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The Multiversity #2
Multiversity n. 2
MULTIVERSITY continua con il primo dei sette one-shot che lo compongono! Preparatevi a un viaggio su Terra-20 insieme alla Società dei Supereroi! Chi è la Lanterna Verde demoniaca che protegge questa Terra? Qual è il segreto del Dottor Fate? Chi sono le amazzoni combattenti note come Blackhawks? E cosa succede quando questi eroi si ritrovano faccia a faccia con le loro controparti di Terra-40, guidate da Vandal Savage? Unitevi a noi per scoprirlo!
[Dal sito della casa editrice]
[Dal sito della casa editrice]
48 pages, Paperback
First published September 17, 2014
8 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Grant Morrison
1,815 books4,549 followersGrant Morrison has been working with DC Comics for twenty five years, after beginning their American comics career with acclaimed runs on ANIMAL MAN and DOOM PATROL. Since then they have written such best-selling series as JLA, BATMAN and New X-Men, as well as such creator-owned works as THE INVISIBLES, SEAGUY, THE FILTH, WE3 and JOE THE BARBARIAN. In addition to expanding the DC Universe through titles ranging from the Eisner Award-winning SEVEN SOLDIERS and ALL-STAR SUPERMAN to the reality-shattering epic of FINAL CRISIS, they have also reinvented the worlds of the Dark Knight Detective in BATMAN AND ROBIN and BATMAN, INCORPORATED and the Man of Steel in The New 52 ACTION COMICS.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
In their secret identity, Morrison is a "counterculture" spokesperson, a musician, an award-winning playwright and a chaos magician. They are also the author of the New York Times bestseller Supergods, a groundbreaking psycho-historic mapping of the superhero as a cultural organism. They divide their time between their homes in Los Angeles and Scotland.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 18, 2016
all of Morrison's goals are perfectly accomplished in this ode to the pre- and post-World War 2 pulps: classic superheroes transformed into hard-punching everymen (and women) just trying to get the job done; monsters & threatening animals & world-stomping villains & an invasion from another dimension that all inspire a childlike feeling of glee; timeless virtues like camaraderie and honor extolled without irony; a clear but never overbearing connection to the overarching Multiversity storyline. he is perfectly supported by Chris Sprouse and Karl Story's wonderfully old-fashioned, earth-toned art. the visuals are disarmingly straightforward and excitingly cinematic. it took a lot of sophistication on the part of the writer and the artists to produce a work that feels so joyfully clean and simple.
September 21, 2014
Can someone explain to me the appeal of retro pulp in so many contemporary comics out these days? Is it purely an aesthetic thing, with the cool designs? Because I’ve read pulps from way back when and they were never any good. They were badly written, stupidly plotted - in other words, pulp. But apparently its cool these days to do comics in that style for some reason.
So it is with Grant Morrison’s The Multiversity #2, or The Society of Superheroes: Conquerors from the Counter-World #1 (because they’re all going to be #1 comics in this series). On Earth-20, Doc Fate assembles the Society of Superheroes or S.O.S: the Immortal Man, Al Pratt aka The Mighty Atom, Lady Blackhawk and the Blackhawks, and Abin Sur aka Green Lantern. They face an incursion from Earth-40 led by the evil Vandal Savage with an army of Necro-Men, Blockbuster, Parallax, and Lady Shiva.
Despite Morrison’s usual sharp cuts and jumps - the war begins, then suddenly we’re five years in the future, then we’re in the middle of the final mission - it’s a fairly straightforward story of good guys vs bad guys done in the usual over-the-top superhero style. It’s presented in a retro/pulp/post-modern (ow, my brain!) style that sees 1930s/40s style craft alongside super-advanced robots and whatnot that’s not that interesting to see, despite Morrison’s attempts to make it so - its just been done so much lately.
Multiversity must be hell for readers totally new to the DC Universe because Morrison barely bothers to introduce the characters’ backstories. It’s all rushed and very surface level. I’m fairly well versed in DC’s stuff, but there were a number of characters I completely blanked on and even more references I’m sure I didn’t get. At any rate, I was ambivalent throughout as to whether or not Earth-20 prevails against Earth-40, and that’s the real failing of the issue.
Because here’s the thing: you can’t instantly create dramatic tension or fully-involved interest in the reader just by concocting situations that seem dramatic/etc. If I wrote “the end of the world is happening” without setting up a story where that statement would mean something to the reader, then its totally ineffective - just like it is here. I’m totally detached from what’s happening in the comic and couldn’t care less about anything in it at all.
