- There are a potential 51 versions of Vibe left, and I couldn't be happier about that.
- Is there a world where Power Girl is still wearing that headband, and how do we avoid it?
- Is there a world where Marv Wolfman never came to DC, and if so, how do I get there?
- Does the Haneyverse exist as a world of its own or is it too self-contradictory?
- Will I get to see a world where Koryak finally hooks up with Officer Malrey?
- Does the gang at Ace Comics get a universe and how does one get an invite?
- Is there a universe in which Ted Knight is the Voice of God? I mean, other than ours?
- Does the multiverse mean we might actually get stories told in the Golden or Silver Age style again?
- I have no doubt that the Phantom Stranger is exactly the same in every universe.
- And that Darkseid isn't interesting in any of them.
- Do you now need a valid passport to cross the vibrational barriers between the universes?
- Do any worlds still have letter columns?
- Is there a world in which Dr. Thirteen is the lead story and the Spectre is the back-up?
- Will any other world get its own "line" of comics, kind of like the Animated Universe?
- Should it?
- Is there a world where The Joker lasted 100 issues and Azrael only nine?
- Is President Bush the greatest statesman Earth-3 has ever known?
- Have gorillas conquered any of the universes, or did the dachshunds stop them?
- Interesting as Waid's Legion might be, can we get back to Earth 247 now? It was much more interesting than this childish generational conflict.
- Do all Ranns suck?
- What must be the total number of people that any version of June Walton has slept with?
- What must be the total number of people that any version of Dale Gunn has slept with?
- If any of the old multiverse worlds is familiar to you, which one would be your favorite (other than "Earth-1" and "Earth Prime")?
- Are there any worlds where Blue Devil is straight? Bi, even?
- Are coupons for Palisades Park from one universe good in all the others?
- Is 52 worlds enough?
- Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite knew all along, didn't they?
- Are there any worlds where the JLA is even remotely normal?
- The multiverse is really just a corporate mechanism that makes it easier for DC to absorb other companies or their intellectual properties, isn't it?
- Don't you hope there's a world where Lois still dresses like that?
- Is Hal Jordan's ego visible from other universes?
- I'd like to think there's a world where Jack Cole lived to see how he is now revered.
- Does the multiverse mean we might get to see Toy Boy again? Please?!
- Can we please send the Fourth World off to an Earth-4 just to keep them away from decent comic books?
- I think that, given his powers, Vibe should be able to transverse the vibrational barriers, so one should be showing up any day. Maybe even three or four!
- Can you use Baron Winter's house to get from one universe to the other, even though it's not Metro-accessible?
- I believe there's a happy happy world where Wonder Woman is dead and Dr. Domino is not.
- Did DC invent the concept of the multiverse or was that pioneered elsewhere in sci-fi literature?
- Are there any worlds where all your extra copies of The Death of Superman are actually valuable? And do they have Ebay?
- How many panels would it take Geoff Johns to ship Bart and Jaime off to Earth-8 and bring back Barry and Ted?
- If he did, would it really upset anybody?
- There should be at least one world where all crime and evil has been completely eliminated. By Lady Cop. Oh, and there's no VD any more, either.
- Is there a world where Batman's just a pale copy of Green Arrow, or does Green Arrow suck multiversally?
- I hope Earth 616 isn't part of the multiverse.
- Can we please see a world that's been conquered by, say, Per Degaton or the like? I mean -- what they actually do all day? Exult?
- Please tell me there's a world where the writers actually understand Aquaman.
- I'd read a book like 52 even if it came out monthly; is that what The Brave & The Bold will be?
- Should the Captain Marvel family stay in "our" world or get their own?
- Should we get some kind of vote or say in how the multiverse looks? I mean, other than voting with our wallets?
- If you could decide at least one thing or person would exist in every world of the multiverse, what would it be?
- If you could decide at least one thing or person would not exist in any world of the multiverse, what would it be? And, no, you may not say "Vibe".
- Will there be any practical, noticeable changes with the advent of the multiverse or it will it just be an excuse for retcons and the dismissal of goofs and incontinuities?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
52 Things That Occurred to Me...
about the return of the multiverse.
