An attempt at continuity resolution (long)

[Captain Jim]

If there’s one thing that’s pretty clear, it’s that continuity surrounding the Batman family books has been pretty convoluted lately (particularly since Batman RIP). Being somewhat of a continuity geek, I’m going to attempt a resolution. Persons who have no interest in this sort of thing (“just read the stories and don’t worry about how they fit together”) should probably skip this thread.

One of the greatest challenges in regard to “continuity” are the supposed “RIP” tie-in titles. In some cases, it’s pretty clear where these stories fit; in other cases, not so much. Let’s look at them one by one (in my suggested order of sequence).

“Heart of Hush” (Detective #646-650) is one of the easier storylines to place. It has been stated several times by various persons at DC that these books take place before RIP. In truth, they really have nothing to do with RIP (other than a few throwaway references to Jezebel Jet and the Black Glove). Labeling these issues as RIP tie-in’s was somewhat less than honest.

As to the precise placement of the story in the context of Grant Morrison’s ongoing tale in Batman, I’m not going to be dogmatic (and I really don’t think it overly matters). For convenience sake, I’m going to place it AFTER the Ras Al Ghul crossover and before Batman #672. (IMO, #672-675 are a prelude to RIP and pretty much lead directly into it.) However, I’m not willing to fight with someone who wishes to place them somewhere else before RIP.

“Scattered Pieces/ Gathered Pieces” (Robin #175-176) is another story that’s easy to place. These issues take place midway through RIP, specifically, between Batman #678 & 679. We can say this with certainty because, at the end of #176, it says, “Robin’s story continues in Batman #679.” Nuff said.

This is where things start to get tricky and we have to rely on internal evidence within the storylines themselves to place them the best we can.

[Captain Jim]

“The Great Leap” (Nightwing #147-151) is a bit of a challenge. Near the beginning of #147, when Dick asks Two-Face why he didn’t go to Batman for help (instead of to him), he replies, “I wouldn’t consider a guy running around in a technicolor dreamcoat very open-minded.” This is almost certainly a reference to Batman’s Zur-en-Arrh costume, which Bruce first donned at the end of Batman #678, and continued to wear through #680.

In Nightwing #148, a badly wounded Dick Grayson makes his way to the batcave, where his wounds are tended to by Alfred. In the course of his treatment, Dick says, “He’s really gone this time, isn’t he, Alfred?” Alfred replied, “Yes, I fear that he is.” Later in the issue, Two-Face says to Dick, “I hear this Black Glove character did things I could’ve only dreamed of. And by the way, how was your little stay in Arkham?” The latter comment is obviously a reference to Nightwing’s capture and imprisonment within Arkham, as shown in Batman #678. He doesn’t escape until #681.

Nightwing #151 is an epilogue to “The Great Leap,” and is technically labeled as a “Last Rites” story, as opposed to a “RIP” tie-in. But as most will agree, both of these terms are relatively meaningless. In this issue, Two-Face once again alludes to Dick’s aforementioned stay in Arkham. “”You may be able to still hear your own screams bouncing off the walls from your short stay here recently.”

“Last Days of Gotham” (Detective #851 & Batman #684) is primarily a Nightwing tale, and it takes place after the aforementioned “Great Leap” story. (It’s labeled “Last Rites.”) We know it takes place after “The Great Leap” because Dick tells Alfred, “Seems my new sparring partner Two-Face is up to the same old tricks.” This is a clear reference to the other storyline. We are also told that Tim is “still busy with the Gotham gang wars,” a reference to the “Search for a Hero” storyline (see below). In a conversation with Oracle, Dick refers to Batman having “disappeared.” Bullock asks Gordon, “Ya think he’s ever comin’ back?”

“Search for a Hero” (Robin #177-182) isn’t labeled either “RIP” or “Last Rites,” but it clearly takes place after the end of RIP. On numerous occasions, Tim refers to Batman as being “gone” and in at least one instance he says Batman “disappeared.” On two separate occasions, we’re told that this arc takes place at the same time that Dick is fighting Two-Face.

[Captain Jim]

“Outsiders No More” (BATO #11-12) is a “RIP” tie-in and possibly the most direct one of all. It takes place after the end of RIP and shows the reactions from many of Batman’s friends. Superman rushes to Wayne Manor seeking Bruce and finds Green Arrow instead, drinking Bruce’s expensive alcohol.

Oliver says, “I’m coming to the realization that our friend is gone. As in skedaddled. As in got the hell out of Dodge. As in lights out, the party’s over.” Superman says, “Look, we both know he’d never admit it, but maybe this Black Glove incident took its toll on Bruce. Maybe he decided he needed a break... I mean, it’s not like he hasn’t disappeared before.” Ollie says, “Not like this, Clark,” and shows him the batcave in ruins.

