Julia Pennyworth takes a much deserved vacation to Rio, in Gotham, a sleep-deprived Red Robin excitedly tells Spoiler his quixotic technocratic ideas about how to solve all of Gotham’s problems. Concurrently, Batman, Batwoman, Azrael (Jean-Paul), and Batwing fight some cyber-assassins that have been programmed to mimic the teams maneuvers based upon the leaked Spoiler phone videos. Across town, Dr. Victoria October warmly talks to Clayface about what it was like to transition from male to female. She also tells him that she should have a cure for his condition soon! At her apartment, Kate is approached by her dad Jake. He tells her that he’s fired the loose cannon Ulysses Hadrian Armstrong. He also asks who was responsible for activating his drones a few weeks ago. Kate tells him the truth—that it was Red Robin from an alternate timeline—but lies and says that the advanced AI (Brother Eye) was built by an alternate timeline Batman. Jake warns his daughter about the dangers of the recent Gotham Knights video leak, saying that government opinion of Batman has become negative as a result. He then plays a voice recording of Red Robin asking the Colony to form a working partnership. Kate is shocked that Red Robin has done so much reaching-out without the consent of either herself or Batman. Later, Orphan and Clayface destroy the cyber-assassin factory. Meanwhile, Batman sends Red Robin all the leaked video. Red Robin is able to timestamp and date the footage, confirming that it came from Spoiler’s phone. Red Robin confronts Spoiler about it and she admits to having taken the footage. They then learn that Anarky hacked her phone. An angry Spoiler tells Red Robin that she called Ivy University and discovered that he has withdrawn his enrollment. Threatening to end their relationship, Spoiler storms off. At Arkham, Clayface visits Mudface, who fully completes her heel turn. The Victim Syndicate tasers Clayface and takes him down. They announce to the world that they control the prison and will release inmates unless Batman shows up and unmasks. At the Belfry, Spoiler tells all that the Victim Syndicate has organized angry civilian protesters to match all over the city against the Gotham Knights. Batwoman outs Red Robin’s potential dealings with the Colony, to which Red Robin defends his actions. The bickering stops when the hotline “red phone” goes off. However, it’s not Commissioner Gordon, but Mayor Akins, on the line. He orders Batman to deal with the Arkham situation with police assistance instead of the Gotham Knights. Batman agrees and winds up entering Arkham to face the entire Victim Syndicate and hundreds of mind-controlled guards all by himself. Batman activates his ZEA electrified override of Arkham’s security system, which takes out most of his opponents right away. Then, despite still overwhelming odds, Batman kicks everyone’s asses. Just as the GCPD enters to clean-up, Clayface, having turned fully evil again, attacks the police.
FALL OF THE BATMEN (Conclusion)
———————-––Detective Comics #972-973
———————-––Detective Comics #974 Part 1
Early December. Batman defeats a living integument of Clayface while the real deal escapes into the sewer and heads toward the Belfry. The First Victim and Anarky escape as well. After getting chastised by Mayor Akins, Batman heads to Old Wayne Tower. Meanwhile, Dr. Victoria October tells Red Robin and Orphan that her cure for Clayface will be done in a few hours. Across town, Jake Kane gives Batwoman an experimental gun that can take down Clayface. After taking out Batwing and Azrael (Jean-Paul) in the sewer, Clayface attacks the rest of the Gotham Knights in the Belfry. When the Mud Room gets damaged, the rest of Clayface’s flesh (which was being used for Mud Room sims) smashes into his body, turning him into a giant-sized version of himself. Clayface tears the entire roof and spire off of the tower, completely demolishing the Belfry, before stomping downtown. While the team regroups and cares for a concussed Red Robin, Batman confronts Clayface yet again. From Luke Fox’s lab, Jean-Paul remotely controls a bunch of Batwing suits, which are all easily destroyed by the mega-Clayface. Meanwhile, Anarky, seeing that the First Victim doesn’t actually care about the people, does a face-turn and knocks out the villain! Anarky delivers both the First Victim and a flash drive containing information about their secret ID to Spoiler. Orphan gets Dr. October’s cure and injects it into Clayface’s head, restoring him to human form. A distraught and repentant Basil, in tears, struggles to hold his form. Batwoman, directly disobeying Batman’s orders, shoots Basil in the head with her dad’s gun, seemingly killing him. Immediately, the Gotham Knights are divided as Batman and Red Robin scold Batwoman. An enraged Cassie tears off Batwoman’s Bat-symbol. Batman suspends Batwoman from duty, but Jean-Paul and Batwing side with her and leave, effectively ending the team by splitting it in half. (SPOILER ALERT: As revealed in the epilogue to Detective Comics #981, Clayface ain’t really dead. Dr. Victoria October secretly revives him.)
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #976. Batman orders Red Robin to take a month off to recover from his concussion suffered during the fight against mega-Clayface. He also orders Cassie Cain to begin therapy sessions with Dr. Leslie Thompkins. The Bat-Family also begins posthumously referring to Clayface’s giant evil form as “King Clayface.” Presumably, a funeral is held for Basil.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 #81. Batman investigates the origins of Gotham Girl’s powers, learning that her deceased brother had purchased a rare form of Super-Venom from Bane to make he and Claire superheroes. Troubled by this revelation, Batman spends considerable resources to eliminate this formula from existence, keeping only one small batch for experimentation purposes. Wanting to keep it safe from Bane’s reach, Batman hides it in the Himalayas with his old mentor, the Memory of the Mountain.
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #64. After much contemplation (and directly influenced by having learned she got her powers from Super-Venom), Batman has a change of heart about Gotham Girl, deciding that he doesn’t want Claire to continue the superhero lifestyle anymore. The Dark Knight also wants her to give up the dangerous vigilantism path so she can healthily move on from her brother’s death (which he fears she hasn’t done). Gotham Girl is devastated to hear this news. Batman ends Claire’s training and parts ways with her, wishing her the best in her future endeavors.
–FLASHBACK: From Batman Vol. 3 Annual #5. Batman takes on an escaped gun-wielding Joker in this generic flashback image.
SUPER SONS OF TOMORROW[18]
———————-––Superman Vol. 4 #37
———————-––Super Sons #12
The Tim Drake Batman of the “Titans Tomorrow/666” Hypertimeline returns! Still convinced that the primary present-day DC timeline connects to his dark future, Older Tim has a new plan to prevent his dystopia by killing Jonathan Kent. First stop, however, is Wayne Manor. Older Tim fights Bruce at Wayne Manor, defeating him by shooting him with a gun. Older Tim then takes Batman’s anti-JL contingency weapons and then attacks Superman and Kelex in the Fortress of Solitude. Older Tim defeats Superman by trapping him in Batman’s Red Kryptonite-lined anti-Superman contingency cell. Eventually, the Titans of Tomorrow—Superman (TT/666-Conner Kent), Wonder Woman (TT/666-Cassie Sandsmark), and Flash (TT/666-Bart Allen)—come to the Earth-0 timeline from their own “Titans Tomorrow/666” timeline to challenge their rogue partner. After blowing up Teen Titans HQ and donning a new costume to become Savior, Older Tim finally sees the error of his ways. In order to save Superboy’s life, Savior absorbs a super-flare and gets forever expelled into the pathways of Hypertime, becoming the new permanent protector of all timelines. After a brief chat with Superman and the Teen Titans, the Titans of Tomorrow disappear back to their own timeline. Superman then speaks to Superboy and Robin, questioning but then reaffirming his belief in the boys’ partnership. Meanwhile, having been patched up by Alfred, Bruce awakens from a coma. With the Teen Titans HQ leveled, Superman gives the team permission to use the Watchtower. Aboard the satellite, the Teen Titans are greeted by Batman, who requests a formal report on everything that has just occurred. Robin then orders the Teen Titans to vote on whether or not Superboy can join the team. Unfortunately, it’s not meant to be inasmuch the lone “yes” vote comes only from Robin.
–Detective Comics #974 Part 2
Three days after Clayface’s tragic “death,” Dr. October cures a semi-repentant Mudface. At the Robin’s Nest, Stephanie officially breaks up with Tim as Batman watches from the shadows. Batman then talks to Tim, who breaks down and says that Batman has cursed his life. At her apartment, Kate nurses wounds and talks with her dad, who offers her a new Batwoman costume with a Colony-insignia. Unknown to everyone, Ulysses Armstrong spies on all the heroes. Armstrong has a sliver of Brother Eye on his phone. Using Brother Eye’s knowledge of the “Titans Tomorrow/666” Hypertimeline, Armstrong plans to ensure that the dark horrible future happens on the primary timeline.
–REFERENCE: In Detective Comics #979. Bruce notices Cassie sneaking out of Wayne Manor. Trailing her, he finds that she is keeping tabs on Stephanie. Batman will follow Cassie for a few nights (overlapping with his regular patrols and other items below), moving forward.
–REFERENCE: In Super Sons #13 and Super Sons #15. With Lois scheduled for a business trip and an unspecified but important Justice League mission to attend to, Superman arranges for Jonathan to spend the upcoming weekend at Wayne Manor with Damian and Alfred.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League of America Vol. 5 #25-29, Justice League Vol. 3 #40, and Justice League Vol. 3 #43. Vixen and Frost, taking direct inspiration from both Promethea and Freedom Beast, begin overseeing the construction of a new headquarters in Happy Harbor, RI. The new base is in the exact location of the old one and still extends into the caverns of Mount Justice, but unlike its predecessor, it will be a skyscraper containing a multitude of levels and wings. Teams of contractors are brought in to begin work. Presumably, Batman foots the bill, but all construction and design decisions are in the hands of Vixen and Frost.
