Bat Solicits and the "Offical" 52 Bat timeline

If I see any more solicits that catch my eye I'll write about them but for now this is it. A lot of Year Zero issues which I'm not looking forward to but I must admit there are some beautiful covers here. Some of them actually make me want to get the issues. I'm going to start with the timeline first which already gives me a headache. Needless to say there's a lot of information missing, some new retcons and other confusion.

 

• Already this is confusing since Six Years ago is supposed to be "Year Zero" because Batman was starting out and thought of as a urban legend. He wasn't an "official" superhero at that point.
• Looks like my theory about the first time the bat signal turned on being the night Dicks' parents died was right. Which apparently was Mary Graysons' birthday as well. According to the back up information in Nightwing #0 he's 15.
• I think Barbaras' supposed to be 16 here? Which would make Dick and her the same age in this canon. They'd be 14 in Year Zero. Dick has the longest term as Robin with two years.
• Don't they mean BATMAN not BATGIRL? I'm not sure where the idea of Jason "quickly" being benched comes from. RHATO #0 says things were fine for a while and Jason never was officially benched/fired but suspected it would happen since he was put on monitor duty. Plus RHATO #20 seemed to retcon that by having Jason active enough to save Roy the day before he died. Interesting to note Babs was shot AFTER Jason died in this canon. His funeral did have a red headed woman without a chair. Most of this entry seems to be guess work that's based on skimming one comic on Jasons' life from birth to rebirth. It wasn't that detailed on the Robin side. Dick/Barbara would be 17 here and I'm guessing that Jason would be 15. Making him 12 in Year Zero.

• The Tim part was seen in Teen Titans #0 making me more sure all these sidekick parts are based on the #0 issues and nothing else. Did Jason return as Red Hood here? Well he was supposed to be training for at least a year. Anyway I think Tim might be 15 although I'd like to put him at 14 when he appeared. I don't think his age was stated in TT. He'd either be 11 or 10 in Year Zero.
• ...Really? Did I miss a issue where it was stated that Damian was aged up to 10? He had birthdays in Batman and Robin. Does that mean he stopped aging after he was physically 10? Because no one ever says he turned eleven even the series that stated a year and a half passed had him arrive at 10 and die at 10.
• Did Snyder write this because most of the books ignore the "Joker has been gone for a year" thing. Especially since Damian never aged. They never even mention Jason coming back from the dead. Those are kind of big things.

 Birds Of Prey #25

 

I don't plan on getting this since I have no interest in this version of BOP but this is gorgeous cover.



 Catwoman #25

 

Selina seems to be in the cat district. I'm just confused over that cat that looks like it's on her shoulder or floating. I only read one issue of Catwoman under Winick (the NOTO Tie in) and given the reviews for the new writer I don't want to pick this up.

Batgirl #25

 

This is lovely and not a look I would think "Barbara Gordon." It's a nice surprise even if I thought she was April O'Neal thanks to her wearing yellow and having short hair. I really have no interest in the current Barbara Gordon but this cover and the fact it's a different writer is tempting me to give it a try. And this is coming from someone that never wanted to buy Batgirl after the reboot.

 Batwing #25

 

I miss David but know he wouldn't fit with this storyline. On another note I love Amanda Conners' work especially the detail with one of the bats directly in front of his shirt. Luke seems okay but I usually forget about this series since David left.

 

NIGHTWING #25

Written by KYLE HIGGINS

Art and cover by WILL CONRAD

On sale NOVEMBER 13 • 40 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T

A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! Dick Grayson frantically tries to find Haly’s Circus—and his parents—as Gotham City is plunged into total darkness!

 

I saw the RHATO cover first but the red mask and jacket instantly made me think this was Jason. Blue has always been more of Dicks' color. On another note why is this one listed at $4.99 when all the other price jumps are done at $3.99? It's the same page count. If it's a typo this is the another book I'm tempted to get. I tried it during the #0 issue and didn't care for it. Then again I think that one was written with two writers so maybe it'd be better. From what I've heard it's improved recently.

 

 

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #25
Written by JAMES TYNION IV
Art by JULIUS GOPEZ and RAY McCARTHY
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and CAM SMITH
On sale NOVEMBER 20 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
A BATMAN: ZERO YEAR tie-in! There’s a dark force of nature that’s forming in Gotham City...A face laughing in the dark that will one day tear Jason Todd’s life apart. What are his plans for the Red Hood Gang? And who else will rise out of the shadows to guide Jason Todd one step closer to his destiny?
 

I read the interview and I'm kinda of dreading this one. This technically could stand out if it uses Jasons' story right and what the Red Hood means to him. But I'm thinking we'll get more of the same bumbling Jason and another retcon to link his "destiny" in the current arc. Out of the three leads Tynion writes Jason the weakest which could be disastrous for an entire issue. We'll see.