"Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020 Mini-Series)" Comic Book Talkback (Spoilers)

[Yojimbo]

Interesting. I know I've seen a statement from one of the DCAU producers at one point that said they hadn't even watched the film because they didn't like where they knew it went. I wish I had been better at keeping tabs and documenting all this stuff as I came across it. I may be conflating accounts from different people. I know more recently Bruce Timm wasn't quite as kind when recalling the film

Yeah, but I mean they set themselves to be shot in the foot by going forward with "Deep Freeze" and Grant Walker revealing he had Nora the whole time. Even if it was an amusing knock on Walt Disney. Things would have really been different if they just adapted "White Christmas" instead of "Deep Freeze" -- in a way they did mine the essence of "White Christmas" into "Cold Comfort" then added in the shocking head reveal, Freeze decided to make others feel how depressed he was, and the nuke. Idk, I still prefer the ending to White over Cold. Still had that BTAS touch of making it feel a bit more personal. But yes, I'm interested in hearing Dini's thoughts about it. It seems we definitely have Timm's well documented.

Think this "revisionist" talk is the most discussion I've seen in this mini-series so far. I hope it's not a warm up for a similar reaction to the big reveal next issue (and that it all makes sense relative to the canon)...

 

[iammattie]

But yes, I'm interested in hearing Dini's thoughts about it. It seems we definitely have Timm's well documented.

I think I may have just found the interview I was thinking about, if so, it turns out the "haven't watched it" bit i mentioned may have actually been about Batman and Robin, not Sub-Zero.

Dini did discuss his thoughts on Nora's revival though:

"I doubt we would have brought her back," agrees Dini. "I felt Nora worked better as 'the woman in ice,' eternally beautiful, much desired but never attainable. Even when she was brought back to life, Freeze could never have her, and so Nora remained more of an ideal than a person. A symbol of a lost and still-mourned love. That's how she should be, I think."

https://dcanimated.com/WF/batman/heartofice/interview/03.php

 

[Yojimbo]

Interesting, they were originally going to cure Victor and Nora at the end of Sub-Zero. I would have loved that ending.

EDIT: Page and logline for the next issue. And it comes out on July 30.

Batman is hot on the trail of the man who's been watching him for months, and he can't believe who it is. Meanwhile, someone launches an assault on the clown prince of crime, the Joker!

 

[Frontier]

EDIT: Page and logline for the next issue. And it comes out on July 30.

So I guess Red Hood is going to go on his violent war on crime exclusively on Joker .

 

[iammattie]

Not sure if anyone has seen this interview Dini did with DC Universe, but it gives me the impression that they're just gonna go ahead and go with Jason's typical origin story:

And so, the thing with Jason Todd was, we never did Jason Todd in the Animated Series because his story was too dark for us to do in any sort of convincing way. It deals with the Joker basically murdering Batman’s assistant, basically a boy, after brutally killing him with a crowbar. There’s no way we could do that, or even elude to that, in the Animated Series at the time. So we just sort of left that as a little pocket of Batman’s history that we’re just not going to deal with. But later on, it made sense to go there and say there is a gap in the Animated Series continuity between Dick Grayson hanging it up as Robin and then becoming Nightwing, possibly we could work it in there.

I find it interesting he refers to him as Batman's assistant rather than as Robin, so there may be some sort of tweak in that regard.

 

[Frontier]

Not sure if anyone has seen this interview Dini did with DC Universe, but it gives me the impression that they're just gonna go ahead and go with Jason's typical origin story:



I find it interesting he refers to him as Batman's assistant rather than as Robin, so there may be some sort of tweak in that regard.

I think he may have been just talking about Robin's role in a general sense rather than alluding to their take on Jason, but that's just how I read it.

 

[iammattie]

I think he may have been just talking about Robin's role in a general sense rather than alluding to their take on Jason, but that's just how I read it.

