Back to Graphic Novels

Countdown to Infinite Wizbits

Released in January of 2006, Countdown to Infinite Wizbits is a graphic novel set in Battal 925, also referred to as "Battal Prime." Ostensibly, the purpose of this novel was to reboot the entire Wizbits multiverse and restore order to the Timenes of Battal. Also, Elemenstors of the Peninsula marketing executives determined that "rebooting universes is in right now, it's what all the big players are doing."

Pre-crisis Battal

They say it started with ElamenSTAR. It was intended by its authors to be the definitive telling of the story of the Four Underdogs, those Grand Elemenstors whose adventures culminated in the founding of the Cerulean Citadel and the defeat of Char Reyarteb.

But then someone had to get creative.

In August of 1996, just two months after the premiere of ElamenSTAR, the Elemenstor Radio Dramas aired on BBC. Somewhat more palatable to Western tastes, the dramas directly contradicted several points of the backstory established in the Japanese cartoon. Documented responses from various company sources failed to make clear just what was going on.

• "No worries," Realmworlds Publishing owner Mich Fehkoo insisted. "Uh, you know... timesorc'ley."
• "Er, alternate universes, you see," said the head of PR. "There's, um, more than one Battal, of course."
• "Jesus Christ, look, a wizard did it, okay?" said one of the writers.
• The CFO would only reply, "Moneymoneymoneymoneymoneymoneymoney..."
• And one Realmsworld janitor went on-record as saying, "Look, kid, it's a fictional world with almost as many creators as it has fans. It's not like there's any factual basis for any of this, just fertile imaginations and a common backdrop known as Battal. You can't reconcile every contradiction, you'd be mad to even try. Just enjoy the stories... and get on with your life."

Later deconstruction of exactly what happened was explored in a fairly frank interview with the Realmworlds Marketing Director from 1994-2001 Mark Humble-Grommet which appeared in the Dec '05 ELotH:TES Magazine:

Then came The Wizbits Cartoon.

A dramatic reimagining of ElamenSTAR headed by the renowned and/or reviled James Langomedes, The Wizbits Cartoon stormed the shores in 1999. Although an enormous hit with children and retailers, American fans of the original anime were disappointed. Violently, violently disappointed.

Things went downhill pretty fast from there. The final few episodes of the Japanese series wrapped the timeline up very messily, with a sort of philosophical, Myth of Sisyphus-style, total-lack-of-closure wrap-up. The Dreaming Feculence, Wizbits Extreme, ElamenSTAR Shuffle, and a host of other animations, movies, and book tie-ins flooded the market, extensively diluting the brand and confusing the fans. Just how many alternate timelines could they be expected to keep up with?

The problem was compounded by the fact that no other era in the long and storied history of Battal seemed to be suffering from this problem... not yet, at any rate. Granted, the ElemenstorLance novels had their fair share of contradictions, and the Magic Sword Kings Period was occasionally a subject of debate... but when it came to the 925 years from 19,109 to 20,034, the retellings seemed to be coming faster with every passing week. Some of these retellings actually purported to "solve" the swelling continuity problems, but these solutions were ultimately just retroactive continuity tweaks; retelling the retellings didn't improve things, and in some cases it actually made things worse.

Something had to be done. Something drastic. Realmworlds Publishing responded with a Crisis.

The Canonical Crisis

It split once, and almost no one noticed. But then it split again. And again. The timeline degenerated from simple fracture to full-blown temportal replication. Soon, reality would shatter, gutted like an enormous metaphysical trout under the strain.

Now every version of the Four Underdogs must assemble to save Battal from its greatest threat ever: their own incompetent meddling with timesorc'ley!

When two different versions of the Four Underdogs meet each other on the Spaghetti Plane, they immediately know that something is wrong. But before they can communicate with the Chronoclave, they are set upon by two different versions of MooMaa!

Wands in hand, the Grand Elemenstors of the Cerulean Citadel determine that Battal is breaking to pieces, each separated by a sea of Timenes. The shards of reality are currently large enough to withstand the violent forces jostling them about, but the replication of timelines is accelerating and soon all of reality will be devoured by creeping paradox.

Helping this process along is none other than several versions of their long-defeated foe, Char Reyarteb. With typical narcissism, the Chars are wildly working mighty gears of timesorc'ley, convinced that they can create a timeline wherein Char Reyarteb reaches his ultimate goal of total world domination--and then destroy every other timeline. To this end, Char has recruited many versions of the Four Underdogs' greatest foes, assuring them each a place in the perfect timeline. The various heroes of Battal are also forced to contend with a group of evil counterparts to the Four Underdogs known as the Dark Overdogs. These evil versions come from a Battal where they rule with iron fists and are not content with merely ruling one Battal--they are determined to rule all of them.

The Four Underdogs respond by recruiting as many versions of themselves as they can, along with friends from their past--friends living, and friends long dead. Together the mighty mass of Elemenstors formulates a plan to restore stability to Battal Prime--but in order to execute their plan, they must do battle with an infinite horde of their greatest enemies!

While the Four Underdogs in their many incarnations fight back their enemies, a group of Battal's most powerful Elemenstors (including Harbinger Portent, Aklom Reklats, Gendoman Ovelkus, and several incarnations of the Four Underdogs themselves) carefully snip the original timeline out of the history of Battal 925 and insert the most stable timeline (as measured by the fewest number of Timesorc'ley Incidents Per Second, or T.I.P.S.) in its place. The remaining infinity of timelines are carefully encapsulated in wards of paradox-negation, allowing them to exist as discrete entities within the Timenes, 925 years contained within a single moment (known as The Shortest Millennium) and folding back on themselves to maintain their own existence as essential preconditions to the ultimate stability of the newly restored Battal Prime.

Selected Scenes and Passages

Anatomy of a Temporal Crisis

This diagram shows the timeline situation as it exists at the end of Countdown. At the top is the fully healed, internally consistent Battal Prime timeline, with the period of the Four Underdogs marked in yellow. Below this is the so-called Paradox-Negation Ward or Shortest Millennium, a completely inaccessible region of Timenes which contains all the previously existing Four Underdogs timelines, and all their unpleasant temporal convolutions. The Shortest Millennium exists for a single instant at dawn on Primanary 1st, 19,109, at the very beginning of the Four Underdogs period.

Post-Crisis Battal

The history of Battal 925, the prime timeline (or "primeline") post-countdown directly incorporates the Elemenstor Radio Dramas, which is why both appear yellow on the chart; this is the timeline which was "patched in." However there is some question of what the writers intend to do with the newly restored timeline. A 24-issue comic book which will cover the span has been announced; called Epic Legends of the Four Underdogs, it will be coming out every two weeks starting in March 2006.

Creator Reactions

Reactions from creative groups around the globe have been mixed. Some creators, attached (as the writers of ElamenSTAR were) to their own personal vision, have expressed displeasure. Others have expressed disinterest, while still others act inexplicably relieved that, no matter how many tellings The Wizbits get, at least for the moment Battal is safe.

Fan discussion