Readers of Doomsday Clock all SPOILERS thread

[KangMiRae]

They have several differences.

What're the difference besides the current JSA having more modern members?

Because the hypertime JSA was the way it was due to Barry traveling back into the past, hence the WWII planes. The JSA we saw in Doomsday Clock #12 was present time, hence Jade, Obsidian, PG, Yolanda, etc.

[sifighter]

Honestly I really liked this issue and all it did but at the same time let down. I personally want to say that I really like the whole metaverse angle and how new universes are created when there is a significant event, because I honestly like that the story went that old universes we loved will continue to exist and don’t worry about the future because even though the universe is malleable it will always survive in some form or another with our current universe, universe 2, 1985, New52, and etc. I also really liked the return of the Legion(I know they’re back, but this was a slightly better return then in Superman) and the JSA are my favorite team so getting them back felt great. I even enjoyed the possibility that there could be more Watchmen stories based on how this all ended. Overall the story and what it gives us was really good in my opinion.

The problem is basically what others have said, because the delays have hurt the impact of this series. The Legion and JSA are back!...but they already came back in other titles like Justice League and Superman, with Legion getting it’s own book already. We can’t even appreciate the change in reality because the justice/doom war and the Batman who laughs infected storyline are still going on. Because we have to wait for that to end who knows when we will see a resolution to this story. If this had come out on time this would have been incredible but now we need to wait and see how it will all come together in the end.

So yeah I’d say really excited on the story itself, but now we need to see what DC does with it.

[JonaX]

I thought it was a nice touch that Batman inspired Reggie to change how he and the world view Rorschach.

[dswynne]

And in both instances it was Rorshach's successor who does him in. (Looking Glass was the Rorshach a lot more than the 7thK who just co-opted his image)
Also interesting that Veidt has a young asian woman follow in his footsteps and that the finale was about Jon passing his power to someone else.

Is it cynical of me to say that as well told as this was, it's basically Johns saying, "Continuity doesn't matter, so just relax - don't worry about how it connects because continuity has been, is and will be rewritten over and over. Even this story doesn't really matter because it will be rewritten soon enough." I don't expect anything in this series to hold over into anything other title or followed up on. (like Jade's appearance or Stein's crimes, etc)

Actually, the "message" is that previous continuities of established characters still exist, but that future continuities of established characters allow the writers to reinterpret those characters for future audiences. In other words, ALL the previous continuities still exist, even if they are relegated to another Earth (ie. Post-Crisis Earth now called "Earth-1985", post-Zero Hour Event becoming "Earth-1994", and so on). Ergo, we, as the readers, can have our cake and eat it, too. Johns simply is preparing us for yet another continuity change, if the DC Editorial Board deems it necessary to "update" the characters.

I did like the idea the book showed different versions of Pa and Ma Kent finding Baby Kal. Makes me want to see a "savage" version of Superman and his adventures...

[Patrick Gerard]

My take is that Dr. Manhattan couldn’t see past the punch because he changed.

Ordinarily, he’d this unchanging superposition living his whole life at once. He doesn’t change his mind because his mind occupies his entire history at once.

When he changes his mind and worldview, he is, effectively, a changed person cut off from the old superposition state.

[j9ac9k]

Actually, the "message" is that previous continuities of established characters still exist, but that future continuities of established characters allow the writers to reinterpret those characters for future audiences. In other words, ALL the previous continuities still exist, even if they are relegated to another Earth (ie. Post-Crisis Earth now called "Earth-1985", post-Zero Hour Event becoming "Earth-1994", and so on). Ergo, we, as the readers, can have our cake and eat it, too. Johns simply is preparing us for yet another continuity change, if the DC Editorial Board deems it necessary to "update" the characters.

I feel like we're essentially saying the same thing.

[Nick Miller]

Similar somewhat to CW II where heroes pound each other while the walking Deus ex machina looks on and then ascends to another plane after giving a glimpse of things to come and fixing things. Manhattan fading away after using the last bit of his power after saving the world due to receiving hope reminds me of Thanos doing the same in the end. Ultimately it was neither here nor there but just a loose bunch of events 'HAPPENING'.
Insert meme:
Superman: Did you steal my parents and messed with my timeline?
Dr Manhattan*speaking in Mark Wahlbergs voice*: What? No!

