Universal War One
Encyclopedia
Universal War One is a six-part French comic book
limited series
written, penciled, and inked by Denis Bajram. The series was initially published in France by Soleil Productions
from 1998 to 2006. Due to its popularity, it was later translated and released in English by Marvel Comics
. The genre is military science fiction
, and the series deals with such ideas as time dilation
and time travel
. Following the comics standards in France and Belgium, each of the six part of the story has a approximately 50 pages length, making the whole story longer than usual limited series.
in two. The black wall absorbs all light and matter. Enormous, incomprehensible and terrifying, "the wall" is centered on Uranus
's moon
Oberon
, cutting off access to any planet beyond Saturn
. Admiral Von Richtburg discovers that the CIC was attempting to begin a civil war, and orders the Purgatory
Squadron, a band of soldiers given a second chance after courts-martial
, to investigate the phenomenon known as "the wall".
After the Purgatory Squadron devises a method of breaching and investigating the wall, they are fired upon by a vessel of unknown design. Admiral von Richtburg orders his UEF 3rd Fleet into the wall, and thus begins the First Universal War.
Members of Purgatory Squadron:
Universal War One:
Universal War One: Revelations (Universal War One issues #4-#6):
:
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
written, penciled, and inked by Denis Bajram. The series was initially published in France by Soleil Productions
Soleil Productions
Soleil Productions is a French publisher of both original and imported comic books.-Partnerships and collaborations:In 2004, Soleil and Delcourt created a joint venture called "DelSol", a partnership distribution society for France, Belgium and other Francophone countries.In 2008, Marvel Comics is...
from 1998 to 2006. Due to its popularity, it was later translated and released in English by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. The genre is military science fiction
Military science fiction
Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the principal characters are members of a military service and an armed conflict is taking place, normally in space, or on a planet other than Earth...
, and the series deals with such ideas as time dilation
Time dilation
In the theory of relativity, time dilation is an observed difference of elapsed time between two events as measured by observers either moving relative to each other or differently situated from gravitational masses. An accurate clock at rest with respect to one observer may be measured to tick at...
and time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. Following the comics standards in France and Belgium, each of the six part of the story has a approximately 50 pages length, making the whole story longer than usual limited series.
Plot summary
The series begins at the onset of a civil war between the United Earth Forces (UEF) and the Colonization Industrial Companies (CIC), which comprises the various outposts and colonies beginning at the planet Saturn and beyond. The civil war begins when it is discovered that an immense black wall appears near Saturn, cutting the solar systemSolar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
in two. The black wall absorbs all light and matter. Enormous, incomprehensible and terrifying, "the wall" is centered on Uranus
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun. It has the third-largest planetary radius and fourth-largest planetary mass in the Solar System. It is named after the ancient Greek deity of the sky Uranus , the father of Cronus and grandfather of Zeus...
's moon
Natural satellite
A natural satellite or moon is a celestial body that orbits a planet or smaller body, which is called its primary. The two terms are used synonymously for non-artificial satellites of planets, of dwarf planets, and of minor planets....
Oberon
Oberon (moon)
Oberon , also designated ', is the outermost major moon of the planet Uranus. It is the second largest and second most massive of the Uranian moons, and the ninth most massive moon in the Solar System. Discovered by William Herschel in 1787, Oberon is named after the mythical king of the fairies...
, cutting off access to any planet beyond Saturn
Saturn
Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest planet in the Solar System, after Jupiter. Saturn is named after the Roman god Saturn, equated to the Greek Cronus , the Babylonian Ninurta and the Hindu Shani. Saturn's astronomical symbol represents the Roman god's sickle.Saturn,...
. Admiral Von Richtburg discovers that the CIC was attempting to begin a civil war, and orders the Purgatory
Purgatory
Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...
Squadron, a band of soldiers given a second chance after courts-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
, to investigate the phenomenon known as "the wall".
After the Purgatory Squadron devises a method of breaching and investigating the wall, they are fired upon by a vessel of unknown design. Admiral von Richtburg orders his UEF 3rd Fleet into the wall, and thus begins the First Universal War.
Purgatory Squadron
The Purgatory Squadron is composed of members who face Court Martial for various infractions ranging from rape, to insubordination (Resulting in Death) and assault. Each member is assigned (or sentenced) to the squadron as a last chance to prove themselves effective officers of the UEF (United Earth Forces). The ranks of some of the characters is not stated in the series.- Captain June Williamson: Williamson is the commander of Purgatory Squadron, and is one-half of the only two members not currently facing a Court Martial for previous actions. Universal War One begins with Williamson protecting a group of civilians, mostly women and children, some of whom are family members of striking miners on the moon Titan, from being massacred by her commanding officer. Williamson firmly believes that the goals of the Purgatory Squadron can "save" its members, by proving they have the capacity to be useful officers of the United Earth Forces.