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40 comments:
Good news, the Phantom Stranger does exist between universes. Proof: Detective Comics 500, from 1980 or so.
There was a story where the Phantom Stranger came to (the Earth-1) Batman and offered him a rare opportunity: just as 40 years prior the Earth-2 Bruce Wayne's parents had been murdered, and 20 years ago the Earth-1 Bruce Wayne's parents had been murdered, so the Waynes were about to be murdered on another earth; and PS was offering Batman the opportunity to stop the murders of the Waynes on that earth. So the Phantom Stranger took (the Earth-1) Batman and Robin to that world, and from that point the drama unfolded.
So the bottom line is, the Phantom Stranger moves through the multiverse at will. The Spectre does as well, I am led to believe; back in the day he simply used to adopt one Jim Corrigan or another as his host.
34. As long as we get to keep Scott and Barda, I have no problem with it.
Did DC invent the concept of the multiverse or was that pioneered elsewhere in sci-fi literature?
See Frederic Brown's excellent 1950 novel, What Mad Universe
Should the Captain Marvel family stay in "our" world or get their own?
Please, please, please...it's the only way we'll ever get an ongoing series featuring the real Captain Marvel. (Ordway was close, but still too constrained by having to fit into Post-Crisis Earth.)
8. Does the multiverse mean we might actually get stories told in the Golden or Silver Age style again?
Do you think the majority of people today would really support regular stories that were written like that? I know there's a certain nostalgia in the recent Showcase type releases of such material but I just don't know if writers would want to do that style.
Now I do want stories taking place in the Golden and Silver Ages. Not time travel or anything. Just good stories that finish off World War II and such.
18. Have gorillas conquered any of the universes, or did the dachshunds stop them?Gorillas, even intellgient ones, are no match for Dachshunds hunting in coordinated packs.
Hell. One Dachshund could take on Gorilla City without much effort.
If any of the old multiverse worlds is familiar to you, which one would be your favorite?
I hate to see it, but I'd just be happy with Earth-2 all separate and nice and cohesive. And no crossovers with it!
45. Can we please see a world that's been conquered by, say, Per Degaton or the like? Exult?
That would be excellent. Hell, bring back Earth-X too. All Nazis. All the Time.
# If you could decide at least one thing or person would exist in every world of the multiverse, what would it be?
Matter-Eater Dog.
"Matter-Eater Dog."
Well, I don't have to guess what breed THAT would be...!
49. Should we get some kind of vote or say in how the multiverse looks?
Good god, no. I love fandom, but the only thing more disastrous that the system we have now is stories by fanboy committee.
The real truth behind the return of the multiverse is that Dan Dido is setting up for the next big crossover event, Infinite Millennial Crisis of the Zero Hour on the Final Night of Infinite Earths including earth 1,000,000.
In this mega crossover event, the giagantor evil despot from earth 616 attempts to Marvalize earth dc by killing, mutilating, father raping and mother stabbing (apologies to Arlo Guthrie and Alice's restaurant) his way across the multiverse.
it'll be grand.
I only wish that DC's new multiverse is as cool as what your questions suggest.
And, to be honest, I'd love to see the Pre-Crisis Legion with Superboy, Supergirl and Elastic Lad return!
As for my answers,
3. Only if Dick Grayson is still Robin and the original Teen Titans never "matured."
23. Earth-S, closely followed by Earth-X
48. Yes. I don't know why Alex Luthor didn't restore Earth-S in the first place. It's the clean-cut, polite world he wanted ...
50. The Pre-Crisis Kara Zor-El.
51. The Post-Crisis Superman.
52. Sadly, I just think it will be an exuse for retcons and bloody "DC events."
I would love to see Earth 3 with their version of the Secret Six vs. the Crime Syndicate and Earth-S with Jeff Smith forever working on the Shazam family.
I think Mark Gruenwald (when he was just an uber-fan, and not a Marvel editor) put the Super-Sons (which were Haney creations, right?) on "Earth-E." These stories were too new to have taken place in the Golden Age, but too old for the Silver Age, and mostly involved Superman and Batman. They kind-of look like Earth-1 stories, but they're not.