It's possible. I'm expecting some sort of twist somewhere. A few other interviews I noticed would mention Jason by name, but then, later on, go on to refer to the guy we've been seeing in the book as "a mysterious stranger" or saying that he's a mystery for the reader to figure out, but that DCU interview also sounds like they're going with a regular Todd origin.

 

[Yojimbo]

The toyline spoiled it was Jason pretty much anyway so they were probably just getting their chuckles trying to be cryptic after the fact. Yeah, plus seemed like a foregone conclusion that Jason's time as Robin was set during the time skips in the 2 or about 2 years that passed between Dick quitting as Robin and Tim taking up the mantle/returning as Nightwing in the late Hilary Bader's "Lost Years" because the traditional order of Robins, the notion that Jason is never Robin for long (i.e. like in Young Justice), and quite frankly there's nowhere else it could have happened. If they thought about doing something unexpected like Jason being the first Robin, they can't because there's too many canon conflicts because Dick pretty much is taken by Bruce in Year 1 as Batman and "Beware the Creeper" established Joker's creation was 7 years prior to TNBA which was around off the top of my head Year 6 or 7. The logline indicated Batman and Alfred worked with Jason, but I'm curious if Batgirl did and/or knew about Robin #2. I mean, she had to because at that point Batman brought her officially onto his team taking her to the Batcave and revealing his secret identity -- implicitly confirmed by Jason leaving the clue for Barbara to find at the library in the Deathstroke arc.

 

[Cartoonfan13]

I think I may have just found the interview I was thinking about, if so, it turns out the "haven't watched it" bit i mentioned may have actually been about Batman and Robin, not Sub-Zero.

Dini did discuss his thoughts on Nora's revival though:

https://dcanimated.com/WF/batman/heartofice/interview/03.php

Why Didn't they just leave it be? It happened on screen.

 

[James Harvey]

Who is the mysterious figure following Batman? From the visionary producers of Batman: The Animated Series, discover new adventures in this seminal animated world! Discuss Batman: The Adventures Continue right here!

BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE #9



Written by: Alan Burnett and Paul Dini
Art by: Ty Templeton

The Story: Batman is hot on the trail of the man who's been watching him for months, and he can't believe who it is. Meanwhile, someone launches an assault on the clown prince of crime, the Joker!

Digital Release: July 30, 2020
Price: $0.99

Discuss the latest installment right here!

 

[Frontier]

"The Straightman?" I'm kind of wondering what this guy's deal is because he's super-strong, can take bullets, and seems like his own commedienne instead of a straight-up straightman for Joker .

So there was a mysterious second Robin? You'd kind of expect that to get mentioned at some point in-series but I guess Jason's tenure was so brief and NIghtwing hadn't popped up that only eagle-eyed viewers wouldn've noticed the inconsistencies and realize there was another Robin like Tim did .

Fairly decent attempt at doing a cliff notes Jason Todd origin. I miss the fun bit of him trying to steal the Batmobile's tires but having him be a kid out for justice on a gang that hurt his friend felt true to Jason in some respects (Ma Gunn probably would've seemed to random in this). And of course the set up that Bruce may have rushed too quickly in taking Jason in and his obvious temper .

It was nice to see the classic DCAU Batsuit again. I thought there were some continuity inconsistencies with seeing it again after Dick left but I guess we're supposed to assume Bruce switched in and out between an oval and a no oval suit? The no oval was his "original" costume from Robin's Reckoning. But he also never fought Firefly until the TNBA era .

 

[Yojimbo]

7/30: At first, Jason's "4 years" line on page 1 made me cringe. A rewatch of "Old Wounds" in order because unlike the late Hilary Bader's Lost Years comic, I believe "Old Wounds" omitted a few things like the 1997 banner during Dick's graduation and the episode never stated how long Dick was gone whereas in the comic, it was pretty meticulous about how long he was gone. So in the actual canon, it's feasible Dick graduated say a year earlier in 1996 than in 1997 in the comic. And now this comic is in January to Early 2000-ish, ignoring Dini's 9/11 reference as a direct 9/11/01 reference in the Deathstroke arc. So far it can work set in a 3 year time gap between when Dick leaves and "Sins of the Father" I think. But closer to a point in time after Dick leaves.

