newuniversal

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newuniversal

Promotional Advertisement & Cover
to newuniversal #1,
Marvel Publishing, circa 2006.
Publisher Marvel Comics
Schedule Monthly
Format Ongoing series
Publication date February 2007 -
Main character(s) Justice
Nightmask
Spitfire
Star Brand
Dr. Emmett Proudhawk
Creative team
Writer(s) Warren Ellis
Artist(s) Salvador Larroca
Colorist(s) Jason Keith
Collected editions
Everything Went White Premiere ISBN 0-7851-2858-1
Everything Went White ISBN 0-7851-2302-6

newuniversal is a comic book series by writer Warren Ellis, artist Salvador Larroca and colorist Jason Keith, published by Marvel Comics. The series is a re-imagining of Marvel's New Universe concepts, launched to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the New Universe's creation in 1986.

As with the original New Universe, newuniversal is set in a world where a number of people suddenly develop superhuman abilities. However, where the New Universe began with the 'real' world as its starting point, the world of newuniversal is already markedly different.

Contents

[edit] History

newuniversal revises and revisits concepts and characters originally introduced as part of Marvel's New Universe line in the 1980s. The New Universe was a set of eight linked titles launched in 1986 to celebrate Marvel's 25th anniversary, championed by Marvel's editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.

The original New Universe had no links to the Marvel Universe shared setting and did not present traditional superheroes — instead, it offered "the world outside your window," a world that was identical to the real world in every respect until it was suddenly changed by the mysterious White Event, an incident which gifted some humans with inexplicable powers. However, the comics were not a long-term success, with four titles canceled after a year and the entire line canceled by the end of 1989.

Ellis has stated that "I don't think the original creators and editors realized until it was too late — it was all a single story. It shouldn't have been eight books (or whatever) that were eventually consolidated into ensemble miniseries. It was a single story that should have spun new series and serials off of it."[1] Ellis has taken this approach to newuniversal, with his first storyline intentionally revolving around the four "lead" books of the original New Universe[1] — Justice, Nightmask, Star Brand and Spitfire and the Troubleshooters.

Artist Salvador Larocca has stated that he "wasn't a big fan"[2] of the original New Universe, while Ellis has mentioned that he "paid little or no attention"[1] to the New Universe books when they were first published.

On December 14, 2006 Marvel announced that newuniversal #1 had sold out through Diamond Comic Distributors and that a second printing would be released, with a new variant cover by artist Esad Ribic.[3] Marvel later reported[4] that newuniversal #2 had sold out and would also be reissued as a second printing — again, with a variant cover by Esad Ribic.

After issue #6, newuniversal went on hiatus, with the "second season" resuming on May 14, 2008 with the story Newuniversal: Shockfront #1.[5] In a press release for the New Universal Hardcover released in mid 2007 Marvel stated "Marvel is pleased to announce that 2008 will see the return of newuniversal to comic stands, as the second season kicks off with the kind of bang you’d expect from Warren Ellis, the mind behind Nextwave and Thunderbolts. Like your favorite television dramas, the creative team behind this hit comic book series is taking some time off to return even bigger and bolder than before, with two factions fighting for control of Earth’s superhuman population."

[edit] Story

[edit] Setting

Writer Warren Ellis describes the setting of newuniversal as "an alternate world where America is somewhat isolationist, Soviet Russia fell apart early and China took the lead in spaceflight"[1] (newuniversal #1 mentions Chinese moonbases, as well as hundreds of flights by Chinese spaceplanes). There are also other, smaller changes to the world's history; for example, Paul McCartney is dead and John Lennon is still alive. The September 11, 2001 attacks never happened, and the World Trade Center towers are still standing in 2006, as seen in newuniversal #1. Hillary Rodham Clinton is President of the United States.[6]

Aspects of the wider universe also play a direct role in the setting. The sudden changes to the world are triggered by the Earth's contact with the "newuniversal structure", an artificial web of strange matter. Each strand of the web is several light years across. The structure, assembled by a long-gone race, is mechanical in nature and deliberately alters several sentient beings on each world entering its strands, modifying them to perform specific roles.[7]

Ellis has confirmed that the alternate universe of newuniversal is also part of the larger Marvel Multiverse, designated as Earth-555.[1] This is briefly touched upon in newuniversal #2, with a passing reference to the "Superflow for Universe 555".

The first few issues of newuniversal state specific dates and times for their events, something which is in keeping with the original New Universe concept — and quite different from the established Marvel Universe, where characters do not age in 'real time' and their histories are sometimes updated.

[edit] Characters

The main characters of newuniversal are based on the main characters from the original New Universe imprint, although Ellis felt that the New Universe "featured an awful lot of people with similar names, which I found odd -- Swensen, Remsen, Tensen"[1] and some of the newuniversal characters have been renamed to avoid this.