The "E" is either for E. Nelson Bridwell, who came up with the Earth-E idea, or for "Extraneous," which is kind of cruel.
Also, I'll gladly support the return of Earth-S if it means DC will stop trying to "fix" the Marvel Family.
OK, shoot me for even touching Exiles with a ten foot pole, but hey, the concept is fun. I'd love to see a DC version of this featuring the children of DC heroes from different realities, with The DK2 Supergirl and Ibn Al Xuffasch as the core members. They would traverse the realities as Guardians of the Multiverse.
4. Rest assured that no matter what the answer, Batman digs it.
7. Yes, and he narrates the actions of every single person in that same breathless manner. This is called Earth Awesome.
23. Earth-S always seemed like a pretty fun place to hang out. Earths C and C Minus are cool, too, though the animal-based pun nomenclature would get old damn fast.
27. Well, if you consider Evan Dorkin's "World's Funnest" to be canonical (and now it can be, I guess), they visit just about every Earth you can think of and then some.
29. Probably, but it's more fun if you choose to be willfully ignorant of that fact.
41. Ted, probably not. Bringing Barry back for good might ruffle some feathers, though. The whole "negating his noble sacrifice" argument, which I kind of agree with (I tend to like Wally better anyway, though).
48. Their own, definitely. I just don't think the concept, when done right, meshes that well with the DCU proper. Fun for the occasional crossover, but an awkward fit at best for the long haul.
49. Too much potential for fan-entitlement there, I think. I admit it'd be kinda nice, though.
50. French toast. I couldn't live in a world without French toast.
I just know that if there was an Earth where Aquaman was the only guy with superpower, like Secret Identity, people still wouldn't give him the respect he deserves for taking care of 75% if the world!
Visit?!
Please! Fill out my change of address forms!
29) Always possible, although I don't really know any other companies with characters that DC's clamoring to buy.
35) Crisis on Infinite Vibes, maybe?
41) Bart will never be the Flash to me, but Jaime's fine as a new Blue Beetle, even tho it's totally different.
45) Maybe Degaton's world will be the infamous Earth-Swastika that was renamed Earth-X.
48) Our world, just because half the fun is how the Marvels interact with others. I am hoping for a "Funny Animals" world with Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny.
50) Detective Chimp. And on the Funny Animal world, he's Detective Human. On Earth-3, he's Criminal Chimp.
51)Say goodbye to Zook.
I want an Earth where the super-heroes stop all crime using Hostess Fruit Pies.
23. If any of the old multiverse worlds is familiar to you, which one would be your favorite (other than "Earth-1" and "Earth Prime")?
Earth S & Earth 2.
38. Did DC invent the concept . .
Nope - it's been around a lot longer than them. Off the top of my head, H. Beam Piper was writing his "Paratime Patrol" series in the mid-40s, which dealt with a reality police. This might give more info, but I just glanced: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_history_(fiction)
I don't read too many new comics these days and I thought "Koryak" was a typo, and that if I clicked the link I would see "Korak." You know, the son of Tarzan. Imagine my disappointment.
Um, I mean excitement. I totally meant to say excitement.
"Is there a world where Marv Wolfman never came to DC, and if so, how do I get there?"
There is. Unfortunately no comics are being published on that world any longer. Instead of sucking the was they did in the 1980s, comics sucked in some other way, which was less commercially viable, and they died out just before Rob Liefield sharpened his first pencil. So that's some consolation, anyway.
"Does the Haneyverse exist as a world of its own or is it too self-contradictory?"
Remember that panel in Infinite Crisis with all of the multiple earths and how one of them was square? There's your proof of the Haneyverse's existance. The existence of a completely square earth necessarily requires the existence of a really hip earth, and what could be hipper than the Haneyverse?
"Does the multiverse mean we might actually get stories told in the Golden or Silver Age style again?"
You mean chronically? Or the way we're getting them now, in intermittent outbursts of annuals and specials?
"I have no doubt that the Phantom Stranger is exactly the same in every universe."
On Earth-K he has goalpost teeth and a square chin with a squiggle, and the details of his outfit change randomly from panel to panel, but they're probably supposed to do that, right?