The connections to the first issue are the reappearance of the “haunted comic” called The Multiversity and the mention of Nix Uotan, the comics reviewer who gave his life to save the universe, and of course the various DC worlds colliding, but it’s early days yet to understand what it all means besides boring DOOM!
It’s Chris Sprouse’s turn to draw an issue (a different artist will draw a different issue in the series) and he produces some good-looking pages. The lines are very clean, the outfits, as you’d expect, are very retro and uncomplicated - the Mighty Atom’s outfit is just a mask over slacks and a sweater! - and while there’s nothing incredible about his work here, it’s still well-drawn and strong.
I’m a bit disappointed with how Multiversity is turning out. It’s really nothing new, it’s just Morrison telling generic superhero stories with obscure, little-used characters with the gimmick of parallel worlds colliding (yeah, never seen DC deploy that hacky trick before!). It’s Morrison so the stories are told in a more advanced, less-straightforward way, and sure it’s ambitious, but it’s also unsurprising and dull to read - completely at odds with the hype that built it up.
So far I’ve yet to see anything truly original in this series and The Society of Superheroes #1 continues that trend - it’s all sizzle and no steak.
So it is with Grant Morrison’s The Multiversity #2, or The Society of Superheroes: Conquerors from the Counter-World #1 (because they’re all going to be #1 comics in this series). On Earth-20, Doc Fate assembles the Society of Superheroes or S.O.S: the Immortal Man, Al Pratt aka The Mighty Atom, Lady Blackhawk and the Blackhawks, and Abin Sur aka Green Lantern. They face an incursion from Earth-40 led by the evil Vandal Savage with an army of Necro-Men, Blockbuster, Parallax, and Lady Shiva.
Despite Morrison’s usual sharp cuts and jumps - the war begins, then suddenly we’re five years in the future, then we’re in the middle of the final mission - it’s a fairly straightforward story of good guys vs bad guys done in the usual over-the-top superhero style. It’s presented in a retro/pulp/post-modern (ow, my brain!) style that sees 1930s/40s style craft alongside super-advanced robots and whatnot that’s not that interesting to see, despite Morrison’s attempts to make it so - its just been done so much lately.
Multiversity must be hell for readers totally new to the DC Universe because Morrison barely bothers to introduce the characters’ backstories. It’s all rushed and very surface level. I’m fairly well versed in DC’s stuff, but there were a number of characters I completely blanked on and even more references I’m sure I didn’t get. At any rate, I was ambivalent throughout as to whether or not Earth-20 prevails against Earth-40, and that’s the real failing of the issue.
Because here’s the thing: you can’t instantly create dramatic tension or fully-involved interest in the reader just by concocting situations that seem dramatic/etc. If I wrote “the end of the world is happening” without setting up a story where that statement would mean something to the reader, then its totally ineffective - just like it is here. I’m totally detached from what’s happening in the comic and couldn’t care less about anything in it at all.
The connections to the first issue are the reappearance of the “haunted comic” called The Multiversity and the mention of Nix Uotan, the comics reviewer who gave his life to save the universe, and of course the various DC worlds colliding, but it’s early days yet to understand what it all means besides boring DOOM!
It’s Chris Sprouse’s turn to draw an issue (a different artist will draw a different issue in the series) and he produces some good-looking pages. The lines are very clean, the outfits, as you’d expect, are very retro and uncomplicated - the Mighty Atom’s outfit is just a mask over slacks and a sweater! - and while there’s nothing incredible about his work here, it’s still well-drawn and strong.
I’m a bit disappointed with how Multiversity is turning out. It’s really nothing new, it’s just Morrison telling generic superhero stories with obscure, little-used characters with the gimmick of parallel worlds colliding (yeah, never seen DC deploy that hacky trick before!). It’s Morrison so the stories are told in a more advanced, less-straightforward way, and sure it’s ambitious, but it’s also unsurprising and dull to read - completely at odds with the hype that built it up.
So far I’ve yet to see anything truly original in this series and The Society of Superheroes #1 continues that trend - it’s all sizzle and no steak.
February 11, 2018
Another fun issue with great Chris Sprouse art. DC books like this are a mix for me of people I know and don't know. I literally read it and think in my head "hey I know this character!" and "nope this is lost on me I don't not know this one". But it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of reading it
October 1, 2017
From the moment you see this Multiversity story, you know you are in for some pulp-action entertainment. And this second issue of the Multiversity meta-series really delivers that old-school pulp feeling.
