Cinematic Universes are the big thing these days. Or they're trying to be.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is expanding to further-flung corners all the time: I couldn't believe some of the “cosmic” characters who appeared in the Guardians of the Galaxy volume 2. Characters I would have thought were much too “out there” or silly for mainstream movie audiences showed up for little cameos that thrilled me greatly, as an old comic fan. I shouldn't have been too surprised, after seeing Howard the Duck in the post credits scene of Guardians volume 1!
DC comics has been doing its own movieverse, too, and Wonder Woman is getting great reviews and is a big ol' hit.
Everything from Ghostbusters to Footloose wants to do an expanded universe! Okay, maybe Footloose isn't. Yet.
Of course, the original movie-universe was the Universal Monsters, from back in the 30's and 40's. That predated even the Marvel and DC Comic Book Universes! Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man were big hits and the characters eventually met in various sequels, like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, the House of Dracula, and The House of Frankenstein, and finally, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
Other “shared universe” movies came later, either as one-off jokes or sometimes more: Kevin Smith put all his early films into one “Jay and Silent Bob” universe, for example. Isaac Asimov connected his various novel series into one timeline, sometimes separated by tens of thousands of years. “The Dark Tower” connected several of Stephen King's novels into a “Multiverse”, which had already been a thing in comics for many years by that point.
The Monster-Universe is attempting a return right now, with “The Mummy” intended to be the starting point for an interlocking series of classic monster updates who will eventually meet.
It's surely a massive undertaking to try and do this, and most of the attempted Universes are facing some…uh…slight bumps in the road, to say the least. It remains to be seen if the “Dark Universe” will be successful enough in its first couple films to reach its big “Avengers-style” Monster Mashup.
The monsters are back
For my part, I've only done one regular comic. But some of the most fun I've had writing comics has been crossing over with other creators here on DD.
Some characters from Jay's Internet Fight Club by jerrie showed up in my comics, and I did a little reference to Kimluster's The Godstrain and she was goodly enough to feature a character of mine on a series of pages. So cool!
http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Jays_Internet_Fight_Club/
http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/The_Godstrain/
Do you have your own comic Universe? Have you ever done a crossover between your comics or with another creator's work?
Crossing Over
Banes at 12:00AM, June 15, 2017
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bravo1102 at 11:09PM, June 16, 2017
@Banes: The montage is a drive up route 35 to route 36 going north. Kevin Smith's parent's house is South of the starting point.
phinmagic at 8:27PM, June 16, 2017
I even included all of my Pittsburghers DD comic characters in this one, too, thus expanding my universe. http://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Phineus_Magician_for_Hire/4986232/
phinmagic at 8:16PM, June 16, 2017
And of course, Phineus ties not everyone here's comics, through Drunk Duck Zombies. DD zombies IS cannon in Phineus, as well.
phinmagic at 7:01PM, June 16, 2017
Phineus has also crossed over with Kevin Hayman's "Errant Apprentice" through a Phineus story. It's crossing over with Adam Black's "Locus" & James Riot's "The Path", through an upcoming crossover story "Trinity", as well as the fact that "The Path's" Chance, dated Sara in high school, cannon.
phinmagic at 6:56PM, June 16, 2017
I actually do have a comic universe. It all started with Phineus, and I've done spin offs with characters in universe, crossovers with others characters that I've worked on, whose characters became part of my universe, through crossovers (Creephunter), done joint stories with other comics, thus expanding my universe. I've done flashback series, in universe, flash forward series in universe, side stories that all tie together in some way to the same core comic, Phineus. It's great fun, and expands the pool of characters, situations and history and world building. The first such crossover happened in my first issue, where the title character of another comic, Gil:The Walking Dead (or Vampires Suck) made an appearance in Phineus. Even a comic, like my Doctor Who parody comic ties in, through the use of an alien race I used in Phineus, being a main character in Bastard Who.
