[Star Brand]     [Psi-Force]     [D.P.7]     [Justice]     [Kickers, Inc.]     [Nightmask]     [Mark Hazzard: Merc]     [Spitfire]
[The Pitt]     [The Draft]     [The War]     [Starblast]

Marvel Comics celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1986 and it was a grand year for comics. At least for the Distinguished Competition. DC had just come off one hit after another with Crisis on Infinite Earths, Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen, and John Byrne's Man of Steel. Meanwhile, then Marvel Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter devised a new imprint for Marvel, one that will launch a new family of titles that takes place outside of the Marvel Universe...a New Universe, where there are neither superheroes nor mutants. Instead, it is totally grounded in reality and humans with superhuman abilities, known as paranormals, are only starting to appear after The White Event, a brief moment in time when the entire world was blanketed in a white light of unknown origin.

This would be the first of Jim Shooter's attempt to start a comic line that is based more on the reality than the fantastic world of comics, which he would produce to great critical acclaim with Valiant Comics in the early 1990s. Eight titles were quickly devised and created, with Jim Shooter joined by other luminaries such as John Romita Jr, Tom DeFalco, Steve Englehart, Danny Fingeroth, Mark Texeira, Peter David, Gerry Conway, Mark Gruenwald and more. Six of the eight titles would premiere in Marvel's November 1986 cover dated releases, the remaining two debuting a month earlier.

STAR BRAND
Primary creators: Jim Shooter, John Byrne, John Romita Jr

This was the flagship title of the New Universe imprint, created and written by Jim Shooter, with art provided by John Romita Jr and Al Williamson. The protagonist of the series is Ken Connell, a mechanic in Pittsburgh who one days stumbles on an old man who gives him something known as the Star Brand, which the latter claims to be a weapon of immense power. Initially skeptical, Connell eventually finds himself near invulnerable, strength greatly enhanced and capable of flying at high velocities. For mysterious reasons, the old man would return to attempt to wrest the Star Brand from Connell after coming to the conclusion that Connell was unworthy of it.

Jim Shooter and John Romita Jr left after the seventh issue, and the title went to bi-monthly status and floated around without a regular creative team, until John Byrne came along at the eleventh issue and had Ken Connell outing himself as the New Universe's first superhero. Unfortunately, this did not last long when Connell inadvertently atomised Pittsburgh in the twelfth issue, setting a new bleak tone and direction for the New Universe imprint.

Star Brand lasted 19 issues and an annual, and was my personal favourite in the entire line, despite the shift to a dystopic sci-fi direction following the Pitt, also known as the Black Event. Granted the focus shifted from Ken Connell to the power of the Star Brand itself after the the Pitt as readers were left wondering whether or not Connell survived the Black Event. The true origin of the Star Brand was finally revealed in the series finale when the true identity of the Old Man and the Starchild, the child of Ken Connell and his girlfriend Debbie Fix, are revealed, and that Ken Connell's was destined to receive the Star Brand and that the entire series of event plays out in a möbius strip, doomed to repeat ad infinitum. It was also revealed that the Old Man was responsible for the White Event that gave thousands of people on Earth their paranormal abilities when he attempted to transfer the power of the Star Brand to an asteroid.

One thing this series benefited from was strong creative teams, changing from Jim Shooter and John Romita Jr to John Byrne. Even the guest creative teams filling in for issues eight through ten were above average, with the likes of Keith Giffen, George Caragonne, and Mark Bagley filling in. The stories were pretty much equal as far as storytelling quality is concerned, never suffering from drops in creativity and imagination.

PSI-FORCE
Primary creators: Danny Fingeroth, Mark Texeira, Fabian Nicieza, Ron Lim, Graham Nolan

Psi-Force tells the story of a group of teenagers with psychokinetic abilities, who are able to pool their psychic energies together to summon a creature made of energy known as the Psi-Hawk. These teenagers are Wayne Tucker, a telepath, Tyrone Jessup, who is capable of producing an astral projection of himself, Anastasia Inyushin, a healer who has been brought to the United States from Russia, Kathy Ling, a telekinetic, and Michael, the youngest of the bunch and creates destructive blasts of psychokinetic energy.

