When DC rebooted its main continuity back in 2011 with The New 52 initiative, it became obvious that some familiar elements were retained. In short, with characters such as Batman and Green Lantern having so much vital mythology behind them, they found themselves being the two that came in with less of a clean slate. Still, it remained a discussion point for some time as to whether certain major storylines were still canonical, with Knightfall, Hush and The Return of Bruce Wayne being but a few.
Another notable classic that was, at first, intended to be a standalone but was eventually integrated into proper continuity was that of Batman: The Killing Joke, which saw Barbara Gordon become paralyzed from the waist down due to the machinations of the Joker. Of course, this led to her becoming the computer hacker known as Oracle, a new hero in her own right.
But when The New 52 picked up, Babs was once again running around as Batgirl, though we did soon learn the events of The Killing Joke still stood. That said, readers have found themselves asking similar questions as we’ve entered the Rebirth era. It’s important we not forget that New 52 continuity lives on though, albeit with more classic elements being re-embraced.
Now, in the currently unfolding Doomsday Clock, we’ve been given a nice Easter egg reminding us of just that.
Long story short, Ozymandias and the new Rorschach are on the hunt for Doctor Manhattan, hoping that he can right the wrongs of their world that’s seemingly tearing itself asunder. Oddly enough, they’ve tracked him to the DC Universe that us readers venture to on a weekly basis. And, in doing so, crash-land Nite-Owl’s ship, Archie, into the very amusement park that The Killing Joke made famous (seen in the gallery above). So, once again, we tip our hats to writer Geoff Johns for continuing to play on our nostalgia by reminding us which stories stick these days.
Doomsday Clock #2 is now available in comic shops.