SDCC LIVE: DC Comics: The Multiversity Enrollment

[Milton Fine]

True... Most well thought out events at DC remind me of a gourmet chef cooking a dinner and just before he serves it, his kids come and have "great ideas" about how it should be served or add seasonings that don't fit the cuisine, thereby ruining all his work.

My greatest fear is that they do another Crisis that destroys or rewrites the Multiverse yet again invalidating the work...I hope not even DC is that short sighted.

[K. Jones]

The "A" word in the Underworld is Anwyn, the Celtic Otherworld.

Nightshades ... Nightmare Realm? Hell yes ... the Charlton Connection. Nightshade's mysterious source. And witches ... as in Witch-boys?

[Dispenser Of Truth]

The "A" word in the Underworld is Anwyn, the Celtic Otherworld.

Thanks, editing my transcript.

[Melwicker]

My greatest fear is that they do another Crisis that destroys or rewrites the Multiverse yet again invalidating the work...I hope not even DC is that short sighted.

I agree with you.

[Melwicker]

Does anyone else find the placement and location of our real world Earth on the Earth-33 part of the multiverse map very disturbing and frightening? We are at the opposite side of where the main DC multiverse Earth (Earth-0 aka the keystone of the multiverse) is! We are at the chaotic, darker side of the multiverse as well!
Why did Morrison decide to put our real world on Earth-33? Is it because we have no superheroes, and no magic, and thus we don't have anyone who could protect us from otherworldly threats? Is it because all of the other Earths are not accessible to us other than as fictional worlds in comic books? Is it because Morrison might intend that we are the other keystone of the multiverse that is opposite the main keystone (Earth-0)?

[scusemeprincess]

Does anyone else find the placement and location of our real world Earth on the Earth-33 part of the multiverse map very disturbing and frightening? We are at the opposite side of where the main DC multiverse Earth (Earth-0 aka the keystone of the multiverse) is! We are at the chaotic, darker side of the multiverse as well!
Why did Morrison decide to put our real world on Earth-33? Is it because we have no superheroes, and no magic, and thus we don't have anyone who could protect us from otherworldly threats? Is it because all of the other Earths are not accessible to us other than as fictional worlds in comic books? Is it because Morrison might intend that we are the other keystone of the multiverse that is opposite the main keystone (Earth-0)?

no, i find it very fitting and logical.

[Melwicker]

no, i find it very fitting and logical.

Could our placement be because WE are a second keystone for the multiverse? Is that why there seems to be a link between us and the Rock of Eternity on this map?

[scusemeprincess]

Could our placement be because WE are a second keystone for the multiverse? Is that why there seems to be a link between us and the Rock of Eternity on this map?

wouldn't that also make perfect sense?

[K. Jones]

Does anyone else find the placement and location of our real world Earth on the Earth-33 part of the multiverse map very disturbing and frightening? We are at the opposite side of where the main DC multiverse Earth (Earth-0 aka the keystone of the multiverse) is! We are at the chaotic, darker side of the multiverse as well!
Why did Morrison decide to put our real world on Earth-33? Is it because we have no superheroes, and no magic, and thus we don't have anyone who could protect us from otherworldly threats? Is it because all of the other Earths are not accessible to us other than as fictional worlds in comic books? Is it because Morrison might intend that we are the other keystone of the multiverse that is opposite the main keystone (Earth-0)?

Think of it this way - we're polar opposites from Earth-0. The Rock of Eternity is like a lightning rod or funnel, it's literally siphoning all the magic out of our "we can imagine magic, but can't really use it" universe and distributing it to "story" universes - Prime DC Earth-0 has the most ongoing stories, so it has the "most" ideas, story to tell, instances. Magic is one of the only things that filters out of our mostly-impenetrable immune system, in a sort of one-way street. Although we kind of redistribute the raw material back into ourselves by then reading comics and fueling our imaginations. But the processes are only direct one-way, indirect the way back. So it's literally a ... well, a literary device that allows for Deus Ex Machina. We grant Billy his magic powers so he can triumph.