–Super Sons #15-16 (“END OF INNOCENCE”)
The weekend arrives and Damian and Jon are spending it together at Wayne Manor and their underwater HQ while Lois is out reporting and the Justice League is working an unspecified case. Kid Amazo escapes from LexCorp captivity and ditches his former host Reggie Meyer. Now an unattached symbiote-like super being, Kid Amazo searches for a new more powerful host. Locating the Justice League, which is in the middle of rescuing some oil riggers at sea, Kid Amazo defeats and restrains Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash. Kid Amazo seeks revenge on Robin and Superboy by attacking them in their HQ and flooding it. The alarm goes off in the Watchtower, prompting Cyborg to respond and rescue Robin. Meanwhile, Kid Amazo stymies Superboy and takes him to the oil rig. There, the restrained heroes are being held as living batteries, which Kid Amazo drains for power. Robin, Superboy, and Cyborg then fight Kid Amazo, who sets his sights on Cyborg as his new host body. When Cyborg succumbs to Kid Amazo, Robin hacks into Batman’s costume and gets his anti-Cyborg contingency program. Firing a neural pulse into Cyborg/Kid Amazo causes them to have a ministroke, separating the two. Superboy then punches-out Kid Amazo. With the heroes rescued, Cyborg coins the name “Super Sons” for the first time. Wonder Woman takes the inert Kid Amazo for safekeeping. Afterward, Batman and Superman fix up the boys’ underwater HQ.
–REFERENCE: In Adventures of the Super Sons #11. On a snowy day, Bruce and Clark take Damian and Jonathan to the dollar matinee to watch a repertory screening of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Afterward, Damian and Jonathan have a sleepover at Wayne Manor.
–Titans Vol. 3 #19
Nightwing debriefs the Justice League following the Titans’ recent defeat of Troia, Mr. Twister, The Key, and Psimon. Despite having saved the entire planet, each Titan acted brashly and some Titans were possessed by Troia during the battle. Not only that, but Flash (Wally West) was also briefly trapped in time, which has shown that his personal manifestation of the Speed Force includes a component of “time-effect,” meaning his powers are unstable and he could potentially accidentally alter time itself. Batman brutally chastises the whole team, including newest member Bumblebee. The Justice League echoes Batman’s sentiment and orders the Titans to temporarily disband while they conduct a formal investigation. After questioning Nightwing’s leadership abilities, Batman speaks with his former sidekick in private. They briefly argue, with Batman showing disappointment in Nightwing. Nightwing agrees to disband the Titans and shuts down their HQ. Donna Troy immediately moves into the JL Watchtower, basically put under house arrest and under the watch of Wonder Woman. (As referenced in Titans Vol. 3 #20, Batman tells Nightwing not to visit, speak to, or inquire about Donna.) Meanwhile, a ticked-off Arsenal takes to the Brooklyn streets and starts kicking drug dealer ass.
–Detective Comics #975
Mid December—a week has passed since Clayface’s “death” at the hands of Batwoman. Red Robin asks for Batman’s permission to have a meeting to discuss the fate of Batwoman. Thus, while Alfred hangs out with Cassie in Wayne Manor, Batman, Nightwing, Red Hood, Robin, Batgirl, and Red Robin assemble in the Batcave below. Concurrently, as she kicks the asses of Gorilla Boss and his ape gang, Batwoman contemplates accepting her dad’s offer to lead the Colony. Luke Fox, via phone, tells Batwoman he will back her 100%. At the Batcave assembly, Red Robin speaks first, passionately declaring that Batwoman has violated the fundamental rule of the Bat-Family. Nightwing feels bad about the whole situation, but says that Batwoman must walk a path of atonement before she can rightfully wear the Bat-symbol again. A glib Damian acidly says that no one besides himself and his pop should be able to call themselves Bat-Family. Red Hood boldly says the entire meeting is a farce, happening not because Batwoman killed someone, but because she disobeyed an order and hurt Batman’s ego. He votes she should be able to stay. Batgirl is has the most scathing diatribe, accusing Batman of using Red Robin’s Gotham Knights idea merely as a way of ensuring Batwoman become a Bat-Family-minded vigilante instead of becoming a soldier like her pop. (True.) Having previously spoken with Spoiler, Batgirl also accuses the entire Gotham Knights venture of recklessly putting an emotionally troubled Cassie into harm’s way. (Basically true.) Lastly, Batgirl delivers the pipe-bomb, accusing Batman of being concerned because a blood-relative committed an execution. She says that Batwoman doesn’t have to adhere to any rules other than her own—the only person that can put Batwoman on trial is Batwoman herself. The next day, the anniversary of the death of Gabi Kane, Kate visits her mom’s grave. Repentant but confused about her recent actions, she makes a decision. Upon Jake Kane’s arrival in the cemetery, Kate tells her dad that she’s ready to join the Colony.
–REFERENCE: In Trinity Vol. 2 #16. Bruce invites all his friends and family to a New Year’s Eve party at one of his Wayne Enterprises buildings in Times Square, New York City.
–Titans Vol. 3 #21-22
It’s been less than a week since the Titans disbanded. A paranoid Arsenal calls Donna Troy telling her that he’s stumbled upon a massive super-villain mind-control conspiracy in New York City. Worried that Arsenal might have relapsed into heroin use, Donna tells the Justice League. A concerned Wonder Woman and Batman scan NYC but find no evidence of any sinister plot. Donna calls Nightwing and Flash (Wally West) for help. The duo immediately goes to Arsenal’s apartment in an effort to help him, but Arsenal flips-out and attacks, taking them both down. Out on the street, Arsenal is confronted by his ex Cheshire, who turns loose a bunch of hired martial arts goons that begin kicking Arsenal’s ass. Meanwhile, unknown to all, the secret super-villain threat is indeed real—The Brain, with some assistance from his lover Monsieur Mallah, has upgraded himself to become a hyper-genius capable of controlling global weather. In a moment’s time, weather crises and natural disasters erupt across the planet. Batman sends the JL out into action, guiding them from the Watchtower. Donna disobeys Batman and leaves to go help Arsenal. The Brain is able to turn parts of the inside of the Watchtower into his skull-drones, which attack Batman. In NYC, Donna joins Arsenal to defeat Cheshire and her henchmen. The duo then charges into the Brain’s HQ.
–Titans Vol. 3 Annual #2
Nightwing and Flash (Wally West) join Arsenal and Donna Troy in the fight against the Brain’s drones in his Manhattan HQ. After dispensing them, the heroes beat Monsieur Mallah. The Brain then attains comic godlike power and begins dismantling and transfiguring all of reality. The heroes and Mallah are sucked into a timestream vortex where they come face-to-face with the Brain-God. Arsenal blows him up with a well placed explosive arrow, ending his threat and returning him to his lifeless shell. With the world returned to status quo, Donna phones Batman and tells him the Titans are back and they saved the universe.
–REFERENCE: In Titans Special #1. The Justice League officially ends Donna Troy’s Watchtower house arrest.
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 Annual #1. Bruce and Dick purchase a capacious apartment in Keystone City for Flash (Wally West).
–REFERENCE: In Flash Vol. 5 #39. Flash (Barry Allen) gets permission from the JL to bring his wife Iris West aboard the Watchtower.
–Batman Vol. 3 #41-43 (“EVERYONE LOVES IVY”)
Before a synopsis, we should note that it is implied—thanks to an in-story radio broadcast—that this arc spans a few weeks, but that just isn’t possible. The bogus radio broadcast can be chalked up to the fact that everyone gets their brains scrambled by Poison Ivy in this arc. The most this arc can take up on our timeline is a mere couple days. Okay, here we go. Poison Ivy hasn’t really been a full-fledged super-villain since around the time of “Death of the Family,” which was three years ago. In fact, for the past couple years, she’s acted more like a superhero than a baddie. Even recently, she was working with the Birds of Prey. But when Poison Ivy achieves power unlike she’s ever had before, it’s just too much to resist. By tapping into the Green in a new way, Poison Ivy is not only able to discover the secret IDs of every single superhero on Earth, but she is able to mind-control the entire populace of the planet as well! Bruce wakes up in bed in a panic, realizing that his mind is about to succumb to Poison Ivy. Bruce punches-out an already mind-controlled Alfred and runs into the Batcave. There, Bruce injects his anti-Poison Ivy serum into both himself and Selina. When they wake up, Batman and Catwoman are safe from Poison Ivy’s influence. Batman tries to attack plant-zombie Alfred, but Poison Ivy blocks the punch with the face of a mind-controlled Flash (Barry Allen). Speaking through Alfred, Poison Ivy taunts Batman and Catwoman, telling them that she now controls all 7.6 billion people on Earth. The world under Ivy’s command becomes a peaceful ecotopia. All war, crime, and famine end, but everyone is a monotonous semi-catatonic Ivy drone. For days, Bruce and Selina mull about in the confines of Wayne Manor, but eventually discover that Ivy has taken over everyone who has ingested a plant-based food. Upon learning that there is a boy in Gotham, Johnny Suntres, who hasn’t eaten any plants due to a rare allergy, Bruce and Selina come up with a plan to locate him and a possible plan to defeat Ivy, should they get the opportunity to enact it. At the end of three weeks of Ivy’s reign, Batman and Catwoman venture out as Superman watches their every move. After getting grub at BatBurger and taking down Superman (with a high pitched whistle) and Flash, Flash, and Kid Flash (with well-timed punches and kicks), Batman and Catwoman enter Suntres’ home but he’s been taken away by Ivy. Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern Jessica Cruz easily capture Bat and Cat and string them upside down atop Wayne Tower. A mind-controlled Superman punches Batman to death! Ivy instantly uses the DC’s best thaumaturgists, scientists, and surgeons to bring Batman back to life and heal him up. In the hospital, Bruce wakes up to see a mind-controlled Dr. Harley Quinn at his bedside along with security guards Superman, Super-Man, and Supergirl. Catwoman chats with her old friend Ivy long enough to get the latter’s guard down. When the moment is right, Catwoman knocks-out Ivy. Bruce takes this opportunity to grab Harley and jump out the window. With Harley out of Ivy’s spell, she accompanies Batman to meet with Ivy and Catwoman. Ivy laments having committed murder way back during the War of Jokes and Riddles, an act that sent her toward villainy instead of heroism. Batman reveals that Ivy never killed during the war—it was Riddler that killed Falcone’s men and lied to her about it, making her think she had done the deed. Relieved, Ivy gives up her control over the world and hugs Harley while Batman and Catwoman kiss. (This huggy kissy scene is also shown via flashback in Batman Vol. 2 #75.) Presumably, everyone forgets everyone else’s secret IDs, although it’s possible that Ivy might still know. Superman takes her to Sanctuary to recover and rehabilitate. Later, Bruce and Selina celebrate a hard-earned victory between the sheets.
