 Universal
War One #1 (of 3)
Marvel Comics / Soleil
Writer: Denis Bajram
Art: Denis Bajram
FC, 48 pgs w / ads
$6.05 CAN / $5.99 US
Solid, unsexy sci-fi
by Chad Boudreau
I'm still shocked that Marvel is reprinting European comics. DC's foray into
this realm via Humanoids Publishing failed. Archaia Studios Press has a few
European titles in its roster and after some initial success the publisher has
put everything on hold while they restructure their organization. One could
even argue that Tokyopop's scaling back on new releases and the continued success
of Marvel and DC's mega superhero events suggests that comic readers want nothing
but superheroes and lots of them. And yet here is Marvel with a slate of European
reprints, the second of which is Universal War One.
Sky
Doll was the first. Marvel enjoyed some success with this three issue
miniseries, but I was not surprised because it was a sci-fi book featuring a
sexy pleasure robot. Universal War One will be the true test of comic
readers' appetites. It is also of the sci-fi genre, but there are no sexy robots
to be found. What we get is a very rich and realized setting and a mysterious,
seemingly impenetrable wall of blackness that appeared out of nowhere and now
divides the solar system. One each side is a number of human colonies, each
now separated from the other.
Universal War One takes some time to get going. Originally published
in six installments, I'm glad Marvel combined the first two parts into one forty-eight
page issue because I didn't get engaged fully until the latter twenty-four.
Creator, writer, artist and colorist Denis Bajram spends the first twenty-four
introducing us to his universe and its protagonists. This is important because
when he propels the plot forward it's vital we understand the context and we
recognize and feel for the characters.
Universal War One, and indeed the material from Humanoids and Archaia
Studios Press, is a fine example of the stellar artwork being produced across
the big pond. The artwork in this first issue is so detailed that I wish Marvel
had decided to publish this comic in the larger format employed in its country
of origin. Then again, DC Comics did that with their Humanoids material and,
well, look what happened to them.
Universal War One doesn't have sexy robots, but it has a compelling
story, a cast of interesting and damaged characters, and a fantastic sci-fi
mystery in the form of the Wall. A friend and I were lamenting recently the
lack of quality sci-fi in our pop culture diet. I think I found something to
snack on.
3.5 of 5
| 
