BATMAN ETERNAL Megathread (35-48)

[Fuzzy Cactus]

There's also Bruce and Alfred hanging out in front of the Christmas-decorated Manor. I'm guessing that Snyder just generalizing.

[Claude]

After this issue, there's no way Batgirl takes place "after" Eternal. I can believe Arkham Manor and Gotham By Midnight are, but not BG. Also, I can't speak for Catwoman or Acadamy.

I was perfectly happy with Arkham Manor as post-Eternal, but oddly it seems to be happening alongside it now.

[RobinFan4880]

Judging by Selina's situation and dialogue with Batman, Catwoman is apparently after Eternal. As for Gotham Academy, we know from Arkham Manor that there is a woman called Silverlock who is a patient there, and in the latest Academy Olive said her mother was a patient at a hospital that burned down "last summer," so it is evidently after Eternal as well.

If you start referring to something as happening "last summer", you are quite a ways away from it. 6 months, at least. Very interesting.

[jules]

If you start referring to something as happening "last summer", you are quite a ways away from it. 6 months, at least. Very interesting.

Bear in mind that it's a school, and that they've clearly just started the new academic year. Maps, as a new student, is being mentored by Olive Silverlock.

So Gotham Academy is probably in September, and the Arkham events that Olive's referring to would have taken place during the summer vacation, when she didn't see any of the other students.

Arkham Manor would presumably be at least a couple of weeks into the future from where we are in Eternal right now. Even if Bruce has already handed over the keys and blocked the stairs to the Batcave, it'd still have taken them a while to order the furnishings and equipment and do the building work to convert the Manor for its new inhabitants.

[K. Jones]

After this issue, there's no way Batgirl takes place "after" Eternal. I can believe Arkham Manor and Gotham By Midnight are, but not BG. Also, I can't speak for Catwoman or Acadamy.

I don't think we can (if we were, I totally was) look at Batman Eternal is a contiguous chunk. But its three-act structure does sort of allow us to figure out where things fall. Stuff that was tied to the beginning, like Gordon's in jail stuff - like Manapul & Booch's Detective so far but simply can't be set in Act 3 because Wayne Manor is lost, must then take place between Act 1 and Act 2. The "New Title" stuff like Catwoman and Batgirl then must take place between Act 2 and Act 3. This is loosely, though, because frankly the transitions from Act 1 to 2 and Act 2 to 3 are pretty tightly connected without much time to breathe - for instance, it's hard to imagine Bruce having the time to do his Jack Shaw bit in Arkham Manor "in the midst" of everything going on, so I tend to think that's probably between Eternal and Endgame (along with "The Meek", which is ultimately like a prologue for it) - but obviously as Eternal plays out more we'll learn if that's overruled or not.

Gotham By Midnight's the one that I feel like is totally "After Everything". We haven't seen hide nor hair of Jim Corrigan since the Arkham debacle - plus I mean, in that one, and granted it wasn't exactly a continuity-heavy panel - it very much could've just been showing a sort of historical "example" of how Corrigan functioned - Gordon is not in jail.

I still think Hunt for Robin/Robin Rises is set BEFORE Eternal, though. Which is both baffling and kind of cool.

[RobinFan4880]

Bear in mind that it's a school, and that they've clearly just started the new academic year. Maps, as a new student, is being mentored by Olive Silverlock.

So Gotham Academy is probably in September, and the Arkham events that Olive's referring to would have taken place during the summer vacation, when she didn't see any of the other students.

Arkham Manor would presumably be at least a couple of weeks into the future from where we are in Eternal right now. Even if Bruce has already handed over the keys and blocked the stairs to the Batcave, it'd still have taken them a while to order the furnishings and equipment and do the building work to convert the Manor for its new inhabitants.

That's a good point. Being in school does give you a better sense of seasonal-time than being an adult.

[JasonTodd428]

I still think Hunt for Robin/Robin Rises is set BEFORE Eternal, though. Which is both baffling and kind of cool.

