Batman Proves Marvel & DC Need To Make Their Comic Timelines Clear
It's no secret that a large barrier to entry for Marvel and DC Comics is continuity, and nowhere is that more clear than with Batman. Batman is among the most popular superheroes of all time, and as such, there is a seemingly limitless amount of Batman content. For longtime fans of the character, this is great, but at the same time it can be very off-putting to new fans and comic book readers.
This isn't just a Batman issue though; several of DC and Marvel's characters have ongoing runs and storylines that intersect in confusing or hard-to-follow ways. Many of these stories happen in their own timelines, but for whatever reason, the publishers make no effort to distinguish them. Marvel and DC could easily clear up any confusion by simply marking the universe on the cover of each issue. For example, Marvel's main universe is Earth 616, DC's is Earth-1. These are the timelines where the «main» narrative takes place, and each publisher has its own offshoots of that, such as Earth-1610, Earth-12, Earth-2149, and so on. By simply putting one of these numbers on the cover, understanding where the story is taking place would be a lot less convoluted.
Related: Batman Merges With a Venom Symbiote in Terrifying DC Marvel Mashup Art
Batman is a prime example of why publishers really should start clearing up their timelines. This week, two different Batman titles are coming out. Last week, three different Batman titles came out, and the week before that there were 2 other different titles. This isn't counting the other stories where the Caped Crusader is featured in like Flashpoint: Beyond, Death of the Justice League, and Robin. There is so much Batman content, new and old, but still no way to know what takes place where and when.
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