The Multiversity #1

Writer – Grant Morrison
Artist – Ivan Reis
Inker – Joe Prado
Colours – Nei Ruffino

With the latest issue of Final Crisis, Grant Morrison finally gets to shine the light on Captain Carrot.  Okay, so Final Crisis it is not, but it sort of feels like it, except that in all of its multi-concept glory, this book makes much more sense.  Morrison gives us a story about a big bad that wants to put the hurt on the Multiverse, of which there are 52 parallel Earths.  Standing in the way is Captain Carrot, Superman of Earth-23, Dinocop, Red Racer from Earth-36, Aquawoman from Earth-11, Thunderer and more.  As they race about the Multiverse, looking to save Nix Uotan, the last of the Monitors, they run into many familiar looking people such as Earth-7’s version of the Avengers, the Retaliators, Lord Havok who is their Doctor Doom, David Dibble, the Behemoth who is their Hulk and a version of the Fantastic Four.  What is actually quite great about this book, unlike Final Crisis, it actually seems like Morrison is really enjoying it all and it really shows on every beautiful page by Ivan Reis.  There is even a moment when Morrison seems to be having a little fun at the reader’s expense when our heroes start to use comic books to see what is happening on alternate Earths.  All in all, the book really works and it looks like it is going to one of the best rides in the DCU at the moment.  It was hard to judge at first when those strange ads started appearing, but now that it is here, it really is a lively, wonderful and intriguing read.  Sure there are a lot of high concepts that Morrison is known for and a lot of Easter eggs sprinkled throughout the book, but it is not so far out of reach that a new reader could not come, pick it up and enjoy it.  A good job by all involved and one that ensures readers will return for the second chapter.

4 out of 5

Doctor Spektor #3

Writer – Mark Waid
Artist – Neil Edwards, Roberto Castro
Colours – Luigi Anderson, Mauricio Wallace

In the third of four issues, Doctor Spektor is involved in all sorts of strange reality business.  All he wants is to meet Gail, or at least he thinks he does and instead he gets Magnus, Robot Fighter.  Meanwhile, his new assistant Abby is stuck in jail when she gets a hand from a mysterious woman who wants to break her out.  During the breakout, the ghost of her mentor Lenny appears to give her some words of advice, not to mention Turok the Dinosaur Hunter and Solar too.  There is a lot of stuff going on in this issue.  With different realities of being, the is and isn’t, the everything and the nothing, people who are real and people who are not, and it does tend to get a tiny bit jumbled at times.  Though the story is not too bad, the artwork is rough at best.  It looks unfinished at times, with the character’s proportions all out of skew in certain panels and is just generally not very attractive to the eye at all.  The book started out quite strong with the first issue with great writing and great art and held a lot of promise with an interesting concept which could have ended up being Dynamite’s version of a John Constantine type of character.  Instead, with every passing issue, it has just gotten a bit too convoluted for its own good.  Hopefully next issue wraps things up neatly.

3 out of 5