Catwoman (v2) #94
It took a while to return to this project, for various reasons, but here we go again!
As usual, I’ve identified collected editions where you can find some of this material, but I haven’t kept up with all of DC’s publications, so many of the issues may have been republished in further books (and probably were).
Anyway, this is what was taking place in and around Gotham City back in 2001…
EXTENDED BATMAN FAMILY [After the Officer Down crossover helped consolidate the new era of Batman titles as their own corner of the DC Universe, we started to get more interactions between the various cast members of Gotham-related books. Once again, my ideal reading order tries to pack together story arcs and issues that directly flow into each other (especially via cliffhangers) while alternating between series. I’m skipping Young Justice #31-34 (collected in Young Justice, v4) because Robin is nowhere to be seen, so those issues can be read at any point before Young Justice: Our Worlds at War.]
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #70: ‘Cry for Atonement’ [This issue starts not long after #69, but it kicks off an arc that lasts for weeks and culminates in Azrael adopting a new suit and moving out of Gotham City, so I’m placing it after Officer Down.]
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #71: ‘Brothers’
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #72: ‘Hell & Back!’
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #73: ‘Homecoming’
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #74: ‘Accused’
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #75: ‘Fallen Angel’
Catwoman (v2) #91: ‘The Short Road’ [The series’ final issues closely follow the various threads from Bronwyn Carlton’s run.]
Catwoman (v2) #92: ‘Tag’ [John Francis Moore takes over as writer, but basically wraps up Carlton’s story.]
Catwoman (v2) #93: ‘Fear Is Here to Stay’
Catwoman (v2) #94: ‘You Don’t Have to Go Home, But You Can’t Stay Here’
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #76: ‘There Shall Be a Beginning’ [Set forty days after issue #75. Following intense mourning, Azrael gets back to crimefighting, now based out of Ossaville (about 100 miles north of Gotham).]
Detective Comics #755: ‘Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?’ (collected in New Gotham, v2) [Commissioner Gordon’s retirement dinner. Sasha Bordeaux has been Bruce Wayne’s bodyguard for four months.]
Batman: Gotham Knights#14: ‘Sibling Rivalry’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested) [A couple of separate issues dealing with how Gotham Knights #11’s revelations psychologically affect, respectively, Nightwing and Robin. In this reading order, #11 was quite a while ago, but there’s no reason the topic can’t continue to linger on the characters’ minds. Also, although Azrael shows up in Gotham with his new costume (because Batman asked him to team up with Nightwing), this does not mean he isn’t living in Ossaville.]
Batman: Gotham Knights #15: ‘Far from the Tree’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested)
Batgirl #13: ‘Batgirl’ (collected in Batgirl: A Knight Alone and in To the Death)
Batgirl #14 (collected in Batgirl: A Knight Alone and in To the Death) [No story title.]
Batman #588-590: ‘Close Before Striking’ (collected in Batman: False Faces and in Batman by Brian K. Vaughan) [This cool tale, written by Brian K. Vaughan, retcons the origin of Matches Malone.]
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #77: ‘Poison Road’
Orpheus Rising #1-5 [Introduces yet another Gotham vigilante… I’m placing the mini-series here because most of the following comics contain running subplots, so this seems like the place where it would cause less of a disruption.]
Batgirl #15 (collected in Batgirl: Fists of Fury and in To the Death) [No story title.]
Birds of Prey #28-30: ‘History Lesson’ [In #28,Dinah Lance gets to know where Barbara Gordon works and lives.]
Nightwing (v2) #54: ‘In the middle of the cold, cold night’ (collected in Nightwing: On the Razor’s Edge and in Shrike)
Nightwing (v2) #55: ‘Love & Death’ (collected in Nightwing: On the Razor’s Edge and in Shrike)
Nightwing (v2) #56: ‘Stalked’ (collected in Nightwing: On the Razor’s Edge and in Shrike) [Dinah bumps into Nightwing at Barbara’s place.]
Nightwing (v2) #57: ‘Yesterday Never Dies’ (collected in Nightwing: On the Razor’s Edge and in Shrike)
Nightwing (v2) #58: ‘A World of Hate’ (collected in Nightwing: On the Razor’s Edge and in Shrike) [The relationship between Barbara and Dick seems to be getting more serious.]
Robin (v4) #87: ‘Secrets Revealed’
Robin (v4) #88: ‘Secrets & Lies’ [Spoiler meets the new Batgirl.]