That little scene of Tim wanting the truth felt like a nod/made me think of anyway, when Terry wants to know the truth about Tim in ROTJ and it's also someone else who tells him what happened rather than Bruce. heh.

"The Straightman?" I'm kind of wondering what this guy's deal is because he's super-strong, can take bullets, and seems like his own commedienne instead of a straight-up straightman for Joker .

I think his name and demeanor is a nod to Bud Abbott of the Bud and Lou comedy duo. Bud was... the straightman of the two.

Fairly decent attempt at doing a cliff notes Jason Todd origin. I miss the fun bit of him trying to steal the Batmobile's tires but having him be a kid out for justice on a gang that hurt his friend felt true to Jason in some respects (Ma Gunn probably would've seemed to random in this). And of course the set up that Bruce may have rushed too quickly in taking Jason in and his obvious temper .

Yeah, it falls in line with the 'tradition' of them putting a twist on origins in this animated canon.

But he also never fought Firefly until the TNBA era .

Yeah... nobody caught that in editing... UGH. That could be a problem... unless that's Ted Carson. Afterall, this issue's Firefly is designed and/or colored a bit different than Firefly's look in TNBA/JL... the ears, the belt, chest strap, gloves, eyes...

EDIT: Yeah, no year stated in the "Old Wounds" flashback nor any indication of how long Dick was gone in it or "Sins of the Father" so they kept that nebulous like I thought. Also in terms of design choices, in the "Old Wounds" flashback, Batman is already sporting the original Batsuit not the yellow oval BTAS one that was used in this issue's flashback. And of course, they're using the ROTJ/JL/SS Joker design instead of the TNBA one. lol. So did the script call for that Batman and Joker look or was it artistic liberties?

So easter eggs, references, and goofs:
-1st panel of Joker seems to remind me of a scene from a JL or SS appearance...
-Straightman is a nod to Bud Abbott of the Bud and Lou comedy duo. Bud was the straightman of the two.
-Jason Todd mentions Harley Quinn and alludes to Bud n Lou.
-Goodnight, Gracie is a nod to The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
-Jean Street might be a nod to WBA president Jean MacCurdy
-Tim's plea to know what's going on and someone other than Batman telling the tragic flashback mirrors what Terry went through in Return of the Joker
-Alfred mentions The Wolves were the scourge of the East Side. The East Side has come up a few times. In Torch Song, Lynns' hideout was in the East Side until it got leveled after Batman and Batgirl checked it out.
-All the wolf imagery aside, Alfred does allude to the Little Red Riding Hood and Big Bad Wolf connection
-Like in the comics, this version of the Red Hood started out as a role given to unsuspecting patsies for the cops to focus on
-Alfred alludes to when Dick Grayson quit as Robin, seen in the "Old Wounds" flashback
-In the flashback, Jason fights the Wolves wearing a red hoodie. Cute.
-In the flashback, Batman is wearing the Batsuit with the yellow oval he wore in Batman: The Animated Series and The Adventures of Batman & Robin. However, since this takes place after Grayson quit, he should already be back to his original Batsuit with just the bat emblem on his chest.
-In the flashback, it's mentioned Jason and Danny were orphans. In the comics, Jason's father Willis was killed by Two-Face for double crossing him (which was used for Tim Drake's origin) and his step mother Catherine died from an illness, leaving Jason homeless until he met Batman. Danny appears to be an original character created for the comic.
-In the flashback, Jason's wall of Batman related photos is similar to Tim's wall in his father's apartment in "Sins of the Father"
-Jason's wall seems to have pictures of Joker in his TNBA design which wasn't used in this issue and Tim Drake Robin (let's say it's really young Dick as Robin I guess) along with Batman, Batgirl, Harley, Catwoman I think, and either Penguin or Mad Hatter.
-Alfred directly mentions Dick Grayson and again mentions he left to be out on his own.
-The posing of Barbara in her gi next to Alfred mirrors a similar posing at the end of "Sins of the Father" when Bruce tells Tim the 3 rules.
-Jason looks at the case with 2 Batsuits in it even though Bruce is still wearing one and the Robin suit Dick wore presumably when he first started out yet the one he wore in his later years is absent.
-Bruce's "No wine before it's time" is likely a nod to Orson Welles' saying the "We will sell no wine before its time." slogan for the famous Paul Masson winery advertising campaign of 1978 to 1981.
-Jason taking the original Robin suit without permission mirrors what Tim does in "Sins of the Father"
-The last panel, the posing of Jason Todd as Robin is a nod to the famous Detective Comics #38 cover, the first appearance of Robin in the comics.
-Out of context, Firefly's presence is an anachronism. He doesn't debut until the TNBA episode "Torch Song". Nor does he use goons, he typically works alone.

