Everything that rises must CONVERGE: Aldo and others read DC's CONVERGENCE clusterf*ck so you don't have to

sic,

CONVERGENCE #1

Written by JEFF KING and SCOTT LOBDELL

Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ

Foldout cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and MARK MORALES

1: 25 Variant cover by BRIAN BOLLAND

1: 100 BATMAN sketch variant cover by GREG CAPULLO

Blank variant cover

This is it! The entire DC Universe, from the dawn of time through The New 52, must fight to survive against a threat that bends the Multiverse to its will. Your favorite characters from every era and every forgotten series are all here! But are you going to say hello again just to say goodbye forever? The stakes have never been higher as the heroes of Crisis, Zero Hour, Elseworlds, and more are brought together for Convergence!

In the first issue of this weekly series, Brainiac has collected cities of doomed and forgotten worlds, who must battle each other – and the losers will be destroyed! But why is he forcing this conflict? Join the refugees from Earth-2 as they unlock the truth behind this world that exists outside time and space and is very much alive! Is Brainiac really in control – or is this planet named Telos an unparalleled force of evil?

This extra-sized issue is packed with twists and turns and appearances you NEVER thought you’d see – including the heroes from the hit series INJUSTICE!

CONVERGENCE #2

Written by JEFF KING

Art by CARLO PAGULAYAN and JASON PAZ

Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and MARK MORALES

1: 25 Variant cover by JAE LEE

1: 100 WONDER WOMAN sketch variant cover by DAVID FINCH

As Telos, the Planet Incarnate, easily defeats the survivors of Earth 2, Thomas Wayne and Dick Grayson set off to find help in the pre-Flashpoint Gotham City. The emotional implication of these worlds colliding comes crashing down when Thomas Wayne confronts this world’s Batman, as father meets son!

Plus, Alan Scott’s attempts to connect with The Green yield unexpected results, setting our team on a quest to escape the planet. And the cyborgs of Futures End engage in a battle to the death against the reimagined heroes of the Just Imagine Universe, while the city of Superman Red and Blue takes on the opposing forces from GENERATIONS!

CONVERGENCE #3

Written by JEFF KING

Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and JASON PAZ

Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and MARK MORALES

1: 25 Variant cover by DAVE McKEAN

1: 100 AQUAMAN sketch variant cover by JIM LEE

Death comes calling as an injured Telos takes out his rage on the people of Kandor, while the Earth-2 team endures another brutal casualty. And major plans are set in motion as Green Lantern and the others follow Deimos into the lost city of Skartaris to find Rip Hunter and the missing Time Masters, who could be their only hope of escape from this apocalypse for Infinite Earths!

CONVERGENCE #4

Written by JEFF KING

Art by STEPHEN SEGOVIA and JASON PAZ

Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO

Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL and MARK MORALES

1: 25 Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL

1: 100 GREEN LANTERN sketch variant cover by JIM LEE

Inside Skartaris, the heroes of Earth-2 must face the only man who can stop them from finding the missing Time Travelers – but why would Travis Morgan, aka The Warlord, want to kill them?

Meanwhile, Telos takes the captive Dick Grayson to several of the battling cities to prove the futility of challenging him. And whatever you do, do not miss the final page, as the surprising return of an unexpected villain could crush all hope for salvation and seal the doom of everyone on the planet!

CONVERGENCE: THE ATOM #1

Written by TOM PEYER

Art by STEVE YEOWELL and ANDY OWENS

Cover by STEVE DILLON

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! There’s a mysterious voice in Ray Palmer’s head! Does that mean The Atom is going mad? To find out what’s really going on, he’ll have to go down a road that will pit him against the ever deadly Deathstroke!

CONVERGENCE: BATGIRL #1

Written by ALISA KWITNEY

Art by RICK LEONARDI and MARK PENNINGTON

Cover by RICK LEONARDI and DAN GREEN

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! After a year living under the confinement of the dome, Stephanie Brown isn’t sure she wants to be Batgirl again. But when she’s attacked by Catman and Gorilla Grodd from the world of Flashpoint, she’s forced to put on the cape and cowl to fight alongside Red Robin and Cassandra Cain!

CONVERGENCE: BATMAN AND ROBIN #1

Written by RON MARZ

Art and cover by DENYS COWAN and KLAUS JANSON

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! Being trapped in a domed city makes for a tense, inescapable family reunion as Batman struggles to keep the friction between Damian Wayne and Jason Todd from exploding!

CONVERGENCE: HARLEY QUINN #1

Written by STEVE PUGH

Art by PHIL WINSLADE and JOHN DELL

Cover by STEVE PUGH

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! Life for Harley Quinn has become downright normal over the last year. Will she be ready to go nuts when Catwoman and Poison Ivy draft her to fight – Captain Carrot?!

CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE LEAGUE #1

Written by FRANK TIERI

Art by VICENTE CIFUENTES

Cover by MARK BUCKINGHAM

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! The Justice League story you never expected to see begins when Supergirl, Zatanna, Vixen and Jade attend Jesse Quick’s baby shower, which quickly turns into a life-and-death struggle with Flashpoint Aquaman!