Abt_Nihil at 3:40PM, June 16, 2017
Two of my earlier comics, "mr sandman" (don't look it up, it's really early and really bad) and "ad 1997" (which I've worked on for the last fifteen years, with several looong hiatuses inbetween) actually take place in the same continuity, and one character shows up in both. Apart from that, I was lucky enough for Bombshell to also have appeared on Shell and Fearless, thanks to my also managing the flagship title of what we've come to call the "HUniverse", "Heroes Alliance" (the mother of all superhero-y webcomic crossovers, together with its predecessor "Heroes Unite"... or so I like to think).
Banes at 8:14AM, June 16, 2017
Cool, bravo! Kevin Smith grew up in Randals house. Not sure if that's near the rest of the montage.
bravo1102 at 11:31PM, June 15, 2017
And just remember one thing about Kevin Smith's Viewaskewiverse, Bravo lives right in the middle of it. That trip at the beginning of Clerks 2 takes you right past where I live.
Whirlwynd at 7:58PM, June 15, 2017
I do have my own comic universe! All my stories are connected though some are on different "time threads" Also Lady Unlucky is technically a crossover of two fictional universes, mine and my best friend's worlds. He has yet to post any of his story though =(
Amelius at 10:26AM, June 15, 2017
Heh heh what timing for this... I can't say why though... Yeah, I got a multiversal comic-cosmology going on! My dead CTV characters were sent to Cwen's Quest, and a couple of the not-quite dead ones have travelled over and made appearances there too. In-cannon, Riddly Lancer from CQ has been to Kellwood and travelled with Kavonn in CTV, and also kicked Munchie Bear in the face. There's all sorts of inter-dimensional shenanigans going on. I did 2 crossovers many years ago, but the cosmology unfortunately doesn't gel with one of them so it's sorta non-cannon. I also did a boatload of cameos during a party arc that went on years longer than it should have thanks to depression!
KAM at 5:41AM, June 15, 2017
Crossovers? Cameos? No. No I've never done anything like that. *shifty eyes*
KimLuster at 5:12AM, June 15, 2017
I love crossovers and cameos!! As mentioned by Banes, the Godstrain is referenced in Typical Strange, and the very character that does the referencing has a not too small part in the Godstrain!! Other creator's characters who've appeared in the Godstrain: Plymayer's Avatar, Bravo's Belinda Brandon and her sister, Call Me Tom's Bogeyman... Another creator on DD (who I won't mention as they may want this to be secret) has mentioned the idea of tying our respective universes together - an idea I'm absolutely elated by!! Note to everyone, if you're interested in using any Godstrain character in your stuff (officially or unofficially) feel free to do so!!
Panman at 4:27AM, June 15, 2017
Key & Peele meet Frankenstein.
bravo1102 at 1:58AM, June 15, 2017
Now if they do all the Universal monsters together who's going to be Abbot and Costello?
plymayer at 1:49AM, June 15, 2017
Why do I think a Howard the Duck - Star Trek the Next Generation cross over would include a polite but just a little condescending Picard talking to Howard.
plymayer at 1:46AM, June 15, 2017
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is still one of my favorites. Some of my characters (from my high school drawing days) crossed over with my cousin Bill's comics. Crossovers can be fun.
bravo1102 at 12:28AM, June 15, 2017
All my comics exist in one universe. I stitched them together in Battle of the Robofemoids and Tales if S.I.G and even found a way to bring in Star Trek. Belle Brandon and her sister also had cameos in The Godstrain. ;)
Ozoneocean at 12:24AM, June 15, 2017
Pitface, Tantz, you and I have written crossover fiction :) Pit and I are writing another now for Bottomless Waitress and Blitzov.
Ozoneocean at 12:23AM, June 15, 2017
Awesome! Well There has been some slight crossover with Pinky TA ad Putrid Meet but it wasn't entirely cannon... various characters from other comics HAVE shown up in cannon Pinky TA pages though! Cameos in bit parts... Pinky has shown up in others too, including Charby the Vampirate among others. None of us share a universe though. For crossoveres THIS is the place to go: http://www.dragoneers.com/crossovers/ Hogan lists them all there.