Convergence #0 (June, 2015)
"The God Machine"
Writers - Dan Jurgens & Tom King
Artist - Ethan Van Sciver
Colorist - Marcelo Maiolo
Letterer - Travis Lanham
Editors - Dan Didio & David Pina
Cover Price: $4.99
I feel like we've been kicking around ol' Convergence quite a bit on the blog here... but we have yet to discuss the actual event. Sure, we've discussed the fallout... and how the longer the story went, the more clear that it was only created in the first place to fill-in for DC's cross-country move... but, I don't think we've really discussed the story.
I haven't read this since it hit shelves almost three years ago (three years already?)... so, let's give it another look see.
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We open with Superman appearing in a vast whiteness... then a crackling... suddenly he finds himself surrounded by all of his memories (this is The New-52! Superman, by the by). Worth mentioning that this takes place right after the Superman: Doomed story arc. He is greeted by... that really gross-looking giant Brainiac from Futures End.
Superman demands he be sent back to Metropolis... which he'll do several more times throughout the issue. I don't recall him asking to be sent home all that much before... but, it does play into this story's "angle". Brainiac informs Superman that Metropolis is currently "beyond help"... then challenges him with a test of sorts. Superman asks where they are, which brings us to one of my favorite two-page spreads in quite some time!
The Many Deaths of the Superman! We see the iconic bit from Superman #149 (1961) where Lex Luthor has him strapped to a table. There's the end of Infinite Crisis... and The Kingdom... Red Son... and, of course... Superman's death from Superman (vol.2) #75 (1993). Such an amazing page! From the sublime to the silly... Brainiac then begins to reveal his agenda... he's seeking information on the many cities of the many worlds. Yawn.
Then... he vanishes! Superman, who has (all the while?) been strapped to a machine, struggles and finally breaks free. He finds himself in a desert-like environment where he is surrounded by millions of miles of... nothing.
After stopping for a drink of... we'll call it water, I guess... he is addressed by... Brainiac... again! This isn't the same gross-looking giant, however... this is a decidedly Silver-Age take on the fella. He's looking for information on... his city.
After taunting the Man of Steel for a bit, telling him that he already has several Metropolises (Metropoli?) in his "collection", he changes into a more Bronze-Age Super Powers-y looking version of himself... and takes us to yet another a-freaking-mazing two-page spread. This time we see a sort of amalgamation of all the different versions of Metropolis in his possession... it's really quite a sight!
Superman rushes toward the 'bot to attack, when suddenly it changes into its Pulsar Stargrave form! Feel like we don't see this version nearly enough.
He doesn't stick around all that long this time either, sadly... before long he's changed into the Brainiac from Superman: The Animated Series... then into his more modern look.
Superman finally strikes... and Brainiac finally decides to fill him in on his angle. The Master (that big nasty-looking Brainiac) has created a planet called Telos, where he delivers cities hailing from doomed timelines. This isn't entirely different from the Mosaic Oa from Green Lantern: Mosaic... but Brainy's going to take it one step further. He doesn't want to see if these disparate peoples can co-exist... he plans to pit them against one another to test their merit.
Superman appears to understand... then Brainiac begins buggin' out! It's pretty cool, actually... we get to see all of the different takes on the character throughout the ages. A sign that "everything happened" and "everything matters"... which, at the time, really scratched me where I itch.
Suddenly Superman and the Brainiacs (great band name) are back in the vast desert... and the former's attention is directed to the arrival of a new dome-covered city. Our man ain't exactly pleased, considering all of the inhabitants are now prisoners of "The Master".
The Brainiacs insist that this is for the best... and, in their imprisonment, they have also been saved. Superman still ain't buyin' it... and a fight is on! It's a very short fight, though... which ends when the Brainiacs realize that this Superman has no place on Telos. He has no city here... and thus, is jettisoned.
We wrap up with an appearance by the guy we'll soon know as Telos. He's arrived to do his best Apocalypse impression, and promises to let only the strong survive. In the distance, we can see a Bat-Signal illuminate the skies of the domed city. Whodathunk it... looks like we got a Gotham City!
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Ya know, for all the grief Convergence gets... it started off pretty damn good!
