View unanswered posts | View active topics
Author |
Message |
Eric W.H. Taft
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:32 am |
|
Joined: | 14 Aug 2006 |
Posts: | 40002 |
Location: | Die, Marti Tracy, die |
|
Okay, maybe not a great idea, but it was a fairly bold move for a company like Marvel to make at that time. Not only were they launching a whole new line of books, but the entire line would be interconnected and yet have no connection with their big, popular, money-making universe. Bold and risky and ballsy to jump without a safety net like that.
It didn't pay off, of course. The only quality book out of the line was Star Brand (which at first was a pretty darn good book). D.P. 7 had some potential and most everything else just never clicked. Budget cuts meant Jim Shooter couldn't get top creators to the books like he intended, and most withered and died in a year.
And naturally, comic book writers could not resist being comic book writers and eventually tying the New Universe into the Marvel Universe, Marvel 2099, and who knows what else.
Too bad. The idea, at least, had potential. The books? Maybe not. But the idea did.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Stephen Strange
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:37 am |
|
 |
I am an earthling.
|
Joined: | 29 Jul 2005 |
Posts: | 8605 |
Location: | the town that rocked the nation |
|
I missed the New Universe when it was out. But I did enjoy Gruenwald's bringing the Star Brand into Quasar.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Li'l Jay
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:39 am |
|
 |
It scorched
|
Joined: | 28 May 2006 |
Posts: | 68690 |
Bannings: | One too few . . . |
|
I think it would still be a good idea, but maybe grow it slower or less intentionally. Have a new, awesome title be understood to be not set within Marvel continuity. (There's no such thing as outside of DC continuity with their multiverse). Then another title, or a guest appearance here and there. Try to simulate that cozy feeling of the early Marvel Universe, but without hitting everybody over the head with and saying "THIS IS A NEW UNIVERSE WITH NEW TITLES TO BE COLLECTED. IF YOU ARE NOT WITH US YOU ARE AGAINST US."
Let the quality be the driver, and the new universe be a bonus.
By the way, Ellis' newuniversal is good.
_________________ Rom's kiss turned Rogue a hero.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Eric W.H. Taft
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:46 am |
|
Joined: | 14 Aug 2006 |
Posts: | 40002 |
Location: | Die, Marti Tracy, die |
|
Li'l Jay wrote: By the way, Ellis' newuniversal is good. So I've heard. I've acquired it based on recommendations but have not read it.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Li'l Jay
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:47 am |
|
 |
It scorched
|
Joined: | 28 May 2006 |
Posts: | 68690 |
Bannings: | One too few . . . |
|
Oh, and I liked the prehistoric one-shot that is not by Ellis.
_________________ Rom's kiss turned Rogue a hero.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Rob Steinbrenner
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:49 am |
|
Joined: | 05 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 49778 |
|
Did you like that it was supposed to be more scientific/real or just because it was separate?
_________________ I apologize for the above post.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Rob Steinbrenner
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:50 am |
|
Joined: | 05 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 49778 |
|
Li'l Jay wrote: I think it would still be a good idea, but maybe grow it slower or less intentionally. Have a new, awesome title be understood to be not set within Marvel continuity. (There's no such thing as outside of DC continuity with their multiverse). Then another title, or a guest appearance here and there. Try to simulate that cozy feeling of the early Marvel Universe, but without hitting everybody over the head with and saying "THIS IS A NEW UNIVERSE WITH NEW TITLES TO BE COLLECTED. IF YOU ARE NOT WITH US YOU ARE AGAINST US."
Let the quality be the driver, and the new universe be a bonus.
By the way, Ellis' newuniversal is good. I thinkt he trouble is people today want things connected and when they aren't, they don't buy it. It's not "real" for better or worse. Multiple titles at the same time are a signal that "hey this can be a universe for you too, just a different one" However, props for them keeping the Ultimate Universe fairly manageable. Im surrpised there werent 30 titles after the first 4 were hits 
_________________ I apologize for the above post.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Li'l Jay
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:53 am |
|
 |
It scorched
|
Joined: | 28 May 2006 |
Posts: | 68690 |
Bannings: | One too few . . . |
|
Could be, Rob. I think Brubaker's Incognito feels like it could be a fascinating universe -- but I don't know if it's flopping.
_________________ Rom's kiss turned Rogue a hero.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Rob Steinbrenner
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:54 am |
|
Joined: | 05 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 49778 |
|
Well you do describe basically how the Marvel U. started. and all attempts have pretty much failed at new universes so it may work!