7/31: Page and logline for Issue #5 Chapter 2. It releases on August 13.

The secret history of Batman's second Robin revealed at long last!

 

[iammattie]

Jason's "4 years" line on page 1 made me cringe. A rewatch of "Old Wounds" in order because unlike the late Hilary Bader's Lost Years comic, I believe "Old Wounds" omitted a few things like the 1997 banner during Dick's graduation and the episode never stated how long Dick was gone whereas in the comic, it was pretty meticulous about how long he was gone. So in the actual canon, it's feasible Dick graduated say a year earlier in 1996 than in 1997 in the comic. And now this comic is in January to Early 2000-ish, ignoring Dini's 9/11 reference as a direct 9/11/01 reference in the Deathstroke arc. So far it can work set in a 3 year time gap between when Dick leaves and "Sins of the Father" I think. But closer to a point in time after Dick leaves.

Technically, while most of the passage of time was noted in Lost Years, I do think it could theoretically be stretched a bit more (if you're willing to deal with the repercussions of what that does to the latter parts of the timeline). The comic itself mentions 850 days passing, putting us at 2 years and 120 days out after that we get no mention of the passage of time for Dick to travel from Mindalauki to the Himalayas, no mention of how long his trip in the Himalayas is other than the guide saying they're only on the first week of their journey, No mention of time passing when Dick leaves the Himalayas for Gotham to retrieve The Spirit of the Eternal Soul, and then we DEFINITELY have time missing between that and him showing back up in the Batcave as he says he's going to return the statue to the Himalayas as well as repurposing his makeshift costume into the Nightwing costume. After all that's taken into consideration, I'd imagine we could say it's been 2 and a half to 3 years.

Also worth mentioning that I just came across this from the last issue of Batman & Robin Adventures that suggests it actually is closer to 3 years and Dini helped devise the timeline for the series:

So I wouldn't throw it out just yet. Curious though how you got that this comic is in January? All the hints I've been picking up seem to imply late November/December of whatever year it takes place in. Tim mentions just passing his Geometry final in Chapter 6, which means we're heading into summer or winter break, and when you couple that with the fact that all Bond movies since 1995 have had a November release date with the Exception of "Tomorrow Never Dies", (December), and Joker and Straightman both mentioning it being cold out, it seems we're towards the end of the year rather than at the start of it.

 

[Yojimbo]

Technically, while most of the passage of time was noted in Lost Years, I do think it could theoretically be stretched a bit more (if you're willing to deal with the repercussions of what that does to the latter parts of the timeline).

Yes, that's the caveat of these new additions to the canon - a continuity domino effect where one has to look at their own personal timeline and see how does shifting even just one year affect a whole bunch of other things. JL vs. FF was way easier in comparison to incorporate because it's set after "Destroyer" and very little repercussions to past events. And also as I was alluding to, what happens in the comic isn't canon to the DCAU unless it's adapted into the episodes. Lost Years is a tricky one because it was written a staffer but were any producers involved in it or did they only address it later on as they adapted part of it for the 2 episodes of TNBA? And of course, Bruce Timm's rule of thumb - comics aren't canon and even when the use one, their adaptation of it into an episode/movie is often different in some details. And of course, how does that rule apply to this mini-series? I already count the one Batman Adventures Annual with Jason Blood/Etrigan as an exception to the rule because they pretty much allude to it in the TNBA episode (and of secondary importance that it involved the main crew, too, with the story, writing, art, etc) -- so I'm adding this mini to the exception or should I consider it part of the comic AU? Something to think about.