We also see the scene at Arkham, where the Joker has informed the rest of the inmates that Batman is missing, following the events of RIP. And we see Black Lightning, talking to his daughter, Thunder. She says, “So the JLA has just about as much as we do?” To which Jefferson replies, “Right, which is nothing. Though I’m starting to get the feeling there’s a reason for that. We all know the man won’t be found unless he wants to be.”

There are numerous references to the Black Hand in this story. And, in fact, the Outsiders fall into a trap which had been set for them by the Black Hand earlier. Robin tells Batgirl that he’s busy with the Gotham gang war, indicating that this story takes place at roughly the same time as both “Search for a Hero” and “Last Days of Gotham.”

“The Network” & “A Family Affair” (BATO #13-14) are Batgirl stories that follow-up on the storyline in #11-12. (Curiously, #13 sports a “RIP” label, but #14 does not.) In these issues, Batgirl attempts to recruit a new Outsiders team, to replace the group that resigned en mass in #12. In the second issue, Alfred says, “We must accept that he (Bruce) is not coming back...” This issue also contains several pages which appear to tease the upcoming Azrael mini.

[Captain Jim]

Taken at face value, the natural interpretation of all of the above is that (consistent with the ending of Batman #681) Batman went missing at the end of RIP and remained missing for a period of time before FC. And, in fact, that was how everyone was interpreting it prior to the release of Batman #683. But this issue caused many readers to arrive at a different conclusion.

There are four panels in #683 which seem to imply that Batman returned to the batcave immediately after the end of RIP and quickly left to join the JLA at the beginning of FC. If true, this means that the stories in the supporting titles must happen subsequent to Batman’s “death” in FC #6.

There’s only one problem with this view – it doesn’t seem to fit with the stories in Nightwing and Robin (which allude to a “missing” Batman who’s actual fate is unknown) and totally contradicts BATO. How did we arrive at such a conundrum? A couple of quotes from Grant Morrison may shed some light.

In a recent Newsarama interview ( http://www.newsarama.com/comics/010928-Grant-Final-Crisis.html), Morrison said, “Batman R.I.P. was planned from the start of my Batman run as the culmination of the ‘Batman vs. the Ultimate Diabolical Mastermind’ story I had in mind and it was always intended to wrap up just as you read it, before leading into the next chapter of my Batman run and the final twists and turns of this attempt to tell a ‘definitive’ long-form Batman adventure.

“When Dan (Didio) heard the R.I.P. title he asked me if it could lead us into the ‘death of Batman’ which he’d planned to occur in Final Crisis, so I made sure the Batman title and Final Crisis reached this particular endpoint at the same time and created a bridge between the two books.”

Also, when asked by IGN ( http://comics.ign.com/articles/876/876418p3.html) several months ago how the RIP tie-in’s would connect with the main storyline, Morrison responded, “I have no idea. This is the same story I've been telling for the last two years, and this just happens to be the last part of it. But people really responded to it, and the sales on the Batman titles went through the roof with the first issue of RIP. So quite clearly DC took one look at that and said let's put some branding on the other Bat titles.”

[Captain Jim]

Some interesting facts emerge from these comments. While RIP ended exactly as Morrison always intended it to, with Batman’s fate up in the air, the ‘death of Batman’ sub-plot in FC was Didio’s idea. The “Last Rites” storyline (#682-683) was then added in an attempt to connect the two. In addition, it doesn’t appear that Morrison had any input into, or detailed knowledge of, the content of the tie-in stories.

Taken together, these facts suggest to me that we have a genuine contradiction here. The RIP tie-ins’s appear to be written with the understanding that Batman disappeared for a period of time at the end of RIP (which seems to have been DC’s original intention). Morrison is not involved with these and has no knowledge of their specific content.

On the other hand, Morrison had been given the responsibility of showing some connection between RIP and Batman’s involvement in the events of FC. So Morrison included those four panels in his FC tie-in issues, unaware that they directly contradicted what had been presented in the tie-in’s. The only one who should have been aware of the problem was bat-editor Mike Marts. But if the difficulty occurred to him, he obviously chose to ignore it.

So, where does that leave us? Well, you have a choice. 1) You can simply accept the fact that there’s a contradiction and leave it at that (though that’s not likely to satisfy the true continuity geek). 2) You can decide that Morrison’s work is all that matters and forget about the other titles. (Technically, you could put the Robin & Nightwing stories post-FC, even though they don’t fit there all that comfortably. On the other hand, you’d have to totally write off the BATO stories.) 3) You could re-interpret the four panels in #683 to be showing Batman’s return after a long absence rather than immediately after the end of #681. 4) You could reinterpret the four panels as being one of the inaccurate, altered memories that Batman was experiencing. As for me, I’ll probably go for one of the latter two.

