When DC launched its Rebirth universe, one of the big promises was that it was going to put the baby back in the bathwater and restore some of the elements that the DCU had lost in the New 52. Connections between characters had been restored, and there's even a hint of a history that goes far beyond the truncated five years that kicked off in 2011 with Justice League #1.

But even with that mission statement, there were elements of the past that I thought might never make it back into continuity. Now, though, I'm not sure there are any limits to what's coming back, because I have seen the most unexpected return of the year in the pages of Francis Manapul's Trinity #1. In case you missed it, The Rainbow Batman is back!

 

Triinity #1
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The original Rainbow Batman was, of course, the product of 1957's Detective Comics #241, which boasted one of the most memorably bizarre Batman covers of the entire Silver Age. As for why he must, Robin, he must wear a different-colored Batman costume each night, it was in order to keep everyone from realizing that both Robin and Dick Grayson had broken their arms at the same time, thus keeping their identities secret.

Manapul's version is a pretty faithful recreation, right down to the crook being punched out by the Rainbow Batman at the end:

 

Detective Comics #241
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As for our own modern age Bruce Wayne's reaction, it's about what you might expect.

 

Triinity #1
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But then, he shouldn't remember it. The Superman telling this story is, of course, the older refugee from the pre-Flashpoint DC Universe. But then, that Superman probably shouldn't remember that happening either, since it was a pre-Crisis story, unless of course it was one of the bizarre Silver Age stories, like "Robin Dies At Dawn," that Grant Morrison brought back into continuity during his long run on the Batman titles.

Continuity is complicated, y'all.

 

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