CONVERGENCE: NIGHTWING/ORACLE #1

Written by GAIL SIMONE

Art by JAN DUURSEMA and DAN PARSONS

Cover by JILL THOMPSON

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! Just as they’ve finally been reunited, the romance between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon is sentenced to execution by Flashpoint Hawkman and Hawkwoman!

CONVERGENCE: THE QUESTION #1

Written by GREG RUCKA

Art and cover by CULLY HAMNER

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! Two-Face is fighting another world’s Harvey Dent, and it’s up to Renee Montoya as The Question to help him beat the odds.

CONVERGENCE: SPEED FORCE #1

Written by TONY BEDARD

Art by TOM GRUMMETT and SEAN PARSONS

Cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! The fastest family alive loses its powers as Wally West and his kids face an uncertain future while trapped away from home. Will they be able to outrun the chaos that follows the arrival of Flashpoint Wonder Woman? Plus, don’t miss the most unexpected Zoo Crew character of all!

CONVERGENCE: SUPERMAN #1

Written by DAN JURGENS

Art and cover by LEE WEEKS

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! A powerless Superman is called upon to protect Gotham City…and his pregnant wife Lois Lane!

CONVERGENCE: TITANS #1

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA

Art RON WAGNER and JOSE MARZAN, JR.

Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! Starfire and Donna Troy track down Arsenal, who had retreated after the loss of his arm and the death of his daughter – but what they find is more terrifying than they ever could have expected!

CONVERGENCE: AQUAMAN #1

Written by TONY BEDARD

Art by CLIFF RICHARDS

Cover by BECKY CLOONAN

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! Aquaman has lost his home, his powers, and his hand – but now he faces his most difficult challenge: a battle to the finish with Deathblow!

CONVERGENCE: BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #1

Written by LARRY HAMA

Art by PHILIP TAN and JASON PAZ

Cover by PHILIP TAN

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! Fresh out of recovery from a broken back, Bruce Wayne infiltrates the organized crime underworld, but the outlaw sent to test his mettle is none other than Azrael!

CONVERGENCE: CATWOMAN #1

Written by JUSTIN GRAY

Art by RON RANDALL

Cover by CLAIRE WENDLING

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! A year under the dome can change anyone – even Catwoman. She’s set aside her life of crime to become the protector of Suicide Slum, but when the dome falls she will face her greatest challenge: Kingdom Come Batman!

CONVERGENCE: GREEN ARROW #1

Written by CHRISTY MARX

Art by RAGS MORALES and CLAUDE ST-AUBIN

Cover by RAGS MORALES

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! Don’t miss the first meeting between Oliver Queen and his son, Connor Hawke! Father and son may be united, but is their world about to end?

CONVERGENCE: GREEN LANTERN/PARALLAX #1

Written by TONY BEDARD

Art RON WAGNER and BILL REINHOLD

Cover by STEVE LIEBER

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! A powerless Kyle Rayner visits a Metropolis prison to see a devastated Hal Jordan who believes he has murdered the Green Lantern Corps. But if the dome falls and powers are restored, will Parallax return to defend the city or destroy it?

CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #1

Written by RON MARZ

Art by MIKE MANLEY

Cover by PAUL RENAUD

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! Ted Kord, Martian Manhunter, Fire and Ice star as the levity of the JLI team collides with the severity of the world of Kingdom Come!

CONVERGENCE: SUICIDE SQUAD #1

Written by FRANK TIERI

Art by TOM MANDRAKE

Cover by JOHN PAUL LEON

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! When Kingdom Come’s floating fortress of New Oa threatens Metropolis, it’s up to Amanda Waller to assemble a team of Metropolis’s deadliest villains to stop it.

CONVERGENCE: SUPERBOY #1

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA

Art by KARL MOLINE and JOSE MARZAN, JR.

Cover by BABS TARR

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! Has Kon-El earned the right to be the new Man of Steel? Kon will have to prove his mettle in battle against the Superman of Kingdom Come! But what if the only way to save Metropolis is to lose the fight?

CONVERGENCE: SUPERGIRL: MATRIX #1

Written by KEITH GIFFEN

Art by TIMOTHY GREEN II

Cover by HOWARD PORTER

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! What do Supergirl, Lady Quark, and Ambush Bug have in common? Well...nothing, really. But that doesn’t stop them from appearing in this story together. You are SO welcome.

CONVERGENCE: SUPERMAN – THE MAN OF STEEL #1

Written by LOUISE SIMONSON

Art by JUNE BRIGMAN and ROY RICHARDSON

Cover by WALTER SIMONSON

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM ZERO HOUR! Superman is missing, so now it’s up to Steel to defend Metropolis from the GEN13 kids!

CONVERGENCE: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #1

Written by MARV WOLFMAN

Art by ROBERTO VIACAVA and ANDY OWENS

Cover by MIKEL JANIN

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Superman and Supergirl attempt to free their city via the Phantom Zone but learn that if they succeed, a terrible fate awaits Supergirl in Crisis on Infinite Earths!

CONVERGENCE: BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS #1

Written by MARC ANDREYKO

Art CARLOS D’ANDA

Cover by ANDY KUBERT

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! After a year under the dome, the Outsiders have gone their separate ways, but when OMAC attacks, Batman must find out if they have what it takes to still be a team.

