The Multiversity (2014): Deluxe Edition (The Multiversity (2014-2015))

Grant Morrison has been hit or miss with me, and after finishing The Multiversity I think I've finally cracked his code. To me, Grant Morrison is at his best when not working directly on one character (i.e. his Batman run) but one grand epic scale that doesn't necessarily fall into character continuity. The Multiversity is everything I've heard people praise about Morrison and more. The first issue is spectacular in scale, technique, and full of amazing ideas that are connected throughout each issue. I didn't think a series of one-shots would work as well as this had. Honestly, I found myself loving issues I thought I'd scoff at, and the ones I thought I'd love were just good. I don't think there is a bad issue in this lot, but because it's trying to build a multiverse for other writers to come onto obviously not everything in here will be for me, or you.The Multiversity is full of grand ideas and spectacle that it made me want to find these elseworld stories from DC and read them. It made me fall in love with all the different iterations of our beloved heroes, and defined them as something more than just an alternate version. I wanted to follow their lives, and experience them in their own series. This book is so full of imagination, creativity, and potential that I am really sad nothing has come out as of yet that works with this wonderful tome. I may not always agree with Grant Morrison, but he knocked this one out of the park.A must buy for any hard core DC fan.

What's not to like? Read this one carefully, and you will see that the ultimate villain of the piece is the Book itself. Or rather, DC. And Marvel. And Todd McFarlane. The whole notion that anyone owns an idea or holds a copyright on the imagination is ludicrous. And yet, comics go into limbo, television shows get cancelled and lost forever, beloved characters disappear because someone claims to "own" them.If I have lost you, go look up the story behind "Miracleman". In fact, be sure to read "Miracleman" before you read "The Multiversity." With writers like Alan Moore and Neil Gaiman on board, that series is also a winner.

Grant Morrison operates on a level of creativity not available to most comics' writers. He has the ability to distill characters to their essence and yet still present them in a fresh way. If you are a fan of his All-Star Superman or his work on Batman, you will especially enjoy his take on the Shazam Universe in Thunderwold. Simply the best Captain Marvel story I've read in 25 years. Mr. Morrison can also put his own unique "spin" on characters and take them in a direction you've never seen before. If you're a fan of his work on Doom Patrol, for example, you should check out his "pulp" version of Dr. "Doc" Fate. Brilliant. Morrison also revived the Justice League with his JLA title in the 90s and churned out more interesting characters and concepts in the first 12 issues than the title had previously seen in 20 years. As part of that work, he did the definitive Earth-3 Crime Syndicate of America story. He extrapolates from that work here by showing us different versions of the JLA across the Multiverse, within a logical, complex and fascinating framework, all the while injecting his own meta-commentary on comics as a medium. It's an ambitious work, but overall, it's successful (I think it's especially helpful to read the story sequentially in the trade rather than issue-by-issue). Some of the artwork, sadly, is not equal to the author (in particular, I found Jim Lee's Master Men story drab and uninspired). But long-time DCU fans will delight in pouring over Morrison's map of the multiverse and imagine where Morrison could go with the dozens and dozens of new characters he introduces sometimes at length and sometimes with only a picture or phrase. It's too bad that the DC editorial staff will probably not follow up on the ideas and concepts that Morrison casually tosses out by the handful, just as it failed to embrace Morrison's brilliant Seven Soldiers tale or his somewhat less-successful Final Crisis. Nevertheless, fans of the DCU will find this a treasure trove of their favorite super-heroes and marvel (yes, marvel) at a writer who commands the form like few others.

