Exclusive Marvel preview: The New Universe is college for Starbrand & Nightmask

By Oliver Sava | December 10, 2015 | 6:00pm

Aux Features comic previews

Originally introduced as part of Marvel’s New Universe imprint in the late ’80s, Starbrand and Nightmask made their way into the regular Marvel universe as cast members of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers, where they served as Earth’s planetary defense system. Now the characters are getting their own team-up ongoing series as part of “All-New, All-Different Marvel,” and writer Greg Weisman is taking the heroes in a very different direction by making them roommates at Empire State University, the same school attended by Squirrel Girl and her friends.

Weisman, best known for his work on cartoons like Gargoyles, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Star Wars: Rebels, is a smart fit for a book that is aiming at a younger audience, and the art team of Domo Stanton and colorist Jordan Boyd give the book a bright, animated look that brings a lot of energy to the superhero action in these preview pages from Starbrand & Nightmask #1. While the use of “butthurt” is always questionable, the dialogue does solid work drawing distinctions between the two characters’ personalities, and those differences should make for some fun tension when they move in together and start feeling the stress of being new college students.