CONVERGENCE: THE FLASH #1

Written by DAN ABNETT

Art by FEDERICO DALLOCCHIO

Cover by MICHAEL ALLRED

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Trapped in Gotham City, Barry Allen has nowhere to run. He fights on, seeking justice as well as a way to save the city, but he faces a Tangent Universe foe who thinks faster than even The Flash can run!

CONVERGENCE: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1

Written by DAVID GALLAHER

Art by STEVE ELLIS and ANDE PARKS

Cover by TONY HARRIS

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Say the Oath, save the world! If only being in the Green Lantern Corps was that easy. Hal has resigned, John is busy, and Guy is pissed. Together for the first time, they’ll save Gotham City or die trying!

CONVERGENCE: HAWKMAN #1

Written by JEFF PARKER

Art by TIM TRUMAN and ENRIQUE ALCATENA

Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Hawkman and Hawkgirl put their Shadow War on hold as they face the might of anthropomorphic rat-men and bat-men in the deadly land of Kamandi!

CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #1

Written by FABIAN NICIEZA

Art and cover by CHRISCROSS

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! With their heavy hitters sidelined, Elongated Man must lead the much-maligned “Detroit Justice League” against the overwhelming power of the heroes from the Tangent Universe!

CONVERGENCE: NEW TEEN TITANS #1

Written by MARV WOLFMAN

Art by NICOLA SCOTT and MARC DEERING

Cover by NICOLA SCOTT

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Titans Together! The greatest Titans team of them all takes on the might of the Tangent Universe’s Doom Patrol!

CONVERGENCE: SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #1

Written by STUART MOORE

Art by GUS STORMS and MARK FARMER

Cover by PIA GUERRA

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS!! While Brainiac 5 struggles to break through the dome, Superboy tries to keep the Legion of Super-Heroes’ spirits up – until the Atomic Knights ride into town to cause mass destruction!

CONVERGENCE: SWAMP THING #1

Written by LEN WEIN

Art and cover by KELLEY JONES

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! The dome has cut off all the heroes from their powers – but what happens when Swamp Thing is cut off from his life source in The Green?

CONVERGENCE: WONDER WOMAN #1

Written by LARRY HAMA

Art and cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Diana Prince is in the grip of a Domesday cult when Steve Trevor leaps into the fray! But can he save Etta Candy from vampires of Red Rain?

CONVERGENCE: ACTION COMICS #1

Written by JUSTIN GRAY

Art by CLAUDE ST-AUBIN

Cover by AMANDA CONNER

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Superman teams up with Power Girl, but can they stop a nuclear strike by Lex Luthor and Stalin of Red Son Moscow?

CONVERGENCE: BLUE BEETLE #1

Written by SCOTT LOBDELL

Art by YISHAN LI

Cover by BRET BLEVINS

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Hub City is on the brink of collapse and anarchy! But its heroes – Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and The Question – find inspiration and strength from a most unlikely source.

CONVERGENCE: BOOSTER GOLD #1

Written by DAN JURGENS

Art by ALVARO MARTINEZ and RAUL FERNANDEZ

Cover by DAN JURGENS and DANNY MIKI

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Trapped with Rip Hunter and other time travelers, Booster Gold and his future self must work together to get out of prison and off the planet.

CONVERGENCE: CRIME SYNDICATE #1

Written by BRIAN BUCCELLATO

Art and cover by PHIL WINSLADE

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! The Crime Syndicate’s absolute control over their city of a bygone era comes crashing down when Superwoman is on death row while the rest of the team fights the One Million Universe’s Batman and Superman!

CONVERGENCE: DETECTIVE COMICS #1

Written by LEN WEIN

Art by DENYS COWAN and BILL SIENKIEWICZ

Cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Helena Wayne and Dick Grayson fight side by side in memory of Bruce Wayne as they decide who will become the next Batman.

CONVERGENCE: INFINITY INC. #1

Written by JERRY ORDWAY

Art and cover by BEN CALDWELL

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! The young heroes of Infinity, Inc. must choose between the path set for them by their parents or the one they’ve set for themselves as they face postapocalyptic Jonah Hex.

CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #1

Written by DAN ABNETT

Art by TOM DERENICK and TREVOR SCOTT

Cover by DAN PANOSIAN

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Older and in full retirement under the dome, members of the Justice Society get the chance to regain their youth to stave off forces from the Qward Universe. But the promise of youth comes with a deadly price!

CONVERGENCE: PLASTIC MAN AND THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS #1

Written by SIMON OLIVER

Art by JOHN McCREA

Cover by HILARY BARTA

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! You have to see this story to believe it! Plastic Man and the Freedom Fighters are on the gallows in a New York City taken over by Nazis, when robot super heroes attack from Futures End and enemies become allies.

CONVERGENCE: SHAZAM! #1

Written by JEFF PARKER

Art and cover by EVAN “DOC” SHANER

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! It’s Shazam versus Steampunk, as the world of Gotham by Gaslight takes on the Captain Marvel family and friends!