–Batman Secret Files: The Gardener #1
Batman hears word of an eco-activist known as The Gardener (Dr. Bella Garten), who uses monstrous plant hounds to terrorize corporate polluters in Brazil. The Gardener comes to Gotham City not only to terrorize more corporate polluters, but to catch Batman’s ear as well. When approached by Batman, the Gardener spins him a yarn. She was once Pamela Isley’s college lover, studying with her, Alec and Linda Holland, and others under Jason Woodrue back in the day. The Gardener explains that, despite Poison Ivy’s recent actions (in “Everyone Loves Ivy”), she is good at heart and means well. Before departing, the Gardner tells Batman that Poison Ivy’s power will only grow stronger, but not to regard her as he does all his other rogues. Later, in deep caves underneath Gotham, the Gardener plants a seed containing the “innocent” essence of Poison Ivy’s soul. This seed will begin to germinate and eventually spring forth in several years, but we’ll get to that when we get to it.
–Superman Vol. 4 #39
After Superman bests The Demolition Team (Hardhat, Jackhammer, Rosie, Scoopshovel, and Steamroller), he decides to spread some “Make a Wish”-style cheer, granting some hospitalized cancer kids a visit with the Justice League aboard the Watchtower! With Hal Jordan subbing for Jessica and Simon, the kids meet the team, take a tour, and have a scavenger hunt. One of the items on the list is a photo of grumpy ol’ Batman smiling. All the children snap a pic of the grinning Dark Knight when one of the kids gets him to giggle with a joke. Superman then takes the group onto the lunar surface where they etch their names into moon rocks.
–Batman Vol. 3 #44
Batman and Catwoman caper through the night together. Batman talks about their future and his nervousness regarding change, to which Catwoman jokes about all their combined sartorial changes over the years. Later, the duo beds down for the night at Wayne Manor. Selina sneaks out early in the morning and bombs her way into the fanciest wedding dress shop in town. After hours of trying things on and drinking champagne, Selina chooses a black number with a $28,000 price tag! She then sneaks back home with her trousseau, winks at Alfred, and climbs back into bed with the snoozing Bruce.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League of America Vol. 5 #26. WayneTech brokers a public trade deal with the Markovian Government wherein which weapons technologies are exchanged. Bruce receives a pair of programmable nano-fiber seismic knuckles, which were specifically designed for Geo-Force (and therefore dangerous for anyone else to use). He adapts them for his own use (still dangerous). Batman and Geo-Force have been allies for a while, so the exchange of stuff isn’t what’s noteworthy here. What is notable is WayneTech publicly trading with Markovia for the first time.
–FLASHBACK: From Batwoman Vol. 3 #18. A brooding Bruce walks through the snow in this vague single-panel image.
–REFERENCE: In Batgirl Vol. 5 #24. Jacob Cesaro, hoping to get revenge on Two-Face for having killed his cop dad, has become one of Two-Face’s henchmen in order to get close to the super-villain as part of a revenge plan. Batman fights an escaped Two-Face, along with Cesaro, but can’t make a bust. Batman will come across Cesaro a few more times in the coming months, beating him up each time—although, we won’t see these rematches listed on our timeline below, so you’ll simply have to imagine them occurring on the Dark Knight’s perfunctory patrols.
–REFERENCE: In Justice League: No Justice #4, Man of Steel #5, Justice League Vol. 4 #1, Justice League Vol. 4 #7-9, Heroes in Crisis #4, Wonder Twins #1, and Justice League Vol. 4 #36. Based on Batman’s blueprints and plans (and additional plans from Ted Kord), the Justice League begins working on refurbishing the Hall of Justice in Washington DC. One of the primary ideas behind this massive undertaking is that the new Hall of Justice will act as a dispatch center for all superheroes, meaning all superheroes will be welcome through the Hall’s doors at all times. Construction undertaken by superheroes, Wayne Enterprises, and Kord Industries—along with meetings with political leaders, city residents, and various interest groups (including a Special Justice League Citizens’ Committee)—will go on for a couple months. (As referenced in Man of Steel #5 and Justice League Vol. 4 #7-9, a medical center, complete with customized alien-tech healing suits and Professor X-style hover-wheelchairs, will be prioritized. Batman also creates, for himself, a customized body-cast war-suit that has over-the-top weaponry built into it. He’ll be able to wear this into combat, no matter how injured he becomes.) Batman also discusses with his peers a myriad of new JL ideas and concepts, ranging from technology to partnerships to lineups and much more. Batman and Martian Manhunter also come up with contingency plans for a wide variety of situations, many of which involve other non-JL superheroes. These ideas will be further fleshed-out over the course of the next two months. The final big design plan for the refurbished Hall of Justice comes straight from the ludicrous mind of Scott Snyder—errr, Batman, I mean. The new Hall of Justice will have a super defense mode wherein which the entire building will be able to turn into a giant mobile flying fortress.
–DC Holiday Special 2017 #1 Part 10
December 22. After patrolling, Bruce switches to his civvies. Bruce then meets with Diana for their yearly tradition of lighting a winter solstice pyre in the woods. Bruce finally asks Diana why this is their thing, to which she replies that, out of all the heroes they are close with, they share an intimate relationship with darkness and could use a little light in their lives every year.
–REFERENCE: In Batman Vol. 3 Annual #2 Part 2. Bruce tells Selina all about his training with the Memory of the Mountain. Bruce will tell this story to Selina time and time again, moving forward. Note that Bruce says he trained with the Memory of the Mountain at sixteen-years-old, but that is incorrect. In order to jibe with Batman: The Knight, the youngest Bruce could have been training with the Memory of the Mountain is age eighteen.
–DC Holiday Special 2017 #1 Part 2
December. Bruce’s friends, the Brandons, are kidnapped by Fitzy, a troubled man that is haunted by the ghost of his dead granny. Alfred drives Batman across the state line into a “No Man’s Land” wooded area. There, Batman marches through a blizzard and into the Brandon home to rescue them.
—[19]
–DC’s Grifter Got Run Over By a Reindeer #1 Part 6
December 25-31. On Christmas night, Batman busts the Ventriloquist (holding a holiday stocking puppet instead of Scarface) and his henchmen. On December 26, Batman busts Tweedledum and Tweedledee. On December 27, Batman busts Mad Hatter. On December 28, Batman busts Haunter. On December 29, Batman busts Blockbuster (Roland Desmond). (Roland Desmond debuted as the new Blockbuster a few months ago in the Batman-less Nightwing Vol. 4 #22.) On December 30, Batman tries to stop Killer Croc from robbing a jewelry store, but Killer Croc gets away when Batman goes to the wrong store. Batman realizes that a playful Catwoman has been setting up all of these battles for him as a “Christmas gift.” On New Year’s Eve, Batman busts Calendar Man. Note that this New Year’s Eve scene seems to occur as the ball is dropping, but that contradicts with the next story on our list. As such, we should imagine that it’s earlier in the day and Calendar Man is dropping the ball early or something.
–Trinity Vol. 2 #16 Part 1
December 31. Clark, Lois, Jon, Damian, Alfred, Diana, Steve Trevor, and many others attend Bruce’s New Year’s Eve party right in the heart of Times Square, New York City. With only hours until the ball drops, Kobra initiates a plan to get revenge against both Batman and Deadshot for the murder of their leader, which occurred at the hands of Deadshot earlier in the year. (Batman was present for Lord Kobra’s death, and has, as such, earned Kobra’s wrath as well. Plus, they already hated him.) Kobra kidnaps Deadshot’s daughter, Zoe, which leads to Bruce ditching the party and rushing to Belle Reve. Batman forces Amanda Waller to release Deadshot for the night, citing that he owes her from her “Kill Your Darlings” debacle (in Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #23-25) from a few months ago. (As referenced in Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #41, Batman secretly steals the latest security and brain-bomb frequency signals during this trip to Belle Reve.) Not long afterward, Superman and Wonder Woman quickly join Batman and Deadshot, helping them fend-off mutated snake soldiers. After chasing decoys all over Manhattan, the heroes (and villain) wind up fighting snake men at Bruce’s saturnalia. As the New Year’s countdown hits nil, one of the snake men activates a suicide quantum energy bomb.