"And that Darkseid isn't interesting in any of them."
In that miniskirt and those boots, I just don't see how you can make that complaint. Not to mention Darkseid's outfit!
"Is there a world where The Joker lasted 100 issues and Azrael only nine?"
The Joker shows up 100 times per year with or without his own title, and if Azrael shows back up, I can avoid his ouevre again just as easily as I did last time.
"Is President Bush the greatest statesman Earth-3 has ever known?"
Ultraman got the popular vote on Earth-3.
"Do all Ranns suck?"
Only relative to all Thanagars.
"If any of the old multiverse worlds is familiar to you, which one would be your favorite (other than "Earth-1" and "Earth Prime")?"
Earth K, where the covers and the first three pages of all issues of all comics every month are drawn then written then edited by Jack Kirby, with the remainders of those issues being filled in by whoever does those comics now. Except for the annual Wally Wood fill-in issue, but I think I have to spend a second wish to get that.
"Are coupons for Palisades Park from one universe good in all the others?"
Hey at least they're all equally good in all universes.
"Is 52 worlds enough?"
Ha! As if!
"Are there any worlds where the JLA is even remotely normal?"
I sure wouldn't read about their adventures if they were normal. Come to think of it, they wouldn't have any.
"The multiverse is really just a corporate mechanism that makes it easier for DC to absorb other companies or their intellectual properties, isn't it?"
Fine with me. Any corporate mechanism that keeps those properties from going completely unpublished is a good one.
"Don't you hope there's a world where Lois still dresses like that?"
Hell no!
"I'd like to think there's a world where Jack Cole lived to see how he is now revered."
I'd like to think I was immortal and had super powers, but it only leads to trouble when I do.
"does Green Arrow suck multiversally?"
On Earth-K, Green Arrow doesn't suck. And he too has a square chin with a squiggle in it, whether we can see the squiggle or not.
"Can we please see a world that's been conquered by, say, Per Degaton or the like? "
There would have to be a really large infinite number, larger than most of the other infinite numbers, of worlds where P.D. ended up on top. Have to be, especially if time-travel by its very nature really does split off alternate timelines. And I have it on the authority of Kang the Conqueror that this is exactly the case, so if we're not reading about such a world, there's certainly some sinister reason why.
"Please tell me there's a world where the writers actually understand Aquaman."
We live in that world. Alas, if only we could live in the world where editors and publishers ALSO understood the value of writers who actually understand Aquaman, and were handsomely rewarded for that understanding by a really large readership.
"I'd read a book like 52 even if it came out monthly; is that what The Brave & The Bold will be?"
That's what I was hoping when I added it to my pull list.
"Should the Captain Marvel family stay in "our" world or get their own?"
If "their" world is not "our" own, does the fault lie with the C.M.f. or with ourselves?
"Should we get some kind of vote or say in how the multiverse looks? I mean, other than voting with our wallets?"
Bully is SO right about this!
"If you could decide at least one thing or person would exist in every world of the multiverse, what would it be?"
Free Comic Books Day.
"If you could decide at least one thing or person would not exist in any world of the multiverse, what would it be?"
Licorice. Guck! How the hell did anybody decide that that crap qualified as "candy"?
"Will there be any practical, noticeable changes with the advent of the multiverse or it will it just be an excuse for retcons and the dismissal of goofs and incontinuities?"
What more do I really need?
You are awesome.
in particular:
Are coupons for Palisades Park from one universe good in all the others?
I just hope, on one of the Earths, Superman and Batman have admitted how they feel about each other.
And that Ray Palmer is on one of them.
That the Phantom Stranger exists in all universes doesn't mean he's exactly the same in all fo them. Apparently there's one where he's a short old man in a trenchcoat who wears a clerical collar rather than a medallion, and has an origin involving sex with a demoness. This is the same earth on which his old antagonist and chess opponent Dr. 13 turned out to be a brutall insane psychopath. Fortunately, that universe is in accessible from any of the others.
[These are references to the two characters', very bad, Vertigo Visions one-shots.)
8. Does the multiverse mean we might actually get stories told in the Golden or Silver Age style again?
Well, we're getting some in the Silver Age style right now -- notably All-Star Superman -- but I suspect the answer to this is yes.
