2015-11-04 [DC] The Media Universes

Yeah, this isn't about the various Earths of DC and we will hopefully talk about the DC Comic Universe when the fallout of Convergence is done.

This post is mostly about the DC TV Universe and a little about the DC Movie Universe which currently look to be very separate.

It may cause irritation to some however from what I've been reading, many are just accepting it or even praising the choice.

Recently in another universe under another IP, Terminator threw an alternate timeline at people, leaving some a little ruffled. Movie watchers may not know that this is explained in comics where the Terminator Universe has many timelines on the go. This seemed harder for people to stomach than the constant Elseworlds/What Ifs of Disney/Marvel/Fox/Sony and WB/DC.

Do we need another Spider-Man reboot? Why does Pokemon have a more durable continuity than Marvel and DC? Etc....

There are many valid questions. Feel free to ask me some and I'll throw some answers at you. Some will be inspired, some will be researched, and some made up. I'll be your comic book prophet.

While DC can likely be broken down i nto many pieces, there are three main ones. The Comic Book Universe (DCBU), the Movie Universe (DCMU), and the TV Universe (DCTU).

The DCBU just finished Convergence which is essentially another Crisis/52 type thing restarting a pile of titles.

The DCMU currently sits with just Man of Steel, the upcoming Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad.

The DCTU exists apart from the movie universe with Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl (although it's too soon to tell what universe Supergirl is actually in yet.

Even in the Flash we've seen a tear in the cosmos that leads to an alternate Earth.

SUPERGIRL

A cute flashy beginning leads into a - it's all your fault - plot device to keep the villains coming along (very much like the one used in The Flash) with a SHIELD-like shadowy government organization to control everything.

Great cameos by Helen Slater (previous Supergirl) and Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) as well as a nod to the Superfriends cartoon.

The effects and choreographed fights are fairly poor. The directing needs some improvement while the writing and cast has potential.

The pilot uses the philiosophy that it's the choosing that makes the hero.

The comment is also made that the world now has just two heroes - meaning they don't see The Flash or Green Arrow and certainly not Batman as of yet.

Geekgirl next door.

ARROW

This was the first in the DCTU. The protagonist is more Batman than the comic book Green Arrow. It overuses flashbacks and rationalizations and if they could just move forward, they'll be golden.

Pointed Angst.

THE FLASH

Lighter than Arrow but heavily intertwined with it, The Flash streaks along at a decent pace but has a problem with repetition instead of originality (or being faithful to the comics). The cast is stronger than Arrow but the writing is weaker. It's also less of a Soap Opera. It contained a formula to keep a villain of the week going forever while also creating this world's first meta humans.

It has Firestorm! Yay!

GOTHAM

Whoa, this is a totally different world than the rest. This is about the creative director putting his own stamp on the Batman mythos.

Guess what character they'll trick you with next!

MAN OF STEEL

The DCMU starts off with the most recent rendition of Superman, pulling completely away from the feel of the source material to create a very grey hero. Loved and hated, this isn't the Superman that's come before and his origin straddles the line between baffling joke and far fetched angst. It felt more like a movie that someone wrote about an alien invasion and then tacked on some big S and hoped for the best. It may well be redeemed in Batman v Superman.

Steel yourself!

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