Don't sleep on the Multiversity Guidebook. It's an anthology book AND a Who's Who type document AND it continues directly from Thunderworld AND it's got Bat-Judge Dredd.
I have been avoiding reading much about Multiversity. I flipped through the first issue at my LCS and decided that this would probably be best for me as a trade. I'm having trouble holding out. Any idea when this will be out as a collected volume?
Don't sleep on the Multiversity Guidebook. It's an anthology book AND a Who's Who type document AND it continues directly from Thunderworld AND it's got Bat-Judge Dredd.
I just finished reading the "guidebook". Well worth the money. The seven unknown Earths sure do have my interest. I have a feeling that they'll get resolved after this series. So many of the other Earths that haven't been gotten into in the other Multiversity books are classic Elseworld stories, most of which I've read.
Which was not the case with Pax Americana. To be clear, I still enjoyed it, and totally feel like I got my money's worth from it. Great seeing Quitely and Morrison together again and that money was "on the screen". It was a really skillful comic. But it also felt like a parody. And parody is a pretty low form, in my opinion. I would have loved to see what Morrison and Quitely would do envisioning a world of Charlton characters. Maybe their own take. But this issue was basically 'let's visit planet Watchmen', starring the originals they were based on. And that's fine, if they wanted to tell a Watchmen-y story. But I feel like there was some mockery or insult intended in the way that they also parodied the storytelling style of Watchmen. Like the scene or page transitions.
And it could be that part of this is because I am coming to this with the knowledge of what Morrison has said and written about Moore, and his takedowns of Watchmen, but it took me out of the story. It felt as if he was saying, 'Look. I'm writing Watchmen. It's not so hard! Oh, look. More clever Watchmen stuff, here on Earth-Dark and Clever.'
So, as I expected, Pax Romana felt not like he was immersed in something he likes or enjoys, but instead was him imitating something he doesn't like, writing from the spleen. And that makes it less enjoyable to read. In that way, an opposite of Thunderworld or Secret Society.
Couldn't agree more. Really hard not to read it without the knowledge of their (Moore/Morrison) public, and publicised, disagreements.
I had no clue there were disagreements between them.
Don't sleep on the Multiversity Guidebook. It's an anthology book AND a Who's Who type document AND it continues directly from Thunderworld AND it's got Bat-Judge Dredd.
Agreed! In spite of being a kind of Who's Who, the book read beautifully.
For those who've not read the Lil Gotham story referenced in the Guidebook, it features Damian fantasising about what Bruce is doing at Xmas. At least two of the fantasies are Multiverse related. On top of that, what Bruce is actually doing is laying a rose in Crime Alley, which is, of course, red...
So I don't know whether the flower Little Batman has at the end is Flower's that's leaked in from the Kamandi universe or from the Lil Gotham comic. Particularly as the Atomic Knights refer to it as "The Rose That Grows In Winter" which would refer to the Crime Alley rose better than Flower's.
I'm really happy I read the Guidebook before I read the announcement of all the new DC titles that are launching. It's clear to me that some of the series will be set on various Earth's laid out in the Guidebook (e.g. Prez, Bizarro). For me, it helps to have a map of what the Multiverse playground looks like. I find it interesting that not only are there proto-Image and proto-Marvel Earth's but that there was an Earth based on the Squadron Supreme "Dark Age" Marvel Universe (which was itself based on the Silver/Modern Age DCU). That Earth was destroyed. I would love to know more of it's history. And as mentioned above, I am dying to hear Murd's take on the new "set in stone for the time being" 52 Earth's.
The other important thing in the Guidebook is it makes clear that this is only the "local multiverse". It is not restricting future writers to just these Earths. Or even to these particular cosmic "rules".
I really want to know what @Adam_Murdough thought of the Guidebook. I can't help but think this is 70 pages made just for The Murd!
I'm left wondering why they did no footnotes or references in the Multiversity Guidebook. What a missed opportunity! All of these continuity references and no mention whatsoever of whence they originated or were first published. Is DC so afraid to mention anything pre-52 that they felt it would be a step-back to include any reference material? Or was it laziness? Oversight? Even if they tacked it all on at the end (a la Avengers Forever), it would have made for a much better resource. These days, comic fans can track back issues down via the internet or Comixology, and who knows? Maybe some folks would want to read some of this stuff...
Just wondering if anyone else felt the same way. The pictures were pretty and the text was fine, though sparse. It really seems like they missed a great opportunity to add some additional gravitas to the proceedings.
Sad that with all of the incredible work and ideas being throw out in this mini-series, DC is shutting the door on its multiverse again and will go back to only having one Earth. Kind of like how Morrison gave them TONS of opportunities with Seven Soldiers, and they pissed that away, too. No wonder he's going indy with his work.
It feels like DC is no longer willing to embrace their alternate realities, and for the life of me I just don't get it. This is not the same company that created Earth 3 or even Elseworlds, that's for sure.
"the description for "Convergence" #8 flat out states that "when all is done, there can be only one reality," indicating that rather than a return to the days when DC's heroes traveled across the Multiverse, we may actually be seeing the doors slam shut on that concept more solidly than ever."