[Captain Jim]

That brings us to Batman’s involvement in FC itself. Fortunately, there’s not much confusion here. To follow Batman’s participation in this event you should read the following, in this sequence: JLA #21, FC #1, Requiem #1, FC #2, Batman #682-683, FC #6-7.

Also, as I have written in another thread, I believe the “Reconstruction/ Catspaw” storyline featuring Hush and Catwoman (Detective #852 & Batman #685) takes place between FC #2 (where Batman is captured) and FC #3 (where Catwoman is transformed into a fury).

Again, this is based largely on internal evidence from Batman #685. Hush asks Selina, “What happened to Bruce? I heard he was a target of the Black Glove.” She responds, “I was still in the hospital while that happened (i.e., during RIP). I heard he survived (likely from Dick and Tim, who show up later in the issue), but after that...” Hush interrupts and says, “So, Bruce is dead, huh?” To which she responds, “M.I.A.”

Batman is literally shown to be “M.I.A.” in FC #4, as a result of his capture in #2. Since she said he was M.I.A., and not “fried by Darkseid,” I think this is the best placement. (Note: one has to assume that the artistic rendering of the captive Batman in the Evil Factory is for the readers’ benefit only. Selina and Hush are obviously not seeing this image.)

That leaves us only (at the moment) with Nightwing #151, the first place that Batman is specifically referred to as dead (“my dead father’s closet”). Though I suspect that Nightwing #152 and Robin #183, to be released later this month, will do the same.

[jgiannantoni05]

Great job Jim. I share your continuity geekyness.
________
Vaporizer volcano (http://volcanovaporizer.net/)

[pressdarlings]

If there’s one thing that’s pretty clear, it’s that continuity surrounding the Batman family books has been pretty convoluted lately (particularly since Batman RIP). Being somewhat of a continuity geek, I’m going to attempt a resolution. Persons who have no interest in this sort of thing (“just read the stories and don’t worry about how they fit together”) should probably skip this thread.

One of the greatest challenges in regard to “continuity” are the supposed “RIP” tie-in titles. In some cases, it’s pretty clear where these stories fit; in other cases, not so much. Let’s look at them one by one (in my suggested order of sequence).

“Heart of Hush” (Detective #646-650) is one of the easier storylines to place. It has been stated several times by various persons at DC that these books take place before RIP. In truth, they really have nothing to do with RIP (other than a few throwaway references to Jezebel Jet and the Black Glove). Labeling these issues as RIP tie-in’s was somewhat less than honest.

As to the precise placement of the story in the context of Grant Morrison’s ongoing tale in Batman, I’m not going to be dogmatic (and I really don’t think it overly matters). For convenience sake, I’m going to place it AFTER the Ras Al Ghul crossover and before Batman #672. (IMO, #672-675 are a prelude to RIP and pretty much lead directly into it.) However, I’m not willing to fight with someone who wishes to place them somewhere else before RIP.

“Scattered Pieces/ Gathered Pieces” (Robin #175-176) is another story that’s easy to place. These issues take place midway through RIP, specifically, between Batman #678 & 679. We can say this with certainty because, at the end of #176, it says, “Robin’s story continues in Batman #679.” Nuff said.

This is where things start to get tricky and we have to rely on internal evidence within the storylines themselves to place them the best we can.

I don't wanna sway off topic here but in what order do all of the Dini/Morrison trades go?

[Vidocq]

I don't wanna sway off topic here but in what order do all of the Dini/Morrison trades go?

Detective is before Morrison's run.
Death and the City is after Batman 663 with the exeption of the last Story ''Trust'', which is set before Batman 655.

Casebook is set just before Jezebell and Bruce started went exclusive (When she ''figured'' out that Bruce is Batman can't remember the issue number) and Last story taking place just a few days before Heart of Hush which is set a couple of Days before RIP.

I'm not a continuity geek myself but I think that is pretty solid.

[Captain Jim]

DiDio addressed confusion (http://www.newsarama.com/comics/090206-nycc09-dc-dcnation.html) behind how Final Crisis and Batman R.I.P., both written by Grant Morrison, flow.

"We're going to make sense of this," said DiDio. "Just for you."

DiDio pointed to the projector, saying that story started with the first issues of "R.I.P.," going to Final Crisis #1, and then the last issue of "R.I.P.," Batman #681, then moving to Final Crisis #3.

After that falls the "Last Rites" story (Batman #682-683), and then Final Crisis #6.

The next part after that, somewhat logically, was Final Crisis #7.


"When you put it like that, it still doesn't make sense," joked Rucka.

I think I agree with Rucka.

Is he implying that FC #1 falls in between Batman #680 & 681? There's no way. Bruce is captured at the end of #680. For that matter, the only place I could even conceivably see an opportunity for Bruce to leave and join the JLA during RIP would be sometime during #676 or 677. After that, no way.

And Batman isn't even in FC #3. Does he mean #2? And the rest is pretty much what I said above.

