Multiversal Geography: Earths 31-40

I'm well past explaining this bit by now. Multiversity. Grant Morrison. Map in this week's comics. Earths. What's on each?

Ok, the horrible mini-series Countdown: Arena is responsible for a lot of parallel Earth placement, used by DC to bring into continuity, as it were, a number of Elseworlds and other, high-profile out-of-continuity stories. It's the case for Earth-31, which, if you look at it, looks like it was drawn and shaded by Frank Miller. That's because this is where The Dark Knight Returns takes place - a dystopian future where a craggy old Batman goes too far, yadda yadda yadda. Or as I like to call it, the template for all Batman-Superman stories DC wants to tell these days. Hardly worth putting it on a separate Earth anymore...

Arena also gives details on Earth-32, making it the home of In Darkest Knight, where Bruce Wayne became Earth's Green Lantern. Ok, but it's hardly the greenest Earth on the map (34, for example). Note that in another GL wrinkle, Earth-32 was identified by Hal in his pre-Crisis days as a world where Carol fell in love with him AS Hal instead of his heroic identity. (They used to give Earths to anything.) Trivia: That Earth was the last remaining Earth numbered under 52 in the original continuity, so you won't hear me talking about that version of the Multiverse again. (Highest ranked Earth before it was all cut down to 52? That would be Earth-9602, the Amalgam universe.) But the real think to look at is that those continents are NOT our own. So where is this place? A sort of Pangaea? Maybe a dino-world and home to Morrison's Dino-Cop?

Ok, here we have a change from the post-52 design. Countdown to something or other said of Earth-33 that it was a world of magic, with mystical versions of the heroes we know, like Batmage and Kal-El, wielder of Kryptonian magics. Not so much anymore. Morrison has pushed the former Earth-Prime (or perhaps a Superboyless Earth-Prime) into this position. Essentially, this is US. That must be why it's more photo-real, with clouds and everything, than the others. And look where it is: Right in the middle, opposite New52 Earth. Just as on the fence light/dark wise, but on the side of Chaos because our story isn't being "written".

A green Earth. Post-52, Countdown to Adventure said this was where Wonder Woman: Amazonia took place. Personally, I would just have sent that piece of Victoriana over to Gaslight Earth, and I don't think the story would explain the planet's hue. So... something else? A lush, natural world where the Green is entirely dominant? Could make a potable "what if" in the wake of the various Green/Gray/Red stuff that's been going on in DC Dark books since the New52's beginning. Could also be the Green Lantern-centric universe, formerly at E32. No clue, and that's kind of exciting, isn't it?

And the mysteries keep coming. What are those lines coming off the South Pole? I DON'T KNOW! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

I feel like I should know this one. That's a definite logo for something. Like the old Saturday morning interstitial "In the News", or Atlas Comics, or something. Morrison has said he'd like to pull a Squadron Supreme on Marvel or Image, so this could be that. Either taking the Heroes of Angor (Avengers analogues) off Earth-8 (which has too DC a look) or creating whole new analogues like the announced Aborigine version of Thor. That would make sense of an "Atlas" logo, since that was Marvel's former identity. Then again, I may be missing something obvious. HELP ME, INTERNET![Edit: Our good friend Zundian thinks it looks a lot like the balloon from the It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World poster. 

And thus... a Superduperman parody-type Earth?]

Again according to the Countdown material, this is Thrillkiller Earth, where Robin and Batgirl paired up in the early 60s, with Bruce Wayne taking over as Batgirl's partner later. No reason to think this has changed, as it would fit nicely on the dark side of the map.

Last we saw of this place, it featured a version of Captain Atom as the leader of the Atomic Knights. I don't think that's a viable Earth, but who knows? The picture offers no help.

Morrison mentioned a Wally Wood-inspired world, which might be this one. Just look at the zip-a-toned continents and compare them to this Wood illustration:

Crazy, right? So maybe... some kind of pulp SF world? Could be a nice place to insert DC's varied space heroes, from Tommy Tomorrow to the Knights of the Galaxy and everyone wearing jet packs in between. Almost certainly, it isn't Arena's Earth-39 where Dan Garrett is a teenage Blue Beetle.

This smoggy black and white Earth is the Counter-World the pulp heroes of Earth-20 have to fight in the first issue of Multiversity, with Vandal Savage ruling over what looks like a zombie world. It used to be the dark JSA Elseworld of The Liberty File and The Unholy Trio, and for all we know, it still might be. It just seems like the aesthetic of those stories has been spread over both 20 and 40.

Next: We finish up the Earths, though that'll still leave a lot of material both inside and outside the Prime Material Plane.