The story of “The Multiversity” is a long one. First announced as a follow-up to “Final Crisis,” the book was thought for a while to be a comics equivalent to Chinese Democracy, with its title left for some amateur website to use in the interim because it sounded better at the time than “The Eighth City.”
But like Chinese Democracy, we did eventually reach the point where it would eventually be released — and unlike Chinese Democracy, holy shit, this book is awesome. Cue yet another joke from me about the five year wait, and lets get on with the review.
As a note: this is a spoiler-free review. However, it does feature images from the book, carefully chosen to illustrate a few points. I don’t consider any of them spoilers, but please take your own personal threshold into consideration.
Written by Grant Morrison
Illustrated by Ivan ReisThe biggest adventure in DC’s history is here!
Join visionary writer Grant Morrison, today’s most talented artists, and a cast of unforgettable characters from 52 alternative Earths of the known DC Multiverse! Prepare to meet the Vampire League of Earth-43, the Justice Riders of Earth-18, Superdemon, Doc Fate, the super-sons of Superman and Batman, the rampaging Retaliators of Earth-8, the Atomic Knights of Justice, Dino-Cop, Sister Miracle, Lady Quark, the legion of Sivanas, the Nazi New Reichsmen of Earth-10 and the latest, greatest Super Hero of Earth-Prime: YOU!
Comprising six complete adventures – each set in a different parallel universe – plus a two-part framing story and a comprehensive guidebook to the many worlds of the Multiverse, THE MULTIVERSITY is more than just a multipart comic-book series. It’s a cosmos spanning, soul-shaking experience that puts YOU on the frontline in the Battle for All Creation against the demonic destroyers known as the Gentry!
In issue #1, pencilled by superstar artist Ivan Reis (AQUAMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE), President Superman of Earth-23 uncovers a threat to all Reality so apocalyptic it will take a team of incredible heroes from across the Multiverse to face it – including Captain Carrot, like you’ve never seen him before!
But even with a multitude of alternate worlds to choose from, where every variation is possible, can anyone hope to prevail against the onslaught of ultimate evil and undying hatred – in the unstoppable form of a one-time cosmic defender with unimaginable powers?! Join us, if you dare, for the beginning of THE MULTIVERSITY!
As we open to the first page of “The Multiversity” #1, we are treated to a nine panel grid that slowly zooms out from the tiniest organism to a much wider view of the city our story opens in. We’re given a microscopic view of the universe and then told to take a step back, to see the bigger picture and understand how all of these things operate together in a shared space.The book speaks directly to us, a narrator inviting us to play an active participant in the events that will proceed as one world’s reality is another’s fiction — but it also quickly reveals that something is wrong. Something is infecting the world, something has found a way in, and it’s not just infecting the world of the comic but the reader as well. We’re complicit in everything that happens, active participants in the drama herein, and as the journey continues between the reader and the page there exists a definitive understanding: this is a shared experience.
So begins this tale of multiversal exploration and super heroics, and one of the finest looks at the rich complexities that can make comics so damn fun. As “The Multiversity” #1 fires off it’s opening salvo we get looks at ideas past, present and future — the return of Nix Uotan, the formation of the Cosmic Neighborhood Watch and a place at the center of existence with at least five names — in what is perhaps the most imaginative book that DC has published since the formation of the New 52. It’s daring, it’s relentless and it’s just about exactly what you’d expect for the highly anticipated series from DC and Grant Morrison — and that the New 52 logo is missing from the cover is assuredly not an accident.
Continued belowIn many ways, this feels like what most comics should aspire to. From the meta-references to the frequent homages to the history of comics, this is a book that clearly sets itself up not just as an exploration of a DC but perhaps a definitive answer to the question of “why comics?” That’s an easy question to answer for many, but few books have really taken the time to explore the question in its various different shared facets far beyond the personal ones. “The Multiversity” is a comic about comics, but it’s a comic about why we should read comics and why we should enjoy them — whether from DC or any of their various competitors, all of which have a part to play in the story as the latest battle against an unseen ultimate evil begins to take shape.
“The Multiversity” positions itself as something beyond a jaunt through different Earths. “The Multiversity” reveals itself to us as the last stand between fiction and the forces that attempt to destroy and homogenize what makes it so brilliant and wonderful for us to frequently visit and return to in different forms. It’s a bit pretentious like that, but it’s made very clear early on that this a take-no-prisoners kind of battle, and you’ve just been drafted into the war.
Ivan Reis juggles the weight of this world rather well. Having read the issue a few times, it actually becomes quite impressive to see in what ways Reis and inker Joe Prado shifts style and composition in order to accomplish different tasks throughout the series. As we shift between different worlds and feature different characters from all of them, Reis himself plays with the way he shows us these characters and how they exist in conjunction with one another — something that is most appearance during the initial formation of the Cosmic Neighborhood Watch midway through the issue. All of them feature Prado’s deep inking and Reis’ definitive linework and emotive construction, but you still get the feeling that everyone has come from somewhere else, a place different and unique to their own stories and design.
What’s always impressive to see, though, is how artists adapt to the various tricks that always seem to crop up in Morrison’s work. The opening nine-panel grid, for example, immediately calls to something like Frank Quitely’s famous introduction sequence in “Flex Mentallo” (see: here and here, and while the opening of “Multiversity” is shorter it’s interesting to see how Reis illustrates the same form of sequence. There are a few other instances where Reis tackles the construction of similar sequences not entirely as homages, but the book is also full of unique and expressive sequences, with characters weaving in and out of the panels as if they’re truly coming alive. This, of course, does seem to be the point to the book — that the characters are just alive here on the page as we are in our world reading their adventures — and Reis brings that notion to life wonderfully.