But this isn't where the bulk of the confusion is; you'll notice he didn't mention any of the tie-in stories.

[Captain Jim]

Okay, here's a slightly different version of the panel from CBR:

DiDio declared (http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=19906) he would make sense of everything using an animated PowerPoint diagram. It was explained thusly:

We start with the first issue of "RIP," then we move to "Final Crisis" #1, which had cave drawings on the cover.Then we go to the conclusion of "Batman RIP," where Batman jumped on a helicopter and "the damn thing blew up." Next, in "Final Crisis" #3, something happens, and then Batman is trapped in Darkseid's machines. Then Batman figures out he's being manipulated and breaks free of the mind control. Then in "Final Crisis" #6, Batman shoots Darkseid and Darkseid hits Batman with the Omega Effect. And then in "Final Crisis" #7, we see a shadow of a bat drawing on a cave. From there we go back to... a picture of Grant Morrison's head.

"Did that explain it for everybody?" DiDio asked.

"NO!" yelled the crowd.

According to CBR, he said first issue of RIP, not first issues. So evidently that means you go from Batman #676 to FC #1. Okay, that will work. So, given this new information I'll make this change in order of events:

Batman #676, JLA #21, FC #1, Batman #677-678, Robin #175-176, Batman #679-681, Requiem #1, FC #2, Batman #682-683, FC #6-7.

[AlistairCrane]

Okay, here's a slightly different version of the panel from CBR:



According to CBR, he said first issue of RIP, not first issues. So evidently that means you go from Batman #676 to FC #1. Okay, that will work. So, given this new information I'll make this change in order of events:

Batman #676, JLA #21, FC #1, Batman #677-678, Robin #175-176, Batman #679-681, Requiem #1, FC #2, Batman #682-683, FC #6-7.

DiDio's explanation makes no sense, at least not in this article. Also, I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or what. I won't be amending my list because it works just as well the way I already have it.

[Captain Jim]

DiDio's explanation makes no sense, at least not in this article. Also, I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or what. I won't be amending my list because it works just as well the way I already have it.

Well, I think what he mentioned makes sense, even if it's not exactly how I envisioned it. (Though it may not work in your more detailed time frame.) However, I think it still leaves a lot of questions open, particularly as it relates to some of the issues he didn't mention.

[Choppa]

Okay resolve this one for me. During "Broken City" (Batman 620-625) Bruce tells a copy that he enjoys cooking steaks in order to let off steam. But then in "RIP" (Batman 676-681) he tells Alfred that if he smells smoke from the kitchen it's because he's trying to cook a steak for Jezebel.

Why would he not know how to do that if he already admitted to cooking steaks regularly?

[nepenthes]

Okay resolve this one for me. During "Broken City" (Batman 620-625) Bruce tells a copy that he enjoys cooking steaks in order to let off steam. But then in "RIP" (Batman 676-681) he tells Alfred that if he smells smoke from the kitchen it's because he's trying to cook a steak for Jezebel.

Why would he not know how to do that if he already admitted to cooking steaks regularly?

because he can't cook steaks properly. In Broken City it's too rare, blood gushes out and he looks horrified. It's like the only thing Batman can't do

[Choppa]

because he can't cook steaks properly. In Broken City it's too rare, blood gushes out and he looks horrified. It's like the only thing Batman can't do

But he is still able to cook it, regardless of the quality no? In RIP his comments make it seem like he might burn down the whole kitchen.

[nepenthes]

what? If if you can't cook a steak to perfection, then you can't cook steak! :wink:

[cdemink]

The thing to also keep in mind is that there are two instances where the JLA could be clueless to Bruce's whereabouts and I think the writers of the tie-ins played it a little fast and loose never really mentioning where anything falls in the timeline.

Bruce was missing following the helicopter crash and I think to a vast majority (maybe even those outside of the inner crime fighting circle of the JLA) that was the last time anyone saw Batman.

From there on out he's pretty much secluded in the Hall of Justice working on Orion's corpse until he gets kidnapped - which is the second time he's missing. He gets abducted at the end of issue 2 but the Anti-Life doesn't break out until 3 in which there's plenty of time for Search for a Hero and Free Fall to take place.

Although DiDio's presentation explains how Batman could be seen at J'onn's funeral and still be considered "missing."

In case anyone is interested, I made this rough reading order of RIP... hope it's helpful -
http://www.batmanytb.com/comics/storyarcs/batmanrip.php

[Lux230]

I've really just got to give it up for you continuity geeks. Going to the far reaches of sanity to clean up a group of messy writer's work is truly a noble task. If only more fans were as devoted.

[Tanjint]

LMAO, true.


Broken City is interesting in that it's right after Hush and each story depicts crock substantially and substantially different...there's a few things like that about the story.

also, Bruce is super hard on himself. I bet he's okay at cooking steaks by now, but he's had the best steaks in the world (see lex luthor: man of steel) and probably doesn't find his own culinary talent adequate.

