Twenty-First Century

Comics was exclusively a print medium for most of its history, but that changed in the twenty-first century when readers embraced digital media. In this context, Grant Morrison, one of the most influential comics authors of the last thirty years, foregrounds the print comic book form as the key his series, The Multiversity (2014–2015). In this chapter, I argue that the reader is crucial to the outcome of the penultimate issue, Ultra Comics, which addresses readers directly, asking them to consider the crucial role they play in bringing it to life. In The Multiversity, the ultimate enemy of the author and his text is the reader’s empty hand.