Multiversity: SOS is a classic action story where the protagonists get to be cornered and rises as the winning party near the end but postpones complete victory to pave way for another, much bigger story. You have seen or read or heard this before. But Grant Morrison's take on it is undeniably good.
Surprisingly, this is an easy read with minimal craziness and crazy terms galore - things which are considered normal in a Morrison story. More than the artwork, it has that Darwyn Cooke vibe in it. Doc Fate looks like The Rocketeer by the way. Hehe.
It is meant to be a continuation of the first issue, but rather than a direct connection, Multiversity: SOS vaguely referred to the multiversal events that are happening and instead concentrated with what is happening in their own Earth (earth 20). The trans-universe travel is muted here.
Highly recommended.
Multiversity: SOS is a classic action story where the protagonists get to be cornered and rises as the winning party near the end but postpones complete victory to pave way for another, much bigger story. You have seen or read or heard this before. But Grant Morrison's take on it is undeniably good.
Surprisingly, this is an easy read with minimal craziness and crazy terms galore - things which are considered normal in a Morrison story. More than the artwork, it has that Darwyn Cooke vibe in it. Doc Fate looks like The Rocketeer by the way. Hehe.
It is meant to be a continuation of the first issue, but rather than a direct connection, Multiversity: SOS vaguely referred to the multiversal events that are happening and instead concentrated with what is happening in their own Earth (earth 20). The trans-universe travel is muted here.
Highly recommended.
May 2, 2019
Before the Spider-Verse, there was DC's Multiverse. And for years, Grant Morrison wanted to tell its story.
I bought this issue a long time ago, near its release date, but took forever to read it. When I did, I promptly forgot everything, or I just never finished it. Today I completed it during my lunch break, several years behind schedule.
I'm a big Doctor Fate fan and this was a unique take on the character. This universe's Fate was similar to the reserved, emotionally distant character from the 40s, but similarly not without personality. He even cracks a joke that works well with the story's action, giving me the impression that Morrison found a fun and clever way to combine the original serious "full helmet" Fate with the later campy "half mask" Fate of the old 'More Fun Comics.'
The art is very competent and the costumes reflect the Golden-Age feel of the book. Fate looks like he's ready to investigate a hidden temple somewhere; a nice callback to the origin story given him by Gardner Fox. I'd love to see a similar take on this version of Fate in the future, by Morrison or another writer.
The best part about these types of books is that Batman and other over-exposed characters aren't present. Instead, we have a weird combination of the Blackhawks, the pseudo-JSA, and an Abin Sur that survives his trip to earth, all on one team.
I don't know how this will play out and there's a lot going on. I'm interested in Fate and the SOS but there's only Number One issues for the various Multiversity stories and the next ones will focus on different characters, though there is an over-arching story, including a prologue and epilogue and guidebook. As this is meant to tie into the New 52 multiverse, the guidebook installment is a break-down of the 52 parallel universes, complete with maps and information about each universe.
The meta-narrative of this miniseries is a nice touch. There's the feel that each of these series has more numbers, somewhere, in the multiverse, and we're just peeking in briefly with the one issue that made it over to our world. Morrison was quoted saying that "each comic looks like it comes from a different parallel world, so they're all slightly different" in style, further enhancing the multiverse feel.
I am very interested in the entire story and will be checking it out when I can, possibly by buying the trade paperback of the entire collection, as that would be easier than hunting down the individual back issues
4/5
I bought this issue a long time ago, near its release date, but took forever to read it. When I did, I promptly forgot everything, or I just never finished it. Today I completed it during my lunch break, several years behind schedule.
I'm a big Doctor Fate fan and this was a unique take on the character. This universe's Fate was similar to the reserved, emotionally distant character from the 40s, but similarly not without personality. He even cracks a joke that works well with the story's action, giving me the impression that Morrison found a fun and clever way to combine the original serious "full helmet" Fate with the later campy "half mask" Fate of the old 'More Fun Comics.'
The art is very competent and the costumes reflect the Golden-Age feel of the book. Fate looks like he's ready to investigate a hidden temple somewhere; a nice callback to the origin story given him by Gardner Fox. I'd love to see a similar take on this version of Fate in the future, by Morrison or another writer.
The best part about these types of books is that Batman and other over-exposed characters aren't present. Instead, we have a weird combination of the Blackhawks, the pseudo-JSA, and an Abin Sur that survives his trip to earth, all on one team.