-T

[Choppa]

LMAO, true.


Broken City is interesting in that it's right after Hush and each story depicts crock substantially and substantially different...there's a few things like that about the story.

also, Bruce is super hard on himself. I bet he's okay at cooking steaks by now, but he's had the best steaks in the world (see lex luthor: man of steel) and probably doesn't find his own culinary talent adequate.

-T

Regardless of the quality the steak would get cooked. The issue in RIP seemed to be that he couldn't even cook it good or bad.

But your other comments speak to the larger point I'm trying to make, which is that the shifting around of writers makes the continuity disjointed. I remember back in the 90's every action had significance. One example with Croc would be how in an early issue of Knightfall he fights Bane in the sewer and gets left for dead. Then during Progidal we see him surface and is looking for revenge against Bane.

In HUSH Croc is curiously mutated into something more ferocious than his usual self with no real explanantion. Then in Broken City he's suddnely a street pimp, with again, no explanation.

[Harding Prime]

Regardless of the quality the steak would get cooked. The issue in RIP seemed to be that he couldn't even cook it good or bad.

But your other comments speak to the larger point I'm trying to make, which is that the shifting around of writers makes the continuity disjointed. I remember back in the 90's every action had significance. One example with Croc would be how in an early issue of Knightfall he fights Bane in the sewer and gets left for dead. Then during Progidal we see him surface and is looking for revenge against Bane.

In HUSH Croc is curiously mutated into something more ferocious than his usual self with no real explanantion. Then in Broken City he's suddnely a street pimp, with again, no explanation.

As usual, ur reaching. That is not a very bad faux-pa of continuity. If the steak was too rare in Broken City, then he wants to make it more well done, and as hard as he is on myself, he feels he'll end up burning the place down trying to make sure its done enough. Which at the point, I think it would be.

[Choppa]

As usual, ur reaching. That is not a very bad faux-pa of continuity. If the steak was too rare in Broken City, then he wants to make it more well done, and as hard as he is on myself, he feels he'll end up burning the place down trying to make sure its done enough. Which at the point, I think it would be.

Based on just memory I don't think it was. It had nothing to do with the quality of the steak, but his ability to cook food. He wanted to impress Jez with a meal, which just happened to be a steak, but warned Alfred that he might smell smoke because he cook for his life.

[sudoku]

Wow, this is a great analysis. Thanks for sharing it. I just re-read some of these stories with these posts in mind and I have a few thoughts to share:

1) As best I can tell, "The Great Leap" (Nightwing 147-150) begins before most people think that Batman is dead or permanently missing. The fact that Nightwing asks Two-face why he didn't go to Batman for help is the clearest evidence of this. My best guess is that this arc begins shortly after RIP, occurs simultaneously with Final Crisis 1-3, and ends shortly before the Anti-Life Equation is unleashed. The scene where Nightwing and Alfred ponder Bruce's fate would have to occur after his abduction by Darkseid.

2) As noted in Captain Jim's original post, Robin 178-182 ("Search for a Hero") occur simultaneously with “Last Days of Gotham” (Detective 851 & Batman 684) and part of the Outsiders story. In fact, Robin 178 and Detective 851 appear to sync up, with Nightwing arriving on motorcycle at the Batcave in both stories, in pursuit of Two-face.

3) I see nothing in either "Search for a Hero" or "Last Days of Gotham" that would preclude them from occurring after Batman's "death" in Final Crisis 6. Although Robin says in Robin 180, as noted above, that "Since Batman disappeared, Gotham has been a pressure cooker..." this does not indicate that his fate remains unknown. He could mean that things started going badly as soon as Batman was captured by Darkseid. The same is true of Nightwing's question to Oracle in Detective 851: "Before he [Bruce] disappeared, did he ask for anything on Two-face?" This does not indicate that Nightwing doesn't know what eventually happened to him after he disappeared.

4) I don't think these two stories could take place while he's a prisoner of Darkseid, either. Batman is missing for only 2-3 days before the Anti-Life Equation is unleashed. Superman is missing during this same timeframe (he is with Lois in the hospital, then in the future for Legion of Three Worlds), but no one alludes to that during these stories. These stories make more sense to me if they take place after Final Crisis, with Batman out of action for more than a month (first as a captive of Darkseid, then as a corpse) when they begin.

5) Outsiders 11 contains a number of mostly unrelated vignettes for the first 20 pages, including the scene with Superman looking for Bruce at Wayne Manor and Black Lightning telling his daughter Thunder that the JLA doesn't know where Batman is. Most of these vignettes must take place between his capture by Darkseid and the release of the Anti-Life Equation. (Superman's appearance probably occurs between the end of Superman Beyond 2 and the beginning of Legion of Three Worlds 1.) However, the bulk of the story (the last four pages of issue 11 and all of issue 12), which involves an explosion that puts Thunder in a coma, must occur AFTER Final Crisis, as Thunder is awake and healthy in Final Crisis: Submit. This seems a bit odd, since none of the heroes, including Green Arrow, appear to be aware that Batman's corpse has been found at this point, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility.

