In 1985, DC Comics began publishing an event comic known as Crisis on Infinite Earths. Written by Marv Wolfman with art by George Pérez, the comic detailed the collapse of the DC Multiverse into a single universe. One where Superheroes were a relatively new idea with Wonder Woman only coming into play at the then modern day. All the imaginary stories, all the alternate earths were discarded in favor of the single vision of what the DC Universe should be.
In contrast, Marvel Comics has an occasional series known as What If…? wherein readers are presented with an alternate version of events where things work out differently. In some, we are presented with worlds where the worst-case scenario goes horribly for everyone while in others that worst-case actually leads to a better world. Some What Ifs take on major events like the Death of Gwen Stacy or Captain America coming into the modern-day. Others take minor things like giving a boy a Sentinel or pondering if Bruce Banner was the monster and the Hulk a good man. But with all of these stories (the best at least), even in the bleaker narratives where the Nazis win and domestic abusers go unpunished, there is a sense that this was the only way it could have gone, even if we know alternatives exist. [Read more…] about Tales From the DC Dark Multiverse II Review