I simply find it baffling overall to be honest, which makes it difficult to say with any certainty when the Batman and Robin story arcs you've mentioned take place or at least from my viewpoint I can't say. Then again I'm not reading B&R and haven't been for around two years now so maybe there's some detail there and I've missed it because of that.

[RobinFan4880]

I simply find it baffling overall to be honest, which makes it difficult to say with any certainty when the Batman and Robin story arcs you've mentioned take place or at least from my viewpoint I can't say. Then again I'm not reading B&R and haven't been for around two years now so maybe there's some detail there and I've missed it because of that.

It has to be set either during the first act of Eternal or before because a) Batman still has Wayne Manor, b) Batman still had the money/resources to gallivant across the world, c) Julia is now where to be seen, d) Batgirl was still in her old outfit, e) Lex is still in the Justice League (which may or may not be the case during Eternal (notice how Lex was missing in Endgame)), f) Damian/Robin is no where to be seen in Eternal, g) Red Hood and Batwoman were not acquainted in B&R but were in Eternal.

[Dzetoun]

It has to be set either during the first act of Eternal or before because a) Batman still has Wayne Manor, b) Batman still had the money/resources to gallivant across the world, c) Julia is now where to be seen, d) Batgirl was still in her old outfit, e) Lex is still in the Justice League (which may or may not be the case during Eternal (notice how Lex was missing in Endgame)), f) Damian/Robin is no where to be seen in Eternal, g) Red Hood and Batwoman were not acquainted in B&R but were in Eternal.

I may be speaking out of turn, but I think what JasonTodd finds baffling, and certainly what I find baffling, is point (f). If Batman and Robin is before Eternal, then where is Damian in all this crisis? You could explain that by saying the Bruce has hidden him, or that he is recovering from whatever happens at the end of Robin Rises. But then, how do you explain that the Bat Family never mentions Damian. Heck, now that we know Grayson is concurrent with Eternal, how do you explain that Dick never mentions Damian, particularly if the kid has been injured in some way?

Having said that, I agree with your analysis. All of the evidence points to Batman and Robin being before Eternal. I'm afraid it may turn out to be another one of those cases where there is simply not any good or satisfactory explanation and they are going to have to wave their hands and duck the tomatoes.

[exile001]

I may be speaking out of turn, but I think what JasonTodd finds baffling, and certainly what I find baffling, is point (f). If Batman and Robin is before Eternal, then where is Damian in all this crisis? You could explain that by saying the Bruce has hidden him, or that he is recovering from whatever happens at the end of Robin Rises. But then, how do you explain that the Bat Family never mentions Damian. Heck, now that we know Grayson is concurrent with Eternal, how do you explain that Dick never mentions Damian, particularly if the kid has been injured in some way?

Having said that, I agree with your analysis. All of the evidence points to Batman and Robin being before Eternal. I'm afraid it may turn out to be another one of those cases where there is simply not any good or satisfactory explanation and they are going to have to wave their hands and duck the tomatoes.

To be fair, I guess it depends on how long Bruce is without his resources. If Snyder finishes Endgame or the next arc restoring everything, I guess it'll be easier to fit things together. From a continuity perspective right now, this is one of the trickier aspects of allowing the teams to do their own thing, with one book (Snyder's) being the 'spine' of the series.

Not that I don't prefer this take. I'm fine either way, if all books stick doggedly to a strict continuity. The latter being how I deemed things pre-New-52 (and could tie almost ANY Batman comic pre-New-52 into one continuity).

[ispacehead]

If Batman and Robin is before Eternal, then where is Damian in all this crisis?

Perhaps Damian's return is short lived.

Or perhaps, he does not remain with Batman. (Those powers might require specialized supervision...)

I'm afraid it may turn out to be another one of those cases where there is simply not any good or satisfactory explanation and they are going to have to wave their hands and duck the tomatoes.

I doubt that the events were planned in tandem honestly, so get those tomatoes ready.

