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Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars 2015 is a multiverse spanning epic. Now is the perfect time to integrate Ultraverse and CrossGen properties into the Marvel multiverse. If not the 616 main Marvel universe then why not on Battleworld during the Secret Wars epic? Marvel owns the properties of both former comic book companies after all. The same can’t be said for Amalgam Comics which appears a no-go for Secret Wars 2015.
Are spoilers possible today? Perhaps. Hard to gauge Marvel nowadays.
Ultraverse
Malibu Comics launched the Ultraverse in the early 1990’s during a wave of new publishers hitting the market. It was a new super-hero universe / imprint that was filled with heroes such as Prime, Solitaire, Firearm, Nightman (who was actually also featured in a live-action TV shows), Rune, Ultraforce and many others. The imprint attracted some of the top creators at the time including artists like George Perez and Norm Breyfogle, writers such as James Robinson, and writer-artists like Barry Windsor Smith and Joe Quesada.
Malibu Comics was bought by Marvel Comics in 1994 for Malibu’s then industry-leading coloring studio. Marvel did some comics with the characters, but that effort was short-lived.
While I haven’t seen it confirmed, word is that Marvel’s reluctance to do anything with the Ultraverse properties has something to do with the ownership and/or royalty sharing provisions in Malibu’s contracts with its creators.
That said, with some much comic book and super-hero related properties hitting the small screen, silver screen, Xbox, etc. it’s time for Marvel to come to fair new agreements with the Malibu creators. The creators would be wise to accept the new agreements as they’re not making any money on the properties now with Marvel sitting on them and doing nothing with them for virtually 20 years.
CrossGen
CrossGen was a comic book publisher that lasted from 1998 to an eventual bankruptcy in 2004. They had a unique approach that had all the creators live in Florida and work out of the CrossGen bullpen. The company had some compelling characters and worlds in a mix of genres; from Victorian mystery to fantasy to sci-fi all unified by the mysteries “sigil” seen in all series. Personal faves of mine were Ruse a Sherlock Holmesian series with aliens and Sojourn with its swords and sorcery.
This company also attracted big names at the time like writers Mark Waid, Ron Marz and Barbara Kesel and artists like George Perez, Greg Land, Butch Guice, Bart Sears and Brandon Peterson.
The company was purchased by Disney with Marvel announcing plans for a revival in 2010. Some series were released, but due to allegedly low fan interest, virtually nothing has happened with the CrossGen properties in the last three years.
So…
Marvel Comics have quite a few genres reflected in Secret Wars 2015. That would make any CrossGen property an easy fit. Plus, come on, aren’t you ready for Avengers Vs. Ultraforce II? ;)
What say you? Which Ultraverse and CrossGen characters and concepts would translate well into Marvel Comics’ Secret Wars?
