In 1986, Marvel Comics created a new comics universe called The New Universe. The idea was that this new universe would be completely divorced from the 25 years of continuity of the already established universe; it would feature new characters and situations, etc. The longest-running title lasted some three years before the whole New Universe concept more or less disappeared.

Fast forward twenty ears: writer Warren Ellis has taken the bare-bones concepts of the New Universe and created the stand-alone title, Newuniversal. Ellis is starting from the ground up with this title, making the ideas and concepts relevant and entertaining. Anyone familiar with Ellis's writing will recognize his touches here: fast-paced action, characters that are fleshed out and made believable with a minimum of words.

I'm just not sure how much the New Universe concept deserved to be resurrected. It seems to me that maybe it went away for a reason, and this six-issue collection, even considering all of Ellis's talent, hasn't quite convinced me otherwise. But rather than give up altogether, I'll give the next collection a try and see what I think.

One outright complaint I have is the art. Salvador Larroca is a fine draftsman, I suppose, but one of my least favorie things in comics is when I can pick out what photos or actors an artist used for reference. Hey, look: there's Gene Hackman, Angelina Jolie, James Cromwell, and a whole host of others. And because he relies so much on photo reference,Larroca's art just comes off as stiff and non-dynamic; which cannot serve very well for an action comic such as this.

I'm hoping that the next arc of this series improves, or it may ave even less of a life span than the universe that preceded it. ( )

A promising start to the series. I read it about a year ago and have been pining for the next collection ever since. ( )

Note: Review contains spoilers

After a mysterious white light envelopes the Earth (referred to as the White Event), four (or possibly more) people gain superpowers:

* John Tennon, a cop, was in a coma in the hospital after he'd been shot. After the White Event, he finds himself healed, and in possession of a few new interesting abilities...

* Ken Connell was lying asleep under the stars, his girlfriend beside him, when he was inundated with the power of the Starbrand. He wakes up to find a strange new tattoo on the palm of his hand, and his girlfriend dead beside him...

* Izanami Randall gets dragged into a strange new kind of dream-space, where she is told she has inherited god-like powers...

* And after the White Event, government employee Doctor Jennifer Swann finds herself suddenly able to communicate with machines...

Also, a team of archeologists finds an ancient city in Latvia, where they uncover the skeleton of a legendary hero, and a new twist on the whole shining city myth. And it turns out the American government really hates superheroes.

I quite liked this story, but then I'm partial to worlds where superhuman beings suddenly start sprouting like dandelions. It's not exactly an altogether new idea: just think of Vaughan's Ex Machina, Straczynski's Rising Stars (and maybe even Supreme Power, to a degree). These both have previously normal worlds in which something extra-terrestrial happens, and suddenly there are superpowered humans. But Rising Stars featured kids growing up with powers, and in Ex Machina, Mayor Hundred has renounced his superhero career in favour of politics. Still, I can't get over the nagging feeling that I've read this story before.

Otherwise, I thought it was well written. I would have preferred it had there been a second volume available -- this first collection is all about the story set-up, and raises a whole host of speculative questions, many of which are left unanswered. Do these super-human beings become the force for good they're supposedly destined to be? Or have they been too badly hurt in the process of gaining their powers? How does the shining city fit into the story? Does Emmett Proudhawk also have special powers, given his vision quest takes him to the same dreamspace as Nightmask/Izanami? I think Ellis has set in motion a lot of intriguing story threads, and I can't wait to see how they all get woven together.

Artwise, I liked. All the characters look distinct from one another (including the female characters, and that's not just because of their hair/skin colour, for once), and I liked the way the panels were laid out.

All in all, definitely worth a read if you enjoy superhero books. It's Ellis though, so it's not for the squeamish. :-) ( )