9. I have no doubt that the Phantom Stranger is exactly the same in every universe.
This is just a guess, but I'd wager that there's only one Phantom Stranger and one Spectre, and they move between the universes. That both remember the original Crisis on Infinite Earths indicates that.
14. Will any other world get its own "line" of comics, kind of like the Animated Universe?
15. Should it?
I hope so. Personally, I think there's lots of potential in that idea. I think DC would be damn stupid to not use the return of the multiverse as an opportunity to set up an Ultimate-style line, for example.
On a sidenote, you could say that some of those worlds already have their own lines, if you assume that the Animated Universe and Wildstorm both occupy their own worlds within the larger DC Multiverse, as I always sort of have. Personally, I'd love to see a New Earth/Animated Universe crossover, possibly involving Batman Beyond, but that's me.
20. Do all Ranns suck?
Yes, provided there's an Adam Strange on that Rann. Any time a single human being of average intelligence and ability is somehow a major factor in the outcome of interplanetary affairs the planet in question has to suck.
22. What must be the total number of people that any version of Dale Gunn has slept with?
I'm gonna guess 34,596, an average of 665.3 people -- notice I said people and not women -- per Dale Gunn. Sounds about right.
23. If any of the old multiverse worlds is familiar to you, which one would be your favorite (other than "Earth-1" and "Earth Prime")?
My personal favorite would probably be Earth-Charlton (I forget which number it was), but Earth-S is the one that most desperately needs to be separated from the rest of the DCU, at least in my opinion.
26. Is 52 worlds enough?
It's a pretty good number. It's enough to have lots of room to breathe but few enough to where writers won't be creating worlds totally willy-nilly. If they were disciplined about it they could probably make 52 worlds last a very long time. They'll probably have to expand it eventually, but I see no reason 52 won't work just fine for the foreseeable future.
31. Is Hal Jordan's ego visible from other universes?
Well, it's visible from our universe, so that's something.
38. Did DC invent the concept of the multiverse or was that pioneered elsewhere in sci-fi literature?
As has been pointed out, they hardly came upon the idea first, but I think they did coin the term "multiverse".
40. How many panels would it take Geoff Johns to ship Bart and Jaime off to Earth-8 and bring back Barry and Ted?
Are you kidding? That would take a six, possibly seven-issue series with ample tie-ins.
41. If he did, would it really upset anybody?
I like Bart and Jamie, I just don't like them as the Flash and (the only) Blue Beetle. So I'd be upset, I guess.
43. Is there a world where Batman's just a pale copy of Green Arrow, or does Green Arrow suck multiversally?
Well, there's Smallville, where the eventual Batman is gonna look like a poor Green Arrow.
44. I hope Earth 616 isn't part of the multiverse.
I'll always think of them as being part of the same Multiverse, but it's not like it matters.
47. I'd read a book like 52 even if it came out monthly; is that what The Brave & The Bold will be?
I would too, but the hypothetical book would have to read and look much better than 52, given the lead time. I'd be less generous with it. No clue if that's what the new Waid/Perez book will be, although that would be neat.
48. Should the Captain Marvel family stay in "our" world or get their own?
Get their own, definitely. The unique brand of Marvel whimsy just works better separate from the rest of the DCU.
50. If you could decide at least one thing or person would exist in every world of the multiverse, what would it be?
Fate's helmet.
51. If you could decide at least one thing or person would not exist in any world of the multiverse, what would it be? And, no, you may not say "Vibe".
I can't think of anything, really. That's the whole charm of the multiverse: provided the clean break from the past, you ought to be able to make anything work -- and besides, you can never know for sure that something doesn't exist somewhere out there in all those Earths.
19. It's fair enough to prefer a previous version of the Legion to the current one - I miss them too - but the generational conflict is not the point of the comic book. It's just a feature of the setting. It's background.
51) any variation of the Monitor
The fact that you hate New Gods stuff so much (Seriously, why is this? New Gods was the epitome of the Silver Agey stuff you seem to love so much), but love 52 and Uncle Sam (which are so full of New Gods references and connections it makes my head spin), makes my head--...uh... throb. Yeah.
