For 2.99 I want more than 1/6 of a story. Every single issue should be an entire story, even if it's part of a larger storyline.
well, be glad that you didn't pick up Authority #1
...
Why is everyone all of a sudden so intolerable of an issue that only gives you hints of what is going to happen next... Its a story! More than that, its an epic, largescale story that isn't going to have one-shot stories... this is a serial comic book. If you want a series of standalones, pick up Detective Comics or Fell.
Here's the summary for the uninformed...
We start off in space, setting the tone for the series as science fictiony, but with the shuttle we can tell that for the most part this world is like our own... just slightly more advanced. The two informational blocks tell us that the Chinese have space stations on the Moon, and by referring to the Soviets, tells us that the Soviet Union didn't die like it did in our world. There is an African Union, mirroring our world's European Union. The year is 2006. And as of March second, Universal time has been coordinated. (I'm sure people just sped through this bit of information, but it sets up a LOT about the world).
In New York City doctors are operating on a police detective, John Tensen, who has been rendered braindead by a bullet into the brain.
In Optima Down, OK, Kenneth Connell and Madeline Felix are flirting in a bar.
In San Francisco, Izanmi Randall storms out of a party, not liking her friend's choice of date
Back in Optima Down, Kenneth and Madeline are now drunk lying on the field near some sort of lake. "Maddy" says her dad refers to the moon as "The Chinese Moon" because they are all up there watching them, Kenneth calls her father crazy. It is revealed that her father is the sherrif and would likely shoot Ken if he knew the nature of their relationship.
A frame with Izanmi in bed tell us that the Chinese, Russian, and American early warning systems have gone down. The scene cuts to a New York skyline in which the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center are still standing. The News in John Tensen's hospital room reports his injury, and quotes a colleague saying the detective "lived for the force", before going on to mention that it is John Lennon's 66th Birthday, and that Paul McCartney was shot to death in Liverpool 19 years prior.
Then the White Event begins and the sky turns bright white. The Panels show the event occuring simultaneously across America and the World. A massive landslip occurs due to the event in Latvia.
Back in San Francisco, Izanmi is sleeping when a bright light pours out of her cheek and forms into a Moon and a small star with some stylistic flourish (it should be noted that the moon and the star is associated with the Chinese). She wakes up to a weird red and white flowing glow. above her, and beneath her a sea of faces of sleeping people. She see the reflection of the new marking on her cheek and declres out loud that this must be a dream. An otherworldly voice tells her that it is a dream, but that she is awake in it. There is a giant spaceship hovering over her talking to her and it tells her, "This is a paradigm shift. Everything you know has changed. Please remain calm."
Back in NY the White Event fades back into darkness before intensifying greatly. John Tensen begins to hover in his hospital bed, scaring the orderly looking over him. Tensen falls back down onto the bed, with a glowing white lightning bolt on his chest. His hair has also turned stark white. He sits up and tells the nurse/doctor that he can see him, and that he can see every bad thing he's ever done. He begins listing all of the murders the doctor has committed and the doctor freaks and tries to tell him that they were mercy killings. Tensen asks if the doctor was going to kill him too, and the doctor admits to it. The doctor asks if he gets points for being honest. Tensen replies no. A knife appears in Tensen's hand and the doctor begins to scream as he is stabbed to death. Tensen begins to recognize that he could see everything the doctor had done like a movie, and then writes the name "Justice" on the wall before leaving the hospital room.
Drs. Leonard Carson and Hannah Ballad are in Latvia investigating the collapse in regards to the white event. Dr. Carson is seeking a connection between a 2600 BC Northern European country and the Sumerians in Ur at the same period. His basis is an old legend from the same period based on the story of Gilgamesh. He mentions that there isn't a lot from this ancient period because most written language was cut into sticks. An assistant runs over to tell them that the landslide during the event opened some sort of tomb. Buried in the tomb is a warrior in full armor with what will come to be known as the starbrand burned into his forehead.
Back in Optima Down its morning and Kenneth realizes something is wrong. Something burned all the skin off of Maddy's body and he's all alone. They were sitting directly in the middle of a starbrand carved into the field they were sleeping on. Kenneth seems unharmed. Later in the sheriff's office, they've apprehended kenneth and the cops are trying to convince the sherriff not to shoot Kenneth for killing his daughter, despite his claims of innocence. Just as the sheriff is about to fire, Kenneth notices the same starbrand on the palm on his hand, and it has started to glow.
...
Can somebody please explain to me why people are saying nothing happened in this issue?
Not only is Ellis doing a great job at introducing this strangely different and strangely similar World and the characters, he also accomplished a LOT to set up three of the primary characters of the original New Universe: Star Brand (Kenneth Connell), Justice (John Tensen), and Nightmask (originally Keith Remsen, but now Izanami Randall).
So far I am thoroughly intrigued, especially with the little subtle differences between their world and ours.
EDIT: Just finished reading through an
old interview about the series, and thought i'd bring up a few things
Here are some character designs:
Justice,
Nightmask,
Starbrand, and
Starr the Slayer.
The first arc will also introduce spitfire (whom I'm guessing will be Dr. Hannah Ballad).... But we'll have to wait on that.
Once we're past the first arc he'll start introducing the other characters from the New Universe, but also some long forgotten or underused Marvel 616 characters (in the interview he hinted at using Cypher, or at least "a Cypher" whatever that means...) Also: Starr the Slayer is a character originally from an unused marvel pitch.
