A Timeline for the Rook Universe

THE ROOK VOLUME SIX 

COMING SOON

Major Events specific to certain stories and novels are included in brackets. Some of this information contains SPOILERS for The Rook series.

Also included in this timeline are references to the adventures of Eobard Grace, Leonid Kaslov and Felix Cole, all of whom occupy the Rook Universe.

 

1865 - Eobard Grace returns home from his actions in the American Civil War. Takes possession of the Book of Shadows from his uncle Frederick. [The Conquerors of Shadow]

1877 - Eobard Grace is summoned to the World of Shadows, where he battles Uris-Kor and fathers a son, Korben. [The Conquerors of Shadow]

1885 - Along with his niece Miriam and her paramour Ian Sinclair, Eobard returns to the World of Shadows to halt the merging of that world with Earth. [The Conquerors of Shadow]

1890 - Eobard fathers a second son, Leopold.

1895 - Felix Cole (the Bookbinder) is born.

1900 - Max Davies is born to publisher Warren Davies and his wife, heiress Margaret Davies.

1901 - Leonid Kaslov is born.

1908 - Warren Davies is murdered by Ted Grossett, a killer nicknamed "Death's Head".   ["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One, more details shown in "Origins," the Rook Volume Two] Hans Merkel kills his own father.  ["Blitzkrieg," the Rook Volume Two]

1913 - Felix Cole meets the Cockroach Man and becomes part of The Great Work.  ["The Great Work," Startling Stories # 5]

1914 - Margaret Davies passes away in her sleep. Max is adopted by his uncle Reginald.

1915 - Felix Cole marries Charlotte Grace.

1916 - Leonid Kaslov's father Nikolai becomes involved in the plot to assassinate Rasputin.

1917 - Betsy Cole is born to Felix and Charlotte Cole. Nikolai Kaslov is murdered.

1918 - Max begins wandering the world.

~1922 - Warlike Manchu tutors Max in Kyoto.

1925 - Max becomes the Rook, operating throughout Europe.

1926 - Charlotte Grace dies.

1927 - Max and Leopold Grace battle the Red Lord in Paris.

1928 - The Rook returns to Boston.

1932 - The Rook hunts down his father's killer ["Origins," the Rook Volume Two]

1933 - Jacob Trench uncovers Lucifer's Cage.  ["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One]

1935 - Felix Cole and his daughter Betsy seek out the Book of Eibon. ["The Great Work," Thrilling Adventures]

1936 - The Rook moves to Atlanta and recovers the Dagger of Elohim from Felix Darkholme. The Rook meets Evelyn Gould. The Rook battles Jacob Trench. ["Lucifer's Cage", the Rook Volume One]. Reed Barrows revives Camilla. ["Kingdom of Blood," The Rook Volume One].  Kevin Atwill is abandoned in the Amazonian jungle by his friends, a victim of the Gorgon legacy. ["The Gorgon Conspiracy," The Rook Volume Two]. Nathaniel Caine's lover is killed by Tweedledum while Dan Daring looks on ["Catalyst," The Rook Volume Three]

1937 - Max and Evelyn marry. Camilla attempts to create Kingdom of Blood. World's ancient vampires awaken and the Rook is 'marked' by Nyarlathotep. Gerhard Klempt's experiments are halted. William McKenzie becomes Chief of Police in Atlanta. The Rook meets Benson, who clears his record with the police.  ["Kingdom of Blood," the Rook Volume One]. Hank Wilbon is murdered, leading to his eventual resurrection as the Reaper. ["Kaslov's Fire," The Rook Volume Two]

1938 - The Rook travels to Great City to aid the Moon Man in battling Lycos and his Gasping Death. The Rook destroys the physical shell of Nyarlathotep and gains his trademark signet ring. ["The Gasping Death," The Rook Volume One]. The jungle hero known as the Revenant is killed ["Death from the Jungle," The Rook Volume Four]

1939 - Ibis and the Warlike Manchu revive the Abomination. Evelyn becomes pregnant and gives birth to  their first child, a boy named William. ["Abominations," The Rook Volume One]. The Rook allies himself with Leonid Kaslov to stop the Reaper's attacks and to foil the plans of Rasputin. ["Kaslov's Fire," the Rook Volume Two]

1940 - The Warlike Manchu returns with a new pupil -- Hans Merkel, aka Shinigami. The Warlike Manchu kidnaps William Davies but the Rook and Leonid Kaslov manage to rescue the boy.  ["Blitzkrieg," the Rook Volume Two] The Rook journeys to Germany alongside the Domino Lady and Will McKenzie to combat the demonic organization known as Bloodwerks.  ["Bloodwerks," the Rook Volume Two] Kevin Atwill seeks revenge against his former friends, bringing him into conflict with the Rook ["The Gorgon Conspiracy," The Rook Volume Two]. The Rook takes a young vampire under his care, protecting him from a cult that worships a race of beings known as The Shambling Ones. With the aid of Leonid Kazlov, the cult is destroyed ["The Shambling Ones," The Rook Volume Two]