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<<< Rebirth Era Year 16 (Part 1) <<< ||| >>> Rebirth Era Year 17 (Part 1) >>>
- [1]COLLIN COLSHER: Suicide Squad Vol. 5 #22 occurs now. In it, Russian Government agent Karla—a lovely nod to John le Carré—converses with Amanda Waller, showing her a video of the Justice League fighting in a ruined city. They go up against a bevy of villains, including Bane, an evil Thanagarian, an evil version of Superman, and a weird alternate Medieval-styled version of the Anti-Monitor. Karla’s video doesn’t clearly reference any actual event in the history of the DCU. Nor does he say that it is actual legitimate footage. We can (and should) regard the video as a “What If?” computer simulation.↩
- [2]COLLIN COLSHER: Justice League of America Vol. 5 #15 gives us scenarios and entries from Ray Palmer’s “nanojournal,” which mix unhandily with editorial notation to instantiate that DC Universe: Rebirth #1 only took place weeks ago. Of course, DC Universe: Rebirth #1 occurred months ago. The “weeks before” notation simply means “weeks before whenever the journal was written.”↩
- [3]COLLIN COLSHER: Batman: The Dark Prince Charming (by Enrico Marini) is a co-publication by DC and Franco-Belgian publisher Dargaud, released in 2018. However, this two-issue mini-series, which sees Bruce permanently adopt an eight-year-old girl, is non-canon.↩
- [4]COLLIN COLSHER: This item takes place before Tim Drake’s return, so it must go prior to Detective Comics #963-968.↩
- [5]COLLIN COLSHER / ELPROCORDEL: An editorial note places this arc “prior to current events in the DC Universe,” meaning specifically prior to Deathstroke’s appearances in “Justice Lost” and “No Justice.” But where does it go exactly? Priest delivers a scene in Deathstroke Vol. 4 #30 in which Alfred and William Randolph Wintergreen are in a pub having a post-football match conversation, namely about Manchester United vs Liverpool. They cite exactly what occurred in real life (a penalty from Milner and an equalizer from Ibrahimović, with the result of 1-1 in the end), also mentioning the Premier League table quite accurately. This match happened on January 15, 2017. As such, Priest is specifically highlighting mid to late January 2017 for the date range for this arc. However, there are more than a few in-story clues that tell us we unfortunately must be later on our timeline. Narratively, “Deathstroke versus Batman” must go: one, at a time where Red Robin is still presumed dead; two, before Deathstroke briefly joins his ex-wife’s Defiance organization; and three, at a time where Talia is not exiled in Khaydm. Presumably, “Deathstroke vs Batman” also occurs after the “Lazarus Contract” arc, which was published a year prior. This means that placement right here (roughly in late summer 2017) makes sense.↩
- [6]COLLIN COLSHER: For a full metaverse (i.e. publication continuity) biography of Anarky, spanning from his 1990s debut up to now, check out my article, “Superhero Socialism: The History of Anarky.”↩
- [7]COLLIN COLSHER: “Milk Wars” goes before the destruction and reconstruction of the Happy Harbor Sanctuary in Justice League of America Vol. 5 #24-25, which also means “Milk Wars” goes before Dark Nights: Metal.↩
- [8]COLLIN COLSHER: A sports ticker on a TV showing a best-of-seven MLB playoff series score seems to imply the month is October. Unfortunately, the Gotham Knights (the sports team, not the crime-fighting team) are listed as competing, which is a continuity error. In All-Star Batman #10, the Gotham’s Baseball Knights are said to have had a miserable year and didn’t even make the playoffs. We should probably ignore the baseball reference.↩
- [9]COLLIN COLSHER: Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #14 originally took place here, but it is non-canon as per Detective Comics #982. This problema here is Batgirl & The Birds of Prey‘s delivery of Deacon Joseph Blackfire’s debut for the Rebirth Era. B&TBOP #14 introduced Blackfire to the Rebirth Era for the first time, but it erased his original debut (as told in The Cult) and subsequent appearances in Batman Eternal. This was fine-and-dandy, but Detective Comics #982 specifically makes reference to both The Cult and Batman Eternal as canonical parts of Blackfire’s Rebirth Era past. Thus, there’s just no way that B&TBOP #14 can remain canon. In any case, here is a synopsis of the issue. Helena Bertinelli takes her students on an overnight camping field trip (with Dinah chaperoning) to old Native American and colonial historical sites near Gotham’s border. Meanwhile, in the city, the Gotham Knights get trapped in a chamber that quickly fills with water, courtesy of an escaped Riddler. Batman phones Barbara, who uses her hacking skills and a voice modulator to trick the computer system connected to the room, saving everyone inside. While the Gotham Knights bust Riddler, Batgirl goes on a bunch of cases of her own, including a triple team-up with Catwoman and Poison Ivy. Concurrently, Ms. Bertinelli’s field trip continues with a guided tour of Miagani and Dutch historical sites linked to the immortal Joseph Blackfire, whom the history books have incorrectly listed as two separate people, Shaman Blackfire and Deacon Blackfire. At night, the kids go off on their own and run into Joseph Blackfire himself, who hasn’t been seen since the Colonial Era. Helena and Dinah fight off Blackfire, steal his magick staff (the source of his power), and seal him in the cavern prison from whence he came. They then convince the kids it was all a hoax.↩
- [10]COLLIN COLSHER: Here’s the full scoop on Damian’s new education at the West-Reeve School. It was in early October (in Super Sons #10 Part 2) that Bruce first told Damian he’d be joining West-Reeve as a new student. Now, roughly three or so weeks later, Damian finally starts attending. By the time we reach Super Sons #13, which takes place in early December, Damian says that it is his 14th day of school. This seems right on the money.↩
- [11]COLLIN COLSHER / AUSTIN EATON: Regarding the placement of Dark Days/Dark Nights: Metal, some of the folks over at the amazing Batman Universe website argue that the entire Metal saga should go prior to Tim Drake’s return arc (Detective Comics #963-968 aka “A Lonely Place of Living”) due to the fact that Tim does not appear in Metal. (The Bat-Family and Gotham Knights show up—in Dark Nights: Metal #2—to help Batman with a ruse in the swamps of Louisiana. Tim, though, is noticeably absent. As are Alfred, Cassie Cain, Jean-Paul, and Spoiler.) HOWEVER, Scott Snyder himself, via Twitter, states definitively that “[‘The Oz Effect/Lonely Place of Living’] happen before Metal.” This was always reflected on the Batman Chronology Project as it just makes more chronological sense. Pushing all of Metal back a few weeks just because of Tim’s non-involvement isn’t ideal. While Tim isn’t seen in Metal, he isn’t mentioned either, so, technically, there is no continuity error. Why isn’t Tim a part of Batman’s plan on the ground? It’s a fanwank, but he could be remotely guiding things from the Belfry along with the others not shown. After all, having everyone out in the field without anyone guarding things at home during such a tumultuous time might not be the best operational action. Keeping Tim at home base is more than feasible.↩
- [12]COLLIN COLSHER: In the Modern Age, Starman Will Payton shared a consciousness with the spirit of an alternate alien Starman called Prince Gavyn. Batman teamed-up with the Payton/Gavyn Starman in the Modern Age, but—as per Justice League Vol. 4 #9—this team-up clearly never occurred in the Rebirth Era as Batman, in this issue, has no clue who Payton is. Thus, it is unknown whether or not Gavyn is a part of Payton’s consciousness or if he is even canon in the Rebirth Era. Also of note, Justice League Vol. 4 #8 reveals that Will Payton received his superpowers from Perpetua’s Totality in 1988, making his origin much earlier than that of Batman or Superman’s.↩
- [13]COLLIN COLSHER / DYLAN ROBINSON: Here is the long story told in Hawkman’s journal—via Dark Days: The Forge #1, Dark Days: The Casting #1, Dark Nights: Metal #1-2, Batman: Lost #1, Hawkman: Found #1, and Hawkman: Found #1. Since this is essentially the OFFICIAL HISTORY OF THE DC MULTIVERSE, we’ve laid it all out chronologically below. This complete history isn’t told in its entirety in Hawkman’s journal (since Hawkman didn’t have all the answers), but we know the full tale thanks to storytelling by Barbatos (in Batman: Lost #1), Dream of the Endless (in Dark Nights: Metal #4), and Mr. Mxyzptlk (in Justice League Vol. 4 #19), and gap-filling in Hawkman Vol. 5 #1-13, Hawkman Vol. 5 #20, Hawkman Vol. 5 #23, Justice League Vol. 4 #4, Justice League Vol. 4 #8, Justice League Vol. 4 #22, Justice League Vol. 4 #26, Justice League Incarnate #4-5, and Hawkgirl Vol. 2 #5. Pieces of this history have been told earlier on the website as well.
Our story begins at time immemorial. All that exists is the blank nothingness of the Overvoid aka Overmonitor, an omnipotent and infinite-sized living void. While there is nothing in the various dimensions of the multiverse, the Overvoid acts as a potential incubator for future life. Within the Overvoid resides the “Great Hands”—The Source (aka The Presence aka The Hand of the Light aka The White Hand of Creation aka The Great Hand of Creation, which will later be known as the Abrahamic God) and its polar opposite the Great Darkness (aka the Hand of the Great Darkness). It’s unclear if the Hands of Light and Darkness are spawned from the Overvoid or vice versa, but at some point, other Great Hands are born forth from the Overvoid, such as the Empty Hand (who is linked to the Great Darkness) and the Judges of the Source and Perpetua (who are both linked to the Source). (Despite being associated with the Light, Perpetua goes rogue and rebels against the Source.) Notably, the Empty Hand is the “right hand” of the Great Darkness while Darkseid will become the “left hand” of the Great Darkness.
Cut to twenty billion years ago. From the 6th Dimension, Perpetua partly creates the local multiverse, which comprises matter, anti-matter, and dark matter. (Perpetua is either manipulated by or working directly for the Great Darkness.) Perpetua also creates monitors for matter, anti-matter, and dark matter—and thus, Mar Novu (The Monitor), Mobius (The Anti-Monitor), and Alpheus (The World Forger) are born. Perpetua is also “mother to the seven primal cosmic energies,” creating those Dark Forces as well. Alpheus’ job, besides monitoring over dark matter, is to sculpt potential new universes from the World Forge aka the Forge of Worlds, a “place of creation and beginnings” that is seemingly bi-located in both the Dark Multiverse and in the 6th Dimension. Alpheus spends the next five billion years creating new universes based upon the hopes and fears of all living things (i.e. gods and celestial beings), doing so using a cosmic hammer and anvil at the World Forge. The most stable worlds are allowed to ascend into the multiverse above whereas the unstable ones descend into dark matter to form the Dark Multiverse. As a direct reaction to Perpetua having turned heel, the Source creates a living embodiment of light known as The Entity, which also acts as part-demiurge of the multiverse, spawning the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum in an effort to counteract Perpetua’s machinations. (The Great Darkness will in turn create the Anti-Life Entity, continuing the never-ending trend of oneupmanship between the rival Great Hands.)
