Convergence #0
Story: Jeff King, Dan Jurgens
Art: Ethan Van Sciver
Colors: Marcelo Maiolo
Letters: Travis Lanham
Publisher: DC Comics
Event comics are like vending machnies, sometimes you get nothing. That’s been true of more recent years stuff like AXIS, INFINITY, and Image United. The other side of that lost quarter are those books that make you glad these series exist. You’ll get a Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinity Gauntlet, or House of M where the event delivers a promise that was hyped just right. On rare occasions, comic fans can be pleasantly surprised by something going in we believe to be overhyped. That right there is the beauty of DC Comics latest event Convergence.
This zero issue gives readers an idea of what Convergence is about without really putting the gears in motion too much. Television producer Jeff King pairs with veteran comics writer Dan Jurgens to pen a prologue that answers questions you might have after reading Superman: Doomed a few months ago. Convergence #0 answers the mystery of what happened during Superman’s disappearance in the Doomed event. Readers will get a Brainiac unlike any you’ve seen before and all the Brainiacs you’ve seen before. In a way, that’s what Convergence is, everything old is new and everything new is grandiose. King and Jurgens are playing off a lot of nostalgia connected to the heart of a DC fan while trying to incorporate this new ultra Brainiac to the DCU. Seeing all the moments Superman died across all those universes is like an Easter egg hunt. Issue zero is where we get a road map of the event through New 52 Superman’s journey among the plane of domed cities. This tale is a good set up in driving home the point of what the Convergence spine series will be about and how it could potentially matter post Convergence.
Whether you love his work or not, Ethan Van Sciver was the perfect choice for Convergence. His hyper realistic style works to subtlety unify the different versions of characters we’ll see. It’s like threading popcorn through a string, each kernel will look different but ultimately you know they’re on the same line. There so many great illustrators in comics, but so few can handle the necessary scope event books need. Ethan is an artist who knows how to dial it to 11 when he needs to. Looking at these pages, the sheer level of details hidden in the panels will blow your mind. Particularly with the Daily Planets. Marcelo Maiolo’s colors are a loving compliment to all the gorgeous line work. The story has so much visual shifting that it could have been detrimental to the book, but the color work brings it all together smoothly.
Being someone who suffers from event fatigue, Convergence #0 was a pleasant surprise. It’s the history of DCU used brilliantly as a story device and it’s one of the most visually impressive looking event books since the original Crisis. But we can’t whole heartedly recommend it without a bit of warning. The biggest reason being a zero issue should never cost $4.99. Usually these been the least expensive issues of events, sometimes even FCBD issues. This one has 28 pages of story and a 10 page guide explaining each of the universes we’ll see during the event. It’s an addition which could have easily been published online, or as a free marketing pamphlet for stores to giveaway, instead of adding to the page count. Even if this isn’t solely the reason for the price point, it certainly couldn’t have hurt their wallets to eliminate it from the printing. If you are a reader that’s been on board from the day Convergence was announced, you won’t be disappointed when you pick up the book. As for the rest of us, if you don’t mind the price point, Convergence is good… really good.
Dave and all his multiverse counter parts can be seen every morning grabbing a donut and coffee on the way to the office because we all got together and killed the one version who didn’t like that stuff, or on twitter @bouncingsoul217
Why would anyone be down on Ethan Van Sciver? For years I’ve heard reservations about his art but for the life of me, I can’t tell why. It’s fantastic.
“You’ll get a Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinity Gauntlet, or House of M where the event delivers a promise that was hyped just right.”
You got two out of three.
I honestly prefer Noah to Evan. Evan is a bit sterile. But then again, DC has worked hard to become a sterile company (the past six months of creative shifts notwithstanding, they are the new exception to the old rule).
I call BS. If one had said Thanos Quest, a 2-issue deluxe bookshelf standalone series, then you’d have something.
The series is not the “event.” All of the “good” “events” cited — Infinity Gauntlet & Crisis (Nevermind House of M) were panned as bloated examples of meaningless drivel. Crisis single-handedly created its own “red skies” trope for such events — meaningless tie-ins that do nothing for the event save for inclusion of a red sky to pander to the dollar.
When one speaks fondly of the Infinity Gauntlet event, we have to presume that you really just mean the 6 issues of the eponymous miniseries and not the totality of the event’s some 47 different comic issues that stretched the event into everything from Cloak & Dagger to Quasar to Sleepwalker, Spider-Man, and Warlock and the Infinity Watch. Maybe one just limited their event reading to just the 22 — nearly 2 years worth — related Silver Surfer issues.
I agree that the 6 issue mini series was good, but the “event” is inclusive — with all the good and bad — of all those cover blurbs, cover event numberings, cover corner messages, and other related tie-ins. In totality, all of these examples are godawfully bloated.
Silly but True
In Convergence #0, I spent 5 bucks for what I essentially got in the first 5 pages of Crisis on Infinite Earths, which cost 75 cents.
Mike
Regardless of the hype, the premise of this series is exactly the same as Countdown: Arena, only with better production values. It’s a combination of nostalgia and videogame slugfest. The whole deal stinks of desperation.
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