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Posted by Don MacPherson on May 27th, 2007
newuniversal #6
“Tumble”
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist/Cover artist: Salvador Larroca
Colors: Jason Keith
Letters: Virtual Calligraphy
Editor: Axel Alonso
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99 US/$3.75 CAN
I was one of maybe five fans of Marvel’s New Universe line back in the 1980s, so I anticipated Warren Ellis’s revival of the brand for a new series. However, my reaction to the first issue was lukewarm. In my capsule review of the first issue, I wrote, “As I made my way through this first issue, I was surprised to find that he really hasn’t tinkered all that much with the properties … Both Star Brand and Justice don’t seem changed all that much …” Fortunately, that hasn’t proven to be the case in subsequent issues, and this latest episode is full of the kind of edgy, political and imaginative scenarios Ellis does best. What’s so engrossing about his writing here and several of his other works is just how plausible it all seems. The political and socio-biological concepts that come into play are challenging and fascinating, while the grounded nature of some of the more impossible players in the drama help to reinforce the credible tone of the storytelling. newuniversal strikes me as being similar in tone and strength to Ellis’s work on The Authority and Planetary, so fans of those DC/Wildstorm books ought to give this lesser-known Marvel title a look.
The U.S. government has lost track of Ken Connell, a newly emerged superhuman, and higher-ups in the National Security Agency are not only on the lookout for him but three other super-powered humans it expects to appear in the same timeframe as well. Izzy Randall, the Nightmask, has spirited Connell, the possessor of the Star Brand, away to San Francisco. Meanwhile, John Tensen, AKA Justice, unleashes a horrific barrage of his power on a New York City street, viewing each and every bystander as a sinner, as a predator of the innocent. And in Washington, the president is briefed on the last encounter U.S. authorities had with superhumans and the deadly force that was used in the name of preserving the human race.
This project and other comics Salvador Larroca has illustrated since its launch mark a significant benchmark in the evolution of the artist’s style. There’s a more realistic, more mature tone to his work that clicks perfectly with the critical but convincing atmosphere Ellis has established in his script. Larroca makes this comic book look like a movie, and the cinematic approach shows in how he draws the characters. Several characters look as though they’ve been “casted,” with Larroca patterning them after real-world faces. For example, Phil Voight is at times the spitting image of actor James (Babe, The Queen) Cromwell, and the President here is a familiar face on the current U.S. political scene. It’s not a new approach in comics, but it’s an effective one. Mind you, Larroca’s likenesses aren’t always consistent, and those glitches in the line art are a bit distracting.
I must commend Larroca and Marvel for its branding of this title by way of the unique cover designs. The monochromatic approach combined with the lines of the Star Brand symbol really help this series stand out, and the dominance of the single-color scheme brings a greater degree of gravitas to the science-fiction images.
The tension in the Phil Voight scenes really draws the reader into the story. The White House situation-room scene in particular works effectively. It starts out as revolving around a ridiculous notion — that a general would deploy nuclear weapons on U.S. soil without authorization — but suddenly shifts to a more incredible yet powerfully harsh, cold and personal premise. Voight is an interesting character. He has a kindly and even timid manner and look to him in the earlier part of the issue, but he exudes confidence in the meeting and sets aside emotion to convey his message with cold, calculating bluntness. He definitely 
stands out as the most intriguing and compelling figure in this particular issue.
I think the most intriguing aspect of this story is that so far, the “heroes” of the story do present the threat that the government fears. Tensen’s actions in this issue transform him from the wretched, tortured, pathetic figure we first met into a monster, devoid of control or conscience. Ken Connell, though a victim of cosmic coincidence, is a time bomb waiting to go off, if the previous, uncontrolled manifestations of his power are any indication. Ken, Izzy and Jennifer are down to earth, confused people who are justifiably scared out of their minds, and that makes it easy to relate to them and to get on their side. But so far, the “super-heroes” do represent a dangerous Darwinian circumstance. I’m sure once the bigger picture comes into focus, the government types will proven to be in the wrong, and their fear-driven actions will end up being the real threat to mankind. At this point, though, Ellis has turned the usual dynamic on its ear, and his well-crafted, smart script makes for a fun read. 9/10
May 28th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
I was a fan back in the day. There was some good early work by some of today’s popular talent. Got the first issue of this new one and it didn’t do anything for me. I think Larroca might be part of the problem as his work has never really done much for me.