The five of them were brought together by Emmett Proudhawk, a rogue CIA agent who has made it his personal agenda to rescue them from the clutches of his employer, the mysterious Director, who is later revealed to be Derek Shiningstar, a childhood friend of Proudhawk. The first major nemesis Psi-Force encountered was Thomas Boyd, who had the psychic ability to drain the life force of others he comes into physical contact with. Boyd would later join the team when he betrayed his employers in the eighth issue, and Michael Crawley left following the events of Psi-Force annual # 1. Being runaway teenagers, the members of Psi-Force were holed up in Sanctuary, a halfway house of runaways, headed by Colby Shaw.

When the Sanctuary was suddenly destroyed by the mad Russian paranormal Rodstvow, the Psi-Force team was separated, with Wayne Tucker running away to Canada and hooking up with Lindsay Falmon, who would later reveal herself to be a paranormal as well and eventually joining the team later. Tyrone Jessup's body was horribly burnt by the blast at Sanctuary and only managed to survive by existing only in his astral form, and tracked down Wayne in Canada. Meanwhile, Thomas Boyd, Anastasia Inyushin, and Kathy Ling were captured by the American military for induction into the government's paranormal army, created after the Black Event.

Wayne, Tyrone, and Lindsay were informed of the survival of Thomas, Anastasia, and Kathy when they encountered the Medusa Web, an international group of mercenaries contracted by the CIA to apprehend Psi-Force. Re-united in Washington D.C. in a botched attempt to rescue Anastasia and Kathy from captivity which resulted in the death of Anastasia, the team was forced into a confrontation with Rodstvow. Summoning the Psi-Hawk, they engaged in battle with Rodstvow, which ended badly with Psi-Hawk seemingly killed and the individual members Psi-Force entering comatose states.

This marked a drastic change for the title as Tyrone was inducted into the American paranormal army, while the rest were shipped off to Siberia where they encounter the Soviet paranormal army, the Crasniye Solleetsi. There, they would recruit a new member of their team, the autistic pyrokinetic Dehman Doosha. With the help of the Justice Warrior and the Medusa Web, Psi-Force escaped from Siberia and killed Rodstvow, and they became operatives of the Medusa Web itself.

Psi-Force lasted 32 issues and an annual, and the characters underwent significant changes over the course of the series, very quickly maturing and growing up due to the things they see and experience, spending most of their time on the run from one government agency or another. This was the first regular assignment for both Fabian Nicieza and Ron Lim, and the improvements in their craft is noticeable as the series progressed from being about a bunch of uncertain teenagers to being about a sure and confident paramilitary strike force.

While the Danny Fingeroth and Mark Texeira run was pretty good, there was nothing to shout about about Psi-Force before Fabian Nicieza came along to add elements of intrigue and paranoia to the title, making it a literal page turner, never knowing what will happen to the cast of the book. Of course having Ron Lim provide the beautiful artwork didn't hurt, either.

D.P.7
Primary creators: Mark Gruenwald, Paul Ryan

The basic premise behind D.P.7 is similar to that of Psi-Force, telling the tale of fugitives on the run. In this case, these runaways are adults who have had their lives and career flushed down the toilet when their paranormal abilities manifested and sent to the mysterious Clinic for Paranormal Research, headed by the politically connected Philip Nolan Voigt. The seven displaced paranormals (hence the title) are Randy O'Brien, the unofficial leader of the group who has the ability to generate what he calls Antibodies, mute shadowy creatures who can fly and spy for him from afar, Jeffrey Walters, cursed with superspeed causing him to vibrate uncontrollably as well as having a huge appetite, David Landers who has become a modern day super strong Neanderthal, Stephanie Harrington, a mother of two who has been ostracized by her family and has the ability to heal and charge up those she touches, Dennis Cuzinski, whose pores produces an acidic compound, Lenore Fenzl, a retired schoolteacher whose skin generates a paralyzing light, and Charlotte Beck, who can affect the friction of any object she touches.