1941 - Philip Gallagher, a journalist, uncovers the Rook's secret identity but chooses to become an ally of the vigilante rather than reveal it to the world  ["Origins," the Rook Volume Two]. The Rook teams with the Black Bat and Ascott Keane, as well as a reluctant Doctor Satan, in defeating the plans of the sorcerer Arias ["The Bleeding Hells"].The Rook rescues McKenzie from the Iron Maiden ["The Iron Maiden," The Rook Volume Three]

1942 - The Rook battles a Nazi super agent known as the Grim Reaper, who is attempting to gather the Crystal Skulls ["The Three Skulls," The Rook Volume Three]. The Rook becomes embroiled in a plot by Sun Koh and a group of Axis killers known as The Furies. The Rook and Sun Koh end up in deadly battle on the banks of the Potomac River. ["The Scorched God," The Rook Volume Six]. In London, the Rook and Evelyn meet Nathaniel Caine (aka the Catalyst) and Rachel Winters, who are involved in stopping the Nazis from creating the Un-Earth. They battle Doctor Satan and the Black Zeppelin ["Catalyst," The Rook Volume Three]. Evelyn learns she's pregnant with a second child. The Rook solves the mystery of the Roanoke Colony ["The Lost Colony," The Rook Volume Three] The Warlike Manchu is revived and embarks upon a search for the Philosopher's Stone ["The Resurrection Gambit," The Rook Volume Three]

1943 - The Rook is confronted by the twin threats of Fernando Pasarin and the undead pirate Hendrik van der Decken ["The Phantom Vessel," The Rook Volume Four].Evelyn and Max become the parents of a second child, Emma Davies. The Rook teams with the daughter of the Revenant to battle Hermann Krupp and the Golden Goblin["Death from the Jungle," The Rook Volume Four] The Rook battles Doctor Satan over possession of an ancient Mayan tablet ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four].The Rook travels to Peru to battle an undead magician called The Spook ["Spook," The Rook Volume Four].  Baron Rudolph Gustav gains possession of the Rod of Aaron and kidnaps Evelyn, forcing the Rook into an uneasy alliance with the Warlike Manchu ["Dead of Night," The Rook Volume Four]. Doctor Satan flees to the hidden land of Vorium, where the Rook allies with Frankenstein's Monster to bring him to justice ["Satan's Trial," The Rook Volume Four].

1944 - The Rook organizes a strike force composed of Revenant, Frankenstein's Monster, Catalyst and Esper. The group is known as The Claws of the Rook and they take part in two notable adventures in this year: against the diabolical Mr. Dee and then later against an alliance between Doctor Satan and the Warlike Manchu ["The Diabolical Mr. Dee" and "A Plague of Wicked Men", The Rook Volume Five].

1946 - The Rook discovers that Adolph Hitler is still alive and has become a vampire in service to Dracula. In an attempt to stop the villains from using the Holy Lance to take over the world, the Rook allies with the Claws of the Rook, a time traveler named Jenny Everywhere, a thief called Belladonna and Leonid Kaslov. The villains are defeated and Max's future is revealed to still be in doubt. Events shown from 2006 on are just a possible future. The Rook also has several encounters with a demonically powered killer known as Stickman. ["The Devil's Spear," The Rook Volume Five]. The Rook encounters a madman named Samuel Garibaldi (aka Rainman) and his ally, Dr. Gottlieb Hochmuller. The Rook and his Claws team defeat the villainous duo and seveal new heroes join the ranks of the Claws team -- Miss Masque, Black Terror & Tim and The Flame. ["Resurrection Day," The Rook Volume Five]

1953 - The Rook acquires the Looking Glass from Lu Chang. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume One]

1961 - Max's son William becomes the second Rook. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

1967 - The second Rook battles and defeats the Warlike Manchu, who is in possession of the Mayan Tablet that Doctor Satan coveted in '43. Evelyn Davies dies. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

1970 - William Davies (the second Rook) commits suicide by jumping from a Manhattan rooftop.  Emma Davies (Max's daughter and William's brother) becomes the Rook one week later, in February. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

1973 - The third Rook is accompanied by Kayla Kaslov (daughter of Leonid Kaslov) on a trip to Brazil, where the two women defeat the Black Annis and claim the Mayan Tablet that's popped up over the course of three decades. Emma gives it to her father, who in turn passes it on to Catalyst (Nathaniel Caine) ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]

~1985 - Max resumes operating as the Rook, adventuring sporadically. Due to various magical events, he remains far more active than most men his age. The reasons for Emma giving up the role are unknown at this time.

2006 - The Black Mass Barrier rises, enveloping the world in a magical field. The World of Shadows merges with Earth. Fiona Grace (descended from Eobard) becomes a worldwide celebrity, partially due to her failure to stop the Black Mass Barrier. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume One]

2009 - Ian Morris meets Max Davies and becomes the new Rook. He meets Fiona Grace.  Max dies at some point immediately following this. ["Black Mass," The Rook Volume One]

2012 - The fourth Rook (Ian Morris) receives the Mayan Tablet from Catalyst, who tells him that the world will end on December 21, 2012 unless something is done. Using the tablet, Ian attempts to take control of the magic spell that will end the world. Aided by the spirits of the three previous Rooks, he succeeds, though it costs him his life. He is survived by his lover (Fiona Grace) and their unborn child. Max Davies is reborn as a man in his late twenties and becomes the Rook again. ["The Four Rooks," The Rook Volume Four]