Also, have you ever extolled on your dislike of Jaime? Can I get a link-link? Or something? I'd really like to read that one.
10. And that Darkseid isn't interesting in any of them.
I thought I was the only one <3
I'm with you both about Darkseid, and the New Gods generally. Never, ever understood what made them at all godlike, as opposed to being a race of powerful aliens who happened to have corny Silver Agey punny names. Other than Ostrander (in Suicide Squad and Martian Manhunter, and to a lesser extent in Legends) and Levitz (in Legion) I'm not sure any writer has ever successfully persuaded me that this roster of characters was worth the attention lavished on it.
OK, the Darkseid scene in World's Funnest was pretty good.
I'm not at all sure how the "secret" is supposed to be such a big secret. It's not like Alex Luthor's failure resulted int he end of the in-continuity Wildstormverse. Nor was his multiverse-producing-machine necessary for the existence of "Earth-Two" (that is, Earth-3), or even for the in-continuity Marvelverse. JLA #0 certainly indicated indicated that there were more earths to come; and I gather (though haven't read it myself) that Bart had already confirmed that Wally and the kids were off on another earth. I guess the big reveal is not about the multiverse but about 52, revealing that theformer is the big maguffin of the latter.
I wonder whether it's the Skeets of Earth-3?
52 universes sounds good- writers & editors can keep 10 or so well-defined, with the other 42 yet to be discovered.
The one person AND object I'd remove: Red Tornado. I don't have a deep, abiding hatred for him, but I find the character, design, and powers boring. Really, really boring.
I'm talking Azrael boring. Waverider boring. Monitor/ Harbinger/ Pariah boring.
31. Is Hal Jordan's ego visible from other universes?
Of COURSE it is, you silly man. The REAL question, is do all of the Green Lanterns in the other Earths still have fabulous bums?
You bet!
Is there a universe where Hal doesn't keep hitting his head?
20. No. Rann 39, wherein the zeta beam snatched Vibe instead of Adam Strange and the Rannians remodelled their entire culture to be please him, is pretty rad
29. If there were other companies to obsorb that is.
31. No. Hal Jordan's ego IS the other universe.
40. I could do it in one.
47. I hope not. It should at least try to be single issue format with a mandate like JLA: CLassified - different creators writing single issue team-ups.
49. I vote we kill robin.
50. Weekend brunch. Every world needs brunch because nobody hates brunch. Brunch makes everyone happy.
51. Stinky self-righteous leftists. Nothing worse than someone with BO representing your core beliefs and making you appreciate the manicured meetings of the gun lobbyists.
52. I don't think it's about retconning and all that per se, it's about allowing the creators to retcon should they feel the need. It allows for an option rather than exercises in completism.
14) Maybe
15) Maybe not
23) Earth S. It seems like a place anything can happen.
26) for Now
29) If DC thinks they've found some properties they can recycle, more power to them. The Atlas/Seaboard guys are available I'm told.
34) I thought the Charlton earth was Earth 4, so maybe earth 43?
46) Sure, but you can't get there from here.
47) I hope so.
48) Send'em back to Earth S with Mr. Scarlet, Bulletman, Golden Arrow, Spysmasher, Minuteman, and all the rest. Let'em form the Crime Crusaders Club and show the JLA how it's done.
49) 52 should be enough for most everybody.
50) I don't know...Superchief?
51) The macarena
52) I just cannot see DC actually changing anything. They talk about change a lot, but don't actually provide any.
Patrick, the term multiverse was coined by William James in 1895.
1. There are a potential 51 versions of Vibe left, and I couldn't be happier about that.
Earth-3 Vibe is no doubt an even worse stereotype than Vibe of Earth-1.
2. Is there a world where Power Girl is still wearing that headband, and how do we avoid it?
I like the headband.
3. Is there a world where Marv Wolfman never came to DC, and if so, how do I get there?
Earth Anti-Prime, the anti-matter equivalent of Earth Prime. To get there, you must somehow convince Elliot S. Maggins and Carey Bates to write a story that sends you there.
Good luck.