6) JLoA 21-26 all occur some time before Final Crisis 1. Red Tornado gets a new body during these issues which he "wears" in Final Crisis. JLoA 27-30 (the last arc to feature Batman) occur between pages of Final Crisis 2 (after Dr. Light is killed, but before Batman is captured by Darkseid).

7) A small note on Teen Titans: Teen Titans 61 clearly takes place before Final Crisis, as Kid Devil adopts his new "Red Devil" S&M costume in that issue, which he is wearing during Final Crisis. And issues 63-65 must take place after Final Crisis as Wonder Girl adopts a new costume in that story that she does not wear in Final Crisis. Issue 62 (the famous "Wonder Dog Eats Marvin and Wendy" issue) logically would lead directly into issue 63, but it also includes a line from Robin in which he describes Batman as "missing" (the only time I can see where he uses that word), so it could theoretically take place during period when Batman is captured by Darkseid before the ALE is released. I'm not really going to worry about it.

Here is my timeline for the whole RIP/Last Rites/Final Crisis shebang:

Batman RIP (Batman 676-678, Robin 175-176, Batman 679-681)
Orion's body is discovered, simultaneous with the end of RIP. (Final Crisis 1)
Batman returns to the Batcave and gets called to the JLA emergency meeting concerning Orion's death. (Batman 683 flashback)
While Batman is on his way to the meeting, J'onn J'onnz is killed and Batman gets a psychic message from him. (Requiem)
JLA meeting (There is no mention of J'onn's death at the meeting as shown in Final Crisis 1, but given the sequence of events in Requiem, they must already know about it.)
Nightwing discovers J'onn's body in New York. (Requiem)
J'onn's funeral is held the next morning. The villains (including Dr. Light and Effigy) watch it on television. (Final Crisis 2, Requiem)
The Spectre kills Dr. Light and Effigy (Final Crisis: Revelations 1)
Dr. Light's remains are immediately placed in the custody of the JLA, as they still contain powerful energy (speculation based on JLoA 27)
The JLA analyze Orion's body and Batman sends John Stewart to look for a bullet at the crime scene. (Final Crisis 2)
A group of Milestone heroes, operating on the advice of a guy named Dharma who can see the future, confront Kimiyo Hoshi (Dr. Light II) in her home, while another group tries to steal Dr. Light I's remains. John Stewart receives a distress call from Hoshi and calls on the rest of the JLA (including Batman) to assist. The incident ends later that night when the Milestone heroes use Dr. Light I's remains to restore Dr. Light II's powers. (JLoA 27-30)
John Stewart resumes his investigation of Orion's murder, finds the bullet, and gets attacked. (Final Crisis 2)
Batman sticks the bullet in his belt. (Batman 683 flashback)
Batman is captured by Darkseid. (Final Crisis 2)
Lois Lane is injured in an explosion. (Final Crisis 2)
Nightwing encounters Two-face in New York, gets injured in Gotham, discusses Batman's fate with Alfred, then returns to New York. (Nightwing 147-148)
Superman goes on a multiversal adventure between heartbeats, then returns to his wife in the hospital and heals her. (Superman Beyond 1-2)
The JLA note that Batman is "missing" and invoke Article X. (Final Crisis 3)
Hush and Catwoman have an adventure while Batman is "MIA." (Detective 852 & Batman 685)
Superman and Green Arrow go to Wayne Manor to look for Batman. (Outsiders 11)
Superman gets called to the 31st century. (Legion of Three Worlds 1)
Over the next couple of days, Nightwing defeats and captures Two-Face. (Nightwing 149-150)
Darkseid unleashes the Anti-Life Equation. (Final Crisis 3)
Batman breaks free. (Batman 682-683)
Batman shoots Darkseid, then gets zapped by the Omega beams, just in time for Superman to return from the future and find his corpse. (Final Crisis 6)
Nightwing visits Two-face who promises to break out of prison. (Nightwing 151)
In the wake of Final Crisis, Robin takes on the Gotham gang wars, while Nightwing deals with a second Two-Face case, and the Outsiders get blown up and disband. (Detective 851 & Batman 684, Robin 177-182, Outsiders 11-12)

[sudoku]

While I'm at it, here is my timeline for Batman's world from the end of 52 til the start of RIP. If nothing else, I think it resolves the apparent contradictions between Dini's and Morrison's treatments of the Joker and Harley Quinn.

