Been a while, huh? Some of the latest #0 issues though has given some nice input to the timeline that I just couldn’t ignore it. Due note spoilers (mainly beneath the timeline) and that this has a very Bat-family focus on the new parts.
~Updated 12-5-12
~27 years ago
- Kal-El/Superman is born: So its the second actual age of a character I’ve seen (after Damian), and more so its one of the big “3” too! Taking this off H’el’s speech, instead of Clark’s approximation of 25 years ago, and the fact he was 3 months old when sent off. Superman #14
~11 years ago
- Damian Wayne is born: Yeah, huh? See below, but its guess work from Batman & Robin #0 and Nightwing #1.
~10 years ago
- Bruce Wayne leaves Gotham: In the “6 years ago” section its stated Bruce is recently returned after four years abroad in Batman #0.
6 years ago
- Batman starts: Previous guess of 7 or 8 based on JL#1 and DC#1, but Batman #0 seems that Bruce wasn’t quite Batman yet in the “6 years ago” bit.
- Joker first appears: Detective Comics #1.
5 years ago
- Superman arrives in Metropolis: Still probably closer to 5.5 years or maybe even 6. Mostly Action Comics #1.
- Victor Stone becomes Cyborg: Justice League #1
- Justice League begins: Justice League #1.
- Batsignal first used: Shows up just before the next one on this list, Batman #0
- Dick Grayson becomes the first Robin: Batman #0 in the “5 years ago” points to this by having Dick mention he’ll be performing with his family for Bruce Wayne, though Nightwing #0 shows it may be closer to 4.5 years before he actually dons the suit.
4 years ago
- Barbara becomes first (only?) Batgirl: Shown in Batgirl #0 while she is attending college.
3 years ago
- Barbara Gordon paralyzed/becomes Oracle: Batgirl #1, though I’m still unsure if she was Oracle as I’ve dropped Batgirl.
2 years ago
- Crisis on Infinite Earths: This is first hinted in Hawk and Dove #1 w/ Nightwing #1 making it clear it wasn’t Final Crisis.
1 year ago
- Bruce Wayne “dies”: Only a slight bit of guesswork from Nightwing #1.
- Final Crisis happened: Little more tentative than Bruce dying, but taking from Nightwing #1.
- Dick Grayson became Batman: Little under 1 year ago, Nightwing #1.
- Damian Wayne becomes Robin: Nightwing #1.
- Tim Drake becomes Red Robin: Nightwing #1.
Less than a year back
- Superboy was created (~4.5 months ago): Superboy #1.
- Blackest Night: No actual time still, but far as I’m concerned it happened while Dick was Batman, so sometime in the past year.
So some interesting things come from this. Damian was ten in Batman and Robin #0 and it seems the Batman and Son story arc (Batman 655-666) is more or less still cannon. As that would be pre-Dick Grayson Batman, well Damian would be 11 now. My bigger question, how does this fit in? Bruce it seemed didn’t even start his training to become Batman until 10 years ago. Damian, I’m assuming at least as Nightwing #1 put Dick becoming Batman a year back, is 11. It makes little sense if Damian is still to be Bruce’s son as Damian is a year older than Bruce’s world wide training event started. Can someone tell me if I’m missing something here?
There is one other really interesting point I found. It seems Dick would have become the first Robin around five years ago. It basically gives a year for each one to be Robin. But then, I’m under the impression that Dick was still Robin at least when Babs started out as Batgirl giving him at least a little over a year in the suit due to Batgirl #3 claiming “back when [they] were kids working with Batman” (plus in Batgirl #0 the Robin shown matches the suit Dick wears in Nightwing #0). Also according to Red Hood and the Outlaws #0 there was about a six month span where there was no Robin working the field. Then again, Jason wasn’t a Robin for that long of a time in the comics so he probably didn’t get a full year. Either way, it gives a four year time frame between when Dick started to Damian starting to also fit in Jason and Tim. I’d hope Stephanie Brown as well even if it would be just a month in the job, but that seems another story…
Finally, still unsure about Crisis events.
Help Wanted? With school and work, along with the expense of comics, I do not have the ability to keep up with all the comics out there. If you have anything that I’m missing, please comment the time, and what issue(s) you got it from and I will add it. I have a feeling that more #0 issues that I’m not picking up may have some nice bits to be added here.
read/RANT! 
You wrote that, 3 years ago, Batgirl was paralyzed by the Joker: this means that, in a matter of months or years, we’ll see Barbara on a wheelchair once again?
Babs got the use of her legs back recently (little before issue 1) and it seems she is keeping them. Otherwise, I’m afraid I’m not understanding. Could you reword the question?
You wrote that the event of Batgirl being paralyzed by the Joker has not been erased from the continuity, it was simply moved forward in the line of time: this made me think that Batgirl walking once again could have been a temporary status quo. Luckily, I was wrong.
I’m really glad you started writing about DC again. Thank you for your reply! : )
To be honest, I still wish Babs was rolling around as Oracle and that Stephanie was still Batgirl. But yeah, that’s not the case. Babs is Batgirl again and probably will for at least a very long time, and my beloved Stephanie is still MIA it seems.