I picked this up for $5 on Kindle during a DC sale the week of the Justice League movie coming out. Its definitely worth that price and more even. The various artists all do a great job, but the writing (even though I love Grant) in the first and last issue just get ridiculous at times. Borderline absurd. Sometimes Grant just wants to tell TOO MUCH story for what his concepts really call for.Still, the individual issues that make up the center of this collection are where it sings beautifully. The guide issue is actually a favorite of mine, though I think Grant missed one Earth. I heard Mr Vietti explain once that the Young Justice cartoon was one of the 52 earths. That's not mentioned in the guide, but then again there are 7 mystery earths that aren't explained, so maybe its one of those? Even though, I think, YJ earth is supposed to be Earth 16 or something like that.If you aren't a walking encyclopedia of DC knowledge, this book may go way over your head. It introduces so many alternate earth versions of characters that many of their introductions make almost zero impact if you don't already know the lore. But hey, that's just my opinion.If you want a bizarre DC story with great art, then I'd say dive right in and pick this book up at any price and you'll be happy. If you're on the fence or just curious, wait for a sale.

This is an awesome book...as in, a book full of awe. Simply put, it looks at the DC comics Multiverse through a series of stories, each set on a different parallel world, told with an artistic style to match that world. At the same time, it looks at comics ( specifically superhero comics) as an art forms. The framing device is a loner, reading comics and transforming the objects in his daily life, including a Rubik's Cube and a stuffed toy monkey into objects of mystical and superhuman significance. It's at the same time a parody of superhero event stories ( especially Crisis on Infinite Earths etc) and a celebration of the goofy wonder of them. So if you have any vestigial affection for the old superhero, you will LOVE this! Along the way, you will see: a superb Marvel Family story in all ages style, a Nazi Superman story with Jim Lee art, a pulp style superhero world, a Guidebook to 52 alternate Earths, and more alternate Supermen than you can shake a rain stick at. Most startling is an episode with a haunted comic book, in which the hero is a comic book come to life and YOU the reader can save the universe!! ( fans of Morrison's Animal Man will smile with recognition). One that left we cold was the clever,clever Watchmen parody, mimicking Alan Moore tropes including panel grids and transitions, beautifully dawn by Frank Quitely, but ... Too late, too late. Not enough life or love in that one for me. However, there is soooo much to admire and love here that I have to say, please go buy it!! It is fabulous value for money, you will reread and explore in depth. It is different every time you read...and if you feel a little confused , just go with the flow and repeat to yourself..it's only a comic, it's only a comic, it's only a comic......

