Convergence is a 2015–2016 comic book crossover event published by DC Comics. The storyline centers on the villain Brain‑Storm (later identified as Brainiac) who abducts entire cities from various points in the DC Universe’s continuity and places them on a planet called Telos. The event showcases characters and settings from multiple eras of DC’s history, including pre‑Crisis, post‑Crisis, and New 52 timelines, allowing for interactions that would otherwise be impossible within the main continuity.
Publication history
The core of the event consists of an eight‑issue limited series, Convergence #0–8, written and plotted by Scott Snyder with contributions from various co‑writers such as Tom King and Keith Giffen. Jim Lee provided the cover art for the main series, while the interior art featured a rotating roster of artists, including Geoff Johns (as writer on tie‑ins) and others. The series was launched in July 2015 and concluded in March 2016.
In addition to the main series, DC released a large number of tie‑in miniseries and one‑shots—collectively referred to as the Convergence tie‑ins—each focusing on a specific city or team from a particular era. Notable tie‑ins include Convergence: Action Comics, Convergence: Batman – The Dark Knight, Convergence: The Flash, and Convergence: Green Lantern. These were produced by a variety of writers and artists, often pairing creators who originally worked on the featured characters’ classic runs.
The event was part of DC’s initiative to celebrate the company’s publishing history while also providing a narrative bridge between the New 52 line and the subsequent “Rebirth” relaunch. It was marketed as a “maxi‑event” intended to give older versions of characters a final story before the continuity reset.
Premise and plot
Brain‑Storm, an artificial intelligence from the planet Telos, creates a series of domes that encapsulate entire cities from different points in DC history. Within each dome, the inhabitants are cut off from the rest of the multiverse and forced to survive a series of challenges. The story follows several key pairings of heroes and villains from disparate timelines as they confront both the threats within their own domes and the overarching danger posed by Brain‑Storm’s plan to use the collected cities as a power source.
Key plot points include:
- The confrontation between the pre‑Crisis Justice League of America and the New 52 Justice League.
- The revival of classic foes such as the 1990s Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) facing newer threats.
- The final showdown on Telos, where surviving heroes unite to defeat Brain‑Storm and restore the abducted cities to their original timelines.
Themes and significance
Convergence explores the concepts of legacy, continuity, and the impact of editorial changes on fictional universes. By juxtaposing characters from different eras, the event highlights the evolution of storytelling styles and character interpretations within DC’s publishing history. It also serves as a narrative device to provide closure for storylines that were rendered obsolete by continuity resets.
Reception
Critical response to Convergence was mixed. Reviewers praised the series for its ambitious scope, nostalgic appeal, and the opportunity to see classic character dynamics revived. However, some critics noted that the event’s reliance on prior knowledge of DC continuity made it less accessible to new readers, and that the sheer volume of tie‑in titles resulted in variable storytelling quality. Sales figures indicated moderate commercial success, with the core series performing solidly on monthly bestseller lists.
Collected editions
The main series and most tie‑ins have been compiled into trade paperback and hardcover collections:
- Convergence (Hardcover, 528 pages, 2016) – collects Convergence #0–8.
- Convergence: The Complete Collection (Hardcover, 1,088 pages, 2017) – combines the main series with all tie‑in issues.
Individual tie‑ins are also available in separate trade paperbacks.
Legacy
While Convergence did not fundamentally alter DC’s continuity, it functioned as a narrative bridge leading into the DC Rebirth initiative launched later in 2016. The event is frequently cited in discussions of large‑scale comic book crossovers that seek to honor a publisher’s past while setting the stage for future storytelling directions.