I finally read Convergence 0 and 1 the other night (the only two I ordered from DCBS, figured I would wait and see). And, having waited to see, I can see that I won't be getting the rest of these.
It probably doesn't help that I read these right after the latest issue of Multiversity (Ultra Comics). Unlike Multiversity, there was no fun or drive to Convergence. It felt ponderous and expository, and lacking a point of view.
Now, the idea of all these stories being bottled cities, made to fight each other in some kind of big, bracketed, multiversal tournament? I do like that concept. I think it is a fun idea for an event story.
But after two, oversized, $5 issues, it didn't feel like that story had started yet. Unlike Flashpoint, that gave you Flash as the narrative character to travel with, and was cooking by the end of the first issue.
By the end of the first issue of Infinite Crisis, we not only had a story cooking between the real trinity that felt like relationships were at stake, but then we got the Earth-2 entrance, which was both surprising, and something we hadn't seen in a long time.
But in this case, it just feels like a very long cut scene for a video game that hasn't even got to the gameplay yet. Two issues, ten dollars in, and not only do I not feel a point of view, we haven't even got to the fun part yet. There is only so many times I can see a big, two page spread of glimpses of the different Earths. Yes. I get it. Muliversal Mortal Kombat. Ok. So let's DO IT.
And it doesn't feel like there is anyone to root for or care about. Anything *actually* at stake. Because, come on, we know this isn't actually a tournament that will result in some unexpected winner becoming the next DC Universe. It won't be like, 'Wow. I can't believe Pirate Batman won! Cinderella at the ball, or whatever they say in basketball. All of the DCU are pirates now!!'
So. I tried it, and will pass on the rest, or someday get them on the cheap. I am looking forward to what they are going to try on the other side of this. But don't need 9 issues of wheel spinning before that change.
I read #0 and, to steal a line from Mark Waid, i twas the most New52 Comic I have ever read. It's the beginning of a big story and two characters walk around and explain a bunch of stuff. There wasn't a story or a plot, just an endless exposition dump, and at the end of it, we get text pages explaining how important the story is.
The first issue was a bit better, but as others have said, all it did was set up the story, which had been done in #0...and the first week's worth of tie-ins did the same thing.
It's a simple premise, why does it feel like they are over-complicating it?
Dear DC editorial: Show, don't tell. Comics are a visual medium.
My comics withdrawals got the better of me, as did my longing for my once beloved DC and I started convergence and a couple of the minis. Other than the nostalgia element there really isn't much of a draw or anything to praise here. Amusing at least. I'll get #3 and see determine then to continue or not.
It probably doesn't help that I read these right after the latest issue of Multiversity (Ultra Comics). Unlike Multiversity, there was no fun or drive to Convergence. It felt ponderous and expository, and lacking a point of view.
Great point David. I'm sure more has, and should be said on Multiversity's own thread, but I agree with that comparison. I'm enjoying Multiversity faaar better than Convergence, which is saying something because I've always been hot and cold when it comes to Morrison. His Multiversity emotionally takes me back to Pre-Flashpoint continuity, something I guess I expected Convergence to do.
I think I'm all-out on this event. Not at all compelling after what I've read so far. I'll check back to see anything changes.
@bralinator , how will follow Divergence if you miss this!? That would be like skipping Blackest Night and reading Brightest Day. Its crazy talk, I tell ya.
It probably doesn't help that I read these right after the latest issue of Multiversity (Ultra Comics). Unlike Multiversity, there was no fun or drive to Convergence. It felt ponderous and expository, and lacking a point of view.
Great point David. I'm sure more has, and should be said on Multiversity's own thread, but I agree with that comparison. I'm enjoying Multiversity faaar better than Convergence, which is saying something because I've always been hot and cold when it comes to Morrison. His Multiversity emotionally takes me back to Pre-Flashpoint continuity, something I guess I expected Convergence to do.
If Convergence was better than Multiversity something would have had to have gone very wrong. Morrison has been working for years on Multiversity, Convergence is something thrown together to cover for a lack of editors due to a corporate relocation. It's two months of Assistant Editors Month sold to you as an event.
I think I'm all-out on this event. Not at all compelling after what I've read so far. I'll check back to see anything changes.
@bralinator , how will follow Divergence if you miss this!? That would be like skipping Blackest Night and reading Brightest Day. Its crazy talk, I tell ya.
I'll stick around only to hear what you guys think about it and save my shekels - LOL
Convergence is proving to be a 'slow burn' as has been the case with recent stories. Since we are only a couple of issues in, we should wait to pass judgement until the complete story has been told.
Based on the initial issues, will it go down as a classic or must read - probably not. But, and there is always a "but", it could turn out to be a really fun, good, read.
Convergence is proving to be a 'slow burn' as has been the case with recent stories. Since we are only a couple of issues in, we should wait to pass judgement until the complete story has been told.
Based on the initial issues, will it go down as a classic or must read - probably not. But, and there is always a "but", it could turn out to be a really fun, good, read.
Fair enough. And if later I hear it got a lot better, or had a strong ending, I will go looking for it on the cheap. But at $5/issue. I felt like 2 was enough for me to jump off after.
Convergence is proving to be a 'slow burn' as has been the case with recent stories. Since we are only a couple of issues in, we should wait to pass judgement until the complete story has been told.
Based on the initial issues, will it go down as a classic or must read - probably not. But, and there is always a "but", it could turn out to be a really fun, good, read.
Fair enough. And if later I hear it got a lot better, or had a strong ending, I will go looking for it on the cheap. But at $5/issue. I felt like 2 was enough for me to jump off after.
Agreed.
If you are going to charge me more for something, give me something more. With Convergence I feel they are giving me more filler for my shekels. And it's not even good filler like Oreos...