Robin (v4) #89: ‘A Serpent in Paradise’
Robin (v4) #90: ‘Snake Bite’
Robin (v4) #91: ‘Kid Kobra’
Robin (v4) #92: ‘A Leap of Faith’
Robin (v4) #93: ‘Close to Home’ [We find out the Riddler has been released from prison.]
Robin (v4) #94: ‘A Question of Timing’ [Final panels tease Joker: Last Laugh.]
Detective Comics #757: ‘Air Time’ (collected in New Gotham, v2) [A very nice one-and-done tale. I’m switching the order here because this works better if read before Harley Quinn #6, whereas issue #756 works better if read afterwards.]
Harley Quinn #5: ‘Larger Than Life’ (collected in Harley Quinn: Preludes & Knock-Knock Jokes and in Harley Quinn by Karl Kesel and Terry Dodson: The Deluxe Edition, v1)
Harley Quinn #6: ‘Who Wants to Rob a Millionaire?’ (collected in Harley Quinn: Preludes & Knock-Knock Jokes and in Harley Quinn by Karl Kesel and Terry Dodson: The Deluxe Edition, v1) [The Riddler is on the loose. Harley Quinn goes after Bruce Wayne and it seems Sasha Bordeaux still doesn’t know about his secret identity. Oracle tries to contact the rest of the cast and we get snapshots of where they are, aligning the continuity: Batman is in Detective Comics #757, Robin is in Robin (v4) #90, Nightwing is in Nightwing (v2) #56, Black Canary is somewhere before Birds of Prey #31. (I’m not sure about Batgirl… perhaps Batgirl #15?)]
Harley Quinn #7: ‘Gods and Monsters’ (collected in Harley Quinn: Preludes & Knock-Knock Jokes and in Harley Quinn by Karl Kesel and Terry Dodson: The Deluxe Edition, v1) [The cover mocks the ‘Batman Dies!!!’ non-event.]
Harley Quinn #8: ‘Be Cruel 2 Your School’ (collected in Harley Quinn: Night and Day and in Harley Quinn by Karl Kesel and Terry Dodson: The Deluxe Edition, v1)
Harley Quinn #9-12: ‘Quintessence’ (collected in Harley Quinn: Night and Day and in Harley Quinn by Karl Kesel and Terry Dodson: The Deluxe Edition, v2)
Batman: Gotham Knights #16-17: ‘Matatoa’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested) [Nightwing tells Batman he’s dating Oracle.]
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #78: ‘The Amazing Adventures of Captain Death’
Batgirl #16 (collected in Batgirl: Fists of Fury and in To the Death) [No story title.]
Batman: Gotham Knights #18: ‘Cavernous’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested)
Batman #591-592: ‘Shot through the Heart’ (collected in Batman by Ed Brubaker, v1) [Sasha still seems unaware about Bruce’s double life.]
Superman (v2) #168: ‘With this ring…’ (collected in New Gotham, v2) [Continues directly into Detective Comics #756.]
Detective Comics #756: ‘Lord of the Ring’ (collected in New Gotham, v2) [Sasha finally finds out Bruce is Batman.]
The Titans #26: ‘Nothing Personal, Just Business’
The Titans #27: ‘Desperate Measures’
The Titans #28: ‘The All-Nighter’
The Titans #29: ‘Kid Stuff’
The Titans #30: ‘Sins of the Past’
The Titans #31: ‘Crowded House’
OUR WORLDS AT WAR [As a crossover event, Our Worlds at War is more of a Superman cosmic adventure, so I’m only including the tie-ins where the Gotham cast plays a key role.]
Batman: Our Worlds at War: ‘Hidden Agenda’ (collected in Batman by Ed Brubaker, v1)
Young Justice: Our Worlds at War: ‘Comedy of Eras’ (collected in Young Justice, v5)
Young Justice #35: ‘War Torn’ (collected in Young Justice, v5)
The Titans #32: ‘You Can’t Go Home Again’ [The story isn’t related to the crossover, but they mention Tempest is off in the events of JLA: Our Worlds at War, so it’s set at the same time.]
