Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: Batman, court of owls, damian wayne, dc comics, hellbat, jon kent, lois lane, psycho pirate, red hood, robin

Rewriting Origins And Other Batman Continuities In Today's DC Comics

Published Tue, 25 Jan 2022 05:57:15 -0600

by Rich Johnston

Last updated Tue, 25 Jan 2022 12:08:15 -0600

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It's not just Catwoman who gets a new comic book origin story playing out in DC Comics titles today. There are a lot of Batman-relevant continuity points playing out, some that bring up old stories, some that rewrite them, some that add brand new continuity plugs going back decades. Because, remember, everything happened, and everything matters… spoilers of course. Know that going in, though we may start with some minor ones before moving to more major breaches of etiquette.

In Task Force Z #4 we have Jason Todd, former Robin and now the Red Hood confronts Harvey Dent, in a fashion that suggests Harvey Dent – or Two-Face – knows more about Red Hood's Robin origin stealing the hubcaps from Batman's Batmobile, than maybe he should. Was Bruce Wayne a little loose-lipped about his new ward back then?

In Detective Comics #1050 we also get a flashback to the younger Dick Grayson in his earlier adventures, but that make a major contribution to the current threats to Arkham Tower.

While Ra's Al Ghul gets a fuller origin story, often denied him in the past, as the grandfather of the current Robin, in Robin #10. A new Birth Of The Demon with an actual Demon.

And a motivation to save his own mother from death, as well as transform himself with the Lazarus Pit.

And a new history of Ra's Al Ghul to share, and to add to all the others from previous Batman comics. It all depends upon what kind of reliable narrator you take his mother to be… and wonder what of this is present in the current Damian?

While Detective Comics #1050 returns, albeit it briefly, to the nineties No Man's Land crossover, the biggest Batman event of its day which saw Gotham hit by an earthquake and then isolated from the rest of the United States by federal order leading to a new battle between anarchy and fascism.

And talking of fascism, in the Superman And Robin Special, reuniting the Super Sons with Jon Kent and Damian Wayne going over past glories, we get confirmation that the Hellbat suit used by Batman to fight alongside members of the Justice League, is still knocking around in storage. And, indeed, which Lois Lane used it to defend her son Jon Kent from Eradicator. Although, at this point, we were only aware that a glove of the armour had survived, kept for special emergencies by Lois Lane. Looks like someone put the whole thing back together… while in Action Comics, it appears that a sliver of Gotham is making it across for the Martian Manhunter to deal with…

The Court Of Owls is coming to town! While in Batman's Arkham Tower in Detective Comics, there is one resident who is likely to put the whole thing on its head. While being imprisoned for his mental health is usually a thing… there is much more besides.

The Psycho-Pirate, the cross-dimensional survivor, driven mad by the multiverse and who has often been key to both crisis and controlling populations, whether by Bane in Gotham or by the Anti-Monitor, and able to bring Multiversal folk across the Omniverse, such as the Flashpoint Batman, after Grant Morrison gave him that multidimensional awareness back in eighties Animal Man, and then dragged him out for every Crisis he was involved with. What knowledge of past worlds will the Psycho-Pirate give, now that everything happened and everything matters – apart from 5G?

TASK FORCE Z #4 CVR A EDDY BARROWS & EBER FERREIRA
(W) Matthew Rosenberg (A/CA) Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira
There's no way that Red Hood's team of zombie villains would ever turn on him. I mean, that's just math. There's no chance at all that trying to control a team that literally has zombie Bane on it will work out badly. So just stop it, don't even think that way…and even if that were the case, there's no way Mr. Freeze would return to kill everyone either, right? Retail: $3.99 In-Store Date: 01/25/2022

SUPERMAN & ROBIN SPECIAL #1 (ONE SHOT) CVR A VIKTOR BOGDANOVIC
(W) Peter J. Tomasi (A/CA) Viktor Bogdanovic
As the Super Sons, Jon Kent and Damian Wayne put evil to bed…past its bedtime. But a new day has dawned, and Jon Kent is now the Superman of Metropolis—all grown up and fighting for truth, justice, and the kinds of grown-up things that Superboy was only beginning to understand as a child. Now a ghost from Jon's past has reared its head, and to battle this evil, he'll need to reunite with Robin for one last mission into the heart of darkness. This time they'll be battling not as Super Sons, but as Superman and Robin! This thrilling adventure is written by acclaimed Super Sons scribe Peter J. Tomasi!
Retail: $5.99 In-Store Date: 01/25/2022

ACTION COMICS #1039 CVR A DANIEL SAMPERE
(W) Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Shawn Aldridge (A) Riccardo Federici and Adriana Melo (CA) Daniel Sampere
Weeks after arriving on Warworld, Superman and the Authority are still learning the art of survival. But Superman refuses to bow to Mongul's law, continuing to risk his life for his new allies, his fellow slaves, and even his enemies. As members of the Authority fight Mongul's rule from the shadows, Superman discovers an ancient mystery regarding Warworld's true origins… that he himself may play a part in. Also featuring Martin Manhunter Part Three!
Retail: $4.99 In-Store Date: 01/25/2022

DETECTIVE COMICS #1050 CVR A IRVIN RODRIGUEZ
(W) Mariko Tamaki, Matthew Rosenberg, Mark Waid (A) Ivan Reis, Danny Miki, Fernando Blanco, Dan Mora (CA) Irvin Rodriguez
It's the landmark, oversize issue Detective Comics #1050, and some of the biggest names in comics are here to celebrate the Dark Knight! First up in "The Tower" part four, the villainous force keeping Arkham Tower's patients sedated is at last revealed—and this villain's return is guaranteed to catch you by surprise! It's the dramatic conclusion to act one of Mariko Tamaki's Arkham Tower epic, brought to life by the legendary Ivan Reis! Then, in "House of Gotham" part four, Matthew Rosenberg and Fernando Blanco take us into the seedy underbelly of Gotham's criminal elite through the lens of the original Robin (Dick Grayson), and reveal what it takes for a young man to survive amongst the deadliest killers in the DCU. It's a tour de force of Gotham's vilest villains! Last but not least, making his grand return to the DCU, writer Mark Waid teams with Detective Comics uber-artist Dan Mora to bring you the start of a brand-new day for Batman…and Superman? It's the world's finest collaboration that you'll need to read to believe!
Retail: $5.99 In-Store Date: 01/25/2022

ROBIN #10 CVR A SIMONE DI MEO
(W) Joshua Williamson (A) Roger Cruz, Norm Rapmund (CA) Simone Di Meo
The Lazarus Tournament has ended, but Mother Soul is not going down without a fight! As Damian Wayne battles for the fate of his family line, a last-ditch effort by an unlikely ally will lead to a major power shift in the DCU! It's Robin versus his hyper-powerful great-grandmother in a battle so gripping you'll need an extra butterscotch candy from her little dish to make it through!
Retail: $3.99 In-Store Date: 01/25/2022