Doomsday Clock #10: This issue is surprising in the sense that Johns lays all his cards on the table, which I didn't expect to happen until next issue.
We learn that Dr. Manhattan arrived in the DCU on April 18, 1938, the day that Superman appeared to the public. He also meets Carver Colman on that day. When Dr. Manhattan arrives, it's in an alley where Carver is sleeping; his grand plans to make it in Hollywood have definitively failed. Dr. Manhattan subsequently meets with Carver every April 18 to tell him the events of his life for the next year. I think Dr. Manhattan meets with Carver because he needs to focus on someone from this Universe to help him see its future. This part isn't totally clear, though. If I had to guess, Dr. Manhattan is also rewarding Carver for checking the pulse of the cop who struck him with a baton right before Dr. Manhattan arrived. Dr. Manhattan's appearance knocked the cop unconscious, and he seemed impressed that Carver would show compassion to a man who hit him.
As the issue unfolds, Dr. Manhattan realizes that Superman's history keeps changing; at some point, he revisits April 18, 1938, and Superman isn't there. Instead, Superman now appears in public for the first time in 1956. Dr. Manhattan continues to observe the changes to the time stream as Superman's date of arrival is pushed farther and farther into the future. Dr. Manhattan is intrigued as history shifts around Superman, noting the central role that Superman seems to play. He begins to realize that, if someone alters Superman's history, s/he alters this Universe's history. (He notes the Anti-Monitor and Extant have both done so.) In so doing, Johns is telling the story of DC's constant ret-conning of its own history, and it's nothing short of brilliant. Dr. Manhattan comes to the conclusion that the Multiverse reacts to this Universe, which he dubs the Metaverse. Dr. Manhattan removes Alan Scott's access to his lantern to experiment on the Metaverse, which he realizes is always changing. In so doing, he creates the Rebirth version of the DCnU. But, Dr. Manhattan comes to realize that he's made a mistake. When Wally West confronts him in the time stream, he realizes that the Metaverse is not passive; it takes steps to protect itself. I'm not sure what that means for the series' eventual outcome, but it seems to be the key point, because it means Dr. Manhattan can't just do whatever he wants here.
In terms of Carver, the errata at the end of the issue reveals that his mother is the person who murders him. He initially fled home after she found him kissing another boy, and she has been blackmailing him ever since. Interestingly, his alter ego, Nathaniel Dusk, survives his encounter with death, as the errata also explains. I'm still not sure where we're going with Carver, but the plot is definitely thickening.
The Wild Storm #23: Man, DC really released all its mythology books this week. This issue is surprisingly easy to follow, as Ellis continues to focus on the war between IO and Skywatch. Bendix thinks that IO foiled his attack on Apollo and Midnighter, so he activates their triggers (as well as the Mayor's) to send them to New York to kill everything in sight. Conversely, when Miles learns of the attacks, he orders the destruction of all of Skywatch's supply depots on Earth. The Mayor is able to shake off the trigger due to the Doctor's conditioning, and she manages to free Apollo and Midnighter before they arrive in New York, thanks to Angie catching Apollo mid-flight. They explain the situation to them, and Apollo (though surprisingly not Midnighter) sees that it's the other side of the same war; IO needs to exist to restrain Bendix and Skywatch. Angie tries to get Marlowe to send in the Wild C.A.T.s, but he refuses, since it has nothing to do with his plans. (I can see that. A world without IO or Skywatch is probably easier for Halo.) We'll see how it all converges next issue.
Also Read: Detective Comics Annual #2; Transformers #6
No comments:
Post a Comment