This was a great issue that will very likely excite any fan of DC Comics and DC history. The premise is... ya know, pretty simple... but it's so grounded in DC lore that I can't help but really appreciate it! That is, of course, before I flipped through the Who's Who/Where's Where in the Convergence Universe bit (included below), and realized that this was just going to be forty-five flavors of Gotham City.
Why so much Gotham? I mean, sure... everybody knows Gotham... but for a story posing as a sort of love letter to DC history, we're going to need more. And the Elseworlds... really? Sure, there are some iconic Elseworlds... but, those aren't the worlds I want to read about (I also feel like they haven't "earned their place" as a proper DC Earth). When I'm expecting to be able to visit with heroes I hadn't seen in a half-decade, seeing them trapped in a Gotham City of whatever the hell era isn't quite going to cut it.
Now before I go off on a total anti-Convergence rant... let me try and rein it in, and discuss only this issue. For what we get here, story-wise... I was very pleased. Even if I'm not completely on-board with the captured-city gimmick, I was still excited to see what was to come. I feel like if the main event book kept to a more "exploring DC lore" take, it would be far more fondly remembered. Or, maybe it would just be far more fondly remembered... by me.
What we're going to get instead is... the Earth-2 heroes looking for a new home planet? Really? If you remember, in 2015 DC was doing some strange things to facilitate launching new titles. I mean, we sat through almost an entire year of the weekly New-52: Futures End series, in order to launch a... Batman Beyond book?! Really? And here, we have a two-month break in DC's regular publication schedule... more or less, to facilitate the launch of Earth-2 Society.
I remember all of the chatter on social media at the time... this whole concept was panned, and designated (by many) as a time-killer to smooth DC Editorial's transition from East to West coast. I didn't want to believe it... instead, I held on to the idea that this was the start of DC's return to a pre-Flashpoint sort of status quo.
I had these (foolish) ideas in my head that after this we'd get maybe 4-5 books that took place in the "real" DCU. If you'll indulge me... I saw Action Comics and Detective Comics (at their legacy numbering) shifting back over... flanked by relaunched JLA, JSA and New Titans titles (maybe with their legacy numbering... but that didn't matter as much). This, in a pre-Rebirth world, might've been enough of a "best of both worlds" scenario... and also might've made Convergence stand out as something better than a more recent Millenium-esque flop (Hey! It's like a Millennial Millennium).
Well, I went and did it again... I'm tellin' ya, it's so hard to stick to discussing this issue itself! Um... I know, let's talk art! Ethan Van Sciver turns in some phenomenal work here. I'm usually one to complain about two-page spreads (especially in a book priced at five bucks!), but holy cow... these are beautiful! That Many Deaths of Superman page... that one just sticks with me. Such an amazing spread that really shows the potential this story had. If I were away from comics at the time... all it would have taken was seeing this page, and I'd have plunked my five-dollars down for this issue. That, plus that shot of the amalgamated Metropolis... woo, great stuff!
The various takes on Brainiac were also quite well done. Even if I'm not the biggest Brainiac fan, I gotta say, it was really cool to see all of them. I saw this as the first step in fulfilling the "everything is on the table" promise.
Now... this is both an easy and a hard book to recommend. I'd say it's worth it for the art alone... there really is some amazing work in here. This issue, despite being part of the Convergence event, is quite different in tone than the rest of the series. What follows, in my opinion, does not live up to the expectations this issue set. I suppose I'll just have to ride the fence on this one. I can't, in good conscience, tell ya to rush out and grab this at $4.99 (or with whatever mark-up your local shop might give it once it's bagged, boarded, and binned. Heck, even digitally... you're looking at $3.99. If you come across this on the cheap... I'd tell ya not to hesitate. To sum up... this was a great issue, that unfortunately leads to a story that doesn't quite live up to the expectations it set.
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Where's Where in the Convergence Universe:
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Convergence: Titans #2 (July, 2015)
"Try for Justice, Part Two"
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Penciller - Ron Wagner
Inker - Jose Marzan, Jr.
Colorist - Chris Sotomayor
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editors - Brittany Holzherr & Michael Kraiger
Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $3.99
Fans of professional wrestling know all about "the swerve". It's when something goes the way it shouldn't... ya know, they "pull a fast one" on the audience. If done sparingly, it works great insofar as building drama... or paying off on it. When it's done with regularity... it kinda loses it's oomph. You're no longer surprised when friends turn on each other, or foes decide to team up... it's just something that happens, you groan and move on.