This life, which had been the tomb of his virtue and of his honour, is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

[SecretWarrior]

So the confirmed Earths are:

Earth 2: Golden Age Heroes (Split into it's own reality by Barry's origin)
Earth 1985: Satellite-Era Heroes (Split into its own reality by COIE)
Earth Something: Undefined Era (Split into its own reality by Flashpoint)
Earth 52: New 52 Era Heroes (Split into its own reality by Rebirth)
Earth 1: Whatever the Current Era is

And 5G is the future of Earth 1-- So 5 confirmed Earths?

[Mr.B]

There's no new Earths spinning off from Zero Hour, Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis, Metal.

[Mr.B]

So the confirmed Earths are:

Earth 2: Golden Age Heroes (Split into it's own reality by Barry's origin)
Earth 1985: Satellite-Era Heroes (Split into its own reality by COIE)
Earth Something: Undefined Era (Split into its own reality by Flashpoint)
Earth 52: New 52 Era Heroes (Split into its own reality by Rebirth)
Earth 1: Whatever the Current Era is

And 5G is the future of Earth 1-- So 5 confirmed Earths?

Earth 2
Earth 1
Earth 1985
Earth 52
Earth 5G
Earth 0. Which throws history and shunts it to other earths.

[SecretWarrior]

Earth 2
Earth 1
Earth 1985
Earth 52
Earth 5G
Earth 0. Which throws history and shunts it to other earths.

Can you define each earth and identify the origin of each?

[Sacred Knight]

Earth-2: Original Golden Age continuity.
Earth-1: Silver Age continuity that began with Barry Allen's introduction.
Earth-1985: This one is a bit difficult. I'm not quite sure what Johns is saying here but there's a couple ideas. One is that it could be the Silver Age continuity if it were unimpeded by COIE. Or it could be that buffer period between COIE's end and when the entire line finally was firmly within the post-Crisis era (not everything rebooted at the same time). Or heck maybe that's really the same thing. Or something else entirely, heh.
Earth-52: The New 52.
Earth-5G: The legacy kids taking over. Apparently this is suggesting that 5G is already planned to be reverted after playing with the concept for a while, and thus will be divided into its own earth when overwritten.
Earth-0: The constant Earth which always reflects the latest continuity at any given time.

According to this logic, it would seem there should be lots of others in there too, like an Earth-Z(ero Hour), Earth-(Superman) #200, Earth-SO (Secret Origin), etc. The designations being just made up by me of course on the fly but the main point being those events were all divergences to some degree or another of Superman's continuity and thus should have caused a divide.

[Mr.B]

Can you define each earth and identify the origin of each?

Earth 2, pre crisis Earth 2
Earth 1, pre crisis Earth 1
Earth 1985 similar to Earth 1. Might be what if nobody died post crisis and no Earth merge.
Earth 52 is NU52 pre Rebirth and pre DC you.
Earth 5G is the Earth that comes in 2026, it actually doesn't exist yet.


Earth 0 is the main Earth for now line wise and the one Doomsday Clock ends at when the JSA re reinstated back in. Also there's changes to the past like Wonderwoman being part of the JSA since WW2.

It was probably also introduced at Crisis as well when Earth 1985 split.

Also it's the Flashes creating Earths instead of Krona. While Superman sets the Earths timelines.

[ChristianfromNJ98]

The whole point of it is that Jon Osterman lost nearly all of his humanity after he became Dr. Manhattan; why else would he refuse to save that pregnant woman who was murdered by the Comedian when it was clearly in his powers to do so?

He didn't feel connected to humanity anymore. In other words, he lost hope. But you see, Superman is the embodiment of hope in the DC Universe. He is the epitome of the Ideal Hero, similar to Captain America of the Marvel Universe. And once Dr. Manhattan realized that, he realized that Superman must and would go on, to inspire hope in others, just as how Superman had renewed the long-lost hope and humanity of Manhattan. Why else would he raise Mime's child as his own to be his version of Superman?

It is like what the Bible says, "But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion." (Ecclesiastes 9:4) Just like how as a Christian, I can have the hope and knowledge of eternal life in the hereafter, Manhattan has the hope that Superman will live on and inspire trillions across the multiverse for a hopeful, better, more prosperous future.

I am very glad that the reemphasized hope and cast away cynicism, doubt and despair that has plagued a lot of recent DC comics so far. There are things you should be doubtful about, but you shouldn't do it at the cost of casting away your humanity.

I've been following Doomsday Clock for over two years, since #1 was released in November 2017, and I must say, it is well worth the wait.

[Flash Gordon]

So they made a sequel to Alan Moore's groundbreaking WATCHMEN just to bring back Ma and Pa Kent?