Recommendations: Favourite New Universe title?

[Xtianhardy]

Hey NU fans, I'm looking to pick up some back issues of New Universe because I've heard that it has many similarities to Valiant.

What do you recommend as your favourite New Universe titles?

[kevinbastos]

DP 7 is the strongest at the outset. Most you should find cheap, too.

[grendeljd]

My top favourites are:

Spitfire
DP7
Starbrand
Justice

Spitfire holds a special place in my nerd heart because I love robot stuff so much. But I'd have to say DP7 & Starbrand are probably the 2 best titles.

DP 7 is the strongest at the outset. Most you should find cheap, too.

I agree with Kevin, and I feel the same way about Starbrand. DP7 is great up to around #20, then peters out. I love the early Starbrand the most, up to The PITT Black Event. Its still good to the end, just gets a tad off track...

**by the way, Kevin - I've been working on listening to your podcast on the NU in bits & spurts - good stuff!!

[Xtianhardy]

D.P.7, Psi-Force, Justice, and Star Brand all sound really appealing to me. When I am not hunting down more Valiant back issues I will have to check some of these titles out.

Thanks guys!

[StarBrand]

The first 6 issues of Star Brand are great and have Shooter scripts. I believe issue 7 is a Roy Thomas script working off a Shooter plot. Read those 7 is you can!
DP 7 was the most quality book from start to finish, as it was able to keep the solid creative team of Mark Gruenwald and Paul Ryan for all 32 issues and the annual. There are great moments that happen in the line, especially after the graphic novel "The Pitt" took place. I love this universe, and envy you as you embark on reading these books for the first time.
P.S. I believe in issue 1 of DP 7 an add is shown, asking something to the effect of "are you different?" It says more, and clearly the "ad" in Harbinger asking about people being different etc. was ripped off from the New Universe.

[rasputin9977]

DP7, Star Brand, Mark Hazzard Merc are my favorites. Shooter started both the NU and Valiant so that may be why there are similarities?

[kevinbastos]

DP7, Star Brand, Mark Hazzard Merc are my favorites. Shooter started both the NU and Valiant so that may be why there are similarities?

Hmmmm....

I should start a blog or podcast about that...

[Cyberstrike]

The Peter David issues of Justice and the Jim Shooter issues of Star Brand.

[sbcomics]

It's been a while since I've read them, but from what I remember, DP 7 and PSI Force of the ones I've read.

[superggraphics]

Shooter's issues of Star Brand, hands down, no contest...

G

[StarBrand]

Shooter's issues of Star Brand, hands down, no contest...

G

No doubt about it. Those issues don't get the attention they deserve. They should be considered historic. Roy Thomas wrote the issue after Shooter left the title, working off a Shooter plot. That issue was great, too.

[kevinbastos]

Shooter's issues of Star Brand, hands down, no contest...

G

No doubt about it. Those issues don't get the attention they deserve. They should be considered historic. Roy Thomas wrote the issue after Shooter left the title, working off a Shooter plot. That issue was great, too.

I tend to agree. The stories aren't the best I have ever read, but they are an amazing study in characters, and a template for what SOLAR would become.

Those two facts make them amazing reads. When reading the universe, I get a real appreciation for the complexity of the shared universe concept.

[Phoenix8008]

P.S. I believe in issue 1 of DP 7 an add is shown, asking something to the effect of "are you different?" It says more, and clearly the "ad" in Harbinger asking about people being different etc. was ripped off from the New Universe.

I always liked this. How NewU was a testbed for what came later in Valiant. Solar=Starbrand, Harbinger=DP7 (or Psi-Force to some degree since they were more teen focused), X-O could be compared to Spitfire but with an even more odd pairing of tech suit and user.

[StarBrand]

P.S. I believe in issue 1 of DP 7 an add is shown, asking something to the effect of "are you different?" It says more, and clearly the "ad" in Harbinger asking about people being different etc. was ripped off from the New Universe.

I always liked this. How NewU was a testbed for what came later in Valiant. Solar=Starbrand, Harbinger=DP7 (or Psi-Force to some degree since they were more teen focused), X-O could be compared to Spitfire but with an even more odd pairing of tech suit and user.

Shooter continued his New Universe concepts at Valiant. He stated in an interview somewhere they basically did the same thing at Valiant as with the New Universe.

[StarBrand]

I personally much prefer Justice before Peter David took it over. He threw out what creators had done previous to him, and totally changed the character. The only thing worse than that to happen to the New Universe, in my opinion, is what Byrne did to Star Brand. Byrne basically couldn't stand Shooter, Star Brand was to some extent autobiographical, and Byrne took over the title seemingly to tear down Shooter. That said, when Byrne destroyed Pittsburgh, where both Ken Connell (Star Brand) and Shooter are from, that led into the Pitt and the War story lines, some of the best storylines in the history of comics. So, much good came out of Byrne's bad intentions for taking over Star Brand. I recommend the Pitt and the War story lines.

[grendeljd]

I personally much prefer Justice before Peter David took it over. He threw out what creators had done previous to him, and totally changed the character.

Really?! I'm the opposite - I actually didn't care much for Justice initially when I was buying them new off the shelf... I may have had only one or two of them. I hated his costume, I always thought he had a rainbow on his baby-blue shirted chest, not a lightning bolt. Gay [not literally].

It wasn't until the New Universal series by Ellis & Larroca came out that I thought to take a second look at the originals again. Ellis had such a cool take on Justice, I thought. When I read a few issues that Peter David had written I was instantly hooked on getting them all - I thought that was a brilliant concept that brought him more in line with the rest of the NewU. [Mind you, I have only just this week finally got the issue with the big revelation in it, #15, and I can't wait to actually read that one!].

The only thing worse than that to happen to the New Universe, in my opinion, is what Byrne did to Star Brand. Byrne basically couldn't stand Shooter, Star Brand was to some extent autobiographical, and Byrne took over the title seemingly to tear down Shooter. That said, when Byrne destroyed Pittsburgh, where both Ken Connell (Star Brand) and Shooter are from, that led into the Pitt and the War story lines, some of the best storylines in the history of comics. So, much good came out of Byrne's bad intentions for taking over Star Brand. I recommend the Pitt and the War story lines.

I still haven't tracked down The War... I should do so. I loved the whole story of The Pitt, I liked how much it affected all the titles. Another pre-cursor to the Valiant style of story-telling.

[StarBrand]

The Pitt might be my favorite comic book storyline of all-time.