Fifteen billion years ago, Alpheus creates a cosmic dragon called Barbatos to assist him in his world-building task. Barbatos’ main job is to destroy the most unstable universes of the Dark Multiverse. Perpetua creates sentient life on Earth and Mars, experimenting to create hybrid warriors, which she then removes from the planets to claim as her own army after she catches wind that the Judges of the Source are not pleased with her tinkering. Perpetua’s plan is to build a Totality of power with which she can create other multiverses.
Two hundred thousand years pass. In the Promethean Galaxy, fearing their mother and her army, Mar Novu, Mobius, and Alpheus contact the Judges of the Source for help. Perpetua attacks her three sons, but her army is defeated by one of the Judges of the Source, who creates the Source Wall as a prison to hold Perpetua and her soldiers for all eternity. The Source Wall forms a natural barrier between Multiverses. Mobius, angry that his anti-matter domain, which had previously acted as the borderland of the Multiverse, is now made useless, vows revenge against Mar Novu, blaming him for their current situation. (It was Mar Novu’s idea to go against Perpetua in the first place.) Note that malevolent Maltusian scientist Krona, from the 20th century, peers backward in time to view the war between Perpetua and the Source. Krona’s dangerous spying action from billions of years ago has a significant impact on the evolution of the Multiverse as it causes a butterfly effect that eventually causes the Big Bang (and the seminal split of ylem into matter and anti-matter). Also note that a time-displaced “First Lantern” Volthoom is somehow mixed-up in Krona’s meddling as well. Krona’s actions are also a direct precursor to the Maltusians settling on Oa and forming the Guardians of the Universe, Psions, Manhunters, and Green Lantern Corps. (In the 20th century, Green Lantern Abin Sur will learn Krona’s story about Perpetua, detailing it in his personal notes. Hawkman will read Abin Sur’s notes, then write about them in his own journal.)
13.8 billion years ago, the Big Bang occurs. This ushers in the birth of the local multiverse as we know it, ripe and ready to accommodate sentient evolutionary life across its many galaxies and universes. Mobius is reborn on Qward (in the Anti-matter Universe). He creates the fabled Mobius Chair. Mar Novu is reborn on Oa (in the positive matter universe). Alpheus and Barbatos continue creating new universes in the Dark Multiverse. However, Barbatos soon betrays and kills Alpheus, taking full control of the Dark Multiverse, allowing many unstable dark matter universes to exist under his own rulership. For millennia, Barbatos acts as the demonic god of the Dark Multiverse, continuing to shape dark universes for his realm. Once life evolves into human beings on the many Earths of the multiverse, Barbatos begins shaping dark universes that include dark Earths.
In 38,000 BCE, Barbatos first sees Earth-0’s Batman during the latter’s Omega Sanction by Darkseid (which happens in Final Crisis)! From that point onward, Barbatos becomes obsessed with Batman. Can you blame him? Via manipulation of the earliest human Tribes (the Hawk Tribe aka Bird Tribe, Bear Tribe, Wolf Tribe, and later Bat Tribe), Barbatos begins targeting and waiting for Batman to come into existence in the 21st century, at which point the demon god plans to initiate “The Mantling” ceremony to turn Batman into a cosmic doorway to enter the regular Multiverse. (The Mantling rites involve imbuing Batman with a series of mystical liquid metals—Electrum, Dionesium, Promethium, Nth Metal, and Element X.) Thanks to Batman: Lost #1, we learn about Barbatos’ manipulation of early human Tribes. In the tens of thousands of years following Batman’s time-displaced appearance in 38,000 BCE, the Native American Miagani tribe is formed and bat-worshipping religions spread to Eurasia and the Middle East. (As revealed in Hawkman Vol. 5 #1-13, Hawkman begins his original life as Ktar Deathbringer of Qgga. Upon his death, he is granted—i.e. punished with—immortality via a memory-less sempiternal resurrection cycle. He will never again show signs of aging, nor will he have a natural death. Shrra, the original Hawkgirl, is on Qgga as well.) In roughly 3300 BCE, Europe and Asia Minor see a great war pitting the Bird Tribe (aka Hawk Tribe)—led by the former Ktar and a proto-Kendra Saunders)—versus a unified Bat Tribe—led by a warrior that will later go by the name Hath-Set, who is secretly under the influence of Barbatos. Eventually, the proto-Hath-Set finds Nth Metal (likely given to him by Barbatos) and becomes immortal just like his foes. He strikes down proto-Carter and proto-Kendra using Nth metal weaponry, an act which tears a hole in reality, bringing Barbatos through from the Dark Multiverse. A reincarnated proto-Carter and proto-Kendra sacrifice their own lives (again) to seal the demon away. Following this event, proto-Carter and proto-Kendra get reincarnated as Katar Hol and Shayera Thal-Hol (of the Hawk-Police aka Wingmen) on Thanagar. As time marches onward, the Bat Tribe, via Barbatos’ guidance, becomes the Judas Tribe, of which the Strigydae are high priests; and it will eventually become the Parliament/Court of Owls. Note that nearly all of Katar and Shayera’s personal history prior to this point has been blocked from their memories, so it is not included in Hawkman’s journal.
Katar and Shayera also reincarnate as Booter Kettar of Malan and Booter Sherra of Malan. They also reincarnate on Krypton, with Katar as Catar-Ol and Shayera going unnamed as of yet. Katar also reincarnates as Grounder C’Tarr Holl of H’Gris, Katarthul of Rann, Avion of the Microverse, Gold Hawk of Andrino, Airwing of New Genesis, the towering Paladin of Titan Hawk, an equally-towering unnamed hawk-monster, Red Harrier, and hundreds of other incarnations. We don’t know exactly when these incarnations occur. Note that, in Justice League Vol. 4 #26, Hawkgirl mentions that she’s “fought in almost every war in human history.” This might be an exaggeration, but it definitely means that there are a ton of Earthbound reincarnations about which we have no details. In Ancient Egpyt, our heroic couple reincarnate as Prince Khufu Maat Kha-tar and Chay-Ara. A Thanagarian spacecraft gifts Khufu and Chay-Ara with new Nth Metal tech, which they use in their ongoing war against Hath-Set. Other reincarnations follow for the couple: unnamed incarnations in Ancient Greece, Silent Knight (Sir Brian Kent) and Lady Celia in Arthurian Britain, Dr. Carlo Salón and Nayara of Spain in the mid 16th century, the Birdman and Birdwoman of Easter Island in the late 16th century, John Smith and Pocahontas in the early 17th century, Nighthawk and Cinnamon in the 19th century American Wild West, and Hawkman/Carter Hall/Katar Hol and Hawkgirl/Shiera Sanders-Hall/Shayera Thal-Hol in 20th century (1940) St. Roch, Louisiana (by way of Egypt). Note that Carter and Shiera go by their “ancestral” names—i.e. prior incarnation names—of Katar Hol and Shayera Thal-Hol when on Thanagar.
(Note that writer Scott Snyder, in Dark Nights: The Casting #1, uses weird phrasings like “the dawn of the 20th century” and “the first decades of the 20th century” to describe the era of Hawkman and Hawgirl’s debuts as Carter Hall and Shiera Sanders-Hall. Suffice to say, as made clear in the very same issue, Hawkman and Hawkgirl debut as Carter and Shiera in 1940, mirroring the year of their Golden Age debut.)
Shortly after reincarnating as Carter and Shiera in 1940, our heroic couple—along with Hath-Set—are endowed with Thanagarian gnosis, causing them to witness hallucinatory death-visions of the Dark Multiverse, specifically images of a hellscape littered with corpses, alien machinery, and bat-statues. Carter and Shiera begin investigating these bizarre revelations/visions. As does Hath-Set, who is able to magickally erase Hawkman and Hawkgirl’s memories of their entire past histories prior to Ancient Egypt. As he continues his investigation into the dark visions, Hawkman realizes that both he and the Dark Multiverse are linked to the earliest human tribes on Earth, but he isn’t exactly sure how (due to Hath-Set’s spell). Hawkman and Hawkgirl also realize that Hath-Set has somehow obscured their true origins. Thus, the heroes summon the highest-ranking immortals of the DCU to their museum in St. Roche, Louisiana. At least thirteen people (there are thirteen druidic figures shown) attend this historic council meeting. Mamaragan, Mamaragan’s servant (who may or may not be Hangman), Ra’s al Ghul, Mary Seward (aka the vampire Queen of Blood), Vandal Savage, Cain, Abel, Uncle Sam, Immortal Man, the Phantom Stranger, and Morgaine le Fay are in attendance for sure. The others, merely hinted at in Hawkman’s journal entry and in Dark Nights: Metal #2, likely include: Solomon Grundy, Jason Blood, a Plant Elemental representative from the Parliament of Trees, Nabu, and Shining Knight. Others that might also possibly have been in attendance (although less likely) are: Merlin, Resurrection Man, Circe, King Kull, Felix Faust, and/or Simon Hurt. At this historic gathering, Hawkman speaks about Hath-Set’s manipulations and memory clouding. Mamaragan explains that, long ago, the introduction of Nth Metal into the world helped cast out an evil force, which now desperately wants to return. Mamaragan then shows-off his magick Nth Metal lightning knife, explaining that Nth Metal is the “Ninth Metal,” the most powerful in a hierarchy of nine numbered hyperphysical metals. He also details how the knife has the power to open a portal to the Dark Multiverse. The other immortals tell Hawkman and Hawkgirl exactly what Hath-Set has stolen from their memories: the true story of humanity’s tribal beginnings on Earth, their link to the first appearance of Nth Metal, how they fought and defeated Barbatos, and how they are actually way older then they think.