After all that's taken into consideration, I'd imagine we could say it's been 2 and a half to 3 years.

Ideally, yeah.

The outcome of me shifting to it to being 3 years has a lot of implications and I'm pretty sure I'll have to retool my personal timeline either way when the series is done.

-Say we pick the Lost Years comic date of May 1997 for Dick graduating. If he returns almost 3 to 3 years later, that's right before or May 2000. Then I'd have to look at my timeline and decide, is it okay for some of TNBA to overlap with Justice League season 1 or should I/can I feasibly push JL further ahead and not contradict some things like by "Paradise Lost", WW was gone from Themyscira, I think 6 months or "Knight of Shadows" being on Halloween? Is it going force me to push everything back something like a year, up to when Tim gets Jokerized? Idk.
--Try 2.5 years so that's November 1999. Squished up to JL still.

-Or say, I ignore the Lost Years comic date of May 1997 and choose May 1996 and we have May 1999. I have then look at the later BTAS and AOB&R and do I have to adjust everything a year back including all the past events referenced in the episodes or other things like does it still work in relation to Dick being a Sophomore during the start-ish of BTAS?
--Try 2.5 years, November 1998. Hmm. That is some breathing room for the overall canon.

-Or for that matter did Dick graduate in May? Maybe he graduated in December - he didn't graduate in 4 years, or graduated early, or had to stay a semester to get a course he needed. December 1996 again cuts it pretty close with JL. December 1997 again creates a bigger squishy effect with JL (but then again look at JL and Static pretty much happening at the same time but Batman's costume changed between the TNBA and JL look in short order) but the boon is Deathstroke's 9/11 reference is now valid because then TNBA would start in December 2000, in BTAC Tim has been Robin nearly 1 year so it's not the date in December 2001 yet but well past September 2001.
--Try 2.5 years, June 1999 or June 2000.

So I wouldn't throw it out just yet. Curious though how you got that this comic is in January? All the hints I've been picking up seem to imply late November/December of whatever year it takes place in. Tim mentions just passing his Geometry final in Chapter 6, which means we're heading into summer or winter break, and when you couple that with the fact that all Bond movies since 1995 have had a November release date with the Exception of "Tomorrow Never Dies", (December), and Joker and Straightman both mentioning it being cold out, it seems we're towards the end of the year rather than at the start of it.

Well, like I said in past posts, I speculate issue to issue but they are nowhere near my final conclusions. But I am currently thinking January 2000 because feels like a minor time skip over Christmas (and snow) took place between #3 and #5. In #4, 'page 3' of digital ch. 1, Batman notes the stalker/Jason has been "following me the last few weeks." "Last few weeks" could definitely fit the bill of 3 weeks from end of November to the middle of December. Then I looked up full and new moons just in case since there is one of those in #4: Full moons were December 22, 1999 and January 6, 2000 and new moons were December 7, 1999 and January 20, 2000. So I lean towards #4 and 5 being in January. Again, I could be wrong -- More so because I could be incorrectly operating under the guise it's 1999-2000 in-universe.

Yes, feels like the implication is #1 to #3 goes from late November to mid December.

