What titles are in the same universe?

[Guest]

LOL! The Battlestar Galactica thing was some sort of Free Comic Book Day flip book, but the Lone Ranger story in it is an original one and not a reprint from the series, so I included it.

I do assume Zorro's supposed to be very old in the Death Of book.

[pulphero]

None of the Dynamite pulp books actually share the same universe, but that doesn't mean that you can't kind of piece together things on your own and view the books as shared. We've talked about this on here before and many have stepped forward and said that they do this. I for one do, to a certain extent of course, but it's fun to view these titles as shared and done in different timelines with some taking place currently and others taking place way back in the day.

I think all comic book fans tend to ignore things they don't like or that seem inconsistent with how they view the characters. If enough people react negatively to certain things, they tend to be forgotten or just ignored (if not officially explained away in continuity). I'm thinking of that Silver Age Flash story in which his origin was retconned to reveal that it was the result of interference by an extradimesional moppet named "Mopee". That story met with such derision from the fans that it was ignored and never referred to again.

Unfortunately, in Dynamite's case they can't just drop in a cameo or guest appearance by some other character in one of their regular series, without the approval of the main character's owner (or the guest character either) unless they are both public domain characters like Black Bat and Miss Fury. Besides, why waste "guest appearances" when you can turn that same concept into an event miniseries?

One thing they could have done to create the illusion of a common universe is to create some original secondary characters and background details (for example, an original covert goverment agency) that could appear in any of the different series, or have some of the Dynamite-created original villains appear in another character's series, assuming any of the villains survived an encounter with the hero in the first series, that is. For example, have the Black Bat fight a villain that originally appeared in Kevin Smith's Green Hornet/Legacy. But so far they haven't done that, giving fans very little of substance to hang a "same universe" theory on -- you have to rely on those all-important crossover event things like Masks or Dark Nights to hang your imagination on. Even in those cases, nothing specific from any of the participating characters' own series is ever referred to in the books. I believe they at least did this with Prophecy.

As a reader, you're free to fill in the interactive gaps in comic books any way you like, however.

[bluedevil2002]

Shadow (2012 Dynamite) Annual ----- 1935 ----- No specific date, so 1935 is a guess
Shadow Special (2012 Dynamite) ----- 1935 ----- 1930s, no specific date, so 1935 is a guess
Masks (2012 Dynamite) ----- 1938
Shadow Green Hornet Dark Nights (2013 Dynamite) ----- 1939
Shadow (2012 Dynamite) ----- 1940.0927 ----- After Japan allied with Germany, hence after September 27, 1940
Shadow (2012 Dynamite) Annual 2013 ----- 1947

I've been working on a Shadow chronology here: http://marvelmasterworksfansite.yuku...tes-The-Shadow

Here's what I have so far:
Year One #1-10 - 1929-1930 (captions in #1)
Special #1 - no specific time, before WWII
#7-12 - early 1937 (caption on page 1 of #8, date reference in #12)
#1-6 - March 1938 (references to Hitler invading Austria in a paper in #1, and the Rape of Nanking in #3)
Masks #1-8 - September 1938 (headline in #1)
#13-18 - no clear references
Annual 2013 - 1947 (caption of page 1)

There are two very important details that you're missing by not reading the series:
1.) Masks and Dark Nights both have "first meetings" of the Shadow and Green Hornet, so they can't co-exist.
2.) The Shadow ongoing skips around. The first arc takes place as WWII is beginning, but Gischler's run jumps back to 1937.

[Chris-KL99]

I personally love the way Dynamite appears to approach the "shared universe" concept. When you want to do a crossover, do it. If the ongoing series with the featured characters reference or reflect the crossover, great. If not, EVEN BETTER! Keep it simple. My brain is capable of not worrying about whether or not the SHADOW from the monthly title is part of the same "continuity" as MASKS. I just want good stories featuring these characters that I love, and that's what Dynamite supplies on a consistent basis.

I hate to sound like a drooling sycophant, but Dynamite just keeps impressing me more and more all the time. Just look at the pull list in my signature below! They're KILLING my wallet and eating up a massive chunk of my comics budget (along with Dark Horse, from whom I'm buying a comparable number of titles). I just really like what Dynamite is doing, both with licensed properties and original titles.

[John Read]

Beyond what DE is doing, it's established that the Green Hornet is The Lone Ranger's nephew, so you could infer that any other connections (Zorro, Shadow etc.) occupy that same universe.

And The Phantom, Mandrake and Flash Gordon have appeared together in previous TV series and publications, so you'd be safe lumping them together too.