4. Does the Haneyverse exist as a world of its own or is it too self-contradictory?
The Haneyverse is a free floating cloud of nano-machines which is heavily attracted to the vicinity of Batman. Periodically, responding to a cycle unknown to God or man, it rewrites reality in a localized zone, leading to erratic superhero behavior, odd power functioning, and plots which can't possibly fit into continuity, but which nevertheless are sometimes entertaining on their own.
Afterwards, the victims forget everything, until the next time.
5. Will I get to see a world where Koryak finally hooks up with Officer Malrey?
Yes, not that I have any idea who they are.
6. Does the gang at Ace Comics get a universe and how does one get an invite?
You must become the next bearer of the Helmet of Fate to enter.
7. Is there a universe in which Ted Knight is the Voice of God? I mean, other than ours?
Of course.
8. Does the multiverse mean we might actually get stories told in the Golden or Silver Age style again?
Yes, but not very many.
9. I have no doubt that the Phantom Stranger is exactly the same in every universe.
Only if the worst artists are shot into space.
10. And that Darkseid isn't interesting in any of them.
Darkseid is interesting in some, boring in others, just like any character dependent on the skill of his author.
11. Do you now need a valid passport to cross the vibrational barriers between the universes?
Nope. It's unregulated, so long as the Republicans still hold the White House.
12. Do any worlds still have letter columns?
Yes, but those worlds are Marvel Comics worlds.
13. Is there a world in which Dr. Thirteen is the lead story and the Spectre is the back-up?
There are worlds in which the Spectre must play backup to Sugar and Spike or the Robonic Stooges.
14. Will any other world get its own "line" of comics, kind of like the Animated Universe?
Maybe. If it seems likely to sell.
15. Should it?
Yes, see answer to 14.
16. Is there a world where The Joker lasted 100 issues and Azrael only nine?
The Joker, as someone else pointed out, appears roughly 2 billion times over the last few decades. He'll get by.
17. Is President Bush the greatest statesman Earth-3 has ever known?
Earth-Anti-Prime President Bush is the greatest statesman it has ever known. Earth-3 Bush is a kind, well meaning man who has to do what the supervillains tell him or his twins will die.
18. Have gorillas conquered any of the universes, or did the dachshunds stop them?
There's almost certainly got to be an Earth-Gorilla which has one lone 'Human City' hidden in Africa.
19. Interesting as Waid's Legion might be, can we get back to Earth 247 now? It was much more interesting than this childish generational conflict.
I wish. OH I WISH.
20. Do all Ranns suck?
Earth-3 Rann must be awesome, since everything is backwards in the Antimatter universes.
21. What must be the total number of people that any version of June Walton has slept with?
More than any of us answering these questions.
22. What must be the total number of people that any version of Dale Gunn has slept with?
They don't make numbers that high.
23. If any of the old multiverse worlds is familiar to you, which one would be your favorite (other than "Earth-1" and "Earth Prime")?
Earth-2 and Earth-S
24. Are there any worlds where Blue Devil is straight? Bi, even?
Yes.
25. Are coupons for Palisades Park from one universe good in all the others?
No.
26. Is 52 worlds enough?
Yes.
27. Mr. Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite knew all along, didn't they?
Yes, but neither could say it coherently.
28. Are there any worlds where the JLA is even remotely normal?
Define 'normal'.
29. The multiverse is really just a corporate mechanism that makes it easier for DC to absorb other companies or their intellectual properties, isn't it?
No, it's also a storytelling mechanism.
30. Don't you hope there's a world where Lois still dresses like that?
I hope not.
31. Is Hal Jordan's ego visible from other universes?
Hal's ego is used as the navigational beacon for moving between universes.
32. I'd like to think there's a world where Jack Cole lived to see how he is now revered.
Earth Anti-Prime again.
33. Does the multiverse mean we might get to see Toy Boy again? Please?!
Given enough time, I think everyone will show up again.
34. Can we please send the Fourth World off to an Earth-4 just to keep them away from decent comic books?
No.
35. I think that, given his powers, Vibe should be able to transverse the vibrational barriers, so one should be showing up any day. Maybe even three or four!
Assuming he has a motive to leave home.