On Bond. Yes. November. And Tim said the latest Bond has been in theaters "awhile" so I'm taking '99 into account so if The World Is Not Enough came out on November 19, 1999. "Awhile" can dovetail into mid-December around the time Tim would be taking his Geometry final in high school before winter break kicks in. So that could imply next issue #4, the full moon is December 22, 1999 but there's no Christmas decor around nor snow which would be in full effect even in Wayne Manor you'd think Alfred and Tim would want some stuff up. So again, I leaned towards a minor time skip of like 2 or 3 weeks to January.
-And the geometry in itself draws some implications. Is Tim a Sophomore already? Did he skip a grade once Wayne enrolled him back into the education system? I have consider all this relative to how old he'll be when Tim gets kidnapped by the Joker a couple years later.

Joker and Straightman's "cold" lines -- winter still lasts into January so I don't see that going for or against either December or January.

While that's not everything I'm contemplating but it's a glimpse into what I'm mulling, what I ask myself, what stones I don't leave unturned. And as I put things together like a puzzle issue to issue, I'm hoping I have all 200 pieces assembled by the time I come to the last page of #7. Or do I have to shave some pieces down to make it all fit? lol. And yes, some of you out there are right to feel a little appalled or amused I torture myself thinking of this stuff in the first place. And yes, I feel both excited yet annoyed by having to think about this timeline stuff again.

 

[iammattie]

Yes, that's the caveat of these new additions to the canon - a continuity domino effect where one has to look at their own personal timeline and see how does shifting even just one year affect a whole bunch of other things. JL vs. FF was way easier in comparison to incorporate because it's set after "Destroyer" and very little repercussions to past events. And also as I was alluding to, what happens in the comic isn't canon to the DCAU unless it's adapted into the episodes. Lost Years is a tricky one because it was written a staffer but were any producers involved in it or did they only address it later on as they adapted part of it for the 2 episodes of TNBA?

For sure, Dini seems to have been involved with Lost Years to a degree (given the letter page snippet I posted above), but this comic does seem to indicate him not really caring too much about it one way or another. The domino effect is definitely interesting and something we've been trying to figure out on our end. Right now, it seems like this comic (if it doesn't end up breaking continuity irreperably) may push JLU up to revolving around the 08 elections, and being that close to the near apocalypse just doesn't feel right to me, as well as stretching STAS into further down the timeline to account for Supergirl's age.

And of course, Bruce Timm's rule of thumb - comics aren't canon and even when the use one, their adaptation of it into an episode/movie is often different in some details. And of course, how does that rule apply to this mini-series? I already count the one Batman Adventures Annual with Jason Blood/Etrigan as an exception to the rule because they pretty much allude to it in the TNBA episode (and of secondary importance that it involved the main crew, too, with the story, writing, art, etc) -- so I'm adding this mini to the exception or should I consider it part of the comic AU? Something to think about.

For sure, in my eyes, I try to approach the whole thing as "These comics may not be canon to the show, but the shows are obviously canon to the comics" and build backwards from there to see how much of it can fit in, though I know that approach isn't for everyone. I think the Jason Blood annual was also mentioned by Timm to have been subsumed into canon during his Modern Masters interview as well, but I think that's the only one that's ever had anything concretely said about it one way or another. We were talking to a staff member for one of the shows who said that they did try to pay mind to the comics to a certain degree, but that by the time the JL titles came around they didn't feel as much like the same world as the other titles before it, but of course that's not really an indicator of canon one way or another either.

The outcome of me shifting to it to being 3 years has a lot of implications and I'm pretty sure I'll have to retool my personal timeline either way when the series is done.

-Say we pick the Lost Years comic date of May 1997 for Dick graduating. If he returns almost 3 to 3 years later, that's right before or May 2000. Then I'd have to look at my timeline and decide, is it okay for some of TNBA to overlap with Justice League season 1 or should I/can I feasibly push JL further ahead and not contradict some things like by "Paradise Lost", WW was gone from Themyscira, I think 6 months or "Knight of Shadows" being on Halloween? Is it going force me to push everything back something like a year, up to when Tim gets Jokerized? Idk.
--Try 2.5 years so that's November 1999. Squished up to JL still.