- Lieutenant Kate Von Richtburg: Richtburg is the Second-in-Command of Purgatory Squadron, and is the other half of the only two members not currently facing a Court Martial for previous actions. She gratefully accepted the position as second-in-command of Purgatory Squadron, as she has a great respect for her for not firing on herself and her mother while they tried to escape the mining riots on Titan. She has proven herself to be an able officer, and, like Capt. June Williamson, firmly believes that the members of Purgatory Squadron has what it takes to be capable officers.
Members of Purgatory Squadron:
- Lieutenant Paulo "Mario" Del Gado: A self-professed coward, Mario is ashamed of his actions which led to the destruction of three supply ships and the deaths of their pilots. Mario was a Navigation Technician in charge of guiding six ships through an asteroid field, but he panicked and three supply ships were destroyed. It was decided to partner him with Balti in an effort to keep him from deserting.
- John "Balti" Baltimore : All you need to know about Balti is that he wants to be a hero. With this goal as his only guide, he disobeyed orders not to intervene in the rescue operation of a transport ship that had caught fire. Unknown to him, a rescue shuttle had already been dispatched, which he collided with just before it could dock to save the ship. Twelve crew members were killed on the transport, and three others in the rescue ship were severely injured. Balti can be best described as someone whose heart is in the best place, but whose willingness to become a hero makes him a brash and unpredictable officer. Balti is killed at the end of Universal War One #3 as a direct result of the time dilation and time travel effects.
- Amina El Moudden: a native of the Middle East, Amina joined the EUF on her 18th birthday to escape her father's sexual abuse. Sometime after a Colonel in the EUF attempted to rape her, though somehow this failed, subsequebtly, to get her revenge, she castrated him with a welding torch, and as of Universal War One #1 he was in critical condition. Amina accidentally kills Milorad, incorrectly believing that he is her father coming to sexually assault her during an injury-induced hallucination after crashing her fighter.
- Lt. Colonel Edward "Ed" Kalish: Kalish is a genius who was formerly the head of the EUF 3rd Fleet's Space Physics Research Division. He was sentenced to the Purgatory Squadron after beating twelve people senseless in a bar-fight, three of which were critically wounded, as well as wrecking the bar. Williamson stated that his genius caused him to be so arrogant and superior that he felt he cold "impose his will on others - with his fists if necessary", owing in part to his arrogance and the other to his rough upbringing and history of violence. Kalish discovered Milorad attempting to rape Amina, and nearly beat him to death, proving that he too was not making use of his second chance. Kalish is also the individual responsible for discovering the nature and affect of the wall.
- Milorad Racunicsa: Milorad was sentenced to the Purgatory Squadron after raping a nurse, an offence which he attempted to repeat on Amina in the first issue of Universal War One. It was this rape attempt that prompted Captain Williamson to inform each member of the squadron of all of their collective crimes. It was this event which prompted Balti to risk his life by entering the mysterious black "wall".
Other characters
- Admiral Von Richtburg: Commanding Officer of UEF 3rd Fleet, and father to Lieutenant Kate Von Richtburg. Admiral Richtburg is the reason why Purgatory Squadron was formed in the first place; he prevented Captain Williamson from being Court Martial, as her insubordination saved the life of his wife and daughter Kate who were trying to escape the mining riots on Titan. He is the officer who uncovered the betrayal of the CIC (Colonization Industrial Companies). He is a firm, uncompromising military officer and respected leader who has a deep love for his daughter.
- Colonel Edward: Little is known about this EUF officer, just that it is clear he hates the Purgatory Squadron and is unnecessarily rude and who would like nothing better than to see the squadron fail.
Issues
The original Universal War One series was divided up into two sets of three issues by Marvel: Universal War One, collecting issues #1-#3, with the remaining three issues published under the title Universal War One: Revelations.Universal War One:
- #1 (released in English on 16 July 2008)
- #2 (released in English on 13 August 2008)
- #3 (published in English on 3 September 2008)
Universal War One: Revelations (Universal War One issues #4-#6):
- #1 (released in English on 1 April 2009)
- #2 (released in English on 6 May 2009)
- #3 (published in English on 3 June 2009)
Collected editions
The two series have been collected into individual volumesTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
:
- Universal War One (144 pages, Marvel Comics, hardcover, January 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3238-4)
- Universal War One: Revelations (144 pages, Marvel Comics, hardcover, August 2009, ISBN 0-7851-3239-2)