Multiversity Preview: Shazam! (And More)

, we brought you a look at Wonder Woman Earth One by Grant Morrison. Well, that’s only one of two long-promised projects that are finally coming to fruition from the superstar writer–the other being Multiversity.A nine-issue series that takes readers on a walk through DC’s Multiverse, Morrison’s series will consist of a series of interrelated one-shots, each taking place on a different DC Earth with “bookend” issues at the beginning and end that bring the stories together. Morrison will work with a number of different artists for the piece, including his regular collaborators Cameron Stewart and Frank Quitely.Here’s how the series is described over at Zap 2 It, who had the preview at left from the “Thunderworld” issue that features Earth-S and Shazam/Captain Marvel.

One issue centers on the children of Batman, Superman and the like, which Morrison refers to as MTV’s “The Hills” with superheroes. Another finds retired heroes from generations past taking place in battle reenactments.That’s not to say there aren’t more serious tones, though. One issue deals with what Superman would have been like, had his spaceship landed in Nazi-occupied territory during World War II. “Imagine you’re Superman and for the first 25 of your life you were working for Hitler,” Morrison says, “And then you realize, ‘Oh my god, it’s Hitler!’” Morrison further explains, “Not only is he a Nazi Superman, he’s a Nazi Superman that knows his entire society, though it looks utopian, was built on the bones of the dead. Ultimately it’s wrong and it must be destroyed.” The issue will see the caped hero going up against enemies he knows are right, as he comes to terms with the fact that the principles he was raised with are wrong.

And then there’s “Thunderworld.” Captain Marvel has been one of the hardest characters to “crack” in recent years, as many of his fans are traditionalists who dislike any changes the publisher might make in the hopes of appealing to a wider audience. The fact that the group isn’t big enough to support a book on its own, but is a necessary base to build upon if DC hopes to use the character in a meaningful way, had been a stumbling block prior to the opportunities at reinvention afforded by the New 52.For the last two years, the character has been radically different, and appearing in a Geoff Johns/Gary Frank backup feature in Justice League. The experiment, which included rebranding Captain Marvel to the more-trademark-friendly “Shazam,” seems to have been a success…but some fans still crave the classic version. Don’t be surprised if Morrison plays with those expectations a bit in delivering a story built around these characters, which he compares to a Pixar cartoon, calling it accessible for all ages.