2008 (July to December)
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— “Week 11” of 52 — Note in 52 #11. Kate Rebecca Kane aka the new Batwoman makes her debut, teaming-up with the Question and Renee Montoya against Intergang in Gotham. It is revealed that Kate and Renee are lovers. Kate is related to the original Bat-Woman, but not by direct bloodline. Former Bat-Girl Bette Kane is Kate’s cousin.
–Around “Week 12” of 52 — Note in a reference in Detective Comics #817. July. Massive corruption within the GCPD begins to show its face in public.
— “Week 16” of 52 — Note in flashback from Catwoman Vol. 3 #56 and flashback from Catwoman Vol. 3 #62. August. Selina Kyle tells Holly Robinson that she is pregnant! She also reveals the father is Sam Bradley Jr. Then, Holly begins training with Wildcat and Alan Scott to become Selina’s replacement (as seen through flashback from Catwoman Vol. 3 #56). Sam, unfortunately, is killed by Black Mask’s leftover thugs and will never get to see his baby girl (as seen through flashback from Catwoman Vol. 3 #62).
— “Week 23” of 52 — Note in 52 #23. Egg Fu (Chang Tzu) has kidnapped a bunch of the DCU’s major scientists and forces them to create gigantic mutated techno-organic warriors on Oolong Island.
–Around “Week 24” of 52 — Note in a reference in Detective Comics #817. Ex-cop Harvey Bullock plays a pivotal role in exposing the corruption within the GCPD. His record is cleared and he is given his old job back on the force.
— “Week 25” of 52 — Note in 52 #25. Bruno Mannheim allies his Intergang organization with the Religion of Crime (a cult invented by Boss Dark Side—i.e. Darkseid incarnate—that worships evil and follows the “Crime Bible”). Mannheim kills Gotham’s crime bosses or forces them to fall under Intergang’s power. Among the murdered are Mirage (Kerry Austin), Kite Man, and Sewer King. Astonishingly, Kite Man and Sewer King had recently ascended to the top of the Gotham criminal food chain prior to this. As had Ventriloquist, Magpie, and the Squid, who quickly fall back to the bottom of the food chain, joining Intergang to save their own lives. Intergang and the Religion of Crime now control all of Gotham’s mob activity.
–Around “Week 25” of 52 — Note in Uncle Sam & The Freedom Fighters #1. Uncle Sam rises from the dead and begins recruiting the brand new Freedom Fighters. For anyone wondering how Uncle Sam rises from the dead, he’s the goddamn Spirit of America originally brought to life by an Occult ritual performed by the Founding Fathers in the 18th century. He can never really die! The new Freedom Fighters consist of Uncle Sam, new Black Condor (John Trujillo), new Doll Man (Lester Colt), new Firebrand (Andre Twist), new Human Bomb (Andrew Franklin), new Phantom Lady (Stormy Knight), and new Ray (Stanley Silver).
— “Week 26” of 52 — Note in 52 #26 and Detective Comics #817. Gotham City elects a new mayor. Little is known about this character. In fact, the comics don’t even give us the new mayor’s name—only that the mayor is female and defeats incumbent David Hull in the election. However, some (admittedly) highly speculative information from a non-canon source—West End Games’ Daily Planet Guide to Gotham (2000)—gives us the name Karen Willis. Applying an obscure sourcebook reference to our timeline here might be a bit of a stretchy fanwank, but the alternative is simply “unnamed female mayor.” It’s always nice to get a name when we can, even from an unlikely place.[1]
–Around “Week 26” of 52 — Note in Uncle Sam & The Freedom Fighters #2. Senator Henry Knight is elected President of the United States. Former President Jonathan Horne is his running mate, thus becoming the new Vice President. However, unknown to the world, Henry Knight has been murdered by the villain Father Time shortly before election day. Furthermore, the evil android known as Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard has replaced the real Henry Knight and taken his place as President-Elect. That’s right people, your new president is really Gonzo the Mechanical Bastard. Amazing.
— “Week 27” of 52 — Note in a reference in Detective Comics #823. Harvey Dent, vigilante protector of Gotham, apprehends Poison Ivy.
–In “Week 30” of 52 — Reference in Batman #700. Late November. Bruce returns to Gotham to honor his mother and father on the anniversary of their deaths. Dick meets with Bruce before he departs for Crime Alley, witnessing Bruce’s preparation for his annual tribute. This year, Bruce has decided to make a change; instead of two roses, Bruce prepares an all black wreath, which he lays down on Crime Alley. The switch to the black wreath from the roses will be a permanent change to this yearly ritual.
–52 #30
“Week 30” of 52. Dick and Tim encounter Intergang smugglers in North Africa while Bruce meets with the Ten-Eyed Brotherhood in the desert in order to “release his inner demons.” Robin travels to the desert and meets with a nearly out-of-control Bruce, who has supposedly “purged his demons.” The Ten-Eyed Brotherhood scenes in the African desert are also shown via flashback from Batman #673, Batman #683, and Robin Vol. 2 #175. Dick then returns to Gotham, suits up as Nightwing, and meets Batwoman for the first time.
— “Week 32” of 52 — Note in 52 #32. Ollie Queen wins a special election and becomes the mayor of Star City.
— “Week 33” of 52 — Reference in The Batman Files. Bruce reviews Nightwing’s files and notes, which Nightwing has been meticulously taking while Bruce is away. Among the updated Bat-computer files is a new entry about the new Batwoman, whose secret ID Nightwing has deduced as Kate Kane (although he hasn’t 100% verified this information yet). Bruce carefully studies Kate Kane’s bio and trusts Nightwing’s assessment of Batwoman, but he’s not satisfied that Kate Kane is really the person behind Batwoman’s mask. In fact, Batman won’t actually verify Batwoman’s secret ID for another three years (not until Batwoman #0)!
— “Week 33” of 52 — Reference in 52 #33. Bruce gives Nightwing a Batarang to give to Batwoman as a gift, signifying that she has been officially adopted into the Bat-Family.
— “Week 33” of 52 — Note in 52 #33. Gotham city officials announce that Michael Akins, due to the corruption within his department, will be removed as commissioner and Jim Gordon will replace him in his old post! The GCPD throws Jim Gordon a “Welcome Back” party. Gordon has taken up smoking his pipe again, something he hasn’t done in years (ever since his heart attack). For shame, Jim, for shame.
— “Week 34” of 52 — Note in 52 #34. New Year’s Eve. Lex Luthor shuts down the “Everyman” powers without warning. Hundreds of flying “Everyman” superheroes plummet to their deaths. Downtown Metropolis is devastated with piles of bodies and a ton of property damage.
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- [1]PURPLEGLOVEZ (TIPTUP JR 94): When Batman returns to Gotham City after a year-long sabbatical following the Infinite Crisis storyline, an unnamed woman is serving as mayor, as referenced in 52 #26 and Detective Comics #817. We know nothing about her at all, but there is an obscure clue to her identity in West End Games’ Daily Planet Guide to Gotham (2000). In this sourcebook, it is noted that many of Gotham’s mayors (including Armand Krol and Marion Grange) come from the District Attorney’s office. Thus, it’s speculated that Karen Willis—the District Attorney at the time, in the aftermath of “No Man’s Land”—was potentially on track for the mayor’s office in future elections. It’s unclear if this was a seed planted by DC editorial that never bore fruit, but at any rate, the unnamed female mayor of the “One Year Later” era could possibly be Karen Willis.↩