Another review, much of which I'm in agreement with, says "you've never read anything like this". Well, unless you've read Grant Morrison before, because arcane entities destroying parallel worlds, the similar-but-differing superheroes who inhabit them, smart post-modernist sleight of hand and vague, frustrating plot "resolutions" have been hallmarks of his work since he broke through with 2000 AD's "Zenith" 30 years ago, and they're essentially what this is all about too.On a bad day, and he has more of them than his obsessive fans will admit, Morrison is a maddening writer, but he's on somewhere near top form here. "Multiversity" is an absorbing tale which rings enough fresh changes on his usual tropes to keep you engrossed and entertained until, inevitably, the vague, disappointing denouement.Prior to that we get a tour of some, but not all, of the 52 parallel universes which made up the DC Multiverse at the time this was written. Among other destinations, we find a world of bored, third-generation heroes with nothing to fight who have ended up as self-obsessed reality TV stars, a world which resembles 1930s adventure pulps, a Kirbyverse, a world where the Nazis won (more interesting than that over-used idea might lead you to think), what was once called the Charlton-Earth, and the Fawcett Earth of the original Captain Marvel. All, in different ways, are threatened by some Multiverse-destroying entities. It's probably not too much of a spoiler to say that, although it's a close-run thing, it all seems to work out okay in the end. The use of parallel, distinct but interlocking narratives is reminiscent of "Seven Soldiers of Victory", Morrison's largely unsung masterpiece, though sadly it lacks the (unusually) clear and satisfactory plot resolution which sets "Seven Soldiers" apart from much of his other work.Most of these worlds are fascinating (the reality TV one is hard going, but in a way that's totally appropriate to the bored, affect-free world it portrays) and Morrison is helped by a good mix of the best of today's artists who are well-matched to the worlds they portray. Jim Lee's slightly grim monumentalism is entirely appropriate to the world where then Nazis won. Chris Sprouse has a ball with the pulp adventure, a field in which he has demonstrated fine form in the past. Frank Quitely is perfect for the obsessive, complex formality of the Charlton world, with its nods to the precise Moore and Gibbons' storytelling in the Charlton-based "Watchmen" (those nods are a bit heavy-handed, but I guess "Watchmen" is the elephant in any room containing a Charlton hero). Best of all is Cameron Stewart's work on the Captain Marvel story which is the highlight of the whole work. Morrison and Stewart perfectly capture all that's unique and charming about the Fawcett characters, in a way which is plausible for modern sensibilities but without a note of cynicism or unnecessary "grit". It's easily the best and truest Captain Marvel since DC re-launched the character in 1973, and yes, I have read and enjoyed Jeff Smith's "Monster Society of Evil".The success of the Captain Marvel story may be because at his core Morrison is something of a Billy Batson himself and he just GETS the mix of joy, wonder and alogical weirdness that defines the superhero genre. His fannish tendencies also extend to some material here in which he literally maps out the DC Multiverse (even none-further-flung bits like the realms of the Endless from Gaiman's "Sandman") and offers brief descriptions of some of them. He even tries to shoehorn this into the overall narrative. He doesn't quite succeed, but cowls aloft for the effort.The package is completed by a collection of variant covers from the original comic mags compiled here, and some preliminary sketches, layouts and design sheets, all of which complement a highly enjoyable story, full of witty incidental detail and clever ideas, and one that's only denied a fifth star because of the woolly plot resolution. The Captain Marvel story deserves six stars, though.PS It's unlikely any such creature would even be checking out this item on Amazon, but readers who don't already have some familiarity with the DC canon in all its diversity will probably find "Multiversity" incomprehensible from the outset.

If you pick up a copy of Multiversity, I can guarantee it will be unlike anything else you have ever read. I can't at all guarantee that you will like it though.As is often the case with Grant Morrison's writing, the story is dense with lore and references. In fact, you pretty much need to have read every comic ever to have a fighting chance of picking up on all of the references. Individual characters take a backseat to the overall DC Multiverse here, which is as thoroughly detailed as it is ever likely to be. It reads almost like a fan project to establish canon that can be reconciled with the decades of contradictory continuity and retcons in DC than a cohesive story, but I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. The book is most valuable, in my opinion, as an encyclopedia of the Multiverse (though even in that it is not totally comprehensive, again likely a good thing since some things should remain mysterious). The art is provided by a variety of different artists, some intentionally paying homage to different styles from comics history. I thought the vast majority was top notch, but there's every chance not all of it will appeal to you.The overarching plot of the book is probably the weakest element. It shifts between characters, locations, tones and styles so frequently that there is little room for a truly cohesive story. I would argue that the series would have been stronger with no plot to tie issues together, since as well as being convoluted, it has an urgency to it that makes reading Multiversity a little exhausting. Like Final Crisis, I suspect that I will tie far more threads together when I read the story again, but by the same token, I feel I missed a lot of smaller details on my first reading.I would recommend the book as a reference to any DC fans, if nothing else. The story itself isn't bad either, but it's more wonderful mess than simply wonderful. If you're new to DC, wait until you've read a bit more before giving this one a go. You'll appreciate the story far more if you understand who the lesser-known characters that make an appearance and events that are referenced are.

Bought this as a gift for a DC fan and it went down very well think it's for the more hardcore fansSo would not get for anyone just starting out with DCbut the artwork is amazing inside

Like most of Grant Morrison's work, I can't work out if I love it or hate it. Even with this review I couldn't decide whether it was 3 or 5, so going to settle for 4 stars.I guess that's why I keep buying his work. It's not like anything else out there.