DC having it both ways?

[RabidWolfe]

After the first Crisis, DC seemed determined to act as though there was a single unified unvierse, with no messy multiverse to mess things up.

Now, after IC, it seems they are trying it both ways - there is a single, unified history - yet people will have memories of the pre-crisis, post-crisis and whatever else universes.

In essence, DC wants to eat its cake and have it as well. Is this going to work - this unified history, but not everyone's memories and/or history actually fits it?

[Rokk]

I probably would have preferred if DC brought back the multi-verse. It is the easiest tool to use to explain any continuity issues.

[RabidWolfe]

Well, it seems they've "sorta" brought it back into the history.

So, while the current DCU has a coherent history, all continuity errors can be explained by the multiverse.

Or something. I'm very confused.

[stealthwise]

It's simple:

There was a multiverse.

Now there's not.

[Buried Alien]

It's simple:

There was a multiverse.

Now there's not.

That was the case after COIE too. The question now becomes do they *remember* they used to have a Multiverse?

Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[Lurch]

Right. And unlike the mess that COIE created, this is another mess entirely. When the multiverse existed, not everyone knew about it, just the superhero community, right? So now I would expect only those heroes to remember the multiverse. But I'm confused by that fleeting reference in Superman OYL. When they were watching that retrospective film of Supe's career, it stated that his career started 68 years ago, or more precisely, 1938. The exact year that Kal-L was supposed to have come to earth-2. WTF? How does the general populace know this? I guess we'll find out in 52, but I smell another continuity nightmare.

[Rylon]

Yes, they are trying to have it both ways. At least, if the superhero community remembers the multiverse, there's a small chance that what the heros and villians remember matches-up with what readers remember.

Or not.

I long ago sacraficed the sacrade cow of contenuity and made stake from it. London Broil, specifically. Yum yum.

[XPac]

The Multiverse can return anytime any writer bothers remembering Hypertime still exists. It was created and then just kind of went away (possibly because it's very existance kind of makes IC pointless). Still, Hypertime vanished probably more for editorial than storyline reasons which means it's not that hard to return if any writers honestly wants to.

[glennsim]

I think that there is a single, unified history. Characters who knew the original Superman, Batman, etc., when presented with information about those people, end up remembering them. I think that by the time OYL has rolled around, the previously Earth 2 characters have all caught each other up and helped each other remember.

I suspect that, other than remembering these characters existed, the former Earth 2 heroes remember their history as not including those characters, because they know that they are living in a world where they were forgotten.

Thing is, I don't think they realize that the history of the New Earth is different from the post-Crisis Earth. Using the most obvious example, they all remember Wonder Woman being an original member of the Justice League. They don't remember a version where she wasn't.

The only glitch here is that the Gentleman Ghost remembered Wonder Woman, but it's not like anybody would have taken the time to update him on what he would otherwise have forgotten. I suspect we'll find out that the current Wonder Woman was a member of the original JSA as well, but that's just a theory.

[XPac]

Hmmm... well, all I can say is that if DC's goal was to make things simpler and easier to navitage, they kind of missed the mark. I'm more confused about a lot of stuff I'm seeing One Year Later than a was pre-IC.

[glennsim]

Hmmm... well, all I can say is that if DC's goal was to make things simpler and easier to navitage, they kind of missed the mark. I'm more confused about a lot of stuff I'm seeing One Year Later than a was pre-IC.

It's Ok to be confused about that stuff - everyone else is as well.

That's what I think they were shooting for - a single point where everyone can jump on at the same time.

[PatrickG]

Right. And unlike the mess that COIE created, this is another mess entirely. When the multiverse existed, not everyone knew about it, just the superhero community, right? So now I would expect only those heroes to remember the multiverse. But I'm confused by that fleeting reference in Superman OYL. When they were watching that retrospective film of Supe's career, it stated that his career started 68 years ago, or more precisely, 1938. The exact year that Kal-L was supposed to have come to earth-2. WTF? How does the general populace know this? I guess we'll find out in 52, but I smell another continuity nightmare.


The 68 years ago isn't part of the film.

There is a one page prologue set sixty eight years ago with a crash landing.

AND THEN the movie retrospective.

Kurt Busiek has clarified this several times.

[lawman]

When I think "jumping-on point," I don't generally understand that to mean "everyone is left equally confused." Wouldn't it make more sense to shoot for "things are now comprehensible to all readers, old and new?"

[Red Berens]

When I think "jumping-on point," I don't generally understand that to mean "everyone is left equally confused." Wouldn't it make more sense to shoot for "things are now comprehensible to all readers, old and new?"

Well, you would think so, but then if DC was dumb enough to let the greatest storyline in the last 20 years slip through their fingers, what can you expect?