Update 12-16-09

Added Wonder Woman: Rise of the Olympian to the timeline.

Also, I have completed a major programming update to the timeline. I need beta testers, and it's very easy -- please visit the DC TPB Timeline now, and if you can't see the actual timeline (not the introductory text) or even if you can see it, please send an email to collectededitions at the Y-A-H-O-O account. Thanks!

UPDATE: Apparently my programming efforts on the timeline didn't work. If there's a Javascript expert in the house, please email me at the address above. Thank you!

Update 11-28-09

One unspoken rule of the timeline (now spoken) is that in general, numbered trades are presented on the timeline in order. That is, even though Green Lantern: Secret Origin (now added) technically takes place even prior to Legends, I've placed it after The Sinestro Corps War as it was published. This eliminates confusion caused by retroactive continuity, for one thing, and also for the most part keeps the various series in their linear order.

It's for this reason that Justice League of America: Second Coming now appears on the timeline after Final Crisis, even though the events of that book preceed it. Justice League: Sanctuary lead right in to Final Crisis; I've placed Justice League: Worlds Collide right after Second Coming, and since Worlds Collide does cross over with Final Crisis, events right themselves soon enough.

Also added some various titles in the Countdown to Final Crisis section.

When I paste the rather large timeline text file into the timeline Blogger post, my computer seems to "freeze" for a few minutes as the Blogger interface accepts the paste. Anyone also encounter this with large posts, or have any suggestions? The timeline is only going to get bigger.

Update 11-15-09

Trying to use this sub-blog again to post when I've made updates to the DC Comics Trade Paperback Timeline. Updates today include additional material post-Final Crisis -- Superman: New Krypton, Nightwing and Robin, and Teen Titans.

I'm also especially proud of an update to some of the early timeline listings -- Superman from Exile to The Death of Superman, and also the Batman trades that encompass the death of second Robin Jason Todd and the introduction of third Robin Tim Drake.

Update 9-14-09

The timeline has moved! With GeoCities closing, you can now find the Collected Editions DC Comics Trade Paperback Timeline at its new home on the Collected Editions blog.

Update 2-3-08

In case you were wondering, the DC Trade Paperback Timeline is still being updated. Added today a couple more Birds of Prey trades, a Blue Beetle trade, Justice Society, and more. I think I have a pretty good idea of how things go leading in to the early part of Countdown, and then how thing's shake out from there ... I'm going to try to keep the timeline more continuously updated this year.

Question of the day: Anybody got early issues of Robin lying around? I know Robin started during the uncollected KnightsQuest section of Knightfall -- essentially, as DC has collected right now, the chronology is Knightfall 1, Knightfall 2, Robin: Flying Solo, and then Knightfall 3. But I'm trying to figure where Knightfall fits with the Death of Superman, and I distinctly remember a time where Robin was wearing a black Superman armband -- can anyone tell me in what issue the armband might've appeared? Thanks!

Updates for 09-30-07

Added a bunch more One Year Later titles. Superman: Back in Action has turned out to be a good place to confirm timeline parts -- Firestorm, the Nuclear Man: Reborn, for instance, takes place before and after Back in Action, whereas Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis: Once and Future takes place before Back in Action, as does Flash: The Fastest Man Alive: Lightning in a Bottle. I also began to place the new Justice League of America series, as there's crossover with the new Martian Manhunter trade. The timeline is now complete with the Gotham Central trades, too.

Update 06-11-07

Been adding a bunch of One Year Later trades, which fortunately are fitting together better than I expected. There's a Checkmate thread running through a couple of these, while the Batman, Robin, Nightwing, and Outsiders trades all intersect and cross-reference one another. Check it all out toward the bottom of the timeline.

Update 04-07-07

All right ... did some major reorganizing of the Infinite Crisis trades on the trade paperback timeline into what I think is a pretty coherent order. The major benchmarks are essentially Infinite Crisis #1 (the destruction of the JLA Watchtower and aftermath), Infinite Crisis #4 (the destruction of Bludhaven and the first Superboy/Superboy-Prime fight), Infinite Crisis #5 (heroes appearing in multi-dimensional forms), and Infinite Crisis #6 (the death of Superboy), and I think I have everything pretty well ordered. (As mentioned before, the Superman trades, placed after Wonder Woman: Mission's End, get a little sticky, but otherwise it all looks OK.) I know there's still one or two I haven't put in order--Manhunter: Origins, for one, and then some of the trades that contain half-Infinite Crisis and half-One Year Later, like Birds of Prey: Perfect Pitch--which'll come later.

Can anyone tell me the exact issue of Starman where Jack Knight reflects on having been involved in Young Justice: Sins of Youth?

Update 03-24-07

Added Batman: Under the Hood, Volume 2, and included more details about Donna Troy's appearances through the various Infinite Crisis crossover trades. Originally, my idea was to arrange the Infinite Crisis crossover trades in order of how they cross-over with Infinite Crisis--so, for instance, all the trades that deal with Bludhaven would be together, and all the trades that deal with issue #5's infinite Earths would be together ... unfortunately, it's just not working out that way--for instance, Batman: Under the Hood, Volume 2 crosses over with Infinite Crisis #4 and Superman: Infinite Crisis crosses over with Infinite Crisis #5, but the Superman trade has to be listed before the Batman trade because of revelations therein ... so it, too, is a puzzle. I'm still reading through the Infinite Crisis crossover trades, and then when I'm done, I may go back through and give the whole thing another look-over.

Update 03-19-07

Placed Wonder Woman: Mission's End and Superman: Strange Attractors. Mission's End is just as tough to place around Superman: Sacrifice as many of the Superman trades are at this time, but there's a surprise involving a Wonder Woman character that Sacrifice and Superman: Ruin Revealed spoil, so Mission's End comes first. Superman: Strange Attractors has so little continuity in it that it could be placed even before Infinite Crisis begins, except for Superman's appearance in the Amazon (the jungle, that is) that's found in Superman: The Journey. Tough timelining all around.

Update 02-22-07

Re-placed Superman: The Journey, Superman: Ruin Revealed, and Superman: Sacrifice to after Infinite Crisis. No easy shakes there. Superman: The Journey follows immediately on the heels of Superman: For Tomorrow, but essentially takes place at the same time as Ruin Revealed, and both are interrupted halfway through by Superman: Sacrifice. Even though The Journey starts before Sacrifice, a new villain is introduced in Sacrifice that shows up later in The Journey; and, Sacrifice could nearly be read before Ruin Revealed, except for one throwaway line in Sacrifice that spoils a big surprise in Ruin Revealed. To top it off, all the trades begin before Infinite Crisis, but end after Infinite Crisis #1. So it's a big mess, and the recommended reading order is far from perfect, but we hope will ultimately make the most sense and spoil the fewest surprises (all of the above should be read, of course, after The OMAC Project).

Welcome to the DC TPB Timeline Updates blog!

Welcome to the blog for the DC Trade Paperback Timeline, from Collected Editions. This blog will be updated whenever there's an update to the DC TPB Timeline, or when there's news pertaining to the timeline. To subscribe to the DC TPB Timeline Updates blog by RSS, follow this link, or subscribe by email with the handy sidebar form.