I've lost count of how many times [DC has] re-discovered the multiverse. Well, first it was 52 parallel universes. Then they discovered those were just the "local" multiverse.
Last week while I was reading a DC comic book from 2006, I came across DC Nation 89, titled "Mapping Out the Multiverse, Part 1." It identified 26 of the 52 (at that time) post-52 universes, between 2 and 50. It also identified the first appearances of those universes, which was helpful. It did not, however, identify the main DC universe, called "New Earth" at the time, I believe, but I think it was Earth-1. That column was written by Dan Didio and he concluded: "There you have a road map for 26 of the known universes, as for the remainder, well, let's save that for another day. We have plenty of worlds to visit and even more stories to tell. The DC Universe is limitless, no need to degfine the boundaries... yet." That got me thinking how that initial list compares to The Multiverse Guidebook published in 2015.
Not bad, actually. The guidebook is one of eight comics written by Grant Morrison exploring the no-longer-quite-so-new "New 52" universe. It covered all 52 universes, numbered "0" through "51"), including seven (14, 24-25, 27-28, 46 & 49) designated as "unknown." It also added 19 new universes, including the ones from the "Multiversity" one-shots. Unfortunately, it did not identify first appearances. There are six I am unsure whether they are discrepancies or not (simply because I am unfamiliar with the universes in question), but I'm willing to give DC/Morrison the benefit of the doubt. For example, Earth-50 was identified in the DC Nation column as being the "Wildstorm" universe, but in the Multiversity Guidebook as being the the Earth of the "Justice Lords." (Is that the same thing or not? I don't know.) It's a moot point, I suppose, since this is a "New 52." Probably the most significant "change" (if, indeed, it is one) from Dan Didio's list is that the primary DCU is designated "Earth-0" whereas the "Earth-1" designation is given over to the series of "Earth One" OGNs. I suppose one of the "unknown" universes is the Marvel Universe, and another the one where the DC and Marvel characters co-exist. Which brings us up to Dark Crisis: Big Bang (2023).
This one-shot identifies 74 of the now-once-again-infinite number of universes, including all of the seven previously "unknown" ones. For the record, the universes are: 0-52, 54-55, 59, 63, 66, 93, 96, 98, 100, 118, 124, 148, 162, 183, 216, 387, 789, 898, 1956, 1996 and 2020. All of these match up with the Multiversity Guidebook, and snippets are shown in the accompanying story of 23 of them. What's more, the "notes of Barry Allen" do identify the first appearances of most of the universes. Still no indication of which Earth is Marvel, but I suppose that's another moot point now that the multiverse is back to being ultimate again. In any case, DC is now gearing up to add yet another new universe, the "Absolute" one (numerical designation unknown), next month.
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Ah! Yes, I had forgotten about that discussion. I considered doing such an "Earth-by-Earth" comparison, but once again you've "saved me the trouble of checking it out for myself." I guess it's true what they say: "Great minds run in the same channel" (or is it "Fools think alike"?).
If you're still wondering about the Justice Lords, that was the name of the Justice League that had taken over their Earth in the animated Justice League episode "A Better World."
That is a change from the Didio column, then, because Earth-50 was previously identified as "Wildstorm."
The Wildstorm characters seem to exist on Earth-Zero these days - at least, that's how I've seen them used lately - so I guess they don't get a separate universe anymore.
Agreed.
Or they participate in the Earth Zero universe, but also exist on Earth 50, where it's only them. Even if as a publisher I wanted them to be in the main DCU, I think I'd also want to keep the "pure" universe out there somewhere.