Why in the world am I saying this? Well, read on...
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Picking up where we left off... Roy Harper just murdered his two teammates. Oh wait, no he didn't... he shot two structural support beams on either side of him. This kinda makes the wincing "I'm making the hardest decision of my life" look on his face from last issue seem a bit silly, don't it? The beams topple over as he fires an arrow past Dreamslayer. Now, here's where we get one of my most irksome comics writing chestnuts... Roy's shot clearly misses Dreamslayer... and so the baddie thumbs his nose and say "nyah nyah, ya missed me!", but ah-ha... he wasn't the target after all! Roy snags Lian and swings away.
At this point "the cavalry" arrive, in the form of Beast Boy and Cyborg. Up til now, Cyborg was a prisoner in his own cybernetic shell and Beast Boy was stuck in the form of a green pigeon... which begs the question, what would prompt Gar Logan to take the form of a damn pigeon? I mean, of all the birds... a pigeon?
The Titans and the Extremists continue their struggle while Roy slinks away to his bunker to keep Lian for safe-keeping. Of course, as soon as he enters they are joined by Dreamslayer... who causes Lian to vanish. He then gives Roy the "devil on the shoulder" speech... tells him he must kill the Titans, because right now Lian is stranded in a hazy limbo. This causes Roy to reveal a hidden button... that Dreamslayer already knew about... which would trigger his Gotham arsenal to deploy. This begs the question... and I'm beggin' a lot of questions today... if Dreamslayer knew about it, why not push the button himself?
Anyhoo... several barrels take aim at the battlefield, and in their targets... the Titans! The first blast nails Starfire... and Lian reappears in the bunker. Roy can't have her yet, however...
He then aims a barrel each in the direction of Donna, Vic and Gar. At this point, Dreamslayer... being an idiot, let's Roy take Lian. But oh-oh-ohhh, the targeting reticles change from Titans... to Extremists! Ol' Roy's pulled a fast one...
He then triggers an EMP wave sweep... which, somehow messes up Dreamslayers teleportation portal... causing him to be swept... somewhere, unknown to Roy... until the next page, when our main baddie shows back up on the battlefield.
The Extremists flee... or vanish... or both.
As the Titans regroup, there is an explosion some distance away at Robinson Park... I suppose we can assume the Extremists are behind it? Maybe? I dunno... anyhoo, Donna tells Roy he's gotta stay in Gotham with Lian... because, ya know... exploding parks and rogue Extremists with chips on their shoulders surely aren't gonna be a threat.
The remaining Titans all head off to fight whatever it is that's behind the Convergence event... and, well... that's it.
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Oof. Can't say I liked this.
Hey, Roy's turned bad! Oh, no he didn't... it was a trick... oh wait, now he's really turned bad... oh, duh... that was a trick too. Felt like I was watching something Vince Russo booked here for a minute... just so much silliness, and no pay off... because this is the last time we'll see this version of the character.
Toward the end there... and not to use yet another analogy... it felt like when you were a kid, and you'd have make-believe fights with your friends... you'd point your finger like a gun, and go bang... and they'd say "I'm wearing a bullet-proof vest"... then you'd use your make-believe flamethrower... only to find out they're wearing their flame-retardant underwear... the stakes just keep raising, you're getting more and more annoyed... and at the end of the day nothing comes of it. Here, the stakes keep raising and Roy just... wins. Okay? While we're at it... how dumb is this Dreamslayer, anyway? Hey... maybe this time Roy won't screw me! Whatta jerk.
I suppose we do sort of get a "send off" for Roy and Lian... but it isn't a satisfying one. It feels cheap to have her plucked out of the past... because, really... couldn't Dreamslayer just start yanking people out of the past to fix any problem he might be having? I dunno... I didn't like it.
The art is still not my cup of tea... but it's serviceable. A bit too angular, maybe. Really just didn't have a good time with this one. This is the type of disposable story that pops into my head when I think of Convergence. Easily skippable... and I say that with a heavy heart... not only is it Titans, it's Nicieza... two of my favorite things in comics.