Face the Face: Batman and Robin return to Gotham. Harvey Dent becomes Two-Face again. The Great White Shark emerges as a new power player in the Gotham Underworld. Bruce adopts Tim. (Detective 817-820, Batman 651-654)
Batman tangles with a number of Gotham supercriminals, helps Harley Quinn to reform, and, with Zatanna's help, ultimately captures the Joker. (Detective 821-834)
The JLA reforms. (JLoA 0-7; This may overlap slightly with some of the later Dini issues above.)
Countdown begins. Jason Todd witnesses the murder of Duela Dent ("The Joker's Daughter"). Jimmy Olsen, investigating the murder, visits the (unscarred) Joker in Arkham. (Countdown 51-49)
The Lightning Saga: Karate Kid and the Legion of Superheroes help return Wally West to Earth at the same moment Bart Allen is killed by the Rogues. (JLoA 8-10, JSoA 5-6, Flash 10-13, All-Flash 1)
Three days after Duela Dent's death (probably the same day the Lightning Saga concludes), the Titans attend her funeral. Jason Todd approaches Donna Troy to discuss investigating the murder. Later that night, or early the next morning, Amazons attack Washington, DC. (Teen Titans 47)
Batman coordinates the defenses against the Amazons. The conflict lasts about four days. Meanwhile, Selina Kyle's friend Holly Robinson enters an Athenian women's shelter where she meets Harley Quinn. During the war, Donna Troy encounters Jason Todd a second time. (Amazons Attack, Wonder Woman 8-12, Catwoman 69-70, Teen Titans 48-49)
In the immediate aftermath of the Amazon war, Supergirl helps Karate Kid and Una in their search for a cure to Karate Kid's illness. Her memories of the Legion are restored and she joins the Titans. (Supergirl 20-22; This story is the source that establishes that the Lightning Saga concluded immediately before Amazons Attack, rather than after it.)
During Bart Allen's (surprisingly well-attended) memorial service, Donna Troy and Jason Todd join a Monitor to search for Ray Palmer. (Countdown 43)
Holly, Harley, and Riddler solve a mystery in the Athenian women's shelter. (Detective 837)
In the wake of the Amazon War and the Rogues' murder of the Flash, the Suicide Squad begins capturing supervillains en masse. Batman also takes over the Outsiders at this time. (various sources)
The Sinestro Corps War
Luthor apparently breaks Joker out of Arkham and forms a new Injustice League (his motivations for doing so, thus far, remain unrevealed). When the JLA defeats them, the Suicide Squad takes them into custody. Red Tornado's body is destroyed and Firestorm joins the League. (JLoA Wedding Special, JLoA 13-15)
Black Canary and Green Arrow get married and a bunch more villains get captured by the Suicide Squad. (Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special)
Tangent: Superman's Reign (JLoA 16, Tangent: Superman's Reign)
Batman begins investigating the disappearing villains. He discovers that the Great White Shark was removed from power when the Penguin made a deal with the Suicide Squad to help round up villains. They're being sent to another planet. Spoiler shows up in Gotham again. Most of the remaining villains in Gotham are captured or neutralized. (Gotham Underground 1-9)
Batman sends J'onn J'onnz undercover as Blockbuster to learn the whereabouts of the villains' prison planet. The JLA discovers that the plan has gone awry and the villains are on the wrong planet. (JLoA 17-19)
The villains finally escape back to earth. (Salvation Run, Catwoman 75-78)
Batman and Son: The Joker gets shot in the face in Gotham. Talia introduces Batman to their son Damian. (Batman 654-658)
Countdown concludes. Harley and Holly end up on Apokolips with all the other characters before escaping to Earth 51, just in time for Karate Kid's illness to turn it into a graveyard planet. They then return to New Earth. Presumably, Harley goes to check up on the Joker, as she tried to do in Countdown 7. This would be her first contact with him since before Infinite Crisis and her eventual reformation. (final issues of Countdown)
Harley, who is supposed to be receiving out-patient treatment at the "Forrester Clinic," begins helping the Joker with a murder plot from within Arkham. Ultimately Batman helps her realize she is being used, and she betrays and shoots the Joker. (Batman 663)
Batman confronts some other mystery Batmen and has an adventure with the Club of Heroes. (Batman 664-669)
The Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul. (Batman 670-671, Nightwing 138-139, Robin 168-169, Detective 838-840)
Nightwing takes up residence in New York, while Robin learns the identity of Spoiler. (Nightwing 140-146, Robin 170-174)
Batman finally defeats the new Ventriloquist and reunites with Catwoman for the first time since Salvation Run. (Detective 841-845)
Catwoman meets Batman again and turns over a new leaf. (Catwoman 81-82)
Heart of Hush. (Detective 846-850)
Libra brings J'onn J'onnz back to earth. The League builds a new body for Red Tornado. He takes a leave of absence, but assures Batman he will respond in an emergency (explaining his presence in Trinity and Final Crisis). Zatanna joins the League. (JLoA 21-26; these issues may partially overlap the above solo stories that follow the Ra's Al Ghul arc.)
Trinity (Trinity 1-52; Trinity must take place here, as Firestorm is a full member of the JLA and Red Tornado has a body.)
Prelude to RIP. (Batman 672-675)
RIP, etc.