JLA: Our Worlds at War: ‘A Date Which Will Live in Infamy’ (collected in Superman: Our Worlds at War, v1 and in Our Worlds at War – Complete Edition)
Nightwing: Our Worlds at War: ‘Die, Die and Die Again’ (collected in Nightwing: Shrike)
Batman #593-594: ‘Sanctuary’ (collected in Batman by Ed Brubaker, v1)
Young Justice #36: ‘Kissing on the Apokolips’ (collected in Young Justice, v5, in Superman: Our Worlds at War, 2, and in Our Worlds at War – Complete Edition)
Impulse #77: ‘Split Decision’ (collected in Young Justice, v5, in Superman: Our Worlds at War, 2, and in Our Worlds at War – Complete Edition)
Superboy #91: ‘War Letters’ (collected in Young Justice, v5, in Superman: Our Worlds at War, 2, and in Our Worlds at War – Complete Edition)
Young Justice #37: ‘War of the Words’ (collected in Young Justice, v5)
Harley Quinn: Our Worlds at War: ‘Our Fighting Forces’ (collected in Harley Quinn: Night and Day)
World’s Finest: Our Worlds at War: ‘Finale’ (collected in Superman: Our Worlds at War, v2 and in Our Worlds at War – Complete Edition)
The Titans #33: ‘Lies’ [Most of the Titans are off ‘dealing with cleanup of the War.’]
PRE-JOKER: LAST LAUGH [Unless there was a good reason for placing them before, I’m putting the issues with cover dates from late 2001 here, between the crossovers Our Worlds at War and Joker: Last Laugh.]
Detective Comics #758-760: ‘Unknowing’ (collected in New Gotham, v2) [Sasha and Bruce finally discuss his secret. Vesper Fairchild returns. Backup for #758 is a neat little character piece about the new police commissioner, Michael Akins. Backups for #759-762 are the great ‘Trail of the Catwoman’ (collected in Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street, in Trail of the Catwoman, and in Catwoman of East End Omnibus), in which Slam Bradley investigates Selina Kyle’s disappearance since Catwoman (v2) #94.]
Detective Comics #761: ‘In Thirty Days’ (collected in New Gotham, v2) [Bruce trains Sasha.]
Detective Comics #762: ‘Passings’ (collected in New Gotham, v2) [Lt. Harvey Bullock leaves the police force.]
Catwoman: Selina’s Big Score (collected in Catwoman: Trail of the Catwoman and in Catwoman of East End Omnibus) [Part of this awesome graphic novel takes place simultaneously with the ‘Trail of the Catwoman’ backups from Detective Comics #759-762]
Batgirl #17 (collected in Batgirl: Death Wish and in To the Death) [No story title.]
Batman: Gotham Knights #19: ‘The Factor of Fear!’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested)
Nightwing (v2) #59: ‘Where’s Freddie Minh?’ (collected in Nightwing: On the Razor’s Edge and in Shrike)
Batgirl #18 (collected in Batgirl: Death Wish and in To the Death) [No story title.]
Nightwing: The Target (collected in Nightwing: Shrike)
Batgirl #19 (collected in Batgirl: Death Wish and in To the Death) [No story title.]
Batman: Gotham Knights #20-21: ‘Retribution’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested) [Ra’s al Ghul is still bitter over Talia’s betrayal back in Detective Comics #750.]
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #79: ‘Driven to Extremes’
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #80: ‘Deadly Faux’
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #81: ‘Azrael Works’
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #82: ‘Blackout’
Nightwing (v2) #60: ‘The Threshold’ (collected in Nightwing: On the Razor’s Edge and in Shrike)
Nightwing (v2) #61: ‘Lethal Force’ (collected in Nightwing: Lethal Force)
Batgirl #20 (collected in Batgirl: Death Wish and in To the Death) [No title. Batgirl and Spoiler become friends.]
Batman #595: ‘Out of the Past’ (collected in Batman by Ed Brubaker, v1) [Sasha is already in on Bruce’s double identity.]
Birds of Prey #31: ‘The Big Romance’ [These next issues form an extended arc and culminate in a page setting up Joker: Last Laugh. Talia al Ghul is supposed to be running Lexcorp, not hanging out with her father, but I can accept they made some kind of temporary truce during the holidays…]
Birds of Prey #32: ‘The Stray’
Birds of Prey #33: ‘The Courtship’
Birds of Prey #34: ‘Heart-Breaker!’
Birds of Prey #35: ‘The Shout’
JOKER: LAST LAUGH [Not long before leaving the regular Batman books, Chuck Dixon got to pen, along with Scott Beatty, a massive, riotous Joker-centric extravaganza crossover event.]
Joker: Last Laugh: Secret Files & Origins [The main story, ‘A Clown at Midnight,’ picks up immediately after the final panel of Birds of Prey #35.]
