The Multiversity #1 Review and Spoilers

[Nosocialize]

Well that was a lot of fun. Very long, of course pricier too. There is just a ton to get through in this comic. I wouldn't be surprised if most read it more than once. I wrote up a full review with a bunch of pictures here if anyone is interested.

spoilers:

The book opens with a hero calling himself the Superjudge, reading a comic, a horror comic to be more specific, that’s haunted and printed by DC. In the comic there are insects in a woman’s hair. He’s a multiverse monitor and appears to keep tabs on bad guys that threaten entire Earth’s. He also has a sidekick monkey who dresses like a pirate. He flies in a spaceship that is made of frozen music and is off to rescue the last hero, or as he calls himself god, of Earth 7. The book then transitions to Earth 23 where the president Superman lives. He's uncovered something that leads him off to join a team of multiverse heroes.

end of spoilers

I can say without question this comic is fun and compelling. The amount of tidbits thrown in is spectacular, with so much to digest two or three reads is not out of the question. The Superman of Earth 23 is also compelling for a variety of reasons. As he comes to grips with the idea that there are other Superman’s, all of their lives being written in comics, it’s fun to see all the new character Morrison has come up with. The superhero rabbit known as Captain Carrot for instance, who seems to have powers of a cartoon character, is a fun little touch. It’s also interesting to see the very home base they enter appearing in a fellow characters comic.

spoilers:

This new team awakens a computer inside a planet shaped base where multiverse heroes once lived. They head to Earth 8 to face a bunch of heroes who look like Marvel characters. Oh and a Dr. Doom lookalike named Dr. Havok. It turns out Superjudge is changed by the evil force he was facing in the beginning of the issue. To rattle off a bunch of the characters I noticed: Savage Dragon, Dr. Doom, The Fantastic Four, Captain America, Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel.

end of spoilers

They’re all side characters however, so don’t worry about a main character being anything but an alternate DC character.

Kind of a wild ride, what did everyone else think?

[Sirzechs]

6/5 this was epic. i'm going to read it for a second time in a few hours because knowing grant morrison i'm certain i missed some hidden things.

Harbinger is back as a computer.

[HsssH]

Yea, this was easily read of the week (month?). I have read it three times already I think and keep noticing some additional tidbits here and there.

I was thinking, with comic book being kinda central to whole thing here, how unlikely it would be if the evil that corrupted Nix is us, comic book fans?

[Nosocialize]

Yea, this was easily read of the week (month?). I have read it three times already I think and keep noticing some additional tidbits here and there.

I was thinking, with comic book being kinda central to whole thing here, how unlikely it would be if the evil that corrupted Nix is us, comic book fans?

Hmm interesting take. Personally I see it as us being involved or threatened in some way.

[Sodam Yat]

A very good issue. The creativity in this book is very solid. I like the characterization of Earth-23 Superman. So there's an anti-death equation? hmmmm.

[Clairaudient Freedom Soldier]

The premier heroes of the multiverse were gathered ... and none of them came from earth-0!

Sadly, we didn't get to see Sister Miracle and the Justice Riders.

What I liked:
* Thunderer, he's better than Thor
* Aquawoman, she's better than the earth-0 Aquaman
* Bloodwynd (from Earth-16?) is one of the multiverse's best heroes, that's what I'm talkin' about!
* Clearly, earth-11 and earth-36, to name a few parallel worlds, are better than the disorganized earth-0 DC has forced upon us. The earth-36 GL (Hank) has a better costume and power item (i.e., a torch instead of a ring) than earth-0's GL

What I didn't like so much:
* The story needed even an additional 4 pages to breathe and give us some details about various characters that were relegated to being colorful background props (e.g., the charcoal Swamp Thing)

[Double 0]

MultiversityCaption.jpg

I hope this isn't a spoiler, but I am absolutely in love with this line. That, and the soon to be infamous Captain Carrot quote.


This comic made my week.

[MetalWoman]

"Who else wants to argue with Cartoon Physics!" Captain Carrot.

Metal Woman

[HsssH]

Honestly, every few pages there was a line worth quoting.

[Nosocialize]

"Who else wants to argue with Cartoon Physics!" Captain Carrot.

Metal Woman

bugsbunny-superhero.jpg

The original Captain Carrot!

[Deniz Camp]

Would have been worth the price of admission for the Cartoon Physics line.

REally a bargain at half the price, this issue. A huge chunk of story here. Excellent, straightforward superhero comics with just a little bit of the subversive creeping in at the edges, so subtle you don't notice it unless you're actively seeking it out.

[ShadowSwordmaster]

This issue was so good and a great way to kick this off.

[ReverseReverseFlash]

The Anti-Death Equation seems to create zombies of people.

In that context, it could be a satire of how comics constantly kill and resurrect characters until they're just a sort of marketing zombie stripped off their character. They only exist to be a face and it doesn't matter what damage this process does to the character, as long as they can keep selling it.

That also sort of leads into Nekron, resurrecting dead heroes as zombies and the way DC used them to sell people on Blackest Night. Do you miss Aquaman? Here's his zombie, go read the book!

Nekron and the black energy are the living form of the Anti-Death Equation of the multiverse. The tendency to resurrect dead or dying ideas beyond their intended purpose.

So Superman's crew were headed for Earth-7, but landed on Earth-8, which was going through 90% similar events. Shouldn't Nix still be on Earth-7? Is this an alternate version?

Morrison also provided some bits concerning how characters remember Crisis events. Captain Carrot seems to remember meeting Superman in Final Crisis, but Superman's memories of events are like dreams. He remembered the Ultima Thule from a dream he had, but he can't really remember Carrot. E23 Wonder Woman is still aware of how everything works.

So these characters were yanked and pulled into Final Crisis and then spat back into their own worlds with modified histories. That ties into what I believe happened to Batman on Earth-0. No one remembers Final Crisis happening, but Batman's mysterious death happened in a different timeline that he was pulled into and could only remember as those visions that inspired him to start Batman Incorporated.

Intellectron seems to have a lot in common with the Hyper-Adapter.

[Jim Kelly]

Since I don't buy new DC anymore, even this book isn't tempting me to come back. Maybe in a couple of years when it's in trade. But I am looking at previews and reviews and I think you guys should take note of something. Grant Morrison is using a lot of stuff that has been done before. That's part of the magic of Morrison--what other people throw away as junk, he picks up and dusts off to show its value. Reviewers should pay more attention to this. A black Superman and a Superman as president, Captain Carrot, doppelgangers of the Marvel heroes--all these things have appeared in DC comics in the recent and very distant past.

I think you're missing something if you don't track that. You shouldn't assume that Grant is pulling this stuff out of thin air.

[Nosocialize]

Since I don't buy new DC anymore, even this book isn't tempting me to come back. Maybe in a couple of years when it's in trade. But I am looking at previews and reviews and I think you guys should take note of something. Grant Morrison is using a lot of stuff that has been done before. That's part of the magic of Morrison--what other people throw away as junk, he picks up and dusts off to show its value. Reviewers should pay more attention to this. A black Superman and a Superman as president, Captain Carrot, doppelgangers of the Marvel heroes--all these things have appeared in DC comics in the recent and very distant past.

I think you're missing something if you don't track that. You shouldn't assume that Grant is pulling this stuff out of thin air.

I think it's safe to say most folks are aware he's not writing this out of nowhere at this point. He's done this so many times, dipping into the mythology of so many series, it's practically his M.O.