I don't know how this will play out and there's a lot going on. I'm interested in Fate and the SOS but there's only Number One issues for the various Multiversity stories and the next ones will focus on different characters, though there is an over-arching story, including a prologue and epilogue and guidebook. As this is meant to tie into the New 52 multiverse, the guidebook installment is a break-down of the 52 parallel universes, complete with maps and information about each universe.
The meta-narrative of this miniseries is a nice touch. There's the feel that each of these series has more numbers, somewhere, in the multiverse, and we're just peeking in briefly with the one issue that made it over to our world. Morrison was quoted saying that "each comic looks like it comes from a different parallel world, so they're all slightly different" in style, further enhancing the multiverse feel.
I am very interested in the entire story and will be checking it out when I can, possibly by buying the trade paperback of the entire collection, as that would be easier than hunting down the individual back issues
4/5
July 28, 2024
This was actually even better than the first issue!
You could literally read issue 2 and don't read anything else from the series.
It's a complete story, who cares about the open ending when the temple rose up from the ground!
DC proudly goes down on their knees to thank every god possible and impossible that Grant Morrison wrote this story for them lol
They need to use these worlds he is making, maybe some fresh new stories would do them good.
Vandal Savage was bad ass in this story, he is the only one I actually know from the main dc universe, which brings us to another point, people who are way more familiar with the DC universe than me, will probably appreciate these stories much more, because who knows how many of these heroes actually have counter-parts in the main universe!
You could literally read issue 2 and don't read anything else from the series.
It's a complete story, who cares about the open ending when the temple rose up from the ground!
DC proudly goes down on their knees to thank every god possible and impossible that Grant Morrison wrote this story for them lol
They need to use these worlds he is making, maybe some fresh new stories would do them good.
Vandal Savage was bad ass in this story, he is the only one I actually know from the main dc universe, which brings us to another point, people who are way more familiar with the DC universe than me, will probably appreciate these stories much more, because who knows how many of these heroes actually have counter-parts in the main universe!
September 26, 2017
Se il numero precedente era inconcludente, affrettato, troppo sommerso dagli hidden jokes, questo secondo numero, per quanto non eccezionale, riesce almeno a darci una lettura meno affannosa, ci restituisce personaggi che rimangono sulle pagine per cinque minuti, e si fregia di disegni assolutamente centrati ed efficaci. Bravino Morrison (non può andare al di là del bravino), eccezionale Sprouse.
September 30, 2024
An exceptional story. Even without being familiar with all of the characters, and they are alternate universe versions of these characters, the writer provides enough details to make the narrative compelling. The art is good, too, and there is enough text to seemingly give a multi-media experience, with some of the comic reading like prose. Best read with the other Multiversity comic books; recommended for Grant Morrison fans.
February 12, 2019
All I can say is wow !!!
Didn't want to leave this world
such a mesmerizing tale fitting in the Muliversity story
This one had an ending that was not what I wanted but understandable
loved the alternate heroes and villians of this story
A fantastic read !
Didn't want to leave this world
such a mesmerizing tale fitting in the Muliversity story
This one had an ending that was not what I wanted but understandable
loved the alternate heroes and villians of this story
A fantastic read !
October 20, 2024
Fue un cómic que conecta con el anterior de Multiversity solo por la mención del cómic embrujado porque, por lo demás, no tiene ninguna conexión. Sin embargo, siempre es bueno ver al Doctor Destino liderando algún equipo contra alguna amenaza, y más si la amenaza es Vandal Savage.
December 13, 2020
La más pulposa de las revistas del Multiverso.
February 9, 2015
Fun pulp style take on the JSA.
To be honest, I found the few bits of plot thread from the main Multiversity tale intrusive and annoying, as I was having a good time getting to know these heroes and their adventures.
If there are any spin-offs from this mini, I hope these guys get a more stories.
To be honest, I found the few bits of plot thread from the main Multiversity tale intrusive and annoying, as I was having a good time getting to know these heroes and their adventures.
If there are any spin-offs from this mini, I hope these guys get a more stories.
December 16, 2014
Wonderful style and feel to this book, but it feels like they had more story than space and had to cut a few corners. The result is a somewhat lacklustre tale that leaves you a bit lost and wanting.
January 9, 2015
I want more!
December 22, 2015
Lindo lindo, pero me quedo con Tom Strong.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews