Monday, September 28, 2015

An Adieu to Alloy Comics

For the last two years, I've had a side project going here on blogger.  It was called Alloy Comics and was born from the simple question: what if the DC Comics Universe and the Marvel Comics Universe got smooshed together?
I am not talking about the Amalgam Comics that both companies produced over a decade ago.  There were no badly named portmanteaus such as Apocalypso. Yes, that was the name of an actual Amalgam character; a fusion of Apocalypse and Eclipso. The name was not frightening at all, instead conjuring images of a villainous callypso singer, terrorizing the world with a Carribean steel-drum band.
No, Alloy Comics was based on the idea that the two universe got smooshed together in a Cosmic Event.  Since this event smooshed time together as well, as far as the inhabitants of the Alloy Universe were concerned, their world had always been like it was.
Jonah Hex rode with the Two-Gun Kid in the Old West.
Captain America was a member of the Justice Society of America.
Of course, the two universes didn't merge seemlessly.  They are, at their cores, quite different. The Marvel Universe has always been grim and gritty, wallowing in angst, while the DC Universe has always seemed more positive and friendly.
There would be changes.
There would have to be.
Most were precipitated, in-universe, by the Crisis.
The Crisis was the attempt by Axel Asher a.k.a. Access, to restore the two merged universes.  He would fail, thanks to the efforts of the Justice League of America, but that failure would have a price. Half of the Justice League (Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Superman and the Wasp) would perish.  The survivors of the battle would come together and form a team of successors called the Avengers.
There would be other changes, growing out from that point.
Dick Grayson would retire the Robin persona and follow in his dead mentor's footsteps, traveling the world, studying and learning a variety of skills so that he could one day take Batman's place.  As a result, he would never become involved with the Teen Titans.
Instead, the Teen Titans would consist of Aqualad, Kid Flash and the three surviving X-Men: Angel, Beast and Marvel Girl.  The Teen Titans would not exist as long in the Alloyverse as they had in the DCU, but the bonds forged would be longlasting.
With Superman dead, Thor would keep a pledge he had made to the Man of Steel, to defend Metropolis in his place. As a result, Thor would confront many of Superman's most dangerous foes as well as bringing his Asgardian enemies to the City of Tomorrow.
Superman's death would also affect Lois Lane. She would leave the Daily Planet to become a freelance journalist, reporting on world events. This would be a cover, however, to conceal her true actions as a newly minted agent of SHIELD.
Superman's death would also affect the far future.  The Legion of Super-Heroes would form, inspired by Superman's example, but guided by the principles of his spiritual successor, Spider-Man.  The Legion would go so far as to travel back to the 21st Century and bring Spider-Man back to their own time.  Faced with this amazing legacy, Spider-Man would be much more positive and proactive, even as he faced deadly new enemies like the Joker and Harley Quinn.
There were other stories.  How Barbara Gordon became the Black Queen of the Hellfire Club and was murdered by Deadpool.  How an alliance between the mysterious Raven and enigmatic Cable led to the creation of the New Titans. The strange connection between Donna Troy and Apocalypse. Captain America's revival and eventual joining of this world's Avengers. The romance between the second Flash (Wally West) and the Scarlet Witch, as they served together on the Avengers, eventually marrying and suffering a terrible tragedy. There were so many more.
The Alloyverse was a lot of fun.  It was a good creative outlet as well, when the words wouldn't flow, but I still had the need to make something. I became quite adept at photoshopping comic covers.
But after two years, I decided it was time to bring it to an end.
The Multiverse returned.
The Alloyverse splintered, its component universes reverting, all knowledge of their shared experiences erased.
And so, I bid adieu to the world of Alloy Comics.
Perhaps I'll return their some day.
After all, anything is possible.

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