[RobinFan4880]

I may be speaking out of turn, but I think what JasonTodd finds baffling, and certainly what I find baffling, is point (f). If Batman and Robin is before Eternal, then where is Damian in all this crisis? You could explain that by saying the Bruce has hidden him, or that he is recovering from whatever happens at the end of Robin Rises. But then, how do you explain that the Bat Family never mentions Damian. Heck, now that we know Grayson is concurrent with Eternal, how do you explain that Dick never mentions Damian, particularly if the kid has been injured in some way?

Having said that, I agree with your analysis. All of the evidence points to Batman and Robin being before Eternal. I'm afraid it may turn out to be another one of those cases where there is simply not any good or satisfactory explanation and they are going to have to wave their hands and duck the tomatoes.

It is baffling but can be hand waived away so as not to get too "spoiler-rific" for a story that has yet to have its conclusion (the vast majority of readers do not read solicits and so are unaware of how Robin Rises will end).

In the end, I think the weekly book that radically alters Batman's world and is clearly spaced over the time period of a few (in-story) weeks/months is difficult to integrate into an entire family of (real world) monthly books.

[Fuzzy Cactus]

Judging by the latest cover of Batman and Robin (and we know that covers are always 100% indicative of the plot), I think it's safe to say that Damian's currently attending Hogwarts with Barbara and Batcow.

[JasonTodd428]

It has to be set either during the first act of Eternal or before because a) Batman still has Wayne Manor, b) Batman still had the money/resources to gallivant across the world, c) Julia is now where to be seen, d) Batgirl was still in her old outfit, e) Lex is still in the Justice League (which may or may not be the case during Eternal (notice how Lex was missing in Endgame)), f) Damian/Robin is no where to be seen in Eternal, g) Red Hood and Batwoman were not acquainted in B&R but were in Eternal.

Thanks RobinFan. That was just the sort of thing I needed.

All of those things would seem to indicate that those events happen before or early in Eternal. The thing that keeps throwing me off though is the fact that there's been no mention Damian in Eternal living or dead or at the very least some reference to the rescue mission itself. I can see why they would have not made mention of such a thing early on in the weekly and I can even see why the writers involved with Eternal would not want to steal Tomasi's thunder by revealing to much but but those writers don't need to know every detail about the outcome of it to make a passing reference to it just for the sake of syncing up the two in some way. I suppose in the end it's not all that important and maybe I'm just being nitpicky here but it's like an annoying itch, ya know. Anyway thanks again for the information there.

I may be speaking out of turn, but I think what JasonTodd finds baffling, and certainly what I find baffling, is point (f). If Batman and Robin is before Eternal, then where is Damian in all this crisis?

That's it exactly. Damian's not the sort to just sit around while things go to merrily to hell around Gotham and round his family. If he's around and able to help then where is he? If he's in recovery somewhere then why not reference it? Heck, if he's in recovery somewhere that would seemingly necessitate Bruce having the funds to pay for it and if he isn't going to have those funds then shouldn't Bruce mention the need to move him elsewhere even if the writers must dance around what he is moving? People have complained about Dick not being involved here but at least he has a reason. There is seemingly no reason for Damian to be likewise missing if the rescue happened before all this took place.

[AlexanderLuthor]

The real expert in such things http://www.therealbatmanchronologypr...-seven-part-2/ has put the chronology as:

(1) Batman Eternal #11-21
(2) Robin Rises/Batgirl #33/Grayson #1-?
(3) Batman Eternal #22-28
(4) Gotham Academy #1
(5) Batman Eternal #29-34
(6) Catwoman #35 (new Catwoman)
(7) Detective #35-36 (Terminal)
(8) Batgirl #34 (new Batgirl)
(9) Batman Eternal #35-?
(10) Batman #34 (One-Shot)
(11) Arkham Manor #1-2
(12) Detective #37-? (Anarky)
(13) Batman 35-? (Endgame)

There has obviously been a conscious decision to not discuss Damian