Art by Bill Sienkiewicz. The New Universe launched on July 22, 1986, to honor Marvel’s 25th Anniversary. The initial run of the eight new monthly titles ended in 1989, largely deemed a failure.
Art by Bill Sienkiewicz. The New Universe launched on July 22, 1986, to honor Marvel’s 25th Anniversary. The initial run of the eight new monthly titles ended in 1989, largely deemed a failure.
Yep. It was definitely a failure. There wasn’t a winner in this entire bunch. The best-selling title of this line didn’t even sell as much comics as the worst-selling comic of the regular Marvel line, that being ‘Marvel Tales’. A huge part of the problem with “The New Universe”, at least from my perspective, is here you’ve got a dedicated readership in the tens of millions every single month, trying to find the time and the money to just keep up with all the mainstream Marvel ( and some DC ) titles around our regular lives, and what does Marvel Comics do-??? Why, they just give us MORE comic-books to buy and read!!! (?!?!?!?!? ) As I recall at the time, it was just total sensory and financial overload!! In 1986, I didn’t need MORE comic-books to read- I needed LESS!!!!!!!!!! It didn’t help that the premise of “The New Universe”, at least at FIRST, was more “realistic” ( i.e., less interesting ) superheroes!! When the line collapsed, Marvel had no choice but to fire Jim Shooter, because the shareholders demanded his head over it. Jim Shooter is one of the most talented comic-book writers of all time, and, had he simply stayed in his lane, writing comics, instead of going all administrational, everything would have been just fine. The absolute LAST thing Marveldom Assembled needed ( or still needs ) is MORE COMICS TO READ. Somebody told me they spotted poor old Shooter dipping fries at Mickey Deez! What, was “The New Universe” such a colossal disaster that DC wouldn’t have him, either-????