One problem I have with the New 52 Universe is that the timeline of stories is so skewed. Justice League and Action Comics take place 5-years ago whereas Wonder Woman is set in the present and God knows when and where Earth-2 is really set. The Batman Family stories are just as bad.
Think of it like this- in the supposed 6 years of Bruce Wayne's tenure as the Dark Knight, he's gone through not one, not two, but three Robins. No, wait, I forgot Damien- 4 freakin' Boy Wonders as Batman's sidekick. That's an average of 1.5 years per teammate- that's just ridiculous and that insanity is highlighted in this edition.
This volume is a collection of short stories that take place in the past, present, and future. Essentially, every story is quite good and lots of great background detail is revealed in them. For example in a story set during the Zero Year storyline, we learn a little of the past history of Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake before they each become Robin.
But the stories that take place just prior to last year's Batman Eternal event (and occurs at least one year into the future with numerous flashbacks) are jumbled as best. I know that the 52-issue series is supposed to contain a bunch of twists and turns, but some of these shockers seem out of place. For example, Selina Kyle has become the crime lord of Gotham. That's all well and good, but again it jumps the Catwoman comic a full year into the future meaning once again, DC played fast and loose with continuity with very little notice (or concern for the fans.)
That's one thing that Marvel NOW! doesn't seem to do wrong. They do an amazing job keeping almost every one of their titles set within the same week that the issues drop new in stores. Yes, there is one or two exceptions to that rule but their core timeline is a lot easier to decipher. Unlike the DC timeline in which I once saw a diagram that tried unravel the whole mess. At the end of all the timelines, there was a giant ball of 'wibbly-wobbly, timey wimey... stuff' that just pointed to a giant question mark.
Where's the Riddler to answer this humongous puzzle when you need him?
Worth Consuming
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
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