I've had some time to think about it, and - in addition to my previous post - I'll share some more thoughts:
spoilers:end of spoilers
1- I didn't have time to fully absorb the main story, but I am a bit worried now. I am not sure about having the Legion of Sivanas and Darkseid taking centre in the main story, where the main villain - so far - has been the Gentry. I'd rather not have another juxtaposition of two main baddies, à la Mandrakk-Darkseid.
2- Has anyone noticed that in several of the "riff" earths we don't have a real "riff", but rather a tweaking of classic DC heroes potentially reimagined by other publishers? Take a look at E-41: they are basically WW, Swamp Thing, Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow/Lantern, as if Image had published them.
3- I am beginning to get OK with most of the "unforeseen" worlds. I rather like Generations and I vaguely understand the reason behind having it included (having a Golden Age Supes without copyright problems, at least I think). Something like that behind E-21? I think so. I REALLY like the Justice Lords, which always seemed to me like an improved version of the CSA, more interesting than the original one. I can understand the disappointment for not having a Wildstorm Universe, but I can see the publisher's reasoning (why create a single Wildstorm earth, when we are still desperately trying to integrate it in the official Universe?). But maybe that's because the only two Wildstorm titles I was really interested in were Planetary and Authority, and they are better left untouched (and maybe they simply can't touch them).
4- I think that Darkseid's frequent invasions in Generations kinda justify E-38's position on the map (we have a direct influence of the New Gods on E-51 as well, but that didn't prevent the Disaster from happening... E-51 is an interesting place, not a place full of light). I don't think we should be too nitpicky about it, not all the earths on the chaos/pit quadrant are inherently evil, E-44 (the robot one) seems a rather funny place, and E-6 is just a different take on DC heroes (of course, there is some meta-commentary on Stan Lee vs Kirby, and the "just Imagine..." minis were rather crappy, but they were not nazi earth.
5- Why not an America's Best Comics earth? That's bizarre.
6- The DKR problem. OK, without a doubt it depends on a last minute decision on DC's part. I can't understand the whys - yet - but maybe it has to do with the fact that putting it on the same level with "common" elseworlds could be interpreted as a regression (the same could be said about New Frontier to say the truth, but maybe Cooke's contract is different). But the main the problem is not the exclusion of DKR, but rather the inclusion of a Pirate Earth in its place. This doesn't seem an original, and unexplored creation like the Waterworld from the JLA, but rather a reference to an old Batman story nobody remembers anymore. Definitely the weak point of the whole map IMHO (even if its weakness depends on the comparison to DKR). If it had depended on me, I would have put JLA: Destiny (Arcudi and Mandrake) on this earth. Its grim mood would have justified the position on the map, too.
7- Is Lady Quark's earth a reference to some pre-existing comic book? I am not talking about Top Ten, but rather something more circumstantial.
8- Devilfist on E-8 is a complete mystery to me.
9- No Alan Davis earth, which doesn't surprise me at all, since - after the ending of the first mini - that universe basically evolved in a Silver Age universe with few differences from the original one.
10- E-41 is one of Morrison's personal fetish, and it's rather funny, but let's admit it, it's not that useful...
11- E-15. Ok, that's bizarre, I see no reason in reviving Countdown, if not for having the "cosmic grail" (the Green Lantern?) come to the rescue of E-17 during Multiversity 2, à la DC One Million.
12- No Milestone universe, which doesn't surprise me, since Milestone guys are apparently on their own right now.
13- How many of this Supermen survived in the final version of the Multiverse? http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...iverse_001.png
14- Was Klaus janson ever openly mentioned as one of the artists on the guidebook?