CONVERGENCE: WORLD’S FINEST COMICS #1

Written by PAUL LEVITZ

Art by JIM FERN, JOE RUBINSTEIN and SHANNON WHEELER

Cover by AARON LOPRESTI

Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD

STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Read the most unusual tale in all of Convergence! The Seven Soldiers of Victory regroup to defend their city against the Qward invasion, while cartoonist Scribbly Jibbet transcribes their adventures.

My copy of Convergence Detective Comics #1 only has two pages. One of them is in Red Son Moscow, the other has Babs 'n' Dick in the BatCar driving to Metropolis. I am not sure I want to find a working version to finish it. That's how the scratchy grim 'n' gritty art makes me feel. I'll see. Denys Cowan and Billy the Sink feels like it should look better.

Convergence Infinity Inc #1 is where I begin to lose it. It's just a stream of words and colours and none of it makes any real sense. Depowered, they put on a school play which nobody likes and look a bit sad about it. They're all a bit bullied because they're all a bit crap but before we get a chance to actually examine the topic the dome comes down and despite being all peaceful and nice they decide what they need to do is get in fights like Uncanny Braniac wants so go and meet up with Jonah Hex from the future, who shoots at them. Blah blah blah.

OMG! Convergence JSA #1 is actually really interesting! On Earth 2, and without their powers, the Golden Age heroes are now old and dying. Doctor Fate is in a coma, The Flash is growing plants on his roof, Alan Scott is drinking tea. Then the dome comes down, Qward comes in, and the peace is interrupted. The heroes call on their powers for one last time, knowing it will kill them but they want to save the city. It strikes me the successful books in Convergence have been the ones that haven't been trying to appeal to nostalgia or revelling in fanwank but have just, you know, tried to be good? Because people like good comics. Or most of them do.

Convergence Plastic Man #1 is on Earth X, where it's still WWII and the Germans are in New York. We get an explanation of what Earth X is actually about for the vast majority of the comic, bookended with some shots of the depowered Plas/Freedom Fighters in a dungeon. Can you be nostalgic for something you clearly don't remember, because you have to have it explained to you? Or is it just a chance for the writer to do something he's always wanted to and you'll buy it through name recognition? I can't work out who this is supposed to sell to, but I quite like it I suppose. It feels like Astro City, or that JMS/Chris Weston book (The Twelve?) and then in the last page Future's End gets trailed as the Big Bad for #2. This is is technology Bad that destroyed and entire world and defeated all the heroes. ALL of them. It's impossible that some crap ones that can't even beat some normal soldiers can win this. The fact they will has a crushing inevitability about it that puts me off reading it already.

Convergence Shazam #1 feels like it want to be GRITTY at the outset, featuring a suicide bomber (sadly not the BatISIS) but sort of settles down into the GOSH GEE WHILLAKERS comic that something set in the Fawcett Universe should be. It's no CC Beck, it's not even Jeff Smith, but it's better than Geoff Johns' version. There's a bit of fighting between the heroes and the Monster Society, although it's arguably an attempt in box ticking. Uncle Dudley! Talky Tawny! Etc! Next issue has them fighting the Batman from Mike Mignola's Gotham By Gaslight. That feels like a bit of a mis-step.

Convergence World's Finest #1 is the most obscure of all these titles. It stars Scribbly Jibbet, who is the Earth 2 version of the photographer guy in Marvels. Him and the Shining Knight get trapped and depowered then repowered and then Uncanny Braniac gives them the cheat code to win Convergence because they're the best ever and the writer of this hasn't read the main book so doesn't know that's supposed to be Dick Grayson. <excised long rant about editing and how people get paid to do it> Ho hum.

Atom by Peyer and Yeowell, Harley & Catwoman & Ivy vs Captain Carrot by Pugh & Winslade, and Plastic Man Vs Nazis drawn by McCrea could have drawn my attention if these had actually been marketed, but then I would have expected them to be fun stand-alones, not disconnected tie-ins to a beyond-moronic crossover.

also mmmmaybe Giffen on Ambush Bug & Lady Quark but no-name artist isn't promising after the last Bug fiasco, and Swamp Thing by Wein & Jones would have but Before Watchmen scabbing is gross even when you don't gloat about how you're getting your comeuppance by doing it

interesting how many are still done by regular nu-52 hacks. (and it would help if you mentioned the creators to blame in the reviews!)

They're probably the best books, yes.

So, I read Convergence Detective Comics #1 in the end and I was wrong ^^^, because it was The Huntress in the car, not Babs. It's actually much better than I gave it credit for and deals mainly with Red Son Superman's coping strategies at being powerless. Dick and Helena talk a lot. Then Sky Braniac opens the domes and it turns out Red Son Man is the good guy and Huntress is the asshole. You know what would make this better and more complete? SUICIDE BOMBER HUNTRESS BITCHES. I can't work out if they've done that deliberately having read the main book, or accidentally having not read the main book. The main selling point of this is undoubtedly supposed to be the art, which is really entertaining in an early Moon Knight way. This could be pulled round next issue into one of the highlights tbh.

So what's the deal with the Convergence solicitations? When I was picking up FCBD stuff this weekend I overheard the employees complaining about DC dumping a bunch of stuff on them. Did DC just say 'eight mystery Convergence crossovers released each week!'? Because, if so, that's some straight bullshit and I would not blame shop owners at all for doing a hardcore DC purge once this is all over.

