Multiversal Geography: Earths 0-10

So you've probably seen the map of the Multiverse being used to promote Grant Morrison's Multiversity series (click to enlarge). Well, I thought it might be fun to look at it from a little closer, Earth by Earth (and eventually going outward). What do you think? Because each of those Earths swimming in the "Bleed" (lovely, that's why the skies go red during each Crisis) is drawn differently. Are there clues to their particular properties? Obviously, some are known, but that doesn't mean Morrison won't change things around...

Given its location on the map, dead center on top, with a bright glow and 4 stars as per the original DC bullet, Earth-0 is Earth-Prime, which used to be THIS Earth, where the readers live, give or take the rare superhuman, like Ultraa and Superboy-Prime. Today, it's where the New52 abides, Earth-1 having merged/Flushpointed with Earths 13 (Vertigo, sort of) and 50 (Wildstorm). May it blow up soon.

So what's on Earth-1 these days? Would you believe those crappy graphic novels by JMS and Johns, with the Superman "for the Twilight generation" and whatever the heck they did with Batman? So why is it all yellow unless Morrison plans to MELT IT DOWN, THANKS? I'm just guessing. No, not guessing, what's the word I'm looking for? Ah yes, HOPING.

No-brainer. Earth-2 is currently a series and we know exactly what's going on there. Basically, instead of the original Earth-2 concept of older heroes who were involved in World War II, those same characters have been reinvented as YOUNGER heroes just now emerging after a long occupation by Darkseid's forces. Funny, I'd have thought it would be pock-marked with firepits.

Earth-3 has always traditionally been "opposite-Earth", and it's where the Crime Syndicate comes from, and they've really ruined the place. Just look at it.

According to a Morrison interview (and the 52 series), Earth-4 is, as it was during the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, where the Charlton heroes come from. The plans seems to be to have those versions of Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, the Question, etc. still living on an Earth, intact. But what's the stark shadow in the upper left-hand corner? Is that world in danger? Because guys, this is our shot at getting Ted Kord back. Or will it be an in-continuity Watchmen? This is likely to be featured in the Pax Americana book.

In the same interview (and the 52 series), Morrison tags Earth-5 as a world for the Fawcett heroes to live untouched. Given how horribly the Marvel Family has been mangled since at least Infinite Crisis (anything after Power of Shazam, basically), it would be great to see a lighter take still out there (perhaps even one where the all-ages books are in continuity). Maybe that's why the colors are so soft on this one. A gentler Earth Morrison has called "Thunderworld".

Earth-6 has never been seen in the New52, but Morrison did use it during Final Crisis: Superman Beyond, so maybe it hasn't changed since then. Except I don't really know what it was all about either there or in Countdown: Arena. All I know is that Ray Palmer was the Ray there, and that versions of the Demon, Offspring, Rex Tyler and Ted Kord existed there. From the pic, it's got a special glow. Does that mean it will be important in Multiversity? It could be a world of plain old variants. Do we know where the promoted pink-skinned alien Green Lantern is from? Of course, since Lady Quark has been said to appear, this could be her Earth as it once was, but that would be boring. Morrison has also said this was where Stan Lee's Just Imagine version of DC's heroes would be. I'd love to revisit these concepts, so I hope that's still true.

Looks pretty normal. Post-52, it had older versions of teen heroes. More of the same?

This one is special. It's got the original DC bullet right around the number 8. Could it be the pre-Flushpoint Earth? Or even the pre-Crisis Earth of the Bronze Age? It's probably the one I'm most excited about! See, when the multiple Earths were originally conceived, it was already the Silver Age, so they spun off the Golden Age heroes onto their own Earth. But we're way past that now, and there could be a Silver/Bronze Earth, a post-Crisis Earth and so on. There SHOULD be. Post-52, of course, this was the home of the Extremists and the Heroes of Angor, i.e. an Earth filled with Marvel analogues, and Morrison did once use the phrase "the rampaging Retaliators of Earth-8" (not that the DC bullet deserves to be on 8 if that's still the case). Whatever the case may be, there's another heavy shadow on this one, which I don't like to see.

Earth-9 has a hypnotic swirl covering it. What could that mean? Post-52, this was Tangent Earth (which I wouldn't mind seeing again), but I don't see what the pink vortex has to do with it. The logo looked more like an open bunch of arrows. Does its proximity to Earth-Prime mean anything? I bet all those orbits do. There's usually a method to Morrison's madness.

Earth-10 AKA Earth-X is a classic and won't likely be touched. It's still got the X on there, see? So this is where the Quality Comics properties live untouched, collectively known as the Freedom Fighters. The Earth-X concept usually has the Nazis winning the war, so the heroes really are freedom fighters. According to interviews, the FF would be up against the Mastermen, fascist versions of Earth-Prime heroes (how will we tell the difference, HAY-HO!!!).

More to come. I'm willing to suspend a couple of others features to get this done in a convenient amount of time if you are.