I'm curious about our proximity to Bizarro World, actually. But not surprised that our Universe of entropy and information exists in a more chaotic state.

The two points on the Rock of Eternity and the two "poles" of Order and Chaos instantly bring to mind the Lords of Order and Chaos. Where's B:TB&TB's Equinox residing? It's also interesting that the "Order" side is black, and the "Chaos side is white. Telling, actually. It's yin-yang, so there's no true "good and evil" but order comes from nothingness, blackness, void, whereas the white light mistakenly associated with "good" is a result of the chaotic interaction of a combination of every other color light. (More Anti-Nietzsche)

There's a bit of Spectrum v. Nekron to be had there, I think, even if wherever Nekron was banished (Dead Zone) is probably more related to the Underworlds - when nothingness becomes something you've got to banish it somewhere. There's nothing more orderly than "Nothing", nothing more chaotic than "Emotions". That was Nekron's whole shtick. But orderly nothing is the pinnacle of Fascism, and chaotic emotions are the flowing forces that cause interactions, chaos magic, all that exciting jazz.

[scusemeprincess]

Think of it this way - we're polar opposites from Earth-0. The Rock of Eternity is like a lightning rod or funnel, it's literally siphoning all the magic out of our "we can imagine magic, but can't really use it" universe and distributing it to "story" universes - Prime DC Earth-0 has the most ongoing stories, so it has the "most" ideas, story to tell, instances. Magic is one of the only things that filters out of our mostly-impenetrable immune system, in a sort of one-way street. Although we kind of redistribute the raw material back into ourselves by then reading comics and fueling our imaginations. But the processes are only direct one-way, indirect the way back. So it's literally a ... well, a literary device that allows for Deus Ex Machina. We grant Billy his magic powers so he can triumph.

I'm curious about our proximity to Bizarro World, actually. But not surprised that our Universe of entropy and information exists in a more chaotic state.

The two points on the Rock of Eternity and the two "poles" of Order and Chaos instantly bring to mind the Lords of Order and Chaos. Where's B:TB&TB's Equinox residing? It's also interesting that the "Order" side is black, and the "Chaos side is white. Telling, actually. It's yin-yang, so there's no true "good and evil" but order comes from nothingness, blackness, void, whereas the white light mistakenly associated with "good" is a result of the chaotic interaction of a combination of every other color light. (More Anti-Nietzsche)

There's a bit of Spectrum v. Nekron to be had there, I think, even if wherever Nekron was banished (Dead Zone) is probably more related to the Underworlds - when nothingness becomes something you've got to banish it somewhere. There's nothing more orderly than "Nothing", nothing more chaotic than "Emotions". That was Nekron's whole shtick. But orderly nothing is the pinnacle of Fascism, and chaotic emotions are the flowing forces that cause interactions, chaos magic, all that exciting jazz.

i forget, does this map imply that our universe isn't QWEWQ? because our universe should be QWEWQ.

[Melwicker]

i forget, does this map imply that our universe isn't QWEWQ? because our universe should be QWEWQ.

What is QWEWQ?

[scusemeprincess]

What is QWEWQ?

the universe superman created to observe a world without superheroes
where action comics #1 was made

edit: who grows up to be kindof a dick
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebula_Man

[Deniz Camp]

To be clear, Superman didn't create the universe, he just sort of sculpted the earth to be similar to his own (sans superhumanity/wonder). The universe - a stunted universe by nature, poisoned later - already existed.

[scusemeprincess]

To be clear, Superman didn't create the universe, he just sort of sculpted the earth to be similar to his own (sans superhumanity/wonder). The universe - a stunted universe by nature, poisoned later - already existed.

oh right, he just put heat in the right spot to create life.

[Link]

No problem! I expect the series will be less complicated than FC ended up, but you should probably tradewait if you're not necessarily a Morrison guy.

