Convergence: Your Guide To All The Worlds, Times And Stories In The DC Mega-Event

Central City, Tangent Universe

First Appearance: Tangent Comics: Atom #1

Notable Heroes: Very different versions of The Atom, Flash, Green Lantern and many more

The Tangent Universe was largely the brainchild of Dan Jurgens, and had a run as its own imprint in two waves of one-shots in 1997 and 1998 before a brief resurrection a decade later. Unlike most alternate universes throughout DC history, only the names of its major heroes were the same as characters we know and love, while their powers, identities and even genders often varied greatly from their inspirations.

In some cases, it was mere shifting around. For example, the Tangent Atom was basically the Superman of his group, while Wonder Woman was a warrior from another planet not unlike the classic Hawkwoman. There were also some truly unique takes in the mix, like a Green Lantern who could briefly reanimate the dead to finish their unresolved issues from life and a Batman who was the spirit of an Arthurian knight trapped in a suit of armor.

The high concept of Tangent Comics was that the rise of super-powered heroes and villains affected the world greatly, as opposed to leaving it relatively similar to real life history except with costumed folks occasionally throwing down. In this respect, it wasn’t that much different from Marvel’s New Universe, which also used super powers as a license to alter the familiar world in major ways.

Mainstream DC heroes have interacted with the Tangent Universe a couple of times, and it was established as Earth-9 in the New 52. Still, this should be the most we’ve seen of these characters in years, and they certainly could spice the event up a bit.

Next: Knights, of the Atomic variety