History of the DC Universe

By Marv Wolfman, George Perez, Karl Kesel & various (DC Comics/Graphitti Designs)
ISBN: 0-930289-26-9

It’s not often that I review a specific package. After all, as long as they’re not bowdlerised or mucked about with, comics are all about the story and art, and graphic novels and collections even more so. This is one of the rare exceptions however.

History of the DC Universe is a fan’s book. The material it contains was originally a two-part prestige format miniseries designed to compliment the landmark Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover. In it the Monitor’s assistant Harbinger sets down the new chronicle of events after the history and reality-altering events of the Crisis have finally settled. It was a way of telling the fans just what was and wasn’t canonical; “real and true” if you like, in the DC Universe.

It was ambitious, concise, informative, very pretty and creators being what they are, pretty much redundant almost before the ink had dried. As a tool it was useless, but as a tale it still looks and reads very well. So why review it?

This Graphitti Designs hardcover has a few extras that dedicated fans would love and browsers might find of interest too. In what we’d now call the “added value section” are a number of essays and testimonials from Wolfman, Neal Adams, Julius Schwartz, Jerry Siegel, Bob Kane, Joe Kubert, Roy Thomas, Paul Levitz, Len Wein, Jack Kirby, Ramona Fradon, George Perez and Frank Miller.

Each has illustrations of the creators’ signature characters with lavish illustrations from Neal Adams, Joe Shuster, Dick Sprang, Joe and Adam Kubert, Kurt Schaffenberger, Steve Lightle, Steve Bissette & John Totleben, Jack Kirby & Steve Rude, Fradon, Perez and Miller, whilst the Julius Schwartz piece is studded with a dozen pictures by DC’s finest artists.

The real prize though is a four page gate-fold fold-out poster crafted by 56 separate artists and featuring 53 of the company’s greatest characters from the first five decades, nestled behind new illustrations of Sugar and Spike by Sheldon Mayer and Cryll by Art Adams. And if that’s not tantalising enough the Watchmen aficionados and completists should be aware that the poster contains the only DCU appearance of Rorschach by Dave Gibbons! Cor! Blimey!

Seriously though, as so much of comics’ magic is physical and visceral, the feel-good factor from this little gem is difficult to quantify, but impossible to deny. If you get the chance you really should experience it yourself.

© 1988 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.