“Those comic convention people need to take their stuff home with them.”
Detective Comics #678
DC Comics (September, 1994)
“Yesterdays Gone” WRITER: Chuck Dixon PENCILER: Graham Nolan INKER: Bob McLeod COLORIST: Adrienne Roy LETTERER: John Constanza ASSISTANT EDITOR: Darren Vincenzo EDITOR: Scott Peterson
What would happen if on that fateful night it wasn’t Thomas and Martha Wayne that died but they’re young son Bruce. Batman gets a glimpse of that answer when another time distortion takes him to that alternate time. Batman scours Gotham City for Joe Chill, but he’s too far gone into drugs to be the shooter. Evading the police, Batman returns home to find he is back in his own time and never got to talk to his parents one more time.
What they got right: I like the concept of Batman being in a world where he died instead of his parents. With Chill not being the killer in this reality he can put his detective skills into finding this reality’s murderer.
What they got wrong: Except Dixon forgot this is Detective Comics and not the regular Batman comic, which would denote a mystery story. Batman questions a bit if Chill might also be innocent in this reality and then decides it doesn’t matter or affect what he does as Batman. What could have been interesting just becomes pointless, and I’m afraid this isn’t the last time I say that about these precursors to Zero Hour.
Recommendation: With a plot like this I really want to recommend it. Like Armageddon 2001 these alternate timelines, only with the regular version in place of an alternate time version, could be interesting, but it just feel like a plot with no story. It’s not really worth hunting down, and that’s a real shame for this one.
BW Media Spotlight 