Hawkman and Hawkgirl, with this new eyebrow-raising knowledge, leave the Council of the Immortals eager to both investigate the dark metal mystery further and to plan a preemptive strike at Barbatos. Their first step is to immediately join the JSA. A year later, in 1941, they form The Blackhawks. In the late 1950s, they form The Challengers of the Unknown. Together with the Blackhawks and the Challengers, Hawkman and Hawkgirl will study the mysteries of the Dark Metal for decades to follow.
In 1980, Bruce Wayne is born. Barbatos watches his every move, manipulating him in subtle ways over the course of his entire youth and into his adulthood as well. In the 1990s, Hawkman and Hawkgirl continue their Dark Metal investigations, working hand-in-hand with Starman Will Payton, who first receives super powers in 1988.
The 21st century ushers in the age of the Crises, a series of massive cosmic upheavals. The first Crisis sees Mobius (The Anti-Monitor), influenced by the Great Darkness and Perpetua, go to war against his brother Mar Novu (The Monitor). Afterward, the Great Darkness forms a truce with the Hand of the Light aka the Source. Of course, the Great Darkness and Perpetua will violate this truce by secretly manipulating and causing several more Crises ahead.
Around the time of the Flashpoint Crisis in 2014, Hawkman finds a theoretical way to enter the Dark Multiverse, but doesn’t have the means to break through yet. (He needs Mamaragan’s knife.) At this point, Hawkman decides that his journal is complete and must be given to “the family that has been most loyal to the birds.” (We are never told specifically who this is, but it could be Hawk, Dove, Dr. Fate, or someone else.) The “family most loyal to the birds” is also instructed to hide the journal somewhere near to Batman. The journal will act as an alarm, which will activate should things ever go south in regard to the Dark Metal case. Finally, Hawkman interposes one more thing into the journal: information, including coordinates, about the hidden Tomb of Prince Khufu in Egypt, one of the few known places from which someone could potentially prevent another incursion by Dark Multiversial forces. Thus ends Hawkman’s journal information, but the story continues. The “family most loyal to the birds” sneaks into Wayne Manor and buries the journal under the floorboards. Shortly thereafter, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, the Challengers, and Red Tornado acquire Mamaragan’s knife. At Challengers’ Mountain (an artificial base of operations formerly in the Rockies but now located near Metropolis), the heroes use the knife to open a portal to the Dark Multiverse. The heroes are able to see various demons, including Barbatos. Barbatos isn’t able to come through, but a huge explosion erupts, destroying part of Challengers’ Mountain. The Challengers, along with the entire Challengers’ Mountain base, disappear into the Dark Multiverse. Hawkman goes in search of them and gets lost as well, with the portal sealing up behind him. Overwhelmed by real monsters and hallucinations alike, Hawkman loses his memory and morphs into the new evil demigod-like Forger of the Dark Multiverse. Exiled and transformed, Hawkman paradoxically reincarnates on Earth-0 as the Savage Hawkman (an alternate Katar Hol that exists even though the primary Hawkman hasn’t really died). Ra’s al Ghul scavenges the rubble left behind from the Challengers’ Mountain explosion, finding and taking Mamaragan’s knife. Eventually, Hawkgirl reincarnates as Kendra Saunders and takes over the Blackhawks as Lady Blackhawk, making it her new mission to rid the planet of Nth Metal or any metals closely related to it.
In late 2016, Despero destroys Thanagar. The Savage Hawkman is killed. Less than a year later, Dark Days: The Forge #1 occurs, bringing us up to speed. Dark Days: The Forge, along with Dark Days: The Casting, will be a catalyst for yet another Great Darkness-influenced Crisis to follow a few months after that.↩
- [14]COLLIN COLSHER: As revealed in Justice League Vol. 4 #15, much of (if not all of) Thanagar Prime is a Potemkin Village-esque false-construct created by the Absorbascon, an ancient and powerful Thangarian artifact. The actual Thanagar was destroyed in late 2016 by Despero (as originally seen in The Death of Hawkman series).↩
- [15]COLLIN COLSHER: The Primate Legion is said to come from the “53rd universe,” which at the time of the publication of Dark Nights: Metal, broke DC’s long held 52 universe mandate by introducing Earth-52. (In a grouping that includes Earth-0, Earth-52 is indeed a part of the 53rd universe.) Geoff Johns tried to usurp the Earth-52 label with his aborted Doomsday Clock retcon, but this didn’t stick. Mark Waid’s Dark Crisis: The Dark Army #1 seemingly showed the Primate Legion’s Earth as Earth-53. However, this was never confirmed, and Waid later confirmed (in Dark Crisis: Big Bang #1) that the Primate Legion’s Earth is definitely Earth-52. In any case, Earth-52 is technically not a part of the Local Multiverse, which spans Earths 0 through 51 (a classic total of 52 Earths).↩
- [16]COLLIN COLSHER: As referenced in James Tynion IV’s Justice League Vol. 4 #22, Perpetua, Mar Novu, Mobius, Alpheus, and Barbatos have lived through all of DC’s reboots. These super-celestials exist upon such a high cosmic plane that they’ve been around since the very beginning, having borne witness to the various reality-altering crises of DC history and come out relatively unscathed despite experiencing them firsthand.↩
- [17]PURPLEGLOVEZ (TIPTUP JR 94): “Manslaughter” (Batgirl & The Birds of Prey #15-17) was published from October 11 to December 13, 2017. “Fall of the Batmen” Part One (Detective Comics #969) was released on November 22, 2017. In ‘tec #969, Stephanie Brown (Spoiler) rejoins the Gotham Knights team, whereas in “Manslaughter,” Batwoman is rather cold to her and mentions the trouble she’s caused the Knights lately. This suggests that “Manslaughter” takes place before “Fall of the Batmen,” hence placement here on our timeline. Alternatively though, “Manslaughter” could be after “Fall of the Batmen,” where Batwoman isn’t exactly thrilled about Spoiler rejoining the team anyway. Up to you.↩
- [18]DMT: “Super Sons of Tomorrow” includes Teen Titans Vol. 6 #15 as a tie-in. Since Teen Titans Vol. 6 #12 is a Dark Nights: Metal tie-in, this means that “Super Sons of Tomorrow” has to go after Dark Nights: Metal.↩
- [19]COLLIN COLSHER: DC’s Grifter Got Run Over By a Reindeer #1 Part 8 is a non-canon Christmas story. Were it canon, it’d have to go here prior to the Bat-Cat breakup and prior to Alfred’s death. The tale is out-of-continuity for a few reasons. First, Grifter steals from Halo Corporation and gets fired. He definitely doesn’t get fired from Halo Corp. Second, multiple characters—including Penguin, Clayface, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, and Grifter—converge upon the Bat-Family while they are having Xmas dinner at Wayne Manor, implying that they all somehow know the Bat-Family secret IDs. Penguin and Clayface know, but the others wouldn’t. Third, Joker is shown captive in a cell in the Batcave. This is a stretch, and odd to boot. Fourth, Grifter not only manages to infiltrate the Batcave, but he also steals the giant penny and gets away in a Batplane. He then steals the globe off the top of the Daily Planet building and crash lands on Themyscira only to flee the island on a stolen invisible jet ski. Yes, jet ski. A fun holiday romp, but clearly not meant to be canon.↩
Hey Collin, is everything ok?
Well, after reading Batman Lost (which I enjoyed), I’m wondering if The Long Halloween is in continuity in the New Age (I kinda think it is but It certainly can’t be placed in Year 2, but later in Batman’s career…). Bruce also mentions the Case of The Chemical Syndicate… ‘Tec 27… does that mean that story is in continuity either?
Plus, Knightfall definitely happened in the New Age era… but in a very different way, right?
Thank you, as always!
Hey Antonio. I’m A-OK, but is BATMAN okay? It’s rare for Batman to cry and beg for mercy. The horrific psychedelic trip that Batman goes through in Batman: Lost is just a tour of the Dark Multiverse, so—technically speaking—the images shown aren’t exactly canonical flashbacks or flash-forwards. Because there is a Grant Morrison-level of meta-storytelling going on here, there are bound to be debates aplenty.
Here’s my take. The only legit references (and they are merely references) that I glean from Batman: Lost are the ones that Barbatos himself mentions in his taunting monologue towards the end. “The Case of the Chemical Syndicate” is canonized, although Bruce even says, this “isn’t how it happened,” a line we can pretty much apply to this whole hallucinatory experience. But back to what I was saying, Barbatos says straight up that he was orchestrating a bunch of historical moments important to the Bat-lore. These are canonized (in some form): One, Barbatos was the bat from “Year One”; two, he was Stryker from “Chemical Syndicate”; three, he was influencing a proto-Hath-Set during the early Bronze Age (human era, not comic book era) barbarian wars between the Bat Tribe and Bird/Hawk Tribe; four, he was present to complete a ritual during Simon Hurt’s 1765 origin story; five, he’s been behind every Court of Owls move since they became a thing (including the death of Alan Wayne in the 1880s; six, he was watching in 38,000 BCE when Batman was Omega-Sanctioned; and seven, that he has been watching closely ever since Bruce was born (literally in every reflection, looking right back at Bruce from beyond the mirror).
IMO “Long Halloween” is not canonized by Batman: Lost. If you look carefully, there are other “mentions” as well. The bookshelf holds “Dark Victory,” “Public Enemies,” “The Black Mirror,” “Tower of Babel,” “No Justice” (which is supposedly Snyder’s next big arc), and a few other classic Bat-tales. Are these canonized? This is a future world of the Dark Multiverse. I’m hesitant to canonize things based from the Dark Multiverse. “Doomsday Virus” has been mentioned by the Devastator several times now, but that simply means that a version of “Doomsday Virus” happened on his Negative Earth. Nothing else has made that arc canon in the New Age/Rebirth Era (yet), so I haven’t put it on my timeline. A tweaked “Knightfall” is on my timeline since many titles have referenced it already. So are a few of the other books on grandpa Bruce’s shelf.