[NickGuy]

i hate continuity myself. just tell stories, who the hell cares.

but this was fun to read

[Alucard_11]

Great, awesome thread guys.
I just started trying to catch myself up with all this RIP business and this is the exact thread i was looking for. good stuff.

2 questions though. To the issue referred to as "requiem" do you guys mean this one? http://www.mycomicshop.com/res/images_products/import_from_office/largepics/BAN7S001B.JPG
I do not own it, and im planning on ordering it, since according to the lists its an intricate part of the whole story.

Also, Captain Jim mentioned "To follow Batman’s participation in this event you should read the following, in this sequence: JLA #21, FC #1, Requiem #1, FC #2, Batman #682-683, FC #6-7."
and im wondering what happens to FC 3-5? is that just included reading right before FC 6-7, but isnt mentioned in this entire thread because it has nothing to do with batman?

Thanks guys ;)

[Captain Jim]

Great, awesome thread guys.
I just started trying to catch myself up with all this RIP business and this is the exact thread i was looking for. good stuff.

2 questions though. To the issue referred to as "requiem" do you guys mean this one? http://www.mycomicshop.com/res/images_products/import_from_office/largepics/BAN7S001B.JPG

Yes.

I do not own it, and im planning on ordering it, since according to the lists its an intricate part of the whole story.

I wouldn't say "intricate," I'd actually call reading it optional. Its the story of JoNN's funeral, and Batman is present for it.

Also, Captain Jim mentioned "To follow Batman’s participation in this event you should read the following, in this sequence: JLA #21, FC #1, Requiem #1, FC #2, Batman #682-683, FC #6-7."

You'll note that in a later post, I amended the combined RIP/FC reading order as follows: Batman #676, JLA #21, FC #1, Batman #677-678, Robin #175-176, Batman #679-681, Requiem #1, FC #2, Batman #682-683, FC #6-7.

im wondering what happens to FC 3-5? is that just included reading right before FC 6-7, but isnt mentioned in this entire thread because it has nothing to do with batman?


Exactly, this reading list is for those who want to follow Batman's appearances. Batman does not appear in FC #3-5. If you're wanting the full FC story, obviously you need to read them. And there are also other FC tie-in's which I don't mention here either.

[Ullar]

The full FC reading order is
FC1-2
Requiem
FC3
Superman Beyond 3D 1-2
Submit
FC4
Batman 682-683
FC5-7

[Captain Jim]

The full FC reading order is
FC1-2
Requiem
FC3
Superman Beyond 3D 1-2
Submit
FC4
Batman 682-683
FC5-7

Requiem has to happen before FC 2, or at least the ending of it, because Batman is free in Requiem and captured by the end of FC 2.

[Teatime Brutality]

So, where does that leave us? Well, you have a choice. 1) You can simply accept the fact that there’s a contradiction and leave it at that (though that’s not likely to satisfy the true continuity geek). 2) You can decide that Morrison’s work is all that matters and forget about the other titles. (Technically, you could put the Robin & Nightwing stories post-FC, even though they don’t fit there all that comfortably. On the other hand, you’d have to totally write off the BATO stories.) 3) You could re-interpret the four panels in #683 to be showing Batman’s return after a long absence rather than immediately after the end of #681. 4) You could reinterpret the four panels as being one of the inaccurate, altered memories that Batman was experiencing. As for me, I’ll probably go for one of the latter two.

This is all lovely work. I've been having a go at picking through all this in a couple of posts on my blog, but you've shown your workings much more thoroughly than I have.

I'm sold on the third option myself.

Since there's nothing concrete in the #683 scene to place that it immediately after RIP, merely how it seems to flow and common sense, then we loose very little by assuming that Bruce spent a couple of weeks after RIP fighting demonic octopuses at the bottom of the lake or something like that.

It's inelegant...since it means the plot goes...


Bruce disappears.
People spend sixteen or so comics saying they're sure he's gone forever this time.
Bruce reappears.
Bruce appears to cark it.
People spend at least a year's worth of comics saying they're sure he's gone forever this time.

...but it doesn't actually contradict anything or force you to ignore bits.

My efforts at this sort of thing are here...

Part One. (http://teatimebrutality.blogspot.com/2009/02/batman-slideshows-and-sudoku.html)
Part Two. (http://teatimebrutality.blogspot.com/2009/04/these-things-are-fun-for-person-writing.html)
Part Three. (http://teatimebrutality.blogspot.com/2009/06/this-ones-for-cheese-fiend.html)