Explaining the DC Universe / Multiverse ....

I may not have wanted to read a lot of it, but I always had (still do have) a somewhat nostalgic warm and fuzzy feeling for the Marvel and DC Universes. And since I used to work at Nostalgia & Comics Birmingham for many years I could always find out the ins and outs of a comic by skimming a few books or by asking staff or customers exactly what was happening in a book I didn't want to spend the time or effort reading. Sometimes, after all, you really need to know who Green Lantern is this week.

But since relocating up to Yorkshire I've really missed not being able to find out what's been going on in any title I wish to know about. I know there are various internet sites I can go to, but none of these every really tell the whole thing as I used to get from skimming the books or asking folks. And they often deliberately hold back on the spoilers. And let's face it, most times I just don't want to know that much.

Which is why this article by Tom Bondurant on DC's Universe problem was so great. Actually it was his response to reading the JSA Annual, but he saw so many problems in that regarding the new multiverse setup he felt compelled to write. And in the process managed to make the last 20 years+ of DC continuity a little easier for me, particularly the recent stuff I missed out on.

It seems that the complicated astro-physics of the DC Universe Multiverse Universe Multiverse runs thus:

The Universe (1956 - 1962)
The Multiverse (1962 - 1985)
The Universe, Beta Test Edition (1985 - 1986)
The Universe 2.0 (1986 - 1994)
The Universe 2.1 (1994 - 1998)
Hypertime (1998 - 2006)
The Multiverse 2.0 (2006 - ???)

Now, if someone could just spend a similar amount of time writing reasoned, rational expainations for every other aspect of the Marvel & DC universes that would be lovely. Like I say, I don't necessarily want to read the books, but the small child in me that delighted over countless Marvel and DC adventures really wants to know what's going on.