Basically, there'll be 9 issues of the overall Multiversity miniseries. Two bookend issues, just titled Multiversity #1 and (probably #2, but it might be #0 or something wild like infinity) and starring the "Justice League of the Multiverse", including the black President Superman Calvin Ellis he introduced in Final Crisis and expanded on in Action Comics #9, with at least the first issue being illustrated by Ivan Reis (Green Lantern, Justice League, Aquaman); the guidebook, which this map is an excerpt from (there are two versions of this map, one a high-quality version just showing the different Earths, the natures of which are determined by past titles and comments from creators like Morrison, and a currently blurrier version including all the big cosmic forces at work in the DCU), that will include a short story of its own; finally, six one-shots that'll all link together, which are

*The Secret Society of Superheroes: Set in a universe where a nuclear war has knocked the world's population down to about 2 billion and the technology is at a 20s-40s level, where pulp heroes have to defend humanity from zombie paratroopers. Illustrated by Chris Sprouse (Tom Strong, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne, Action Comics, Supreme)

*The Just: A world where the superheroes have saved the world and retired, and left Earth in the hands of their successors (along with their children, there's lots of the "legacy" characters like Wally West, Kyle Rayner and Donna Troy that have been removed from continuity or otherwise largely cast aside in the New 52)...but with no threats left to battle, they grow up aimless celebrity brats, reality TV fodder wiling away their days, and occasionally getting together to act out superhero/supervillain battles to entertain each other. Illustrated by Ben Oliver (Batwing, Action Comics #0)

*Pax Americana: If you're newish to comics, you might not know that the characters of Watchmen were based off a group of superheroes belonging to Charlton comics that DC acquired, that Moore couldn't use because his story would render them all unusable afterwards. Pax Americana casts those original characters in a modern, time-twisty political drama involving the assassination of the President that Morrison claims homages and updates the stylistic techniques used in Watchmen (for a couple small-scale examples, the cover is the first panel like in the Watchmen series, and it uses an 8-panel grid as Watchmen used 9 panels on each page). Illustrated by Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman, Flex Mentallo, Jupiter's Legacy, The Authority, JLA: Earth 2, Sandman: Endless Nights)

*Thunderworld!: A "Pixar-style" take on Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family, Morrison's attempt at showing how the concept can work without artificially engrimmening it as DC has tried to so many times. Illustrated by Cameron Stewart (Seaguy, Batman and Robin, Batman Incorporated, Seven Soldiers: The Manhattan Guardian, the upcoming Fight Club 2)

*Mastermen: A world where Kal-El's ship landed on Earth in 1938 in Germany. Nazi rocket scientists reverse-engineered the technology to win the war, and by the time Superman grew up and realized the truth about Hitler and his goals, it was too late, as all the Third Reich's enemies had been wiped out as they presided over a "perfected" world without strife. As the last superhuman stragglers of the Freedom Fighters mount their last assault, Superman must decide whether to stop them and allow the newfound Aryan utopia to continue forever, or whether the blood on the foundations requires that this new world be torn down, no matter the cost. Illustrator currently unknown.

*Ultraa Comics: Set in our world, it follows the secret exploits of our Earth's one superhuman champion, Ultraa. In here, he learns of a haunted comic book that will kill the readers at the end of the issue, which he must delve into that he might defeat the curse from within. The catch: the cursed book is Ultraa Comics, with Ultraa fighting from within, and if he loses, you die at the end of the issue. Morrison claims that it will employ a "new technology" and hypnotic tricks to produce a genuinely unique experience for readers. Illustrator currently unknown.

As an homage to "The Flash of Two Worlds", where Barry Allen learns that the Flash he read about in comics as a young man was real in a parallel universe--having him conclude that the writer was somehow tapping into that universe through his writing--the characters of the series will communicate with each other through each others comics, allowing them to mount a defense against the overall villains of the series, "The Gentry". There's plenty more information, though I'd recommend looking up Wikipedia's article and Newsarama's "everything we know about Multiversity" for a general overview. There may or may not be backup features.

Wow Thanks dude!!