The group was eventually captured by the Clinic, but this was a blessing in disguise as they managed to overthrow the Philip Nolan Voigt administration, turning the Clinic into a benevolent entity. Dennis Cuzinski was the first to leave the group to form a new group of teenage paranormals calling themselves the DDTeens, while Charlotte Beck temporarily left to join an African-American militaristic group known as the Black Powers.

Unfortunately, thanks to the Black Event as seen in The Pitt and Star Brand, the group fractured further as Jeff Walters, Randy O'Brien, and David Landers are drafted into the military under the command of Kickers Inc.'s Jack Magniconte, who is now a Captain America-esque figure known as the All-American. Meanwhile, Stephanie Harrington, Charlotte Beck, and Lenore Fenzl are recruited by the CIA. In the midst of all these, the true nature of the Clinic for Paranormal Research is revealed to the public.

Following the departure of Dennis Cuzinski, a new seventh member of the team is recruited in the form of Jenny Swensen. previously the pilot of the Spitfire armour, and is now also a paranormal thanks to her mission in The Pitt. Eventually, all of D.P.7 is reunited in Manhattan following Jeff Walters being shipped overseas and Randy and David going AWOL. There, they encounter a self-styled superhero named Captain Manhattan.

Also enjoying a run of 32 issues and an annual, this was the only New Universe title that had a single creative team throughout the entire run. In fact, apart from maintaining Mark Gruenwald and Paul Ryan as the writer and artist respectively, Romeo Tanghal, Phil Felix and Paul Becton remained as the inker, letterer and colourist respectively as well. This was also Paul Ryan's first regular assignment at Marvel Comics, exposing many, including myself, to his realistic and highly detailed artwork.

JUSTICE
Primary creators: Steve Englehart, Geof Isherwood, Keith Giffen, Peter David, Lee Weeks

Justice is Tensen, a warrior from another dimension with the ability to read people's aura to ascertain their innocence or guilt as well to project a deadly energy beam he calls his sword from his right hand, and create energy shields from his left hand. Shunted to Earth from his dimension when he was suddenly attacked by a band od assassins while dancing with the queen Endolana with whom he is having an illicit affair, Tensen finds the very enemies he fight at home have infiltrated Earth, led by the wizard Damon Conquest and the mysterious figure known only as Dad.

Tensen befriends FBI agent Rebecca Chambers and they eventually fall in love. Unfortunately, this is not to last when she is abducted by Dad and Damon Conquest when Tensen and herself went to Dad's estate in Cabo San Lucas to bring him down. Tensen kept himself busy by attacking drug peddlers even as he figures out what to do next. When Peter David became the regular writer on the 15th issue, a major change in direction happened when everything about Tensen's past was revealed to be a lie and that he has been living in an illusion created by a powerful paranormal named Daedalus Darquill. It turns out Tensen is actually John Tensen, an agent for the Justice Department who was sent undercover to investigate Darquill.

Tensen went back to work for the Justice Department, but the overzealous zeal he employs to despatch the guilty constantly land him in hot water. Tensen was later contacted by the Medusa Web to help in their efforts to free Psi-Force from their incarceration in Siberia.

A total of 32 issues were released. The dramatic change by Peter David was not to my liking, abruptly ending the unresolved plotlines surrounding Dad, Damon Conquest, Queen Endolana, King Therion, and the war between the Summer lands and the Winter lands in Tensen's fantasy dimension. Also, the main character suffers from two of the worst costume designs seen in comics in a very long time. While it was acceptable when the status quo behind Tensen was that he is a warrior from another dimension, it looked silly and awfully cheesy when he regained his memories and decided to don a purple spandex outfit with a white lightning streaked across his chest.