-Or say, I ignore the Lost Years comic date of May 1997 and choose May 1996 and we have May 1999. I have then look at the later BTAS and AOB&R and do I have to adjust everything a year back including all the past events referenced in the episodes or other things like does it still work in relation to Dick being a Sophomore during the start-ish of BTAS?
--Try 2.5 years, November 1998. Hmm. That is some breathing room for the overall canon.

-Or for that matter did Dick graduate in May? Maybe he graduated in December - he didn't graduate in 4 years, or graduated early, or had to stay a semester to get a course he needed. December 1996 again cuts it pretty close with JL. December 1997 again creates a bigger squishy effect with JL (but then again look at JL and Static pretty much happening at the same time but Batman's costume changed between the TNBA and JL look in short order) but the boon is Deathstroke's 9/11 reference is now valid because then TNBA would start in December 2000, in BTAC Tim has been Robin nearly 1 year so it's not the date in December 2001 yet but well past September 2001.
--Try 2.5 years, June 1999 or June 2000.

For sure, absolutely a lot to think about. I've always approached TLY from the perspective that the Festival of the Dead that they show is likely an in-universe replacement for Day of the Dead celebrations and worked the timeline backwards from there, which puts the graduation in January (Which, while not as common, is something that plenty of schools do) So idk if that helps your decision one way or the other. Personally, til BTAC is finished I'm trying to work with a floating "This could be any time in 1997 and the festival is a fictional stand-in so maybe it isn't late October?" approach, but I've got a feeling that by the end of this it's not gonna matter much one way or another.

Well, like I said in past posts, I speculate issue to issue but they are nowhere near my final conclusions. But I am currently thinking January 2000 because feels like a minor time skip over Christmas (and snow) took place between #3 and #5. In #4, 'page 3' of digital ch. 1, Batman notes the stalker/Jason has been "following me the last few weeks." "Last few weeks" could definitely fit the bill of 3 weeks from end of November to the middle of December. Then I looked up full and new moons just in case since there is one of those in #4: Full moons were December 22, 1999 and January 6, 2000 and new moons were December 7, 1999 and January 20, 2000. So I lean towards #4 and 5 being in January. Again, I could be wrong -- More so because I could be incorrectly operating under the guise it's 1999-2000 in-universe.

Yes, feels like the implication is #1 to #3 goes from late November to mid December.

That's a fair assessment. I feel like we tried looking at full moon cycles at one point in our endeavors, but it seems like a full moon is almost always the state of things in BTAS and tie in material so I guess that's just one of those up to interpretation type points.

On Bond. Yes. November. And Tim said the latest Bond has been in theaters "awhile" so I'm taking '99 into account so if The World Is Not Enough came out on November 19, 1999. "Awhile" can dovetail into mid-December around the time Tim would be taking his Geometry final in high school before winter break kicks in. So that could imply next issue #4, the full moon is December 22, 1999 but there's no Christmas decor around nor snow which would be in full effect even in Wayne Manor you'd think Alfred and Tim would want some stuff up. So again, I leaned towards a minor time skip of like 2 or 3 weeks to January.
-And the geometry in itself draws some implications. Is Tim a Sophomore already? Did he skip a grade once Wayne enrolled him back into the education system? I have consider all this relative to how old he'll be when Tim gets kidnapped by the Joker a couple years later.

Joker and Straightman's "cold" lines -- winter still lasts into January so I don't see that going for or against either December or January.

Something I'm wondering if you've thought of in relation to all this (and I don't think it debunks or supports either of our placements, but is definitely an interesting point) is what these placements may end up doing to Growing Pains/Holiday Knights. Obviously because of Clayface's trajectory GP has to be before HK, and in GP there's a line that it's past Halloween putting us sometime in November/December there as well. With Tim being said not to have been Robin for a full year by the time of BTAC, it seems that these placements would have to pull GP forward in time to be shortly before BTAC starts especially since Alfred goes on about how after all this time Bruce still treats Tim like a kid, and that doesn't make much sense if it's one of Tim's first adventures (plus, gotta be honest... kinda weird if Batman had a Robin die for Alfred to tell him to loosen up about this). So, if GP moves forward in time, then so does Holiday Knights, probably taking place in between some issues.