  • John Tensen is a NYPD detective, a man with no family who is in a coma and described as "living for the police". The night before the White Event, Tensen is left hospitalized after a gunshot wound to the head renders him essentially brain dead. When the White Event occurs the next morning Tensen suddenly wakes, healed and with a lightning brand over his chest reminiscent of Captain Marvel. He immediately realises he possesses various superhuman powers, including the ability to sense a person's guilt and "see" their sins superimposed over his vision. Tensen's first act upon regaining consciousness is to execute the male nurse who was about to administer euthanasia; Tensen explains to the nurse that he can see the crimes the man has committed as if they were scenes of a movie -- crimes which include performing euthanasia via morphine overdose on several hospital patients without their consent or the consent of their families.[8] Afterwards, Tensen tracks down and brutally executes the gang members who shot him,[9] then embarks on a crusade as a vigilante, going so far as to slaughter en masse a crowd of outwardly innocent people in a public street after determining their sins outweighed the value of their lives, and showing no apparent remorse over the act, stating "I'm not sorry."[6]
  • Kenneth Connell wakes after the White Event to find that his right palm now bears the glowing sign of the Star Brand, and is horrified upon seeing the charred remains of his girlfriend, Maddie, who was with him at the time of the White Event.[8] Connell is soon arrested and Maddie's father, the town sheriff, attempts to execute him as retribution for his suspected role in Maddie's death. Connell's abilities activate and he kills the sheriff in self-defense, severing his arm and leaving him to bleed to death. After razing the jail in the process of escaping from it Connell, in shock, flies to a mountain where he is found by two Star Brands from alternate universes and a third Star Brand who is a future version of himself from fifty years ahead.[7] The three explain Connell's new role, inform him that his empowerment resulted in Maddie's accidental death, and reveal that he can leave his universe for another one or make a stand against the forces of his own Earth who intend kill him and those like him in order to maintain the status quo.[10]
  • Izanami Randall is a sarcastic Japanese-American woman living in San Francisco. Randall is contacted by a stranded alien communications station via what she believes to be a dream or drug-induced hallucination,[8] and is informed that the universe exists in a web-like construct of strange matter, the Newuniversal Structure. The web's strands are "many light-years across," and heavily alter the laws of physics. Worlds that are caught in one of those strands require the empowerment of four "heralds" to help that world's population to cope with the scientific, economic, sociological, and political "paradigm shift" the strand causes, and Randall is assigned the role of the "Nightmask", the spiritual guide of the four.[7] Her ability to enter and leave the universal system at will lets her travel vast distances, and it is hinted that the system's role in human dreaming and creativity allow her power over that domain - periods of scientific and creative growth or stagnation are described as the results of "weather changes" in the universal system.
  • Dr Leonard Carson, Dr Hannah Ballad and Jim Braddock are archaeologists, first seen investigating unexplained ancient ruins in Latvia. Later working at an archaeological dig discuss the white event and a landslide, which occurred at the same time, revealing a huge complex tomb.[8] Inside, they find the skeletal remains of the legendary warrior, Starr the Slayer, and numerous artifacts from the technologically advanced Shining City, including a primitive electric lightbulb.[9]
  • Dr. Jennifer Swann, a scientist working on Project Spitfire, an effort to make a high tech exoskeleton. She has also been affected by the newuniversal structure, and now possesses the ability to interface with some types of technology remotely as Cypher.[9] After the White Event Jennifer, drunk, yells at her creation, the H.E.X. initiative, (a mechanical exoskeleton), for not working. She passes out. Afterworlds Dr. Swann enters Spitfire offices and learns superhumans have resurfaced, that H.E.X must be built and working and that these new superhumans must be hunted down and killed.[7] Her newfound sympathy with machinery lets her immediately fix the numerous problems with her H.E.X suit, with the ironic result that her superhuman powers have let her build a machine designed to hunt superhumans.
  • Philip L. Voight is the presiding officer of Project Spitfire, part of a government project tasked with monitoring and killing superhumans. He was originally a field operative and later the Director of the project. Before the White Event the last superhumans the government encountered was after the "Fireworks" in the 50s. Voight killed the first superhuman child in 1959, while it was in its infancy.[7]
  • Dr. Emmett Proudhawk is a Native American CIA consultant who, while on a vision quest, is contacted by the Superflow, just as Izanami Randall was.[11]

[edit] Collected editions

The series has been collected into volumes:

  • newuniversal Volume 1: Everything Went White Premiere Hardcover (collects newuniversal #1 - 6. First Printing: August 15, 2007. ISBN 0-7851-2858-1)
  • newuniversal Volume 1: Everything Went White Trade Paperback (collecting newuniversal #1 - 6. First Printing: April 9, 2008. ISBN 0-7851-2302-6)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f CCI, DAY 4: ELLIS TALKS "NEWUNIVERSAL", Comic Book Resources
  2. ^ THE NEW UNIVERSAL & SALVADOR LARROCA, ComicCon
  3. ^ www.marvel.com - newuniversal #1 Sells Out
  4. ^ www.marvel.com - Marvel Goes Back To Press On 5 Sell Outs
  5. ^ NEWUNIVERSAL: SHOCKFRONT #1 - Marvel Comics Publishing Catalog
  6. ^ a b Newuniversal #6 (July 2007)
  7. ^ a b c d e Newuniversal #2 (March, 2007)
  8. ^ a b c d Newuniversal #1
  9. ^ a b c Newuniversal #3 (April, 2007)
  10. ^ Newuniversal #4 (May 2007)
  11. ^ Newuniversal #5 (June 2007)

[edit] References

[edit] External links