Suffice to say, the books on grandpa Bruce’s shelf are BIG TIME Batman stories. I’m sure the ones that haven’t already been canonical referenced will be soon. When they do, they’ll be skeleton versions of the original texts, as per the rules of rebooted continuity superhero comics.
Hope that makes sense! This was a tough book to comprehend for many folks, I’m sure. It’s definitely not for n00bs, but I think I’ve been able to break it down pretty decently on the site.
Hey Colin, I was wondering when do you think they’ll stop adding in reference material stories with references(if ever)? One day, I hope to have a full and complete past history for Batman.
The practice of referencing previous continuities and throwing in Easter Eggs has become sine qua non in telling superhero comicbook stories today. It happens in nearly every title on the shelf, and it happens fast and furiously these days. That being said, whenever you are close to the start of a reboot, everything is fresh territory, so to speak. For instance, much of the tumultuous early stages of this New Age (Rebirth Era) consists of flashbacks and references, especially since the past is still being fleshed-out (yet again).
To answer your question, probably never—at least until the next reboot. But if you are looking for a “full and complete Batman timeline” in the sense that this website compiles “full and complete Batman timelines” then look no further than to the past itself. The Golden Age, Silver Age/Bronze Age, Modern Age, and even New 52 are over-and-done with. They are meddle-proof (barring some sort of nightmarish Convergence-esque retconning).
Hey Collin… I’ve just finished reading Justice League 33… and well… when Victor teleports the other heroes in the Hypertime we definitely can see that The New 52 is still running in an alternate earth.
I’m so confused… I thought the New 52 ended with the merging of the two Superman in the Reborn continuity, but now it looks like it didn’t.
So, now what? Do we have to consider those timelines as separate again? Does that mean the New 52 Superman and Batman are superhero-ing over there as nothing changed in THAT timeline?
And what about the Modern Age? The MA Superman merged with the New 52 counterpart and “dissolved” into the Rebirth Superman… or not???
It looks to me as they are now trying to show ALL the continuities as separate realities, different earths… so The Modern Age Superman was right and Mr.Oz was wrong: he really was from an alternate universe and so was the New 52 Superman.
But in the post reborn continuity THIS Superman was shown to wear the New 52 suit…
I think I’m getting mad.
Please, would you mind putting some sense in all of this mess, as you ever do so brilliantly?
That’s why I hate reboots…
Hypertime is, as Cyborg says, “a web of time streams outside the multiverse.” Since its inception in the 90s, Hypertime has been one of the simplest and simultaneously confusing concepts ever created. But in a nutshell, Hypertime is exactly what Cyborg says it is—every timeline that exists outside of the Local 52 (and Local Dark Multiverse). Because Hypertime is basically an endless non-finite (aka “infinite” number of multiverese and universes i.e. the rest of the omniverse) theoretically, you’d see a version of everything that has ever existed, including a version of the New 52.
To crib from my site, another way of putting it: ‘ A very important distinction should be made between alternate universes and Hypertime. DC’s primary multiverse is made up of a finite number of universes. The “Local Multiverse” consists of 52 universes. The Local Multiverse is attached to a inverse “Dark Multiverse” consisting of thousands of alternate “negative universes.” Each of these singular universes has its own Hypertime stream (aka Hypertimeline) that connects to an infinite number of alternate pasts and futures. This is the first publishing era in which DC has attempted to officially combine the Hypertime concept with a stricter Many-Worlds Interpretation of finite universes. It’s usually been one or the other because, simply put, having both at the same time is a bit redundant. After all, since the number of Hypertime realities is infinite, 52 of the myriad Hypertimelines have to look exactly like the 52 Earths in the Local Multiverse. (The Hypertime-combined-with-Many-Worlds idea technically happened previously, although merely retroactively, when DC assigned specific Earth numbers to its prior Hypertime stories via the “Compendium” section of the The Crisis on Infinite Earths: Absolute Edition in 2005.) Really, both Hypertime and a numbered-Earth system are categorization methods, ways of labeling, or, as I’ve said before, pure semantics/nomenclature. There are always going to be an infinite number of alternate realities, no matter what. You could have an infinite web of unnumbered Hypertimelines or you could have an infinite amount of specifically numbered and grouped (usually in groups of 52) multiverses. Either way, you have an infinite number of universes and possibilities! ‘
Recently, we’ve seen the future JL kids, Troia, Titans Tomorrow Tim, and others show up in the pages of DC Comics. These characters all come from alternate futures that don’t connect to (at least not that we know of) any universe within the Local 52 (or Local Dark Multiverse.) So, right now, there’s been a huge Hypertime kick.
Hope that explains it a little bit. 😉
Hey Collin, did you have a good Thanksgiving? What’d you think of Doomsday Clock #1?
Hey Austin! I had a great Thanksgiving (since Thanksgiving was also my birthday). Thanks for asking.
From what I’ve gathered, Doomsday Clock #1 was generally praised by fans and critics thus far. I’m kind of a mark for Geoff Johns (and all things Watchmen related), so I liked it. But, my reaction was also a big “hmmmm” at the same time. Seems like Johns can’t help but write a “super-villain team-up story” no matter what. I’m interested to see how the two timelines merge through both time and space. It’s 1992 in the Watchmen universe, but 2017 in primary DC Earth for the Superman scene. The idea is that Ozymandius and crew will search for Dr. Manhattan and find him knee deep messin’ with current DCU affairs, I suppose. Also, the new Black Rorschach is a strange but intriguing concept, eh? I kinda dug Mime and Marionette, but they sure do get a lot of screen time as the issue lends a high page count to its new characters. This definitely felt like a set-up issue. If I was unable to see the thinly veiled Charlton connection to Punch and Jewelee I’m pretty sure it would have bothered me. ELEVEN more issues to go… I’m sure the pace will pick up.
In terms of the art, can’t beat it. I’m happy that Johns and Frank have been able to etch out their own thing while still hanging in there with Moore and Gibbons (in regard to visual thematics). Johns and Frank won’t be able to match the depth of Moore and Gibbons, but it is clear that they aren’t trying to, and that they are really doing their own thing.
This has been a risky cash grab for DC from the start. It always was. So, it’s nice to see that it has started off on the right foot. In mainstream superhero comics, there isn’t much left to mine from—not many BIG IDEAS that keep me coming back for more. Doomsday Clock was one of the HUGE ones, and, for now, I’m still on board. I’m not saying that mining is good either, but here it’s beyond compelling. Some review site—forgive me, I can’t recall which one—compared this surreal crossover to Jesus Christ joining the Justice League. Quite apropros.
Merry Christmas, Colin! I haven’t read Doomsday Clock #2 yet (I might’ve read it by the time you’ve read this) but I skimmed through and saw you put it in Year Fifteen and I’m pretty sure it goes in Year Sixteen. I read in an interview with Geoff Johns months ago where he said it takes place one year ahead and by the time the series finishes the rest of the DC Universe will have caught up and the effects will be seen. I can’t find the exact interview but I’ve seen lots of websites that also say so like this one http://wegotthiscovered.com/comicbooks/geoff-johns-offers-insight-doomsday-clock-san-diego-comic-con/
Now I’ve read it and realized it does say 2017……….I’m confused.
Thanks for sharing that previous article—I hadn’t read anything about it happening “a year ahead” of everything else. But, yeah, DC #2 has us square in December 2017. Jace’s “Supermen Theory” first drops in June 2017, then blows up in December 2017, giving us the new status-quo: Luthor has dropped his superhero schtick completely (which he would totally do upon learning the “Supermen Theory” confirmation) and global protests against superheroes, metahumans, and the United States have begun.
So far, no continuity contradictions with DC happening in late 2017, though. We’ll see. Ten more issues to go!
Been reading a lot of confusing things about the “year ahead” thing. This’ll be interesting to see how it works out… If it’s really a year ahead then everything else might have to be pushed back!
I was also thinking about that possibility. I tried tweeting Geoff Johns, but I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t reply. Lol, he’s a pretty busy man (and it’s New Year’s Eve).
Sooo, teeny spoiler for this week’s upcoming Doomsday Clock #3. Batman is wearing a brand new costume in it (one that resembles the raised yellow oval he wore during his Batman Inc time). This DEFINITIVELY separates Doomsday Clock from the rest of DC’s ongoing current narrative, which means… we really are one year ahead in Doomsday Clock. Right? Or does it mean that this isn’t primary DC we are dealing with? That would be a huge bait and switch, so I don’t think so.
Someone on reddit posited that each issue of Doomsday Clock will take place in a new month (for twelve consecutive months), but the story is continuous so that doesn’t really make sense… ALTHOUGH, issue one on Watchmen-Earth is late November, issue two back-materials mention late December on Earth-DC, and (another teeny spoiler) issue three seems to be in early January.
I hope that time isn’t all kablooey as a result of Manhattan’s screwing around…
As of now, the one thing that I can see clearly is that Doomsday Clock is happening in late 2017-early 2018. Because of this, I’ve moved the entire timeline back one calendar year to accommodate. We’ll see…
In response to textual note #6, in this Twitter convo. Scott Snyder says Metal is after the Oz Effect/Lonely Place of Dying.https://mobile.twitter.com/ssnyder1835/status/912120780984668161?lang=en
My pleasure!
Hi Collin, first of all thank you for all this brilliant work you’ve made on the real batman chronology project, it’s a great work very precise and it’s really wonderful to get to follow all the history of Batman and by extension of the DC universe, i know it’s not really the center of this website but do you know exactly how works the hawkman shenanigan ?
Was Katar Hol the first Hawkman to get in the Justice league ?