Red hood already confirmed Jason spend at least two years prior to his death one and a half year ago with Batman. Given that we now know there was good stretch of time of Dick wasn’t Robin and a good stretch of time between him quitting and Jason appearing on the scene, it would appear that Dick was Robin for the shortest time.
Do you recall what issue number that was in?
Like to read that to try and figure out his timing exactly. More so, may just be for I’m tired right now but I’m a bit confused in how you worded that. A year and a half ago Jason had just spent two years with Batman…?
If I’m understanding that right, that would put Jason’s starting around 3.5 years ago (which would mean then that Dick quit shortly after Babs became Batgirl) which would fit. If he stopped being Robin around 1.5 years ago though, that would only give Tim a half year in the suit before Bruce went bye bye and Dick took over, which was when Damian became Robin. All and all it fits, though that case it would give Tim the shortest Robin run at only half a year or so.
That is assuming I’m not misunderstanding.
Hi… I’d to point you all to this thing I’ve been doing for quite a number of months now, though it’s 100% perfect nor does it cover all titles cuz i don’t cover titles I don’t care to read I still cover quite a few…
My DCnU Timeline
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ai07Av3bdG5BdG03cTJTcGNIRS02Q2p2WWVlUzVtX3c&usp=sharing
Some things I have left out due to not be 100% sure on a span of time, but I had planned to work those in some how as you can place them in chronological order.
Not bad. And here I mostly was going for 100% or very minimal guess work applied things that was clearly stated in the comics. Also after around issue 5/6s the timeline really became less focused on mainly due to the bloggers here not picking up as many issues anymore. I was also trying to focus on mainly big events. Any Crisis, start of character’s, their births, etc or else it could get easily convoluted if things got too detailed in what they were doing.
You can add in Superboy’s birth to yours if you want though. I also see that yours has come up with some similar things that don’t fit right. Like Damian Wayne being born ~11 years ago (12 now, really) while Bruce Wayne didn’t leave to start his training until about 10 (or 11 now) years back. Especially as the comics have shown Damian to be his son and that Bruce was Batman when Damian was conceived (which he wasn’t Batman until about 6 years back).
I still suppose Damien could actually have been acceleratedly aged though considering he has spare body parts and a clone who was already an adult.
Batman Inc and Batwing are probably best if you just toss them out in specifics because it’s pretty clear Morrison and the Batwing writer simply didn’t care.
I am only taking things that happened if it is specifically referred to or stated in the comics. There are many dates that are gotten from “x amount of time before y” where y is some place else. That is what all those green boxes in the “issues added so far” section are. There are clues there but can’t be sure without more info.
There are a few spots where it’s an “assumed” from various factors, like JL formed in December of the previous year make it 6 year ago rather than 5 which is based on very subtle clue. Cyborg’s football team just won the state championship. It’s not a guess, but if we assume the writer knows when football season is (which just happens to be something that is notable that he likes so should) then we have to take that as them placing that there.
I know a lot of people think that Damian is 10 because it is said multiple times, but given that people call 8-12 year olds 10 commonly it’s not all that hard to dismiss… also, even if he were, he’d be 12 or 13 when he died ^.^ so either way you look at it the 10yo thing can be dismissed while simultaneously we know it’s patently wrong because we know Damian learned of bruce for the first time when he was 10.and we know at least 1 or 2 years pas t since then so the only conclusion is that he is 12, not 10, when Flashpoint happened, Bruce being batman 10 ya can be tossed out because it doesn’t fit and so can Talia’s romance story. So we’re left with 2 conclusion… Bruce and Talia met before he became Batman is possible or Damian had has age sped up which is also possible… or a combination of the two…Of course some might argue why would Talia go for Bruce rather than Batman and all that need to knock that down is Superheros didn’t exist yet and considering the training and money involved Bruce likely would have been under investigation by them at that time already.
Can’t recall what issue it is (at school) but the one where it shows Damien growing up indicates that Bruce was Batman when he was conceived due to that flashback scene, and we also know he doesn’t become Batman until about 6 years back. So Talia hooking up with Bruce during his training and before Batman can’t work out at all. The only bit that can is accelerated aging, which being comics and all can work. Especially as I doubt Talia would have wanted to spend time changing diapers and waiting for him to learn to walk.
Damian’s Origin doesn’t say anything about Bruce BEING Batman 10 years ago, but does show that Damian was in an incubator pod for 9 months and celebrated at least 5 birthdays.
Batman Inc shows Talia meeting Bruce/Batman for the first time and says it happened 10 years ago which couldn’t have happened. Batman Inc also shows Old style Bruce and Dick which didn’t happen and show Batwoman I… however she never existed in continuity. Basically Batman Inc should be taken with a grain of salt and only be considered canon if it is somehow supported in other titles.
The two are not incompatible though that Talia and Bruce met while Bruce was on his trips which would have just started and Talia could have been checking out possible suitors at the time which Bruce would have been even then… or it could have been for a world domination plot by getting the DNA of wealthy and powerful men which also fits.