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Variant Cover:
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Convergence: Titans #1 (June, 2015)
"Try for Justice, Part One"
Writer - Fabian Nicieza
Penciller - Ron Wagner
Inker - Jose Marzan, Jr.
Colorist - Chris Sotomayor
Letterer - Carlos M. Mangual
Assistant Editors - Brittany Holzherr & Michael Kraiger
Editor - Marie Javins
Cover Price: $3.99
Another weekend in the Convergence... because, why not? This time we're going to discuss one of the titles I was most excited for... for two reasons. First, it was a Titans book, and second, it was written by Fabian Nicieza. My Titans' fandom goes without saying at this point., but Nicieza, along with Scott Lobdell, are responsible for some of my favorite (and fandom-formative) X-Men stories of all time. I'm actually surprised that I haven't yet discussed either fella on the blog. We'll have to fix that.
Anyhoo... into the void.
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We open with a tour down Roy Harper's memory lane. He remembers his time with the (original) Teen Titans, his (sadly character-defining) heroin addiction, his tryst with Cheshire and resultant daughter Lian... and that daughter's tragic passing, which I believe happened during Justice League: Cry for Justice. Also, when he lost his arm. He wakes up in a sweaty panic.
He thinks back to a year ago when a dome covered... get this... yet a-freaking-nother Gotham City. Super-powers were nullified... and somehow, Roy's cybernetic arm quit working... ooookay. He speaks of Gotham's resilience, just making things work in their "new normal". Roy spends his time at a community center, or orphanage named "Lian's Place" after his daughter.
And then, THE SPEECH.
Roy calls Donna Troy, who as luck would have it is in the middle of a photo shoot with Starfire. They discuss THE SPEECH, and notice that not only is the dome gone... but they're no longer on Earth. Now, if this is pre-Flashpoint Gotham City... shouldn't Superman be there too? Anyhoo... Starfire feels that familiar tickle on her skin... and starts to fly, Donna begrudgingly (at first) joins her.
Roy decides that the time is right to do a sweep of the city... and so, he enters into a top secret bunker. After passing a retinal identification scan, we enter the arsenal of... Arsenal.
Donna and Kory continue their joy-flight when they notice some explosions in the distance. THE SPEECH wasn't kidding, there's gonna be some fighting goin' down. The Titans' enemies... the Extremists! Yawn.
The ladies enter into battle... and appear to be outgunned. Arsenal is in his... arsenal, watching the events transpire. Deciding it's time he got involved, he reattaches his cybernetic arm.
Moments later, Roy joins Donna and Kory in their battle with the Extremists. He points his cybernetic arm blaster directly at Dreamslayer... however, before he can pull the trigger (as it were), the baddie makes him an offer he may not be able to refuse... the life of his daughter, Lian.
All's he's gotta do is... kill Starfire and Donna. He considers it for a moment... then re-aims his arm blasters toward his teammates... and Kra-Koom. Uh-oh.
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Ya know... before I get into the book, I gotta say... maybe I overreacted on the length and invasive-ness of THE SPEECH. I suppose it's helpful that I'm only reading one of these a week right now... rather than reading a dozen-or-so sorta-kinda similar issues over the course of a day or three. Here, THE SPEECH lasts less than a page... I gotta wonder if I've misjudged these... at least in that regard.
The book... ehh. I remember when the Convergence tie-in solicits hit, there were a handful of books I couldn't figure out why they were publishing... Titans was definitely not one of those books, however, after reading it... I really don't have any idea why this was a story DC felt they needed to tell. It just feels so pointless... which kinda sucks.
I suppose it's unfair of me to judge this critically based upon my hopeful expectations. I mean, I think we all want every book we read to be a great one... but, this was a Titans book. In the five-odd years of the New-52!, we Titans fans didn't have a great time. This (and the New Teen Titans tie-in) were our only hope... gotta say, this was not the story I was hoping for.
Was it bad? I really can't say... I can say that I was disappointed, that I expected more than a weird Arsenal story... but, I'm not sure I can say it was bad. It wasn't my cup of tea... neither was the art, if I'm being honest. Overall... can't really recommend tracking this one down. Maybe if you're a die-hard Arsenal fan... I dunno.
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(Not the) Letters Page:
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Variant Cover:
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