Rotworld in the DCU continuity

[DaronK]

I said this in a thread sometime earlier - but the story can't exist in actual continuity, as we've seen almost all of the DCU heroes killed (this is also the biggest flaw in the story - in my opinion anyway. It doesn't carry any weight because we know everything has to go back to status quo - for the majority of the world anyway). The best we can hope for is that our heroes are some how changed in a dramatic way so at least the story has some repercussions that way.

To sum up - this is basically a Days of Future Past for them...

[dubbauw]

I said this in a thread sometime earlier - but the story can't exist in actual continuity, as we've seen almost all of the DCU heroes killed (this is also the biggest flaw in the story - in my opinion anyway. It doesn't carry any weight because we know everything has to go back to status quo - for the majority of the world anyway). The best we can hope for is that our heroes are some how changed in a dramatic way so at least the story has some repercussions that way.

To sum up - this is basically a Days of Future Past for them...

It seems like that fact that both Animal Man and Swamp Thing have both the actual and Rotworld continuity in their plots imply that the actual continuity with the Bakers and Abby will be significant in the end game. They're obviously not dead as thought in Rotworld. But you make a point that it is pretty obvious it'll be back to status quo so every hero is Rotted. I think what makes it still appealing is that there isn't an apparent way to fix everything and defeat the Rot.

[Mister Ferro]

I said this in a thread sometime earlier - but the story can't exist in actual continuity, as we've seen almost all of the DCU heroes killed (this is also the biggest flaw in the story - in my opinion anyway. It doesn't carry any weight because we know everything has to go back to status quo - for the majority of the world anyway). The best we can hope for is that our heroes are some how changed in a dramatic way so at least the story has some repercussions that way.

To sum up - this is basically a Days of Future Past for them...

I think Buddy and Swamp Thing are in a dream state aka Rotworld that was created to keep them locked up while the Rot is gathering it's forces for a massive takeover.

[dubbauw]

I think Buddy and Swamp Thing are in a dream state aka Rotworld that was created to keep them locked up while the Rot is gathering it's forces for a massive takeover.

Well I just read 14 and whenever it focuses on the Bakers it says "Before Rotworld..." so I guess it could possibly mean before Buddy and Swampy are wherever they are in time, but it makes more sense as just "in the past"

[drreneninja]

I think we can all agree what the endpoint of Rotworld is going to be: return to the status quo with the Rot defeated. However, isn't the journey to that endpoint just as important as the endpoint itself? I mean, I can guess that the Rot will be defeated, but I have no idea how they're going to do it!

[dubbauw]

I think we can all agree what the endpoint of Rotworld is going to be: return to the status quo with the Rot defeated. However, isn't the journey to that endpoint just as important as the endpoint itself? I mean, I can guess that the Rot will be defeated, but I have no idea how they're going to do it!

I don't know either, but maybe whatever Deadman was talking about that him and Swampy are looking for in Gotham? That probably is at least part of it, although I don't know what that thing could be, maybe Bruce discovered something, either as Batman or as part of Wayne Industries R&D? Batman might be in Swampy 15 and/or 16 based on the DC description, at least important and mentioned though.

[thetrellan]

Haha I hope not. Although I can't really think of any explanations at all...

Normally I'd like that on the condition that Grodd died in the process, but I think now is the wrong time to have a major Flash solution to a time-bending crossover. I mean, we just had one, and it didn't go over well with many fans. Not me, mind you, but still, enough is enough...

[dubbauw]

Normally I'd like that on the condition that Grodd died in the process, but I think now is the wrong time to have a major Flash solution to a time-bending crossover. I mean, we just had one, and it didn't go over well with many fans. Not me, mind you, but still, enough is enough...

Yeah it'd just be there as a solution because they couldn't think of anything else. It'd be one thing if Flash or Speed Force played a prominent role in this, but it hasn't and I just don't think it would fit well with the style of Rotworld.

[MajorHoy]

. . . the JLD tried to intervene in an earlier Animal Man issue . . .

Was that in Animal Man #10?

Did that tie-in with anything going on in JLDark itself?

[Talisman]

Was that in Animal Man #10?

Did that tie-in with anything going on in JLDark itself?

Nothing thus far. Other than the crossover with I, Vampire, nothing from other books has really been acknowledged...yet in JLDark.

[MajorHoy]

Nothing thus far. Other than the crossover with I, Vampire, nothing from other books has really been acknowledged...yet in JLDark.

Thanks for the info. I'm just starting to get into I, Vampire and JLDark through the tpbs. I'm not reading (or interested) in Swamp Thing and Animal Man, so I'm avoiding the Rot like the plague.

[dupersuper]

http://forums.comicbookresources.com...iew-Discussion

Thank you kindly.

I'm avoiding the Rot like the plague.

Interesting turn of phrase.

[SpideyZERO]

I've been wondering how they are going to turn back the impact of Rotworld, being set a year after the current DCNU. Both Swamp Thing and Animal Man lack any character with time manipulation ability. Then it hit me. What if none of it was real? What if Swamp Thing and Animal Man were trapped in some kind of mind prison, in their own world? I thought it is a possibility, but not one that I will like...

[DaronK]

I've been wondering how they are going to turn back the impact of Rotworld, being set a year after the current DCNU. Both Swamp Thing and Animal Man lack any character with time manipulation ability. Then it hit me. What if none of it was real? What if Swamp Thing and Animal Man were trapped in some kind of mind prison, in their own world? I thought it is a possibility, but not one that I will like...

This was sort of my point, and I think this goes against the "journey is more important than the destination" adage. Unless your character is somehow dramatically changed a story "that was all a dream" (or something like that) is basically a cop out. It basically allows a writer to do things they couldn't normally do (like kill off all the heroes in this case) and then put all the toys back in the toy box. But this really isn't fair to the reader because it means everything they've read really didn't have any meaning (and in this case that's a lot of meaningless comics if this plays out that way). This of course is negated, at least to some level, if the main characters ARE somehow drastically changed in the process.

For that to work in this case, it seems like those changes have to come from what happens to Buddy and Alec's supporting cast while they're "away." The failure to protect their loved ones is the only drastic change I can really see coming out of this, but that means the story should really be more focused on those characters rather than what's happening in the "dream world," since events there would essentially be meaningless when they return.

With all that said, I hope I'm wrong. I hope Jeff and Scott come up with a way to make it all meaningful. But as it stands I don't quite see how they will. Here's to hoping I'm pleasantly surprised and wrong...

[dubbauw]

With all that said, I hope I'm wrong. I hope Jeff and Scott come up with a way to make it all meaningful. But as it stands I don't quite see how they will. Here's to hoping I'm pleasantly surprised and wrong...

I think between the two of them, they have enough comic genius to figure something out. I mean they're arguably on the biggest hot streak of any current DC writers, I think it's safe to trust them as of now, until they mess up big time (hopefully never). Not that I'm saying I have any idea either, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

But also, does anyone know when Rotworld ends? Will it be 16 or 17? I haven't seen the same schedule inside the issues like they have for DotF.