The Multiversity: Mastermen #1

He's using Capitalism! He's running a capitalist democracy which gives corporations the ability to control the government, setting the rules to ensure certain corporations succeed while keeping all competition at bay! This is mostly done by screaming about the dangers of governmental regulation which might cost the company money while lobbying the government to enact regulation that cripples competitors. Freedom!

I think that caption is my ranting prelude for this commentary! Let's see what Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters are up to on Earth 10!

Actually, before I open this comic book, let me point out that I'm completely unfamiliar with Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters. I didn't read the mini-series that was released since The New 52 began because DC wasn't sticking "The New 52" label on all of their comics because not all of their comics were New 52 books. Although The Huntress miniseries wound up being prologue to Worlds' Finest, I think. I never read that one either. I think the only Freedom Fighter story I ever read was DC Comics Presents #62 where the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were stolen. I also read the Black Condor series that began in 1992 and he flew around the Pine Barrens of New Jersey trying not to be a hero. And that's my entire knowledge of these characters!

How can you not like the way this issue begins?

The only problem with this first page is the lack of Narration Boxes. Who is this man? What's his name? What is his job or his motivations? Where is he from? Does he have any ambitions or flaws? As it is, he's just a cypher! But he's reading a Superman comic book so he can't be all bad, right?

While straining on the toilet bowl (because it's funny to put Hitler in a position of discomfort and embarrassment! Ha ha, Hitler! Ha ha! You are having a tough bowel movement! You deserve it, you jerk!), Hitler is informed by one of his men that they've uncovered a weapon from the stars.

Ooh! He already has one weapon from the stars! The Cosmic Grail from Earth #15!

Hitler's soldiers have recovered a rocket from another planet! I hope it's filled with candy! As an American, have you ever experienced walking up and down the candy aisle of another country? Even just going north to Canada, it's like a treasure trove of the most magical treats! But not south to Mexico unless you love your sweets to not be sweet at all and just be made of salt, sometimes with a hint of tamarind. Imagine finding a stash of candy from another planet! I'm so excited right now, I'm going to stick my dick in some Lik-m-aid.

Instead of finding candy inside the ship, they find only disappointment.

I know! A baby? I'd shoot it too!

Hitler raises this space baby to become Overman! Seventeen years later, Germany is marching on the capital of the United States of America. And even though Overman is the epitome of perfection (according to Hitler!), Jim Lee still draws scribbly lines all over his face. He really should be treating Overman's skin with the same care that David Finch treats the skin of every woman he draws.

Sixty years after Germany takes America, Overman begins having a recurring nightmare about Lord Broken of The Gentry and the cover of Crisis on Infinite Earths #7.

Judging by the looks of every member of The Gentry, I have a feeling the Doom Patrol needs to step in and defeat them.

Earth X's version of Jimmy Olsen narrates the story about the fall of Overman and the New Reichsmen. On the day of Overgirl's memorial, The Freedom Fighters begin their revolution. The Human Bomb drops on the ceremony and Uncle Sam says lots of stuff that Americans would pump their fists into the air over and howl like Goddamned monkeys when heard. Surprisingly, Overman reacts...with understanding?

Leatherwing reacts like a typical billionaire whose family made the entirety of their money through systematic oppression and manipulation.

The Gentry probably like Earth 10 the way it is. So Lord Broken must be spying on Overman in his dreams to try to make sure he keeps the status quo of this world and doesn't muck it up with egalitarian ideals. Maybe it's a good idea to think about The Gentry for a short paragraph or two since they've been mostly in the background of the comic books stories presented since The Multiversity #1.

The title of the series is "The Multiversity" which is a combination of two words: multiverse and diversity. What The Gentry seem to be doing is destroying worlds to make way for worlds which they approve of, worlds which tend to be carbon copies of the usual comic book status quo. They're gentrifying the multiverse. This is probably why the first issue dealt with a majority of black super heroes from different worlds. But this isn't just about race; it's about diversity of worlds. The Gentry are much like the editors at DC Comics when they imagined Crisis on Infinite Earths. They wanted a universe scrubbed clean and polished up to look safe and secure and attractive to new customers. But by doing so, they scrubbed out personality and culture and dozens of different takes on super heroes which attracted a much wider range of readers.

Could it be The Multiversity is preparing the way for an expanded and more diverse (in many, many ways) DC Comics coming in June? It's possible. I think the bottom panel in the page I scanned above is telling. DC Comics needs to confront their wrongs even in the face of those that believe they have nothing to be ashamed of and that nothing should change. Granted, this is just Grant Morrison's take on things. And maybe I've got it completely wrong. But the first step to really understanding a piece of literature is to figure out why the author chose the names he chose. Making the title a portmanteau of multiverse and diversity, and then making the big enemies The Gentry, seems a pretty big clue as to what's going on.

Okay, back to the Nazis!

Underwaterman! Ah ha ha ha ha!

The New Reichsman now have to answer to the sins of their fathers (well, most of them. Lots of the sins were Overman's and he'll have to answer to his own). The Germans took over the United States and put millions of people in death camps. They took away the people's language and culture. Even if, sixty years later, the world seems to be at peace under German rule, it must now acknowledge the suffering that brought the world to this place.

Right about when The Human Bomb, one of the good guys and a Freedom Fighter, is called a "suicide bomber" so that the analogy really sets in is about the time my high school friend Soy Rakelson would have stopped reading the comic book. "How dare they criticize America!" he'd scoff. Then he'd basically repeat what Leatherwing said about how he's not responsible for slavery or the destruction of the indigenous American tribes and how those things have nothing to do with his better than average starting position at birth. Soy Rakelson was also the one who raved and raved about Enigma until he realized the main character was gay and then he stopped reading for, um, "other reasons."

Overman is the most sympathetic Nazi since...um...hmm. There must have been at least one, right? Schindler?

Meanwhile on Ellis Island, Uncle Sam meets a couple new members of his Freedom Fighters, Doll Man and Doll Girl. They're Jehovah's Witnesses, though, so they won't fight or have birthday parties. But they will still help people in need. I guess that's something since Ellis Island is a sanctuary from those escaping Germanica. He also meets Phantom Lady, Black Condor (whose probably just called "Condor" now since he's black and that isn't cool, man), and The Ray. These super heroes are all thanks to a mysterious Doctor Sivana! What's he up to?!

On an interview program, Jürgen Olsen asks Overman if he thinks the yearly performance of the Ring Cycle will be Uncle Sam's next target. Overman seems confident that nothing will happen and then invites Jürgen to the performance. According to Jürgen's narration box of "Revenge is sweet" that may have been a mistake.

One of the New Reichsmen is a traitor and has been feeding Uncle Sam information. It's possible it has been Overman trying to pay for what his people had done in the past. That might be why Jürgen Olsen keeps Narration Boxing about destroying Overman. Not because of what he did to help Hitler but because of what he later did to help Uncle Sam.

And what Uncle Sam did with Overman's information was terrible and mad in its own right.

It's tough being an Overman on a violent planet of powerless people.

What can I say? The world is a complicated place! And this issue of Multiversity gets too far into stuff that I'd rather just ignore! Write your own conclusions about it! I don't owe anybody anything! I'm going to go read a properly funny funny book now.