I happen to like the Earth 2 cast. If someone else was the focus of the action I would look up the details online after the fact.
I've been reading the main title (I'm up through #4).
It's been slow going for the first couple of issues. #4 was the gem so far which tells me that it's even far more overpriced than it should be given the level of decompression. That said, it left me eager to see what comes next.
As far as the tie-ins, I've only read the first issue of the Superboy and the LSH tie-in. My enthusiasm was dampened by the art.
I should be reading The Question #2 soon. One of those twists, from #5, should play into, I think. It should really change what happens, this whole competition thing.
Convergence is proving to be a 'slow burn' as has been the case with recent stories. Since we are only a couple of issues in, we should wait to pass judgement until the complete story has been told.
Based on the initial issues, will it go down as a classic or must read - probably not. But, and there is always a "but", it could turn out to be a really fun, good, read.
Fair enough. And if later I hear it got a lot better, or had a strong ending, I will go looking for it on the cheap. But at $5/issue. I felt like 2 was enough for me to jump off after.
Agreed.
If you are going to charge me more for something, give me something more. With Convergence I feel they are giving me more filler for my shekels. And it's not even good filler like Oreos...
I happen to like the Earth 2 cast. If someone else was the focus of the action I would look up the details online after the fact.
I agree on the filler for the tie-ins. So far, they really havent been needed or provided a real bang for our bucks (the exception being Convergence: Superman). Also, I think at $3.99 a lot of people are put off. DC should have been smart and priced these at $2.99.
Still reading it and still think it's entertaining so far. The problem for me is personally I don't really know or nec like the primary cast of Heroes, and therefore I don't really care about them.
I actually haven't read a single issue of the main title, but bit the nostalgia bug and picked up several of the 2-issue side stories. I'm still going through them, but I have to admit, they have been fun trips down nostalgia lane. Reading Wolfman on New Teen Titans again it was like he'd never left the title. And watching Superman and Kara interact on Action just made me miss Kara all the more. Gonna try to dig into Batman and the Outsiders and Infinity Inc. tonight.
I'm enjoying these books for what they are...a nice look back at what was.
So what are people liking in terms of tie-ins? I picked up a whole lot of the tie-ins on DCBS, yet now am wondering if I should even get more because I'm hearing such good things. This is especially true of the good things I heard about The Question, Swamp Thing, Shazam, and Wonder Woman. I am kind of holding off of jumping in until I have a pretty large stack of the event in front of me, so I'm actually pretty ignorant of how they have been in general.
The ones I mentioned in my above post plus Shazam and Batgirl (the return of Steph!) were nice. Infinity Inc. was kind of lackluster. Batman and the Outsiders was actually quite good, though.
Comments
It probably doesn't help that I read these right after the latest issue of Multiversity (Ultra Comics). Unlike Multiversity, there was no fun or drive to Convergence. It felt ponderous and expository, and lacking a point of view.
Now, the idea of all these stories being bottled cities, made to fight each other in some kind of big, bracketed, multiversal tournament? I do like that concept. I think it is a fun idea for an event story.
But after two, oversized, $5 issues, it didn't feel like that story had started yet. Unlike Flashpoint, that gave you Flash as the narrative character to travel with, and was cooking by the end of the first issue.
By the end of the first issue of Infinite Crisis, we not only had a story cooking between the real trinity that felt like relationships were at stake, but then we got the Earth-2 entrance, which was both surprising, and something we hadn't seen in a long time.
But in this case, it just feels like a very long cut scene for a video game that hasn't even got to the gameplay yet. Two issues, ten dollars in, and not only do I not feel a point of view, we haven't even got to the fun part yet. There is only so many times I can see a big, two page spread of glimpses of the different Earths. Yes. I get it. Muliversal Mortal Kombat. Ok. So let's DO IT.
And it doesn't feel like there is anyone to root for or care about. Anything *actually* at stake. Because, come on, we know this isn't actually a tournament that will result in some unexpected winner becoming the next DC Universe. It won't be like, 'Wow. I can't believe Pirate Batman won! Cinderella at the ball, or whatever they say in basketball. All of the DCU are pirates now!!'
So. I tried it, and will pass on the rest, or someday get them on the cheap. I am looking forward to what they are going to try on the other side of this. But don't need 9 issues of wheel spinning before that change.
The first issue was a bit better, but as others have said, all it did was set up the story, which had been done in #0...and the first week's worth of tie-ins did the same thing.
It's a simple premise, why does it feel like they are over-complicating it?
Dear DC editorial: Show, don't tell. Comics are a visual medium.
That would be like skipping Blackest Night and reading Brightest Day. Its crazy talk, I tell ya.
Based on the initial issues, will it go down as a classic or must read - probably not. But, and there is always a "but", it could turn out to be a really fun, good, read.
If you are going to charge me more for something, give me something more. With Convergence I feel they are giving me more filler for my shekels. And it's not even good filler like Oreos...
I happen to like the Earth 2 cast. If someone else was the focus of the action I would look up the details online after the fact.
Also, has anyone been reading any of the tie-ins? I think the #2 issues of some of the 2-issue minis starting wrapping up this past Wednesday, right?
It's been slow going for the first couple of issues. #4 was the gem so far which tells me that it's even far more overpriced than it should be given the level of decompression. That said, it left me eager to see what comes next.
As far as the tie-ins, I've only read the first issue of the Superboy and the LSH tie-in. My enthusiasm was dampened by the art.
I should be reading The Question #2 soon. One of those twists, from #5, should play into, I think. It should really change what happens, this whole competition thing.
I'm enjoying these books for what they are...a nice look back at what was.
Made no sense...
Any thoughts?