Joker: Last Laugh #1: ‘Stir Crazy’ (collected in Batman: The Joker’s Last Laugh)
Azrael, Agent of the Bat #83: ‘The Evil Men Do…’
Nightwing #62: ‘Midnight Madness’ (collected in Nightwing: Lethal Force)
Joker: Last Laugh #2: ‘Siege Mentality’ (collected in Batman: The Joker’s Last Laugh)
Birds of Prey #36: ‘Canary Caged’
Harley Quinn #13: ‘Night and Day’ (collected in Harley Quinn: Night and Day and in Harley Quinn by Karl Kesel and Terry Dodson: The Deluxe Edition, v2)
Young Justice #38: ‘Stuff Happens’ (collected in Young Justice, v5)
Batman: Gotham Knights #22: ‘Bugged Out’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested)
Detective Comics #763: ‘La Cucilla’ (collected in New Gotham, v2)
Batgirl #21 (collected in Batgirl: Fists of Fury and in To the Death) [No title.]
Joker: Last Laugh #3: ‘Lunatic Fringe’ (collected in Batman: The Joker’s Last Laugh)
The Titans #34: ‘A Child’s Laughter’
Joker: Last Laugh #4: ‘Everyone Knows This is Nowhere’ (collected in Batman: The Joker’s Last Laugh)
Batman #596: ‘City on Fire’ (collected in Batman by Ed Brubaker, v1)
JLA #59: ‘Bipolar Disorder’ (collected in JLA: Terror Incognita)
Joker: Last Laugh #5: ‘Mad, Mad World’ (collected in Batman: The Joker’s Last Laugh)
Robin #95: ‘Book of the Dead’
Joker: Last Laugh #6: ‘You Only Laugh Twice’ (collected in Batman: The Joker’s Last Laugh)
CHRISTMAS 2001 [So many of the issues cover-dated February 2002 acknowledge the holiday season that this feels like a quasi-crossover, especially as DC invited cover artists across the board to experiment with the title placement, giving it a particular visual (in)coherence… The DCU’s Christmas isn’t haunted by the 9/11 attacks, perhaps because the comics were made months in advance.]
Batman #597: ‘Crooked Miles’ (collected in Batman by Ed Brubaker, v1)
Nightwing #63: ‘Red, Fright and Blue’ (collected in Nightwing: Lethal Force) [Deals with the fallout from Joker: Last Laugh. Guest appearance by the Blue Bettle.]
Robin #96: ‘The Big Cats’ [Same.]
Birds of Prey #37: ‘Red, Black and Blue’ [Same.]
Detective Comics #764: ‘Hearts’ (collected in New Gotham, v2)
Batgirl #22 (collected in Batgirl: Death Wish and in To the Death) [No title.]
Young Justice #39: ‘Petal to the Metal’ (collected in Young Justice, v5) [No appearances by anyone from the Batman family, so there’s no clear place where to put this issue. I’m inserting it here, because it doesn’t yet feature the holiday motif. (In fact, this is a sort of epilogue to the awesome Hourman series.)]
Batman: Gotham Knights #23: ‘Fear of Success’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested)
Batman: Gotham Knights #24: ‘The Devil You Know’ (collected in Gotham Knights: Contested) [Set in the aftermath of #23. It’s snowing. Supposedly set a week after Batman #595.]
Detective Comics #765: ‘Vacancies’ (collected in New Gotham, v2) [Heavy snow.]
Batman #598: ‘Santa Klaus is Coming to Town’ (collected in Batman by Ed Brubaker, v2) [Christmas time.]
Young Justice #40: ‘The Night Before Doomsday’ (collected in Young Justice, v5) [Same. (Although the link is thematic rather than chronological: this is set in a previous Christmas, as Robin had not yet left the team.)]
Nightwing #64: ‘On a Christmas Evening’ (collected in Nightwing: Lethal Force) [Same.]
JLA #60: ‘Merry Christmas, Justice League – Now Die!’ (collected in JLA: Terror Incognita) [Same.]
The Titans #35: ‘Friends and Lovers’ [Snow.]
The Titans #36: ‘Generation Gap’ [Still snowing.]
Batgirl #23: ‘The Talk’ (collected in Batgirl: Death Wish and in To the Death)
Robin #97: ‘Starstruck’
Catwoman (v3) #1-4: ‘Anodyne’ (collected in Catwoman: The Dark End of the Street, in Trail of the Catwoman,and in Catwoman of East End Omnibus)
Birds of Prey #38: ‘The Little Thing’
Young Justice #41: ‘Mishmosh’ (collected in Young Justice, v5) [Since Robin is no longer in the team, this series becomes more disconnected from the main line’s chronology. I’m placing these issues here because it is a logical break.]
Young Justice #42: ‘Dirty Little Secrets’ (collected in Young Justice, v5)
Young Justice #43: ‘Liberty Throughout the Land’ (collected in Young Justice, v5)