The book is also a stark return to form for Morrison. While Morrison’s overall Batman epic that wrapped up last year retained most of the magic that made it’s pre-52 incarnation entertaining, it also seemed a bit more restrained. The same was present in his “Action Comics” run, for better or worse; that was a book that felt like there was much more Morrison wanted to do with the character but was, for whatever reason (editorial or otherwise), unable to bring it all to life — particularly in the finale. But “Multiversity” is Morrison the magician back in action, throwing both tangible and intangible idea after idea onto the page and weaving it all together in ways they may not necessarily work on their own, let alone from another author. Many of Morrison’s frequently used motifs and themes are present in the series already, and as the issue reaches its climax it’s easy to see how this fits perfectly alongside the most lauded books from Morrison’s oeuvre.
But what is most surprising about the issue is where the book really ends up singing. The ideas that return are of course welcome and the newer elements in play are intriguing as well, but for all the various characters and elements that appear in the issue it’s surprising to see how smooth and eloquent the book reads. The complexities of Morrison’s writing is there, and his penchant for using powerful characters crying about the weight of the universe and things they can not control alongside slightly esoteric lines that won’t have a full pay-off until re-reading the collected series still comprises the large majority of the issue, but then in the middle of it all there’s a comedic rabbit who breaks most of Morrison’s self-imposed rules. In fact, it’d be hard not to note that Captain Carrot absolutely steals the show for the most part. It’s an interesting change of pace, in a manner of speaking; this isn’t to say that Morrison isn’t funny in his books and doesn’t craft stories that aren’t enjoyable reads for those who don’t want to spend hours taking notes, but so much of the book is so very stereotypical of Morrison (in a good way) that the characterization of a character like Carrot and a few others stands out.
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This in turn leads me to perhaps the only inherent flaw of the book, in that the obvious needs to be stated: if you love Grant Morrison’s general body of work, then this book is perfect for you — but that being said, it doesn’t inherently break the mold. “The Multiversity” very much lives up to its premise as a spiritual successor to “Final Crisis,” and it’s off to a great start; I’m sure that future issues down the line as we experience the different one-shot format of the series will illuminate different aspects of this first issue, but these techniques and this way of writing is old hat. It’s Morrison doing what Morrison does best, yes, but it’s also fairly safe; it’s the best parts of “Seven Soldiers” and it’s the best parts of “Final Crisis”, but it’s a bit early to see if this book will be “just another success” for Morrison fanboys like myself or something that breaks beyond the self-imposed shackles Morrison places on himself in his use of continuity. The potential is certainly there, but it’s obviously too early to tell.
On that same thread, the biggest potential drawback to “The Multiversity” is the same inherent drawback that existed for books like “Final Crisis”: if you aren’t inherently willing to put in the time, to really sit and dig at the book and try to find the answers hidden within, “The Multiversity” can be a fairly empty read. There’s a lot in this book and even after a few reads and note taking I’m not entirely sure I’ve picked it all up, but at its surface it’s pretty light on characterization and plot, leaning more on your personal knowledge of archetypes and some affluence for various characters in order to instill a sense of trust. The book succeeds as a primer for the series and an opening shot for the war we’re all a part of now, but it’s also very easily the type of book that exists for a very specific audience and not the “casual reader.”
That’s both a good thing and a bad thing. Personally, I have very little time and care for a book that doesn’t demand my full attention or have any interest in challenging me. Superhero comics can be great and are often quite a fun ride, but they can also tend to be the equivalent of a flashy car with nothing under the hood. That said, there are people out there in the world (like myself) who know nothing about cars, so who cares what’s under the hood if the outer experience doesn’t carry any value? “The Multiversity” #1 doesn’t feel like as big of a polarizing read as some of Morrison’s other work, though I’d say the potential for it to be off-putting is obviously there, but it’s also definitely one of the biggest risks that DC has taken since the New 52 began and that’s fantastic.
With “The Multiversity” #1, Morrison has made the mission statement of the overall series very clear. This isn’t a book for the passive reader, and if you’re willing to essentially lean back and watch Morrison do the voodoo that he do(es) so well then you’re in for a wild ride. With the assembled team, the abundance of nods to past work and the clues laid out for what could be the potential resolve (I already have my theories about how it’ll all come crashing down), “The Multiversity” is definitely a book that has been worth the wait for Morrison fans, let alone a book that can offer newer fans of DC the opportunity to look behind the curtain and discover what lies behind.
We started this journey by turning the first page. There is no turning back now.
So “The Multiversity” is a pretty grand start to what seems to be quite a fun jaunt throughout DC’s new multiverse, as well as a celebration of all things comic books, and for that I have nothing but praise to sing. If the book is really the culmination of all of Morrison’s work, then that aspect clearly shows in both the recycled elements and the new ones. It’s a big book about superheroes, it’s a big book about stories and it is definitely a comic about comics for comic fans. As the series veers off with the following issues before coming back around for the eventual wrap-up/bookend, it’ll be a lot of fun to come back to this first issue and re-experience the start of it all — and in the end, that the series already looks like it’ll demand of us time, attention and frequent visits decidedly makes it a win for DC and Morrison.
Continued belowWe need more comics like this — an incredibly satisfying beginning to a long awaited adventure. Welcome back, Grant.
Final Verdict: 9.5 – Is it a great comic? Yeah! Is it well worth the wait? YEAH! Should you leave this review and go read the book already, or again? THREE TIMES YEAH!
