Across The Universe

There’s nothing quite like reading a series, and on its conclusion realizing that everything you’ve read up to that point has been formulated to give you that sense of “NO. WAY.” It takes an extremely organized writer to capitalize on the seemingly inane, and utilizing it in a way that adds depth and value to your commitment as a reader.

If you’ve read Casanova, you know that feeling, even with the rest of the third book Avarita to go, something thrilling is brewing in the multiverse of Casanova Quinn. The conclusion to Gula in particular has been hailed by some of the comics community, as arguably author Matt Fraction’s best work to date. Not only did it succeed in shedding light on the confounding questions that had emerged over the series, but it managed to satisfy the climatic confrontations that had been building, through universe-jumping, kin-killing madness that resolved the confusion which may have occurred while reading a book like Casanova. Knowing Fraction’s far from done makes it that much more enticing to see how Avarita is concluded, and where it leaves our questionable protagonist in the space-time of his universe(s).

While perhaps a little less mind-bending (but no less enjoyable), Sweet Tooth must also be commended for its ability to explore it’s compact, self-sustaining universe. Jeff Lemire has managed to keep people absolutely mesmerized with the characters he has developed and the possible outcomes of this strange, addicting adventure. Lemire has built a reality where questions are raised every issue, but as the secrets slowly unfold a greater world is created unto itself. Sweet Tooth is the kind of story that begs for elaboration, but with as little information as we’re given, it only adds to the ambiance of Sweet Tooth’s bleak reality.

While universes have already been created for the big two publishers, where origins and motives for their characters already exist, some creators have found a way to breathe a new sense of purpose into some of the most recognizable characters in the industry. Regardless of his current standings, Frank Miller will forever be synonymous with Batman. More recently though, Kyle Rayner was the only Green Lantern in the DC universe, and Hal Jordan was simply a fading memory of a once-great time in comics history. Enter Geoff Johns, who reestablished a sense of identity to Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern Corps, and all of us as fans. Since his debut on the book, Johns has managed to put out one of the most entertaining, inspirational, and essential books of the DCU (both DC new and preboot.) It has managed to incorporate fresh characters, mythos, and moralities flawlessly into ideas that have defined characters since their inception. Johns’s run has been praised almost unanimously as a creative yet honorable addition to the Green Lantern mythology. However, some creator’s interpretations are met with considerably less, shall we say, enthusiasm.

Grant Morrison is no stranger to comics. Nor is he a stranger to the strange (just wait until he writes a Dr. Strange arc, your head will explode.) Morrison has had a long career re-imagining your favorite characters, but not in the mundane haircut/ marital status sort-of-way, but more so the psychological significance/ supernatural sort-of-way. This has led to a complete polarization of the comics community, wherein some want nothing to do with the over-the-top elaborate interpretations of everyone from Superman to the X-Men. Simultaneously, others see Morrison’s expression of these characters in the worlds that they live in as just what the industry has needed. While I won’t say who is right or wrong here, it is undeniable that the arcs Morrison has done over his career will be looked back on as defining moments for every character he’s worked on. Whether or not people have always agreed with his decisions, the arcs have certainly added new perspectives and dimensions to the characters that inhabit this medium.

The mainstream comic universe is a strange Rubik’s cube-pyramid, with a solid, vital foundation, but where everything in between is constantly shifting and forming a new shape and identity. While the character you’re familiar with may not look the same as they did 10 years ago, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Do you look the same as you did 10 years ago? These people and these universes are fictional, but in this fictional realm they have formed individuality over their existence. If we’re going to follow their journeys and invest our time in their worlds, it makes sense that they grow and evolve as we do.

The time has passed where we should assume that we know more about how this operation works than creators do, because chances are, they’re not winging it. They are however telling a part of a tale that is much larger than what we are reading at this very moment. It’s simply a rotation of that big Rubik’s cube that is comics. Some will be looked back on fondly, others, not so much, but I don’t think I’m reaching too far when I say that creators aren’t trying to ruin your day by updating or reinventing a character.

Do yourself a favor, and instead of taking it personally, consider this: if we based all of our opinions of a series, on the merits of those that came before it, we’d never get far enough to appreciate the genuinely exceptional material that writers are putting out these days. Marvel and DC will probably always have to sedate the doubting masses by not changing too much about a character’s appearance or appeal, so why not pick up a lesser known book like Casanova or Sweet Tooth once in a while and see what universes are being created on a regular basis.