This past week saw the release of the long anticipated finale to Morrison’s first Batman, Inc. story, Leviathan Strikes! The book collected what would have been issues #8 and #9, by Morrison, Cameron Stewart and Chris Burnham, respectively, and it represents the beginning of the end of Morrison’s rather epic run on Batman and his mythology. After this, we won’t see Morrison on a Batman book until sometime next year, when he and Burnham finish their work on the 12-issue Batman: Leviathan series.
Of course, an interesting question is now posed to us as the readers. In the beginning of Leviathan Strikes, during Cameron Stewart’s portion, a caveat to the story is introduced: “The events of this issue take place before FLASHPOINT and the New 52.” This both explains to confused readers why Batman’s costume is different, why Dick appears in a Batman costume, and why Stephanie Brown is still Batgirl (assuming that readers who planned to buy Leviathan Strikes didn’t know that the book was really just two delayed issues being released as one).
However, the question this poses is this — will Batman: Leviathan, the 2012 series by Morrison and Burnham, also take place before Flashpoint? After all, what is continuity if not just a word thrown out there in an attempt to explain the nuances of how all these crazy stories could be connected in any form of linear fashion. Generally speaking, there is no real reason for DC to tell Morrison to fit Leviathan into the new continuity. Why mess with a good thing? (Rhetorically speaking, of course).
I suppose the other possibility is that DC plans to switch things back to the old continuity just in time for Morrison to get back to what he was doing. But that’d just be silly… wouldn’t it?
Only time will tell.