KICKERS, INC.
Primary creators: Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Terry Kavanagh, Ron Altaville, Rod Whigham

By far having the silliest concept amongst the entire crop of New Universe titles, Kickers, Inc. revolves around a group of five football players from the New York Smashers banding together to form an organization to help people with unusual problems. Led my the star quarterback of the team, Jack Magniconte a.k.a. Mr Magnificent, the rest of the team is filled by his wife Darla, and teammates Beauford "Brick Wall" Wohl, Thomas "Suicide" Smythe, and Dallas "Dasher" Corben.

The only paranormal in the team is Jack, who gained enhanced strength while helping his brother out with a scientific experiment when the White Event occurred. As time progressed, Jack finds his strength gradually increasing even as the members of Kickers, Inc. find themselves disagreeing in the direction they want the organization to take. Kickers, Inc. was eventually ruined when Jack screws up a major publicity event, which was the latest in a string of media fiascos that started with the suspension of Magniconte by the NFL.

The series lasted only 12 issues, and was mediocre from start to end as the team faced off against gangbangers with a robotic tank, varsity demon worshippers, and South American terrorists. It's unknown whatever happened to the rest of Kickers, Inc. after the series ended, but Jack Magniconte eventually led an American paranormal military strike force in The War.

NIGHTMASK
Primary creators: Archie Goodwin, Fabian Nicieza

Nightmask is Keith Remsen, who has the ability to enter and manipulate other people's dreams. Comatose after surviving an explosion at an airport that killed his parents and crippled his sister Teddy, he is awakened by the White Event. Initially requiring his sister as his anchor to the real world whenever he enter a dream, his proficiency with his powers in the dreamscape increase under the watchful eyes of Dr Lucian Ballad, his psychiatrist, and Lita Mercado, his sister's physiotherapist.

Together, they establish a clinic to help those with sleeping disorders. Keith would eventually avenge his parent's death by bringing down Horst Kleinman, a German scientist who is also able to enter dreams via cybernetic means. Unfortunately, the Black Event that destroyed Pittsburgh also killed Teddy Remsen and Lita Mercado, while greatly enhancing Keith's Nightmask powers to an unknown degree. Keith was one of the first to be drafted into the American paranormal army, and was eventually driven went insane even as his Nightmask powers began to manifest themselves in the real world.

Nightmask ran for 12 confusing issues, with writer Archie Goodwin wasting the potential of the character telling stories that were difficult to follow and lacked direction, as the main crux of the series was basically Horst Kleinman vowing revenge against Keith for defeating him in the first issue. Curiously enough, the best Nightmask stories can be found in Star Brand # 9 by Michael Heisler and Keith Giffen, and the The Draft one-shot.

MARK HAZZARD: MERC
Primary creators: Peter David, Gray Morrow, Doug Murray, Vince Giarrano

Mark Hazzard: Merc had the most tenuous link to the New Universe as the series was completely isolated from the events that occur in the other titles. There is no mention at all of the White Event that sparked the age of paranormals, nor were other characters referenced in any manner whatsoever. Heck, there weren't even any paranormals making appearances throughout the series, nor did the events of this series affect the other New Universe titles and vice versa.

Mark Hazzard is a divorced Vietnam vet who's currently working as a mercenary in his early 40s, and suffers from a conscience that has been problematic to not only his mercenary career, but his relationship with his partners Mal Rossi and Louis "Treetop" Barrington as well. However, his real troubles only began when series of assassination attempts were taken on his life. These assassins are hired by Henri Graymalkin, who's doing this as a favour to his friend Gordon, Hazzard's ex-wife's Joan's new husband, who wants Hazzard eliminated as he fears Joan still harbours feelings for him. Hazzard ultimately succumbed to the injuries sustained during his infiltration of Graymalkin's estate, but not before killing Graymalkin and forcing the truth out of Gordon.

