newuniversal is a comic book series by writer, Warren Ellis; artist, Salvador Larroca, and colorist, Jason Keith.
[1] Ellis has taken this approach to newuniversal, with his first storyline intentionally revolving around the four lead books of the original New Universe - Justice, Nightmask, Star Brand and Spitfire and the Troubleshooters.
In 2008, the story was continued with a mini-series written by Ellis, newuniversal: shockfront, which was illustrated by Steve Kurth (penciller) and Andrew Hennessy (inker).
[6] From the first issue of newuniversal: shockfront onwards, all newuniversal comics included a statement acknowledging that the series is based on original concepts by Jim Shooter, Archie Goodwin, Eliot R. Brown, John Morelli, Mark Gruenwald and Tom DeFalco, creators who worked on the original New Universe comics.
[citation needed] In 2009, Warren Ellis lost his story files in a computer accident; he subsequently announced that the project is "basically dead".
[8] In Newuniversal: Shockfront #2, Charlotte Yolanda Beck shows how history changed after Richard Nixon won the 1960 election.
The structure, assembled by a long-gone race, is mechanical in nature and deliberately alters several sentient beings on each world entering its strands, modifying them to perform specific roles.
Originally the Starbrand was the only extra-dimensional glyph, but Warren Ellis' re-imagining broadened the concept to allow others to exist: Justice, Cipher, and Nightmask.
The purpose of glyphs is to aid in the transition of any given world through the inevitable paradigm shift caused when it comes into contact with the "newuniversal structure", which is a web of strange matter wherein normal physical laws operate differently.