Dunno, the solicits were all well in advance - the C&P I did above was from January - but there was iirc a quite convoluted Sale Or Return deal just for Convergence bundled in with it? ISTR a news story from the beginning of the year that stores were deliberately over-ordering to get specific retailer incentive covers which they started scalping before even receiving them? I'm guessing DC plugged the hole in their plan by cancelling the returns?

DC paused 95% of ongoing series for two months (while they moved to Burbank, I assume) in favor of this shit, but when they presented it up front it was... less half-assed than it turned out to be. DC wanted retailers to believe this was the short-term equivalent of Secret Wars.

Okay, I knew all that. I just wasn't sure if they were playing those "CLASSIFIED!" games with this stuff in Previews or something.

How many of the Convergence writers are (ex-)Marvel and DC editors? At first glance, it looks like roughly 90%.

By short term, did they mean cramming 8 months of crossover books into two months?

The big unforgettable event of the year! World's collide! Nothing will be the same!

The DC Divergence Free Comic Book Day book was the only one I had leftover.

Ha ha. Yeah, I didn't even bother to pick up the thing DC was giving away for free.

I find the DC universe totally incomprehensible at this point

Last fall's DC strategy of launching six new Bat-titles pretty much shit the bed so I don't know what they'll do now.

What happened?

I'm genuinely curious because I haven't been paying that much attention to DC of late: is there any sense that they're taking the pulse of what their audience actually wants? I mean, there's a lot of obvious fan service going on of late, but are they checking in to see if it's legitimately serving anyone? It seems like the folks at Marvel have at least some interest in what people want to buy but DC seems intent on doubling down on stuff that many people have been vocal about not digging. And while I applaud the stones it takes to launch Bizarro and Prez titles without really testing the waters, it feels more than a bit like there's a crazy person at the wheel.

http://cdn.bleedingcool.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Geoff-Johns-Rings1.jpg

xp - they launched a new young adult Gotham title (Gotham Manor, IIRC), a horror one (Arkham something?), relaunched Batgirl and Catwoman, did a weekly series and there's one other title that's slipping my mind. None were hits, the horror title has already been cancelled, I think.

Batgirl was exciting for month one with a new costume/concept, but DC didn't make her as interesting as, say, the new Ms. Marvel (of which new-Batgirl is something of a rip-off)

I'm genuinely curious because I haven't been paying that much attention to DC of late: is there any sense that they're taking the pulse of what their audience actually wants?

DC maybe needs to do less fan-service and more "establishing a coherent universe" and bring the fans along with them - build Superman and Wonder Woman into something interesting again, etc.. When they do stuff(like Multiversity with a clear voice, it works pretty well.

I haven't read any non-Morrison big 2 titles in longer than I can remember but I feel like every time I pick something up to glance through I'm thrown in the middle of some nigh-incomprehensible continuity EVENT nonsense... I kinda wish superheroes would just go back to, like, solving bank robberies and fighting on top of giant appliances and occasionally worrying about someone figuring out their secret identity

It was cool when Marvel had the regular 616 books and the Ultimate stuff and the Marvel Adventures stuff and various other non-continuity series and miniseries running at the same time so that there was always a jumping-on point with a relatively low barrier to entry. The Big 2 seem to have gotten away from that, which is a shame. And there's the dumb stuff they regularly do which ignores the obvious synergy they could be exploiting in a given moment, like, ohhhhhhh I don't know, maybe not cancelling every last one of the Avengers titles at the exact same time that a new Avengers movie is being released.

Bat titles were Gotham Academy (a quite interesting teen book by Becky Clooney set in a spooky old school, w/ fleeting glimpses and hints of Bat-villains - although Killer Croc has more of a role towards the end and Damian Wayne shows up at the conclusion - which probably deserves better and would be just as viable with no Bat-connection tbh), Arkham Manor (a mini-series imo, which is why I would speculate it's not continuing beyond #6, where Bats goes undercover in the Asylum to find out who's killing the inmates), Gotham By Midnight (The Spectre in spooky cop shit capers, drawn in a very Ben Templesmith style) and reboots of Batgirl (as said, an inferior Ms Marvel up until the Babs/computer mindswap shenanigans which didn't really work at all and was all a bit rushed in the headlong rush into Convergence) and Catwoman (more of a crime drama, probably too early to call it). Plus Batman Eternal, which was a weekly story (when DC were already publishing two other weekly titles and this was clearly the red-headed stepchild as far as they were concerned) and is far too fast paced and has a bloated and oversized cast, changes to continuity that come out of it don't get a chance to ripple through it before they have to change character arc. That said, the Cluemaster arc was REALLY good. Best to think of it as a tv series, with plot threads that run thoughout but basically a collection of short stories linked by a character set. There's a Season 2 coming later in the year.

There are post-convergence Bat titles of Batman Beyond, a Damian Wayne book and a kind of Anonymous/hacktivist Robin book featuring normal kids who wear the mask and call themselves "Robin" (scarequotes not mine). Oh, and a Bat-Mite mini by Dan Jurgens. Yes, really.