The first four issues of the series, written by Peter David, was a blast to read as we see Hazzard bounce from one trouble to another. Unfortunately, when new writer Doug Murray came along, the stories took a sharp downshift in readability and coherence as the elimination of captions as well as minimal dialogue made it difficult to follow the story. Mark Hazzard: Merc lasted 12 issues and an annual, and was the first New Universe lead character to die.

SPITFIRE AND THE TROUBLESHOOTERS
Primary creators: Gerry Conway, Herb Trimpe

One of the two New Universe titles that premiered a month early (the other being Star Brand), Spitfire and the Troubleshooters tells the story of Jenny Swensen, the daughter of the late Karl Swensen, creator of the MAX (Man Amplified X-Periment) armor, and the Troubleshooters, a group of thrill seeking MIT students who have pledged their loyalty to Swensen in helping her bring down Fritz Krotze, Karl Swensen's employer and the man responsible for his death.

Despite successfully gaining possession of the MAX Mark II armor from Krotze, a string of poorly made decisions led to the incarceration of Jenny Swensen and the destruction of the armor by the end of the fifth issue. Meanwhile, the members of the Troubleshooters were hunted down and killed by a mercenary named Steelhawk despite having their natural abilities augmented by body-armors created based on MAX technology.

Guilty over the deaths of the Troubleshooters, Jenny Swensen eventually agreed to work for the CIA, which helped her develop the MAX Mark III armor. Focusing now on the armor, named Spitfire after Swensen's old childhood nickname, the title was renamed Codename: Spitfire. Spitfire was the first military presence to enter Pittsburgh following the Black Event and Jenny found herself in trouble again after defiling direct orders during her time in the Pitt. She was captured after three days and was removed from the Spitfire project and finds herself behind bars once again.

The man in charge of the Spitfire project, Edmund Roth, selected Jacob Travest, a cold-blooded killer who also happens to be schizophrenic, as the new pilot of the Spitfire armor, and his first mission was to apprehend Wayne Tucker, Tyrone Jessup, and Lindsay Falmon of Psi-Force during their time on the run in Canada. The mission ended badly with the destruction of the armor and Travest mind-controlled by Wayne Tucker into surrendering to the Canadian authorities.

The armor was eventually repaired by the CIA, but it as well as the design schematics was stolen by the Medusa Web, and Travest was killed by the Medusa Web after betraying the CIA. Jenny Swensen would eventually retire the Spitfire armour after deserting her post in the military and would join the members of D.P.7 in Manhattan.

The series lasted 13 issues, and is the only New Universe title that I am most unfamiliar with. However, in the few issues I read, I found the dialogue poorly written and is about as realistic as a 1970s era Marvel comic. Still, the sixth and seventh issues were terrific reads as we see Steelhawk systematically kill the members of the Troubleshooters.

THE PITT
Creators: John Byrne, Mark Gruenwald, Sal Buscema

This prestige format one-shot was THE major event of the New Universe, as Ken Connell, wielder of the Star Brand, accidentally decimates Pittsburgh. Dubbed the Black Event, it totally changed life in the New Universe as well as setting a bleak, new direction for the entire line.

Continuing immediately after the events of Star Brand # 12 as well as crossing over into Justice # 18 and D.P.7 # 18, the Black Event not only affected the lives of everyone in the New Universe, it also screwed up the socioeconomic structure of the United States, leading into the creation of a military strike force consisting only of paranormals by the U.S. Army, as well as its Russian counterpart, the Crasniye Solleetsi. This would eventually lead to the depopulation of the entire United States east coast, the collapse of the American economy, the election of the evil Philip Nolan Voigt as the new President of the United States, and having the world pushed to the brink of destruction as chronicled in The War.

THE DRAFT
Creators: Mark Gruenwald, Fabian Nicieza, Herb Trimpe

This was the second prestige format one-shot in the New Universe line, and it tells of the origin of the American paranormal military strike force that consists of Jeffrey Walters and David Landers (both previously of D.P.7), and new characters Christopher Barrett who is able to control an old '49 Chevy hubcap, Harlan Mook who is able to generate explosive teleports, the super strong Gaylord Picaro, and Gridlock whose power is to generate three dimensional geometrical tubes. The team is trained by Sgt Gerard Haldeman, a paranormal of unknown power himself, and psychologically prepared by Nightmask in Fort Bening, Georgia.

