Superman #32, the 4th Dimension, Multiversity and Hypertime

[AlexanderLuthor]

When Geoff Johns was first announced as the new writer of Superman my initial reaction was that it made sense. Superman, unlike Batman at this point, needs a superstar creative team to be a Top 20 selling book and with Supes being the center of the movie universe and JRJR demanding a "name" writer it all lined up. If you had to pick two books to put your top writer on, at this point in time, it would probably be JL and Superman. However, after reading Superman #32 I think there might be far more going on.

For those who haven't read it, Superman #32 introduces a new character called Ulysses who has an origin very close to Kal-El's with the difference being that he was born on Earth and his parents sent him to the 4th Dimension to save him from a catastrophe. At first glance that seems pretty straight forward as another Superman "analogue" story very similar to the one in Unchained right now and dozens before it. What makes it more interesting is the introduction of the 4th Dimension into the New 52 DCU. To my knowledge, the 4th Dimension hasn't been thoroughly shown/discussed in the New 52 up to this point. Why is that important? First, a little history:

DC has always had a tug of war internally about the nature of its universe - between those wanting one world and one timeline and those wanting a multiverse with multiple timelines. In 1985 the one world crowd won out because the DCU had become way too complicated for the average fan - multiple Supermen from multiple worlds running everywhere - and so we got COIE that streamlined the worlds of the DCU. Then in 1994 we got Zero Hour where the one timeline crowd won out - Hal Jordan tries to recreate a timeline where Coast City is not destroyed and is stopped by many, including the Linear Men. Where are the Linear Men from? Yep, the 4th Dimension.

By 1999 many at DC such as Alan Moore, Grant Morrison and Mark Waid wanted the freedom to explore alternate timelines and the multiverse and began to gradually reintroduce those concepts. Starting in JLA #28 Morrison began to explore alternate timeline stories that featured something called "Hypertime", the 4th Dimension and the movement between timelines. Later Waid reintroduced the idea of multiple worlds and made an Earth 2 that allowed the JSA to make a comeback.

Fast forward to today. We have the New 52 that has a multiverse of 52 parallel worlds separated by The Bleed. Now we are getting Multiversity from Grant Morrison that promises to explore those worlds and provide detailed maps and rules as to how the multiverse is structured and operates. That is a win for the multiple worlds crowd. Also, we are getting what are being called "Band-Aid" issues next year that promise to miss-mash characters with all of their different incarnations through different media. At first I wondered how that would be done - surely they would all be Elseworlds tales and basically filler issues. But with Superman #32 we now have a potential answer. This is exactly what the 4th dimension was originally structured to accommodate (all the way back in Action #12 where it was originally introduced), the movement between timelines and worlds. So now it seems the multiple timelines crowd has won as well, and Johns is setting the stage for it.

Finally, I think this is a win for the fans. I want creators to create. If they want to explore multiple timelines and/or worlds more power to them. I think it will make for better stories all around. Also, it allows things like the Pre-Flashpoint timeline to exist if a creator should want to explore it. Morrison above all has won this fight.

More about the 4th Dimension from DC's Wiki (check out the nice old/new characters it introduces):

The Fourth Dimension is an abstract concept used in physics to identify and, when possible, quantify non-Euclidean space/time. Although it is a rare circumstance, it is possible for material from the Third dimension to physically pass through the Fourth dimension and navigate the environment as if it were a flowing tributary. In the case of living people, such individuals are referred to as time travelers. Like all realms of physics, manipulation of the Fourth dimension is adherent to a series of basic principles. Violation of these principles (such as using the Fourth Dimension to alter the past) often produces unwelcome, even disastrous results.

Timestream Cosmic Curtain
A Pre-Crisis description of the Timestream.
A group of chrononauts known as the Linear Men are known to police the Fourth Dimension.

A major aspect of the Fourth Dimension is the concept of Hypertime. Hypertime is a super-dimensional construct, which (under very limited circumstances) can allow versions of characters from one continuity to interact with versions from another.

Residents
Hourman (Matthew Tyler)
Liri Lee
Rex Hunter
Rip Hunter
Time Traveller (ABC continuity)
Waverider
Tempus

[Baggie_Saiyan]

This seems a very interesting post!
I haven't read #32 yet (arrives tmw). So I'll come back to this thread tmw (through I'd comment so I'd not lose it haha!!)

[Sacred Knight]

I'm wondering if Superman, Ulysses, and the rest of the "Men of Tomorrow" who will be subsequently introduced in this run, will actually become the New 52 Linear Men, or analogues of them.

[Dzetoun]

It would seem that what DC may be working for is a simultaneous expansion and solidification of their universe. The solidification involves the bringing of Prime Earth and its universe into a more coherent and unified whole. This is proceeding in rather severe fits and starts, and the execution has had quite a few holes. But the Justice League titles would appear to be the emerging centerpiece of the new unity. The expansion would come with the exploration of the multiverse and the apparent introduction of alternate timelines. It would seem that Superman and Multiversity are presently the lynchpins of this. It is likely not an accident that the lynchpin titles for both the solidification and the expansion are helmed by Geoff Johns. Evidently, the particular vision associated with Johns is becoming the de facto blueprint for the development of DCnU. The good news here is that Johns' instincts probably line up with the preferences of the DC readership to a greater degree than do Didio's. The bad news is that Johns has notable weaknesses that have grown more pronounced in recent years, particularly an emphasis on drama, spectacle, and cinematic moments without either adequate setup or follow-through.