Universal War One is a six-part French comic book limited series written, penciled, and inked by Denis Bajram. The first issue, The Genesis, was initially published in France by Soleil Productions in 1998. Due to its popularity, it was 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.
2098, there is a growing tension between the United Earthes Forces (a NATO-like organisation) and the wealthy corporations known as the CIC: Colonisation Industrial Companies. But, suddenly, THE WALL appeared, cuting the solar system in two. This wall is so big, so dark, so mysterious. A squadron of officers waiting for martial court must understand its secrets. At any cost.
The whole plot was crafted by Bajram beforhand, thus leaving no inconsistancy between the six books despite the time travel used by the heroes.
More information can be found here.
A sequel series titled Universal War Two started in 2013.
Tropes:
- 20 Minutes into the Future: The story is set 100 years into the future, but the society and technology is almost the same as today. The only major scientific advantances are atomic fusion and anti-gravity. No intelligent robots, no cybernetics. The society ? Ruled by a U.N./NATO expy. And they bombed Serbia, like NATO did in the end of the 1990ies. the fast progress in thos two areas are due to a stable time loop, justifying a setting with huge spaceships but little other advanced technologies.
- Anti-Hero: The main characters (except two) are criminals waiting for a trial in martial court.
- Anyone Can Die: It starts happening in issue #1.
- Army of Thieves and Whores: The entirety of Purgatory Squadron minus Kate Von Ritchburg is composed of officers awaiting courtmartial who were given a second chance, knowing full well that they can be kicked back to their trials at soon as they recidivate. Commander Williamson initially didn't want them to know each other's fault, but they are all revealed at the end of volume 1.
- Williamson herself refused to fire on a crowd, but disobeyed a direct order in doing so.
- Baltimore's reckless heroics lead to the death of 12 people when he flew to the rescue of a burning ship after being ordered to stay put, and accidentally rammed the rescue shuttle.
- Paulo Delgado aka "Mario"'s cowardice lead him to desert his station (coordinating several cargo ships). Panicking, he sent contradictory orders to the engines, destroying three ships.
- Milorad raped a military nurse.
- Kalish would just beat people to a pulp every time their perceived stupidity exasperated him, which was pretty much all the time. Some of them are still in a coma.
- Amina emasculated a colonel with a utility knife after he sexually assaulted her.
- Artificial Gravity: All space travelling ships use anti-G engine, most of the plot bend around them.
- Attempted Rape: Milorad attempts to rape Amina in book one, before Kalish intervenes and beats him up. This gets everyone in trouble.
- Author Filibuster: In issues #5 and #6, various characters (Kalish, Kate and Admiral von Richtburg) expose the author's political view on "American Capitalism".
- Back Story: Each comic issue starts with a 3-pages backstory focusing on one of the main characters.
- Berserk Button: Mario is usually a coward, but he becomes berserk on a few occasions, when one of his friends is killed.
- Black-and-Grey Morality: The main characters are all anti heroes of some sort. And The UEF isn't liked by most non western country (as shown in Milorad's and Amina's backstories), but at least they don't cut planets in half.. Can also be considered a Grey-and-Grey Morality as there are some empathetic figures in the CIC.
- Cool Starship: The Gengis Khan and some other spaceships have a really cool design.
- Crazy-Prepared: The author, who wrote the whole cycle before starting to draw, and claims that he's had the wireframe for two more cycles from the beginning. It backfired on 9/11 (see word of God below).
- Driven to Suicide: 'Balti' prefers to die in a trapped corridor because he thinks it is the only way to avoid a Temporal Paradox.
- Dumb Is Good: Subverted. The most intelligent man, Kalish, is a good guy, while the dumbest, Mario, becomes evil.
- The General's Daughter: Inverted. The reason why Capt. Williamson leads a squad of 7 people is because she saved the admiral's daughter, who is also part of the squad.
- Gratuitous English: French graphic novel/comic book, English title... most in universe English is justified in the U.S. dominated setting though.
- Hurl It into the Sun: Inverted, the Big Bad sends a space station into the sun, not to destroy the station but to destroy the sun!
- Insufferable Genius: Kalish. He is a misanthropist who is largely superior in intelligence to everyone else. He gets better over the course of the story.
- Karmic Death: Remember how Milorad tried raping Amina ? When later in the story he tries to rescue her, she panicks and kills him. He has just the time to tell it himself: "I've lived like a total dumbass… it only fits I die like one."
- Mad Scientist: There is a double subversion: The scientist who invented the space station that generates the wormhole is the only one to care about a possible Time Paradox, so he kills the fools who want to 'go home' even if it may destroy the universe. He seems to be the Only Sane Man. However, when Kalish explains him there is no way to create a time paradox, the scientist refuses to listen and kills himself, showing that he is in fact insane.
- Multinational Team: In the main cast, there are two Americans, a German, a Columbian, a Serbian, a South African and a Bahraimi.
- One-Man Industrial Revolution: Kalish. Also, Mr thin, AKA Mario. He didn't actually invent anything, but he was able to help other people invent antigrav tech, resulting in the setting.
- Starship Luxurious: Most starships are huge, with plenty of empty space.
- Time Travel: In fact, Kalish discovers how to travel through Time and space.
- Together We Are X: Kalish presents the 4 Fantastics noting that they are four and have doctorate degrees.Kalish: We were 4, each one having 4 doctorate degrees. Together, we were nicknamed the 4 Fantastics!
- Twist Ending: Who is the Big Bad?
- Zerg Rush: The 4th Fleet (dozens of cruisers and hundreds of space fighters) launches an attack against the 'Wall' and is nearly destroyed.
