Infinite Frontier: Secret Files Digital Series Discussion & Spoilers

[BatmanJones]

Would explain why I had no what that was, I never read Animal Man, thanks for explaining what that was and also kind of explains more of why Darkseid would reach out to Psycho.

That run of Animal Man was incredible, one of my favorites ever. I highly recommend it to you.

[BatmanJones]

And I don’t think it’s any more “naval gazing” than Infinite Crisis, not just the punch but the entirety of it. Here’s an important question: why was Psycho Pirate the only one that remembered the pre-Crisis situation?

In CoIE, Psycho Pirate was a huge dangling plot thread that was obviously meant to be picked up. In fact, Wolfman inserted various ways to undo the Crisis because he didn’t know how the effects would play out. This was surely one of those. And, after years, nobody else picked it up so Morrison did—in a way that I personally feel could not have been more satisfying. The whole of that run explored what comics could be but hadn’t yet. To me, that’s the brilliant thing about it. And it doesn’t require any prior reading to enjoy it.

[Jody Garland]

When I said naval gazing I didn't mean it in a negative way, just that it's pure pontification. It's great. I think Grant had the Pirate be the one that remembered it because the end of COIE left the Pirate insane. I think Grant was playing with the old mythology idea that madmen see beyond the veil, stuff like that.

[BatmanJones]

When I said naval gazing I didn't mean it in a negative way, just that it's pure pontification. It's great. I think Grant had the Pirate be the one that remembered it because the end of COIE left the Pirate insane. I think Grant was playing with the old mythology idea that madmen see beyond the veil, stuff like that.

Sorry, I misread you. I agree with all of this.

[BatmanJones]

When I said naval gazing I didn't mean it in a negative way, just that it's pure pontification. It's great. I think Grant had the Pirate be the one that remembered it because the end of COIE left the Pirate insane. I think Grant was playing with the old mythology idea that madmen see beyond the veil, stuff like that.

The only thing I’d ‘correct’ is that it was Marv Wolfman that made PP the only one that remembered. That was in the actual COIE series. But that’s an insightful theory about how and why GM leaned into that.

Not incidentally, Grant Morrison hated the effect that Crisis had on the DCU. From their point of view, the prior situation hadn’t been complicated at all, but that the post COIE stuff had made it confusing. I agree that they were very right about all of that.

And ever since COIE, DC has been trying and failing to correct that mistake.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

I'm not sure what to make of this series yet. The Secret Files stories have been of varying quality and the first issue was intriguing, but it feels a little too soon to be diving back into the Multiverse right after the last few years in which the overwhelming majority of the DCU's events have been so laser-focused on sorting out continuity and alternate Earths. Yet, no matter what conclusion they arrive at by these stories' end, another one comes around to complicate it further.

I suppose a lot of that is the result of all the editorial confusion and mismanagement that eventually led to Didio's firing, but you'd think Javins would want to move onto ground less well-trod for her first big event.

I dunno, like I said, I'm not disliking anything thus far, but I can certainly see why this book isn't generating the enthusiasm or sales that DC hoped for. As much as I adore the DC Multiverse and continuity, even I'm a little tired of seeing it rehashed over and over again.

[sifighter]

I'm not sure what to make of this series yet. The Secret Files stories have been of varying quality and the first issue was intriguing, but it feels a little too soon to be diving back into the Multiverse right after the last few years in which the overwhelming majority of the DCU's events have been so laser-focused on sorting out continuity and alternate Earths. Yet, no matter what conclusion they arrive at by these stories' end, another one comes around to complicate it further.

I suppose a lot of that is the result of all the editorial confusion and mismanagement that eventually led to Didio's firing, but you'd think Javins would want to move onto ground less well-trod for her first big event.

I dunno, like I said, I'm not disliking anything thus far, but I can certainly see why this book isn't generating the enthusiasm or sales that DC hoped for. As much as I adore the DC Multiverse and continuity, even I'm a little tired of seeing it rehashed over and over again.

See I kind of agree that some stories are better then others but I believe the idea behind secret files was that they had such a wide array of characters who will be part of the main infinite frontier series who people have either rarely heard of or haven’t seen really in 10 or so years or in some cases they got all their history back and we kind of need to determine what that may mean.

Like I’ve read Multiversity, I know who Calvin Ellis is. But the general public and some people who maybe aren’t into the madness that is Grant Morrison are going to see issue 1 of Infinite Frontier and go “wait why is there a black Superman?”

Same goes for characters like Jade & Obsidian who only recently came back to continuity and this is legitimately the first we see of them since Doomsday Clock. I’d even argue Director Bones may need some explaining as arguably a niche character.

But while I think it did a good job in other stories I will admit that focus on certain characters may not have been necessary. I mean Roy Harper, most if not all of the Totality, and even Psycho Pirate (he just had some big Batman stories recently) are pretty well known and maybe didn’t necessarily need time devoted to them, again not to say they were bad as I did have fun. But maybe I’m being too hard, after all the point was to sell the characters who will be headlining the main book and the only characters not in these Secret Files are Barry Allen and Flashpoint Batman.

[HsssH]

I dunno, like I said, I'm not disliking anything thus far, but I can certainly see why this book isn't generating the enthusiasm or sales that DC hoped for. As much as I adore the DC Multiverse and continuity, even I'm a little tired of seeing it rehashed over and over again.

I think the problem is not that it is about multiversity again, but that it doesn't really have any hook at the moment?

I’d even argue Director Bones may need some explaining as arguably a niche character.

I have no idea who Director Bones is. Looked at wikipedia and it looks like he had bigger appearances only in Infinity Inc. and Batwoman? Never read those. Is he niche or is he obscure?

[sifighter]

I think the problem is not that it is about multiversity again, but that it doesn't really have any hook at the moment?



I have no idea who Director Bones is. Looked at wikipedia and it looks like he had bigger appearances only in Infinity Inc. and Batwoman? Never read those. Is he niche or is he obscure?

Well Bones was introduced in Infinity Inc. and he has some ties to the JSA, in fact Geoff Johns used him quite a bit in his 90's/early 00's JSA run as a government agent who keeps tabs on superheroes and villains and played a pretty decent role in the atom smasher and Black adam stories. He also appeared regularly in Kate Spencer's Manhunter series. So consider him a government agent who watches superheroes....and also happens to be a skeleton man with a cyanide touch.

[PennyDreadful]

Lian's still dead ?

See Festival of Heroes.

[Frontier]

Bones made the rounds during late Post-Crisis. I know he showed up a lot in Johns' JSA run.

[BatmanJones]

None of the featured characters would have been familiar to a reader that hadn’t been reading for ten years or more. That might be okay for us because we know who they are, but for new readers they’re important. They also help a lot in removing the need for a lot of exposition in the main series.

[MajorHoy]

. . . So consider him a government agent who watches superheroes....and also happens to be a skeleton man with a cyanide touch.

Who accidentally caused the death of Sylvester Pemberton Jr., the original Star-Spangled Kid who later became Skyman.

[sifighter]

Who accidentally caused the death of Sylvester Pemberton Jr., the original Star-Spangled Kid who later became Skyman.

In fairness that was kind of against his will, I would more blame that specific iteration of Solomon Grundy instead of Director Bones.

[MajorHoy]

In fairness that was kind of against his will, . . .

Oh, I agree totally with that, hence the "accidentally" at the start.

Doesn't change the fact that Bones was the cause of Sylvester's death when all was said and done.