Super-weardown was as bad, if not worse than Bat-weardown tbh, we've had Action, Batman/Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Superman, Superman/Wonder Woman, Superman Unchained, Superman: Lois Lane and Superman: Doomed, with a new Doomsday book as well as a Bizarro book coming out after Convergence. On top of this, Power Girl has been the dominant character in Earth 2 and World's Finest, plus are LoSH still considered Superman Family?

I feel like DC are kind of willing to take a chance from California, as you can see from solicits of Levitz on Doctor Fate, Omega Men, Conner and Palmiotti on Starfire, giving Alisa Kwitney a book and the aforementioned minis of Bat-mite, Bizarro, a Harley Quinn/Power Girl mini set between two panels of the regular HQ series, Prez and a Ennis/McCrea Hitman spin-off. Although the fact so many of them are deliberate minis might show a lack of commitment.

Challop here, but Marvel are even more guilty of flogging their prize assets into the ground. They may well have had great recent books like Black Widow, Hawkeye, All-New Ghost Rider and Iron Fist, but in the Marvel Now era (which is not yet 3 years old) they have also had no less than 16 different Avengers titles, and 21 different X-books including an entire Wolverine wing and not counting Kitty Pride being all over GotG (which itself has had 4 different books and a full-on crossover event). Let's not go near the Spider-titles because there have been about 30 of them.

I feel like DC are kind of willing to take a chance from California

your nu-52 stockholm syndrome is so bad! those bold chances in full:

Levitz on Doctor Fate

a 40-year DC employee and long-time second-highest executive on a revival of a 75-year-old property

Omega Men

a revival of a 34-year-old property that spun off one of DC's biggest earners of the 90s

Conner and Palmiotti on Starfire

bad/good-girl artist draws and her blokey boyfriend writes a former nuanced and admirable female character from 34 years ago, reinvented three years ago as a mindless slut

giving Alisa Kwitney a book

DC writer from two decades ago gets a few months work

and the aforementioned minis of Bat-mite

revival of a 56-year-old parody of DC's biggest property

Bizarro

revival of a 57-year-old parody of DC's second-biggest property

a Harley Quinn/Power Girl mini set between two panels of the regular HQ series

former chin-to-toe clad comedy character reinvented as arse-hanging-out slut three years ago, teamed up with character best known for boobs, and having boobs

Prez and a Ennis/McCrea Hitman spin-off.

buying this tbh, but revival of an 18-year-old property who first appeared in a 22-year-old property's comic, and last appeared in another spin-off 15 (f.i.f.t.e.e.n.) years ago

Oh how my standards have dropped.

I totally agree that Marvel's gone the same direction. I've mentioned elsewhere that I fell off buying Marvel stuff a few years back (I always kept up with all of the X-books, at least), and the prospect of catching up with that little stretch of missed time is incredibly daunting.

The same direction in terms of the glut, is what I mean.

I'm not sure it's more job as a comics reader to be invested in Marvel's synergy practices (or lack thereof) between the movies and monthly comics. For one thing, I like the comics, and I'm not really into the movies! And shouldn't their lack of synergistic exploitation be a *good* thing? But, yeah, I do see frustrating missed opportunities.

Don't forget though, if you like the Ultron movie, there's a big number one comic with Avengers and Ultron in the title (written by Al Ewing!) right there in the comic store this week. And I imagine new readers coming from the movies (should they exist) are better served by trades than floppies anyway. I always direct comics-curious friends to collections (e.g. Hawkeye) over individual floppies.

Agree Marvel are flogging their prize assets too - just that, creatively, their asset-flogging is much better than DC's asset flogging.

Sorry, "I'm not sure it's *my* job", I mean

I'm just speaking from a business perspective. It would seem to be in their best interests to try to sync up their publishing concerns with their film concerns rather than cancelling titles and killing characters simultaneous to those characters' attendant movie releases. I actually am glad that they tend to avoid that, aside from their nonsensical attempts after the fact to shoehorn elements from the movies into the comics (see: organic web shooters). But you're correct that trades are probably the better route for the casually curious.

thanks for the info rundown guys - i had no idea about this stuff. still kind of fascinated, if afraid to touch these books

I looked at all of these on the shelf of my comic book store the other day and literally had a moment where my skin began to crawl

Also to note that Marvel appear to have synced up between the publishing concerns and their films because they have a blanket ban on creators inventing any new X-characters and stopped publishing Fantastic Four this month "for good". In addition they de-powered Wolverine at the same time as Hugh Jackman did which led to his death in the comics (and 4000 books about it).

There have certainly been suggestions that the post-Secret Wars Marvel Universe will bear a much closer resemblance to their cinematic universe.

I will be sad to see the gonzo Avengers roster they currently have now go away, particularly now that they've started actually telling Cannonball and Sunspot stories (Roberto in particular recently got a massive bump in prominence/importance and basically rules)

HALLELUJAH! SEXY DARKSEID IS WEARING POUCHES!

(Jog reviews the DC FCBD Divergence comic)

** Time Runs Out spoiler ** Didn't Cannonball and Sunspot get blowed up a few weeks ago? Admittedly the art makes the stories hard to follow, plus Secret Wars reboot, so I guess it don't matter anyway.