May 28th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
BnG wrote:
I was a fan back in the day. There was some good early work by some of today’s popular talent.
I assume you’re talking about the original New Universe line in the 1980s. Nightmask was my favorite, but I don’t think the writers ever fully realized the potential in the concept. DP7 was superb, and I found some of the New Universe event books — especially The Draft — to be well written.
May 28th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
I enjoyed DP7, Starbrand, and Psi-Force back in the day. I’m enjoying newuniversal also, but I’m a bit curious as to where Ellis is going to take the story if there are really only going to be 4 super powered individuals. The government vs. super people story has been done before and there are only so many directions you can go with it. Of course, I suppose Ellis could still reveal that there are other sources of super abilities that have yet to be revealed.
May 28th, 2007 at 5:47 pm
Hellhound wrote:
I’m enjoying newuniversal also, but I’m a bit curious as to where Ellis is going to take the story if there are really only going to be 4 super powered individuals.
Well, bear in mind that since this is only one title, there’s really not room for new versions of all of the old New Universe characters.
The government vs. super people story has been done before and there are only so many directions you can go with it.
Well, one could easily argue that all stories have been done before.
May 29th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Since I was also a New Universe fan “back in the day” I guess we’re still waiting for Don’s elusive 5th fan to comment… The original New Universe premise had lots of potential, but most of the titles themselves seemed to be slapped together by Marvel at the last minute. After “The Pitt” and the contraction of the number of titles to four, the New Universe world became much more interesting and well-done. In fact, if you look at the post-Pitt New Universe, you have to definitely acknowledge it as a forerunner to the current flavor of the superhero genre of having more “realistic” characters dealing with a dystopian world made that way by the appearance of the super-powered individuals themselves.
May 29th, 2007 at 11:21 am
I personally find the use of celebrities as character models very distracting and it takes me right out of the issue. This, of course, a matter of personal taste rather than good or bad. Larroca’s photorealism is effectively used when Tensen slaughters everyone on the street below him, though.
My interest on newuniversal had been waning as of late, but I really want to give this book a chance to succeed. I’m really disappointed that we’ll have to wait so long before the next issue, causing me to lose further interest.
May 30th, 2007 at 1:36 am
Did you read # 5? Perhaps I misinterpreted, but it introduced Proudhawk as a fifth and indicated there would be more.
May 30th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Fan #5 right here.
I loved Psi-Force, DP7, and the Star Brand so I was curious to see what Ellis was going to do with this new series. I read the first two issues and lost interest. I figure I’ll wait for the trade on this one; it just moves along too slow for my taste.
May 30th, 2007 at 5:52 pm
sschroeder Said:
Did you read # 5? Perhaps I misinterpreted, but it introduced Proudhawk as a fifth and indicated there would be more.
Yeah. I thought it was a bit ambiguous as to whether Proudhawk was actually supposed to have powers or if something else was going on. You may be right about him having powers though.
The story keeps referencing the four people with the universal machines or whatever, but as I said, there may be other sources of super powers revealed.
June 4th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
I also enjoyed the original serieseses, and the first issue in the updated version held promise. But I’m going to risk that the company will put out a collected TPB and save my money for that.
June 11th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Jack wrote:
I’m going to risk that the company will put out a collected TPB and save my money for that.
It’s a safe bet there will be a TPB (actually, I’m betting it will be preceded by a hardcover collection). Is there any story of four issues of more from Marvel that it doesn’t collect in book format these days?