Batman & Robin #34 Preview/Discussion

[Xrated48]

Can't wait looks good.

[Nite-Wing]

Man, can we not have Bruce be set up for lying while decrying his past dishonesty.
Also yeah tim and jason please take a chill pill,build a bridge and get over it already
I can't stand when these kids get whiny at least alfred defended Bruce here

[MykeHavoc]

Damian, Damian, Damian!!

I know it's all about the journey but December can't come sooner!

My fear of PJ leaving is getting worse, now he's signed on to do SM/WW.

Mahnke is doing SM/WW, so I think you got nothing to worry about (I sometimes mix the two up myself, as they are two of my favs and have similar styles).

[Godlike13]

Haha, i love Batman. "Truth rules", except the whole Dick isn't really dead thing. Its so deliciously Batman.

[BloodOps]

It is hard to place this with Eternal as well, Batman seems to be on somewhat working conditions with them during Eternal.

Regardless I can't wait, B&R is one of the few books still out that I can't wait to get to each month. I'm also thinking all 4 of them are going to Apokolips, judging from November's solicits at least.

[DurararaFTW]

Hoping the next page is

Bruce: So, since we're being honest now, first things first. Guess who not dead?
Dick: Hey everybody!

[M L A]

lmao "Unconditional truth". Certainly setting the reveal up.

[MykeHavoc]

It is hard to place this with Eternal as well, Batman seems to be on somewhat working conditions with them during Eternal.

Regardless I can't wait, B&R is one of the few books still out that I can't wait to get to each month. I'm also thinking all 4 of them are going to Apokolips, judging from November's solicits at least.

We could barely get the monthlies to sync up. Having a weekly on top of it has just made me care even less about continuity. As long as its sort of close and the story is good, I'm all set. I'm sticking with hypertime: it all happened, even if it doesn't fit.

[Dzetoun]

This might be the best comment I've read all week.

And also true. I don't see this ending well.

Oh, there's all kinds of pain a really creative writer could pour on Bruce's head over this one. The possibilities for torture are myriad. For instance, to take a particularly exotic example, what if the Bat Family in their dash to Apocalypse runs into Earth 2 Dick Grayson, a prisoner of war from Darkseid's invasion of that universe? The other Bats want to take him home, while Bruce is hemming and hawing and generally trying to say "no" without explaining his reasons. Or suppose Damian comes back, and on being told Dick is dead, says "Tt! I was just dead, and Grayson wasn't there! And don't try to tell me he was in the other place, either!"

The landscape of disaster is a thing of sadistic beauty. But, unfortunately, as we can't have nice things, nothing like that will happen. Sigh.

[ReverseReverseFlash]

This has to be setting up some big reveal later on. No one has chosen to really talk about the weak plot from Death of the Family like this issue does.

[Dzetoun]

This has to be setting up some big reveal later on. No one has chosen to really talk about the weak plot from Death of the Family like this issue does.

Actually, it may just be a reveal that Lex Luthor knows Batman's identity. How exactly that would be relevant in this situation I don't know, but it would resonate with the references Bruce has made. It may also have been meant to tie in with one of the Justice League issues that got delayed.

Of course, that begs the whole question, as Badou says, of HOW Lex discovered Bruce's secret in the first place. And of the secret Bruce is still keeping. But if that is the reveal, I doubt that Grayson will even be mentioned, as that relates not only to the "death" but to the unmasking, which is a subject that editorial seems to regard as radioactive.

[AlexanderLuthor]

We could barely get the monthlies to sync up. Having a weekly on top of it has just made me care even less about continuity. As long as its sort of close and the story is good, I'm all set. I'm sticking with hypertime: it all happened, even if it doesn't fit.

It all makes sense and is in order: http://therealbatmanchronologyproject

Go to "New Age" Year 6, Part 2 - Eternal takes place prior to Batman & Aquaman #29 and the rest of the Robin Rises saga. Which makes sense, or otherwise whatever Robin actually rises would be in Eternal. The Batman timeline makes chronological sense by the date the arc starts (generally, based on timestamps, flashbacks and references) - Eternal and Detective (Icarus) happened concurrently, Batman was in Zero Year, but Issue #34 is near the tail end or right after Eternal (we'll see based on the montage hints given). Endgame (#35) will be set after Eternal, but if they keep with the same logic, also right after Robin Rises so...

Eternal and Detective "Icarus" concurrent
Batman #34 (this one is out of real world order because Snyder couldn't reveal too much and needed a bridge)
Grayson #1
Robin Rises
Endgame

If you really pay attention to Batman continuity you can definitely tell they use a timeline database because it actually flows together quite smoothly

[Flash Gordon]

Something about Tim Drake, and his awful new duds really makes me hate whenever he shows up. At least Babs and Red Hood look like they could operate in this "world".

Anyway, looks great. Gleason is just flawless man, I don't get how he can be just so damn good. I can't wait till they assault Apokolips (which is totally batshit insane without the Justice League helping or something, but looks like such great fun anyway).

[MykeHavoc]

It all makes sense and is in order: http://therealbatmanchronologyproject

Go to "New Age" Year 6, Part 2 - Eternal takes place prior to Batman & Aquaman #29 and the rest of the Robin Rises saga. Which makes sense, or otherwise whatever Robin actually rises would be in Eternal. The Batman timeline makes chronological sense by the date the arc starts (generally, based on timestamps, flashbacks and references) - Eternal and Detective (Icarus) happened concurrently, Batman was in Zero Year, but Issue #34 is near the tail end or right after Eternal (we'll see based on the montage hints given). Endgame (#35) will be set after Eternal, but if they keep with the same logic, also right after Robin Rises so...

Eternal and Detective "Icarus" concurrent
Batman #34 (this one is out of real world order because Snyder couldn't reveal too much and needed a bridge)
Grayson #1
Robin Rises
Endgame

If you really pay attention to Batman continuity you can definitely tell they use a timeline database because it actually flows together quite smoothly

See, I quit caring back around the time of Jason getting his face burned. Damian casually shows up at a point in which he was already supposed to be dead. I realized that trying to make sure every little detail fit perfectly ruined my overall enjoyment. With all the various art and writing styles going on simultaneously, things don't really jive going back and forth between titles. I look at runs as their own thing. If they make reference to stuff from other books, that's fine. But I'm not pulling out my timeline sheet and double checking. Maybe the batbooks have a decent structure, but the DCU as a whole is bloody mess. We still can't get straight answers as to what has or hasn't already happened and editorial interference is destroying certain things because of this burning need for neatness and status quos. We've already got retcons out the wazoo. I just can't be bothered by this stuff anymore. Why waste time when all that really matters is if I enjoyed the reading experience? If you have to fudge some stuff to make it work in the greater universe, than so be it. But I'm done holding creative teams accountable for the impossible balancing act of continuity. As long as the spirit is there, I'm good.

[Aioros22]

Man, can we not have Bruce be set up for lying while decrying his past dishonesty.
Also yeah tim and jason please take a chill pill,build a bridge and get over it already
I can't stand when these kids get whiny at least alfred defended Bruce here

Haha, but "these kids" have very much the reason to it.

Jason already built a bridge since the revamp and Bruce tore it down with lies, lies and more lies. And here he`s lying again in theyr face. But I enjoy that Jason isn`t bitching about it. He`s acting collected and matured compared to Bruce.

But being mature doesn`t mean he gives Bruce a free pass. He doesn`t. And when they find out he lied about Dick, Jason is definatly the first to shove it down Bruce`s troath.