I've really enjoyed the Hickman run, but glad it's winding down. Probably it's outstayed its welcome by about 6 months or so. Love the guy they've got doing the Secret Wars art (normally I am not super-bothered about artists).

Yeah basically every character death leading into Secret Wars is getting a big "lol whatever" from me until further notice

Oh my god. Convergence Atom #2. All I'll say is "tiny hands" Deathstroke.

What does that mean

You'll have to read it to find out. It's so stupid I can't do it justice.

the shazam issue was well drawn? that's the first good thing i have to say about this whole clusterfuck.

I liked the Shazam issue. But I like both the team of Parker and Shaner and the Marvel Family so it was right up my alley.

I look forward to Tiny Hands.

Convergence #5 (Wr: Jeff King P: Andy Kubert Ink: Sandra Hope) brings us up to speed with the core plot. Deimos reveals that Uncanny Braniac is in fact another hero that Braniac has mindwiped and gives him his memories back, but not to the point where anybody actually tells us who he is. Travis Morgan then turns up riding a dinosaur to fight him but is easily dispatched, as is Main Braniac. Dick Grayson decides he needs to be the new BatISIS, then Deimos does Uncanny Braniac In The Sky and tells the heroes in all the cities they don't need to fight and this whole exercise - including what Uncanny Braniac told them in their #1s - was all an utter waste of their time and they don't want to bother with any of it. I wish he'd told us that a few weeks ago tbh. Dick clearly had a flash forward on this very topic, because he makes this observation on one of the early pages:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7678/16837652763_c9d9d46baa_o.jpg

Oh Dickpaws.

Convergence Batgirl #2 (Wr: Alisa Kwitney P: Rick Leonardi Ink: Mark Pennington) fails to answer the most important cliffhanger arising from all the first issues. DOES BATGIRL PISSYPANTS STILL NEED TO PEE?

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5465/17432166236_224cf3688c_o.jpg

You're the lucky one Catman. This book is really about Tim Drake's love life and whether he's with Stephanie Brown or Cassandra Cane. Because it's got a girl central character so must be a romance comic secretly, huh? There's very nearly a fight with Grodd but not really because it's Catman that Batgirl Pissypants is supposed to fight so they pretend to and it fools Uncanny Braniac into thinking Batgirl has won - presumably because he's distracted by dinosaurs and shit, and because the fight's over everyone gets to go back to their own city and live happily ever. What's that you say? That means there was no point in any of this? WELL DURRR.

Given just happened in Batgirl Pissypants, you can't help agreeing with Batmang when he says on the first page of Convergence Batman & Robin #2 (Wr: Ron Marz P: Denys Cowan Ink: Klaus Janson and Joe Rubinstein) that he's not going to fight and take part in SecretVergeBattles. But of course they do fight with whoever the obscure villains that turned up on the last page of #1, in a routine that goes very much 'panel with punch'/'panel with limited dialogue'/'panel with punch'/'panel with limited dialogue' etc. Superman appears once the villains are dispatched and taunts Batmang that he had a dad and Batmang didn't. He doesn't take it very badly though, because they both smile and reminisce. In fact, the most important thing that happens in his is ANOTHER FACET OF THE GOTHAM/URINE CONUNDRUM:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5330/17458697295_baaba2c600_o.jpg

Remind me never to go round to Jason Todd's for brunch.

While #1 was kind of a laff and started out with Modern Harley Quinn, Convergence Harley Quinn #2 (Wr: Steve Pugh P: Phil Winslade Ink: John Dell) takes us back to Old Suit Harley and makes it all a bit grim. IT'S LIKE THE SOCIAL MEDIA REACTION TO MARGOT ROBBIE PHOTOS IN REVERSE. Harley kills Captain Carrot's Pig Mate at the outset and paints taunts on walls with his blood. Except of course it is eventually revealed that wasn't what happened at all and it was oil from one of Uncanny Braniac's fighting enforcement robots. WHERE WERE THEY WHEN BATGIRL PISSYPANTS AND CATMAN WERE PRETENDING TO FIGHT, EH? Anyway, they all decide not to fight and sit down and eat carrots, and the plot just peters out. Then Catwoman decides Harley can't have nice things and refuses to let her go back to her boyfriend because then she might be happy. So Sadface Harley GD driven off by Catwoman and Ivy to fight crime, or maybe just open a florist. Plus, since this book is set in Gotham, OBLIGATORY URINE PANEL:

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8857/16837029914_180c8bb42c_o.jpg

There's definitely a trend going on.

The all-girl Convergence Justice League #2 (Wr: Frank Tieri Art: Vicente Cifuentes) have a giant fight many fathoms under the sea. In the river outside Gotham. On a desert planet. I'm not sure there's much more to say about it than that. Especially since nobody in Gotham has any bladder control so God only knows what state the water is in. Baquaman has a kryptonite trident he can use to thump Supergirl but then Mera stabs him so they all decide to stop fighting and go home for. Nice cup of tea, or in Baquaman's case a bit of a brood on the throne (NOT A EUPHEMISM).

