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05/11/2003: Batman: Bruce Wayne Murderer?
I just finished reading Batman: Bruce Wayne Murderer? (in single issues) and I have no idea how the timeline in this story is supposed to work. Some parts have to take place sort of "interlaced" but I have no idea how all the overlapping storylines fit together. I mean there are the Bruce Wayne Murderer? parts, but simultaneously there's the prison riot taking place in the Nightwing series, the kidnapping case in the Robin series, the Blue Beetle thing in Birds of Prey, the stuff with Spoiler's dad...
What I have a problem with is particularly the timelines of Robin's and Nightwing's appearances at the different places, and who is with Oracle at which times and in what sequence, I could mostly follow the other characters. So if I'm trying to sort out the main characters movements in each issue it goes something like this:
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? Prelude: "The Fool's Errand" -- Batman: The 10 Cent Adventure
Batman / Bruce and Sasha are arrested early in the morning in the manor after a night of crimefighting for the Fairchild murder.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #1: "Procedure" -- Detective Comics #766
Bruce and Sasha are booked and taken to the police station, the cops say it "is not past six" yet, during the day (?) they are interrogated, Alfred hears the news and leaves Brentwood Academy, leaving a note to Tim (it seems to be evening, night or early morning as Alfred leaves, at least it's still dark.)
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #2 -- Batgirl #24
Earlier that morning Oracle hears the 911 call, Nightwing is on police patrol, Batman not reachable. Batgirl arrives at the manor when Bruce and Sasha are arrested, leaves after the police found the gun.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #3: "Bustout" -- Nightwing #65
The night of the murder Nightwing is on patrol as Nightwing, he changes into to his police uniform around dawn (?), by the time he shows up for the third shift the murder is already on the news, he bribes a fellow cop to shift his duty to a prisoner transport. The riot in Lockhaven starts, Nightwing visits Bruce in a holding cell, after that he drops off Oates (the cop with whom did the transport) at some strip bar for "on duty fun" promising to pick him up later (as far as I can tell he never does in any of the later parts), and visits Oracle. He's with her at the end of the part, meanwhile in Blüdhaven Lockhaven prison burns.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #4: "No Exit" -- Gotham Knights #25
Alfred is on a train getting to Gotham, Bruce's arraignment hearing is in the afternoon. Dick picks up Alfred at the station, Alfred goes to the hearing, Dick waits outside, afterwards they part in front of the court house. Barbara visits Bruce, who's now at Blackgate.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #5: "The Gun" -- Birds of Prey #39
Oracle runs a virtual battle simulation for Blue Beetle, it's (most likely) the evening or night after the hearing (?), after Blue Beetle leaves, she contacts Dinah. It is the next day (Blue Beetle's doctor's appointment takes place that Oracle arranged for one o'clock). Dinah is at the clocktower, Oracle tells her to investigate Fairchild. Oracle visits Sasha as a lawyer. It's evening (?) when Spoiler shows up at Fairchild's place and encounters Dinah there, Oracle is still in her car.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #6: "The Thin Line" -- Robin #98
Tim meets Alfred as he is about to leave. Tim knows that Bruce told Dick to back off the investigation when they met in holding. It is day as Alfred leaves, so the darkness at the end Detective Comics #766 must have been just before dawn. That day Kip's kidnappers wait for an opportunity. We see the Spoiler at night trying to get into the Batcave, where she meets Batgirl, both can't get in. It's evening when Kip's kidnapping takes place. Tim (without costume) tries to pursue, but falls, he's lying unconscious on a street at the end of the issue.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #7: "From the Inside Out" -- Batman #599
Sasha and Bruce are both at Blackgate. It's night at the start of the issue, another day and night passes, then during the next day Alfred visits Bruce, the next evening Bruce (or rather Batman without costume at that point) beats up the Aryans shortly before lights out, the next morning the headline reports this.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #8: "Timeless" -- Detective Comics #767
Blackgate from Sasha's POV.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #9: "The Unusual Suspects" -- Nightwing #66
Nightwing is with Oracle, the first time we see the clocktower it's a bit before four. When Nightwing heads out it shows a bit after eight (though it's dark?) The Lockhaven riot is ongoing. Nightwing investigates Moxon, when he comes back to the tower the clock five past eleven. Oracle informs Nightwing about the Lockhaven situation and he heads towards Blüdhaven. He confronts Amygdala inside the prison. (That scene is directly continued in the opening scene of Nightwing #67, where he finishes that fight.)
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #10: "Innocent Until" -- Gotham Knights #26
In the opening sequence Nightwing stands on a bridge pillar looking over Gotham harbor towards Blackgate (at night). He talks with Robin, this talk is talking place after Oracle visited Bruce in Blackgate, and that Nightwing says "Oracle went to see him when he was still in Blackgate" could indicate that it takes place after Bruce went to the meeting with the DA (though that doesn't really fit with the rest of the issue). Alfred is at the manor, cleaning, Leslie visits (still night). Nightwing is with Oracle after his meeting with Robin (the clocktower shows half past three now), Oracle says they already had this conversation (about the possible guilt of Bruce) referring to Nightwing #66, most likely the first conversation there. Still at night (the clocktower shows a time either ten before eleven, or five before ten, but by now I assume the times are just random...) Robin comes to talk to Oracle, he and Nightwing talk while they fight some criminals, Nightwing leaves Robin to talk to Alfred, who's in the Batcave, Leslie visits Bruce at Blackgate (it's still night).
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #11: "Where the Road Ends" -- Robin #99
Tim wakes up from unconsciousness, runs back to the school, then to Oracle to use her computer resources in the kidnapping case. He meets Spoiler and Dinah who are with Oracle, who check Devlin Davenport's statement, Spoiler and Robin deal with Kip's kidnapping. Tim goes back to the school, where he get the phone call from his father telling him that he's broke.
Bruce Wayne: Murderer? #12: "Switchback" -- Birds of Prey #40
Spoiler is together with Dinah (probably soon after the end of BOP #39, where they also where together), it's night, they go back to the clocktower to meet with Oracle. Dinah and Spoiler leave to deal with some of Spoiler's family problems. Meanwhile Blue Beetle calls Oracle informing her about his heart condition, afterwards Blue Beetle is attacked by some robot bug someone sent to him. Back at Oracle's place Robin is there, talking to Oracle about Fairchild and what she knew about Batman's identity (Nightwing is not there), Spoiler and Black Canary attack Riddler and Cluemaster (Spoiler's father) at Spoiler's home. Robin is still with Oracle as they hear the news reports of Bruce's escape. Robin leaves, intending to go to the Batcave, Nightwing has heard the news too and is driving back to the cave too.
I tried to figure out how the sequence of events is, especially all those visits by Nightwing, Robin, Dinah and the Spoiler with Oracle at the clocktower, and how what the different people do (and how much time seems to pass) could possibly fit together, but I have no idea.
