Multiversing

I never liked the old Multiverse. That should come as no surprise to anyone who's read my sparse posting on the subject. But I should be clear that I didn't dislike it because I found it "confusing" or "difficult to understand."

What I hate about the old Multiverse is how incredibly easy and simplistic it was to get from one Earth to another. Interdimensional dinner parties seemed like par for the course. Just hop on a treadmill and you're in another dimension. To me, that cheapens the entire concept. It weakens it.

The other problem with the old Multiverse was that everyone seemed to know about it. There was no mystery or secrecy to the fact that there were other universes. There was no drama or surprise. It was as obvious as the fact that Canada borders America to the north.

But I remain cautiously (very cautiously) optimistic about the new Multiverse. Because it seems that there are already safeguards in place to prevent the abuses (as I see them) of the concept in the past.

As much as some might like the idea of people crossing over from Earth to Earth for friendly barbeques, It's probably not going to happen. Because according to Ion, these different realities are separated by the Bleed. And the Bleed is full of horrible, ravenous monsters. But I don't hold out much hope they'll keep it that way...

As for everyone knowing about the Multiverse, well... I'm not so sure about that either. Rip Hunter made it clear to Booster that he wanted to keep it a secret. But the Countdown preview has already made it clear that a few others know. And that'll probably spiral out of control quickly.

Wow, I started this post out cautiously optimistic, but I've made myself pessimistic in the process. Mostly because in this era of nostalgia, I can't help but feel that the people at DC Comics are going to repeat the mistakes (as I see them) of the past regarding the Multiverse.

I hope I'm wrong. And I hope I like it. I really do.