Convergence Nightwing & Oracle #2 (Wr: Gail Simone P: Jan Duursema Ink: Dan Parsons) is a stereotypical Gail Simone book. Babs can't help admiring Bad Hawkman and Bad Hawkgirl because they're a bit regal and majestic and are obviously egalitarian at heart. But then she decides they're fascists because they're fighting her boyfriend which means they must be REALLY bad. At one point she gets in a helicopter, but is eventually knocked out of it when Hawkwoman makes it crash VERY CONVENIENTLY EXACTLY NEED TO A SPARE WHEELCHAIR FOR HER TO GET INTO. Black Canary now has a scream that can level cities, but only works where the plot needs it to. Babs swoons over Dick. Her wheelchair must be made out of Gravitronium, because Hawkgirl hits her full on while she's sitting in it and it doesn't tip over. She somehow ends up with Hawkgirl's mace which makes her give up, and Dick has beaten her hubby. It also comes to light that Black Canary is as good, if not better, at computering as Babs is and makes all the Absorbacons blow themselves up saving the city. To celebrate, Babs & Dick get married some time later ("delayed by that earthquake"). It'll be interesting (THIS MAY BE A LIE) how the Gotham BattleConSecret surviving for at least a couple of months is reflected or, more likely, ignored in the other books and/or once Converence is rebranded as Earth 2: Society. Not sure how many people will be checking.

Nothing really happens in Convergence Speed Force #2 (Wr: Tony Bedard Art: Tom Grummett), or at least nothing of note. It turns out the Wonder Woman that turned up to fight Wally is also super-fast, which means everything happens at the same relative speed so The Fastest Man In The World just becomes A Guy Dressed In Spandex. The turtle doesn't help either, because WW made some Count Vertigo bombs after Baquaman dumped her for Mera, and Wally eventually beats her because, as a woman, all you need to do is make her think about children and she's incapable of doing anything rational. Then everyone decides to stop fighting and goes home, then there's an earthquake (which can't be the one from the end of Convergence Dick & Babs, surely, because the wedding in that was delayed by it and Dick & Babs surely weren't going to walk straight off after Hawkfight and get married?) and all that's left to do is squint into the middle distance looking heroic.

Convergence Superman #2 (Wr/P: Dan Jurgens Ink: Norm Rapmund) exists for one reason only and that is so Lois can give birth. There's some trivial punching nonsense at the beginning but that's conveniently forgotten because the Batcave (where the baby delivery is supposed to take place) is "the one place he {Shazam, the puncher} can never find us. Despite the fact both Lois and Supes managed to find it without looking very hard, something Lois boasts about. So in this, not only does the fighting just stop so everyone can play happy families, the fighting stops and just gets discarded as a story - despite being, you know, THE EXACT POINT OF BATTLEVERGEWARS - and everyone LITERALLY plays happy families. Also brief mention of earthquake, but hours before Lois gives birth. Hopefully the editor is paying attention to that.

Words fail me trying to describe Convergence The Atom #2 (Wr: Tom Peyer P: Steve Yeowell Ink: Andy Owens) but it shows more inventiveness than the entire rest of the DC line put together. When I first heard Tiny Hands Deathstroke I did have visions that he was going to get refrigerated by mini brain punches but no, LITERALLY TINY HANDS DEATHSTROKE. To try and summarise, Ray finds out that Ryan Choi ended up in the space/time dimension where all the Atom's extra mass goes to/comes from and this has left him a bit like Firestorm. He then gets his giant hand sliced off by Crocodile Guy and it turns into Ryan Choi who shrinks down and bursts Crocodile Guy's shoulder muscles from the inside. Ray is then in hospital, one handed, when Deathstroke comes to kill him so Ryan beats up Deathstroke and gives Ray a new hand by making Deathstroke's smaller and transferring the mass to Ray. The public then tell Ray how much they love him and both Atoms take the smiling bus to happy ever after land. Am I the only one that followed that?

Convergence The Question #2 (Wr: Greg Rucka Art: Cully Hamner) is, more than anything else, about Montoya getting to her Dad's bedside in time for him to die and her to look a bit sad. Along the way the Question/Huntress/Batwoman team argue about who gets to sleep with who else, and there are a couple of punch-ups as they try and stop Harvey Dent from shooting Harvey Dent which succeeds when Montoya takes Harvey Dent's bullet that was meant for Harvey Dent. Which is enough to fool Uncanny Braniac because he assumes the fight is over. I'm sure this was all well and good as part of a lengthy ongoing story, but as a snappy one-off story it just doesn't work. And no earthquakes either.

In Convergence The Titans #2 (Wr: Fabian Nicieza P: Ron Wagner I: Jose Marzan) Gar Logan is the only person that isn't me that seems to have noticed that Gotham was packed to the gunnels with heroes at the time it was taken yet none of them are anywhere to be seen:

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8886/17276684380_5426e24cbd_o.jpg

Anyway, this is a pointless bit of punching which gets miraculously resolved when Roy Harper hacks into Batmang's city-wide hidden remote controlled gun programme and uses it to shoot all the bad guys. Then they all fly off to find somebody else to fight, because the Titans are still following Uncanny Braniac's orders THE IDIOTS.

And I didn't even mention DC turning a black character white (until now).

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/05/07/whitewashing-a-dc-character-before-their-death-convergence-5-spoilers/

tiny hands Deathstroke needs his own book.