... which is a "statement of fact" that then is speculated upon ("...we may..."), which is what we are doing here.
That article doesn't talk about Divergence that is happening after Convergence:
"A first look at upcoming storylines will be the focus of DC Entertainment’s Free Comic Book Day issue – DC COMICS: DIVERGENCE – available Saturday, May 2..."
"Divergence follows Convergence this June, as DC unveiled details today of a bold new line-up of post-Convergence titles that suggest that the publisher has learned lessons from past reboots, recent successes, and the best efforts of its rivals at Marvel and Image. The new line-up marks the formal end of the New 52 as a DC brand, though presumably not the end of the continuity it established. Where that initiative took an indiscriminate approach to overhauling the line..."
There will be a new Earth 2 book coming out with this soft re-launch - Earth 2: Society.
Any other thoughts?
Maybe we'll know for sure then, after Convergence is done (end of May), or as early as when Divergence "starts" and is previewd on May 2.
My thoughts? There are people high up in DC Editorial who strongly dislike the idea of a multiverse. A LOT of creators have talked about the upper management power struggle going on at DC, and with a west coast move....well, it may mean that some people in editorial have more of an ability to direct where they go with their publishing plan and other people who have been advocates of a multiverse in their works have announced projects outside of DC.
One GOOD thing I see coming out of DC after this event is that they are supposedly moving toward more creator driven books and fewer editorially driven books. I don't care what else they do, letting the creative people you hire do their best work is the way comics are successful. I can think of VERY few books that have been considered classics that have had massive editorial interference and rewrites.
I can see some bean counting suits turning their noses up everytime someone in creative mentions an alternate universe. People who care more about increasing the bottom line than the creative process would very likely get tired of having to ask "which Earth is this again...?"
Hey, as long as the universe we end up with is one where Jim Lee never draws another comic, then they can destroy as many multiverses as they like.
Mastermen is the first stinker of a comic from Multiversity and it is pretty much all down to Lee and his army of inkers. Just amateurish stuff from people who should know how to do better.
Any plans to bring the DC Cinematic universe, or the Arrow / Flash CW universe, or the Batman '66 / Wonder Woman '77 universe, or the Smallville TV universe, Milestone universe, Injustice Gods Among Us universe, or the Red Circle universe into this Multiverse?
Some of these are part of 'Convergence' (I think).
And the Milestone characters aren't owned by DC either, so you can probably count that out. Basically, anything licensed to DC, you can forget about having their own Earth.
As for the rest, they can always be connected in your heart.
Comments
I had no clue there were disagreements between them.
Snaky Sivana is in for one hell of a tummy ache.
So I don't know whether the flower Little Batman has at the end is Flower's that's leaked in from the Kamandi universe or from the Lil Gotham comic. Particularly as the Atomic Knights refer to it as "The Rose That Grows In Winter" which would refer to the Crime Alley rose better than Flower's.
I also wasp happy to see it reference COIE and Nfinite Crisis.
Hell, I was happy they acknowledged Zero Hour.
Just wondering if anyone else felt the same way. The pictures were pretty and the text was fine, though sparse. It really seems like they missed a great opportunity to add some additional gravitas to the proceedings.
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=59371
"the description for "Convergence" #8 flat out states that "when all is done, there can be only one reality," indicating that rather than a return to the days when DC's heroes traveled across the Multiverse, we may actually be seeing the doors slam shut on that concept more solidly than ever."
... which is a "statement of fact" that then is speculated upon ("...we may..."), which is what we are doing here.
That article doesn't talk about Divergence that is happening after Convergence:
"A first look at upcoming storylines will be the focus of DC Entertainment’s Free Comic Book Day issue – DC COMICS: DIVERGENCE – available Saturday, May 2..."
Also, from Comics Alliance:
"Divergence follows Convergence this June, as DC unveiled details today of a bold new line-up of post-Convergence titles that suggest that the publisher has learned lessons from past reboots, recent successes, and the best efforts of its rivals at Marvel and Image. The new line-up marks the formal end of the New 52 as a DC brand, though presumably not the end of the continuity it established. Where that initiative took an indiscriminate approach to overhauling the line..."
There will be a new Earth 2 book coming out with this soft re-launch - Earth 2: Society.
Any other thoughts?
Maybe we'll know for sure then, after Convergence is done (end of May), or as early as when Divergence "starts" and is previewd on May 2.
One GOOD thing I see coming out of DC after this event is that they are supposedly moving toward more creator driven books and fewer editorially driven books. I don't care what else they do, letting the creative people you hire do their best work is the way comics are successful. I can think of VERY few books that have been considered classics that have had massive editorial interference and rewrites.
One might submit that one reality could be that of a multiversal nature.
Mastermen is the first stinker of a comic from Multiversity and it is pretty much all down to Lee and his army of inkers. Just amateurish stuff from people who should know how to do better.
Some of these are part of 'Convergence' (I think).
As for the rest, they can always be connected in your heart.