_________________ I apologize for the above post.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Eric W.H. Taft
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:54 am |
|
Joined: | 14 Aug 2006 |
Posts: | 40002 |
Location: | Die, Marti Tracy, die |
|
Rob Steinbrenner wrote: Did you like that it was supposed to be more scientific/real or just because it was separate? A little of both. I liked the attempt to tone down the overall levels of fantastic so that stuff like an armored battlesuit was amazing and unusual. Even more, the idea of this stuff in an otherwise normal world was a cool premise at the time. In Star Brand, I liked watching his cope with the idea of having powers and wondering what the heck he was supposed to do with them. Similar appeal to early Spider-Man, when he's still feeling his way around the notion of being a hero, but coupled with the rest of the world being in awe, too. I liked that premise (even if the books never lived up to it). I also liked that it had no ties to the Marvel Universe (which I love). The pressing need to wedge everything and anything in there has often struck me as a little off. Some how, some way, Marvel would make it a part of their U. I like something on the side, something self-contained and unimpeded by all that other stuff. Jay's right, it was all rolled out too quickly, but the notion, at least, I appreciated.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Rob Steinbrenner
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:56 am |
|
Joined: | 05 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 49778 |
|
thje new universe was dead when i was reading first.
but it was out there. In the back issues i'd find at the flea market, i would see it advertized. as this big, big thing.
but it was gone.
_________________ I apologize for the above post.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Eric W.H. Taft
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:58 am |
|
Joined: | 14 Aug 2006 |
Posts: | 40002 |
Location: | Die, Marti Tracy, die |
|
It died pretty fast. I think everyone was skeptical from the moment it was announced. Even I was, and I was reading the damn things!
It didn't help that most of the books just didn't start off very strong. Heck, most were garbage. And then the longer they went on, the closer they became to Just More Superhero Comics. Star Brand, for instance ... that final stretch was like it came from a completely different book. It bore no relation at all to the tone and approach that was supposed to make the NU different in the first place.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Rob Steinbrenner
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:59 am |
|
Joined: | 05 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 49778 |
|
probably because JB was writing it by then
_________________ I apologize for the above post.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Rob Steinbrenner
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:00 am |
|
Joined: | 05 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 49778 |
|
looking at the dates, i am wrong. it would have been there when i first started reading
but i didnt ever see it i don't think.
_________________ I apologize for the above post.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Eric W.H. Taft
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:00 am |
|
Joined: | 14 Aug 2006 |
Posts: | 40002 |
Location: | Die, Marti Tracy, die |
|
There is that, yes, but I was trying to avoid going there.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Li'l Jay
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:02 am |
|
 |
It scorched
|
Joined: | 28 May 2006 |
Posts: | 68690 |
Bannings: | One too few . . . |
|
The NU came out as I was fading into to civilian life. My Marvel subscriptions were running out (not being renewed), I was no longer reading everything (even some comics that came in the mail), and I bought 3 or 4 NU issues off the stands. I don't remember anything about them.
_________________ Rom's kiss turned Rogue a hero.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Uncle Twitchy
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:10 am |
|
Joined: | 28 Nov 2006 |
Posts: | 30520 |
|
I seem to vaguely remember thinking I liked the art and some of the ideas in D.P.7, and I thought Starbrand was a cool idea badly executed. Had no interest in the rest of the books.
And I agree with Taft -- the idea behind the New Universe was a cool one. I felt, though, that the heavy-handed way they went about executing it was not.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Eric W.H. Taft
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:13 am |
|
Joined: | 14 Aug 2006 |
Posts: | 40002 |
Location: | Die, Marti Tracy, die |
|
If there is one thing that disappoints me about the Ultimate Universe, it's that they haven't used it as an opportunity to spin out new ideas, ala the New Universe, and instead use it only as a place to reinterpret existing characters.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Rob Steinbrenner
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:16 am |
|
Joined: | 05 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 49778 |
|
You forgot Geldoff?
_________________ I apologize for the above post.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Eric W.H. Taft
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:17 am |
|
Joined: | 14 Aug 2006 |
Posts: | 40002 |
Location: | Die, Marti Tracy, die |
|
How could I forget? Best idea ever!
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Eric W.H. Taft
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:18 am |
|
Joined: | 14 Aug 2006 |
Posts: | 40002 |
Location: | Die, Marti Tracy, die |
|
This Newuniversal thing is supposed to be the start of a new attempt at the NU, right?
|
|
Top |
|
 |
Rob Steinbrenner
|
Post subject: TRUE FACT: The New Universe was a great idea. Sorta. Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:21 am |
|
Joined: | 05 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 49778 |
|
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
_________________ I apologize for the above post.
|
|
Top |
|
 |
|
Page 1 of 5
|
[ 91 posts ] |
|
View unanswered posts | View active topics
Who is WANline |
Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 1 guest |
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
|
|