And yes, I feel both excited yet annoyed by having to think about this timeline stuff again.

Lmao, right there with ya!

 

[Yojimbo]

Something I'm wondering if you've thought of in relation to all this (and I don't think it debunks or supports either of our placements, but is definitely an interesting point) is what these placements may end up doing to Growing Pains/Holiday Knights. Obviously because of Clayface's trajectory GP has to be before HK, and in GP there's a line that it's past Halloween putting us sometime in November/December there as well. With Tim being said not to have been Robin for a full year by the time of BTAC, it seems that these placements would have to pull GP forward in time to be shortly before BTAC starts especially since Alfred goes on about how after all this time Bruce still treats Tim like a kid, and that doesn't make much sense if it's one of Tim's first adventures (plus, gotta be honest... kinda weird if Batman had a Robin die for Alfred to tell him to loosen up about this). So, if GP moves forward in time, then so does Holiday Knights, probably taking place in between some issues.

Yeah, even before this comic came out, I always concluded Holiday Knights is essentially the last event in TNBA. I'd have to look at the production codes that I think are in the Batman Animated book, but it did feel like some episodes aired out of order. You'd think "Old Wounds" aired a bit earlier maybe even right after "Sins of the Father" but yeah going back to if TNBA starts around May -- I concluded then TNBA must take place over the course of about 7 months so therefore "Holiday Knights" has to take place at the end of that 7 months for continuity to make sense.

As for treating Tim like a kid -- well, there's a lot ways to look at it. Yeah, he is one. Bruce is over protective of his latest ward. Doesn't want history to repeat itself like with Dick and now Jason, too. If anything, Bruce is a hard person to work with. He's got issues. We know he eventually ends up solo again for x amount of time before he's forced to retire and at some point dropped out of the League. And Bruce and Tim were on and off and on after Joker's death. Plus, Batman seemed quite standoffish during TNBA compared even to BTAS and AOB&R.

The 'Halloween' line I'd have to rewatch the episode, don't recall off the top of my head. I know for sure in "Never Fear", Tim mentioned he was on summer break. And of course, "Holiday Knight" was very specific about it being December and what day what happened on. EDIT: Okay, you were referring to the ringleader of the Skulls when he told Robin to scram around the 2:13 mark. I discounted that line and interpreted as just a standard euphemism or basic hero-villain banter and not a direct marker of time.

 

[Fone Bone]

Batman: The Adventures Continue "Hardware"

It's kind of cool to see the worlds of The New Batman Adventures and Superman: The Animated Series collide more fully. Although I think the timing is a little bit messed up as to when Lex Luthor created the Lexosuit. It's still fun and Ty Templeton has still got it.

Brainiac was a nice surprise and I liked the cliffhanger with the spooky kid with the gun. The series is off to a nice start. ****.

 

[James Harvey]

The latest print edition of Batman: The Adventures Continue has arrived!

BATMAN: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES #3



Written by: Paul Dini and Alan Burnett
Art by: Ty Templeton
Covers: Main cover - Joe Quinonesy; Variant cover - Dan Hipp

The Story: Deathstroke makes his move against the Dark Knight, but he's not just going to strike at him physically - he's going to try to destroy him completely by using the rest of the Bat-Family against him!

Print Edition Release Date: August 4, 2020
Print Edition Cover Price: $3.99

How great have the discussions here been so far? Let's keep it going! Rate and discuss Batman: The Adventures Continue right here!

 

[hobbyfan]

Anyone notice how, when unmasked, Slade looks like his design is similar to Commissioner Gordon? Just askin'.

So far, so good, though I sense a breakdown between Slade & Lex down the line.

 

[Yojimbo]

Page and logline for Issue #6 Chapter 1. Releases August 27.

Batman's clash with Jason Todd continues as he hunts for information on his former boy wonder. Meanwhile, Alfred recounts Jason's last days as Robin to Tim.