36. Can you use Baron Winter's house to get from one universe to the other, even though it's not Metro-accessible?
Yes.
37. I believe there's a happy happy world where Wonder Woman is dead and Dr. Domino is not.
If the multiverse = infinite, yes.
38. Did DC invent the concept of the multiverse or was that pioneered elsewhere in sci-fi literature?
No.
39. Are there any worlds where all your extra copies of The Death of Superman are actually valuable? And do they have Ebay?
Earth Anti-Prime
40. How many panels would it take Geoff Johns to ship Bart and Jaime off to Earth-8 and bring back Barry and Ted?
It would take a mini-series.
41. If he did, would it really upset anybody?
I would like to keep Jaime and bring back Ted while leaving Barry dead. I like Jaime, but he's really not a Ted successor in any meaningful sense, so they can co-exist.
(It's as if Iron Man was somehow Spider-Man's 'successor'...)
42. There should be at least one world where all crime and evil has been completely eliminated. By Lady Cop. Oh, and there's no VD any more, either.
Earth-LC!
43. Is there a world where Batman's just a pale copy of Green Arrow, or does Green Arrow suck multiversally?
The story where Batman has dozens of kinds of specialized batarangs is set on the world where he's a pale copy of Green Arrow.
It's in the Batman in the Fifties book and it's the one story in that which I found to be TOTALLY LAME.
44. I hope Earth 616 isn't part of the multiverse.
Only during company crossovers.
45. Can we please see a world that's been conquered by, say, Per Degaton or the like? I mean -- what they actually do all day? Exult?
That would be cool.
46. Please tell me there's a world where the writers actually understand Aquaman.
Earth Anti-Prime again.
47. I'd read a book like 52 even if it came out monthly; is that what The Brave & The Bold will be?
I think 52 would drag horribly as a monthly. That being said, I am eager for a new Brave and the bold.
48. Should the Captain Marvel family stay in "our" world or get their own?
Both. Just to confuse people.
49. Should we get some kind of vote or say in how the multiverse looks? I mean, other than voting with our wallets?
Nope.
50. If you could decide at least one thing or person would exist in every world of the multiverse, what would it be?
The Daily Planet and its staff; in some universes, Superman would just be ordinary Kent and someone else would be from Krypton or even everyone is normal. OR EVERYONE IS FROM KRYPTON.
51. If you could decide at least one thing or person would not exist in any world of the multiverse, what would it be? And, no, you may not say "Vibe".
I'd wipe the Joker out of every universe for at least a decade. WAY OVERUSED BADLY.
52. Will there be any practical, noticeable changes with the advent of the multiverse or it will it just be an excuse for retcons and the dismissal of goofs and incontinuities?
Depends on if DC actually puts forward a coherent plan or uses the 'lots of monkeys typing randomly' plan.
I am nostalgic, but I want no part of new stories in the Golden or Silver age "style."
I want NEW stories about those continuities. All-Star Squadron was INCREDIBLE because Roy Thomas wrote them with the modern style of the time. I would want the same writing approach with any new stories set in the Golden or Silver age--just like the Golden Age miniseries in the 1990s.
I think that, given his powers, Vibe should be able to transverse the vibrational barriers, so one should be showing up any day. Maybe even three or four!
Ooh! And TV stations could have "Dancing with the Vibes", where amateurs are paired with the Vibes of many Earths and voted on their skills. Granted, it'd be all break-dancing, which isn't to everyone's tastes, but I'd love it (seriously, watch the modern-day break dancers on these shows - they can walk on their elbows in rhythm!).
9. I have no doubt that the Phantom Stranger is exactly the same in every universe.
18. Have gorillas conquered any of the universes, or did the dachshunds stop them?
If there is an Earth-G, it better damn well have a mysterious mystical primate, whom (for want of a better name) I shall dub Gorilla In The Mist.
" New Gods was the epitome of the Silver Agey stuff you seem to love so much)"
The New Gods are not Silver Age at all. The New God, introduced in February 1971, are hardbaked into the BRONZE Age. It's pretentious, faux-Wagnerian, self-serious, with zero self-awareness of its own childishness.
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