Harlan Mook is the one member of the team that is constantly picked on by Picaro and Haldeman. As he slowly loses his grip on reality, he teleports himself to Atlanta when Ronald Raegan, the then President of the United States, was giving a speech and promptly blows him up. This forces the public revelation of Ronald Reagan's status as a paranormal, paving the way for Philip Nolan Voigt's ascension into the White House. All of these events eventually lead to...

THE WAR
Creators: Doug Murray, Tom Morgan

This four-issue prestige format mini-series marked the beginning of the end for the New Universe as the world teeters on the brink of total destruction following the start of World War III, which itself was a result of the Black Event.

The paranormal military strike force as seen in the pages of Psi-Force, D.P.7, and The Draft is finally called into action here, led by Jack Magniconte of Kickers, Inc. Leading a mission deep into the heart of South America, investigating/hunting down a group of terrorist who has claimed responsibility for the destruction of Pittsburgh during the Black Event.

Meanwhile, whatever sanity that remains in Keith Remsen snaps effectively dooming the mission, even as both the United States and Russia are pointing their nuclear stockpiles at each other. Things suddenly grind to a halt when the Starchild suddenly appears, and using the power of the Star Brand, single-handedly ends the war by diffusing and malfunctioning all weapons on the planet.

STARBLAST
Creators: Mark Gruenwald, Larry Alexander, Tom DeFalco, Paul Ryan

The War the last New Universe project published by Marvel Comics, and it would be a few years before the characters from the imprint showed itself again. The first appearance of the New Universe after The War was in Quasar # 31, where Quasar found himself accidentally transported to the New Universe after battling an alternate reality version of the Living Laser. With the help of D.P.7, Quasar eventually found his way back to the Marvel Universe by utilizing the power of the Star Brand, given to him the pilot the Starchild bequeathed the Brand to in the final days of World War III.

Quasar believed the Star Brand burnt itself out during the transit from the New Universe to the Marvel Universe, and was sure he has seen the last of the Universe. However, one of Randy O'Brien's antibodies stowed away to the Marvel Universe by hitching on Quasar's cape in Quasar # 31. It merged with one of Quasar's enemies in Quasar # 44, and this led to the re-emergence of the Star Brand. Ownership of the now severely weakened but still immensely powerful Star Brand was eventually surrendered to Kayla Ballantine, Quasar's girlfriend.

A few years later, a group of aliens known as the Starblasters made their way to Earth and discovered the power of the Star Brand. This led to a crossover known as Starblast, involving Quasar, the Fantastic Four, the Avengers, and the Inhumans. The Starblasters were eventually defeated, but the New Universe Earth was brought into the Marvel Universe. As it was part of the omniverse, which is a multiverse of multiverses, the New Universe Earth cannot exist in the confines of the Marvel Universe. To solve this, the Living Tribunal encased the New Universe Earth within a protective energy shell to prevent any interaction between it and the rest of the Marvel Universe, as well as having it orbit the Beyonder's Planet.

To ensure the safekeeping of the planet, Kayla Ballantine volunteered to stay behind on the New Universe Earth. In between this time and the middle to late 21st century, Tensen the Justice Warrior somehow made his way to the Marvel Universe Earth and became a techno mage of sorts and would be an enigmatic presence in Spider-Man 2099, written by Peter David, who once upon a time was the writer on Justice. How Tensen found himself in the Marvel Universe of 2099 was never revealed, and the New Universe characters have remained in comic book limbo since. As a side note, the gravestones seen in the first page of Avengers West Coast # 65 all bear the names of the original members of D.P.7, a cute little easter egg by artist Paul Ryan.