How did carter hall reappeared after katar died in death of Hawkman ? Carter Hall seems to share an history with atom… but if Katar was Hawkman most of the time how does that work ? Other characters seems to know Carter like he has been hawkman for most of the time…
Hawkman has had hundreds of reincarnations. He was originally, Ktar Deathbringer of Qgga, but gets reincarnated as the leader of the Hawk Tribe, an unknown incarnation (who sacrifices own life to seal away Barbatos), Katar Hol of Thanagar, Booter Kettar of Malan, Grounder C’Tarr Holl of H’Gris, Catar-Ol of Krypton, Katarthul of Rann, Avion of the Microverse, Gold Hawk of Andrino, Airwing of New Genesis, an unnamed towering hawk-monster, Red Harrier, and, as stated above, hundreds of other incarnations.
In Ancient Egpyt, Hawkman is reincarnated as Prince Khufu Maat Kha-tar. Other reincarnations follow: an unnamed incarnation in Ancient Greece, Silent Knight in Arthurian Britain, the Birdman of Easter Island in the late 16th century, John Smith in the early 17th century, Nighthawk in the 19th century Wild West, and finally Hawkman/Carter Hall in late 19th century Egypt.
Eventually, according to Rebirth canon, Hawkman undergoes a personality shift of cosmic proportions, becoming the New-52-styled “Savage Hawkman.” This is NOT a reincarnation, mind you, but some other form of transformation. However, when Savage Hawkman dies in Death of Hawkman, he somehow (for the first time ever) is re-incarnated as a NEW Hawkman/Carter Hall. It doesn’t make sense, really. He’s never reincarnated as the same person—not like Solomon Grundy or Resurrection Man, but this time he does.
That’s my interpretation, gleaned from the comics themselves. I could be wrong, but that appears to be how it all goes down.
But then… Who is the first Hawkman to join the Justice League ? Is it Katar Hol ? according to this crhonology it’s the case but then what about Carter ?
Was Carter Hall still active when Katar Hol was part of the justice league ?
I thought Savage Hawkman was Katar Hol and not Carter Hall.
How did Carter Hall came back after Katar Hol died ? (i guess we don’t know ?)… And when did Carter get the time to be friends with Atom if Katar was the main hawkman…
Since Hawkman has had so many incarnations, let’s refer to him as X, so we don’t get confused. There was an incarnation where X was Katar Hol of the Thanagarian Hawk-Police (aka the Wingmen). This is at some point well before his days with the Justice League. In fact, it occurs right after an early battle against Barbatos. X first becomes Carter Hall in the late 19th century. And it is with this incarnation that Carter Hall becomes Hawkman proper. In regard to his Hawkman secret identity, he uses Carter Hall on Earth and Katar Hol (the same name of his prior incarnation) on Thanagar. So, to answer your question, Carter Hall and Katar Hol can’t be active at the same time because they are one and the same. Savage Hawkman is this very same Hawkman aka Carter Hall aka Katar Hol. Same guy.
ok… so that mean carter hall 19th century disappeared somehow… and Katar Hol from thanagar was the one active during the early days of the justice league if i refer from this chronology ?
And then Savage hawkman appeared and is some kind of fusion of the two… this is so convoluted… the main series of hawkman is kind of good, but if you try to trace back his history in dc rebirth it’s absolutely not clear…
Scott Snyder (and maybe even more-so Robert Venditti) missed a golden opportunity to fix the long convoluted history of Hawkman. (I really enjoy Venditti’s run, but shame on him for blowing this.) Hawkman has been fucked in terms of continuity ever since the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. And here we are nearing 2020 and he’s still just as fucked. Thankfully, I’m not doing a Hawkman chronology. I wouldn’t envy anyone doing that.
And I think I’m explaining poorly (or my site is explaining poorly)… There is a Hawkman/Wingman Katar Hol the First aka Katar Hol I who is only active on Thanagar that is an early incarnation of our man in question. Come the 19th Century, our immortal fellow becomes Hawkman Carter Hall, but he also goes by Katar Hol the Second aka Katar Hol II. This guy (Carter Hall/Katar Hol II) is the one that joins the Justice League. He later becomes “Savage.” The current Hawkman is Carter Hall II/Katar Hol III. DAMN THIS IS CONVOLUTED. But in any case, I think you helped me suss it out a bit more.
hmm i see ! But carter Hall/katar hol II who joins the league would be kind of old right ?
Never really thought about it, but he’d probably be around 140-years-old by the time of his joining the JLA. Thanks to the Nth metal in his system and his endless resurrection cycle, Hawkman is a true immortal. This means he doesn’t age, nor does he suffer natural death.
I see, well in my opinion i am kind of the opinion that he would have disappeared and another one appeared, they didn’t really adressed the immortality of Hawkman. (Reincarnation yes but not the fact that his first incarnation is so old…). I was more under the impression that the first Hawkman would be connected to the JSA (that was wipe out) well… anyway, i guess we will maybe now more about that in the main series, we still don’t know what’s the real deal with Shiera and Kendra
As the history of those writing Hawkman has sadly shown, getting more narrative info with regard to Hawkman seems to lead to more continuity messes. If the JSA is really coming back into continuity, I also wonder how that’ll fit in. If each version of Hawkman is a different reincarnation, that means after a certain point (i.e. late 19th century), Hawkman stopped reincarnating as random new people and began reincarnating as Hawkman (á la Resurrection Man or Solomon Grundy) over and over again. Is this the case? And if so, why is this the case? I doubt we’ll ever get a decent answer.
Anyway, I’m happy to have my views on this evolve as we get more info from the comics. How the JSA Hawkman is depicted by writers as fitting into continuity (if he even does) will surely shape my opinions.
Hey Seph, I realized that I made a big mistake regarding Hawkman’s timeline! Venditti states that incarnations can overlap, meaning that some of Hawkman’s incarnations have paradoxically coexisted side-by-side for a time. This is the case for the New 52-styled Savage Hawkman (Katar Hol). While the primary Hawkman is trapped in the Dark Multiverse, the Savage Hawkman is around. As such, when the Savage Hawkman dies, he doesn’t reincarnate, meaning there is no Carter Hall III. Actually, the whole I-II-III thing can be fully disregarded.
Hawkman is such a mess, my god… so then are we supposed to think that Hawkman got reincarnated from 40’s to 2000’s like he was really immortal… but keeping the carter hall identity (how does that even work)? did katar hol et carter hall co existed ? (in the same way like in the modern age ?) . Is Katar Hol et Shayera in the justice league are the “new 52” version or are they more akin to be like the silver age version/modern age version.
Ah ha, you’ve made me realize my other error. I mistakenly placed Carter Hall’s Gathering of the Immortals in the year 1900, having done so because Talia refers to it as occurring at “the dawn of the 20th century.” Likewise, Carter Hall uses the odd phrase “the first decades of the 20th century” to describe his start as Carter Hall. But this is all just weird phrasing from Scott Snyder in Dark Nights: The Casting #1.
Obviously, Hawkman doesn’t become archeologist Carter Hall until 1940 (mirroring his comics debut year). The Gathering of the Immortals therefore also occurs in 1940. Thus, Carter and Shayera don’t need to keep their identities from the 19th century through to the 21st century. Like all the other JSA members, they will have extended youth, thus allowing them to retain one secret ID from the 1940s until present day. I’ll make this correction in the footnote.
I don’t think that current continuity gets bogged down with double Hawkman and double Hawkgirl stuff like what happened in the Modern Age. Instead, you have one pair. They have their Golden/Silver-based adventures, then Modern-based (sans all the confusing double stuff), and then Hawkman gets exiled to the Dark Multiverse, giving birth to Savage (New 52-styled) Hawkman. This is a point where we get doubles. Eventually Savage Hawkman dies and the other (primary) Hawkman returns.
oh right ! now i get it ! that’s why the 40’s version will be able to stay alive !
I think the real trouble is savage hawkman whose storyline really don’t match the one we got when shayera was brought back in dc rebirth… shayera’s design was clearly meant to be in continuity with shayera from the modern age, (shayera from new 52 was blond…) more over in hawkman from venditti he time travel and we see katar hol being the version from the modern age not the savage version… so yeah still strange…
Savage Hawkman doesn’t come into existence until Savage Hawkman #1 (after the real Hawkman has been exiled into the Dark Multiverse). Savage Hawkman’s entire history is suspect, and he himself doesn’t even realize that he is a new version. It wouldn’t make sense to see Savage Hawkman in the past because he didn’t exist back then. And Shayera’s hair color in the New 52 should be overlooked as artist liberty. It’s a Rob Liefeld book after all lol. When we see Shayera return in “Escape from Hawkworld” (Justice League Vol. 4 #14-16) she has her correct auburn hair color anyway, and this is meant to be the very same character.
Hey Collin,
Long time no type? Hah, anyhow… I’ve been catching up after a long time and have been following the timeline you set as usual. Regarding “Deathstroke vs. Batman”, which is kind of very hard to place exactly, except for “after Tim” and “before Defiance”, which you’ve noted. However, I wanted to mention, just in case if you didn’t spot this, in the beginning of the 30th issue, Alfred and Wintergreen are having a post-match conversation in the pub, namely Manchester United – Liverpool. They cite exactly what had occurred in real life, which would be a penalty from Milner and an equalizer from Ibrahimović, with the result 1-1 in the end. Also mentioning the Premier League table quite accurately. That match happened at 15th of January 2017. After that issue, a “week” gap occurs, as mentioned by Slade. Not sure if this can even be placed that early, but it was too “exact” for me to ignore, so I wanted to point it out.
Hope you’re doing well.
Hi! Doing well, thanks! This is great. The soccer specificity went right over my head. However, moving “Deathstroke vs Batman” to January would conflict with a few other things. As such, this doesn’t quite line up with the real world. However, I’m going to make a note of what you have told me, since Priest was clearly trying to give us a big hint. Thanks for this information!