[Guest]

That is generally what I do--ditto Spektor/Solar/Turok.

[Guest]

DE's new logo designs make it easier to categorize books, this is my DE multiverse:
CHAOS: Evil Ernie, Chastity, Purgatori, Lady Demon
GOLD KEY: Turok, Magnus, Solar, Dr. Spektor
ERB: Tarzan, John Carter
Conde Nast: Doc Savage, Shadow, The Avenger
Harris: Vampirella, Pantha (not sure who owns the Rook?)

[pulphero]

Harris: Vampirella, Pantha (not sure who owns the Rook?)

It's WARREN, not Harris. DE bought the rights to characters that originally appeared in Warren's VAMPIRELLA from Harris, just like Harris bought them from Warren.

Dark Horse bought the rights to CREEPY and EERIE, and all the characters that originally appeared there (including THE ROOK). Presumably the other short-lived Warren titles as well like THE GOBLIN, 1984, etc. (obviously not THE SPIRIT, owned by the Eisner estate).

Then there was FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, that was a whole other deal.

[Ghornet2]

Trying to remember just what the storyline of Rook was. I seem to remember a time hopping hero like Doctor Who, but I'm not sure.

[pulphero]

Trying to remember just what the storyline of Rook was. I seem to remember a time hopping hero like Doctor Who, but I'm not sure.

Snipped from Wikipedia:

The Rook is scientist Restin Dane, who comes from a family of scientists whose members include the unnamed protagonist of the novel The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Dane gains his nickname from the fact that his time machine resembles a giant chess rook. Taking to wearing Western-style clothing and a gunbelt, he has his first time-travel adventure at the Alamo in order to save an ancestor. There he succeeds in rescuing his great-great-grandfather Bishop Dane, who accompanies him on many of his adventures, along with two robots Restin has built.

In a later adventure, he meets the time traveler from Wells' book, who is revealed to be his grandfather Adam Dane, and helps him in a war between the Eloi and the Morlocks.[6]

In the initial stories (Eerie # 82-85), Restin appears to be romantically involved with January Boone, while Bishop Dane is involved with Katie McCall. Later stories establish that Restin and Katie have a relationship.

[Guest]

It's WARREN, not Harris. DE bought the rights to characters that originally appeared in Warren's VAMPIRELLA from Harris, just like Harris bought them from Warren.

Dark Horse bought the rights to CREEPY and EERIE, and all the characters that originally appeared there (including THE ROOK). Presumably the other short-lived Warren titles as well like THE GOBLIN, 1984, etc. (obviously not THE SPIRIT, owned by the Eisner estate).

Then there was FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, that was a whole other deal.

I grew up in the 90's so I'm only familiar with the Harris versions of these characters. Does DE also own Pendragon, Adam Van Helsing?
Harris version of the Rook was quite unique from Warrens, maybe they can use the concept but change the characters name.

[pulphero]

Does DE also own Pendragon, Adam Van Helsing?

ALL the characters that originally appeared in Warren Publishing's magazine version of VAMPIRELLA (yes, those you mentioned). That leaves out The Rook, because even though he "appeared" in a couple of stories in Warren's VAMPIRELLA, he didn't "originally" appear in VAMPI, his first appearance was in EERIE. Pendragon and Adam (and his father) are all members of Vampirella's supporting cast (Harris didn't invent them) and never appeared anywhere else but in Vampi and Pantha stories.

[Guest]

ALL the characters that originally appeared in Warren Publishing's magazine version of VAMPIRELLA (yes, those you mentioned). That leaves out The Rook, because even though he "appeared" in a couple of stories in Warren's VAMPIRELLA, he didn't "originally" appear in VAMPI, his first appearance was in EERIE. Pendragon and Adam (and his father) are all members of Vampirella's supporting cast (Harris didn't invent them) and never appeared anywhere else but in Vampi and Pantha stories.

I am thinking about trying DE's Vampirella series, but I'm more into SCI-FI/HORROR than Supernatural/Horror. So does DE use the alien origin for her or is she just a standard vampire?

[pulphero]

I am thinking about trying DE's Vampirella series, but I'm more into SCI-FI/HORROR than Supernatural/Horror. So does DE use the alien origin for her or is she just a standard vampire?

All I can say is that Joe Linsner dropped a reference to her origin as a Drakulonian in the DAWN/VAMPIRELLA series. Can't say as I know it's been referred to elsewhere in DE's Vampi comics.

[Guest]

Another suggestion DE always does stories with Sherlock Holmes but we never get anything with Prof Challenger. Challengers novels are more sci-fi based and would fit good in comics, they could even do a crossover with Holmes.