"The good news is that there is an intelligent design to the universe. The bad news is that, like Homer Simpson leaving a drinking bird to man his work station, no one's watching at the helm. The White Event, a re-imagining of the central premise from Jim Shooter's classic New Universe franchise, has come in contact with the Earth, or at least one version of the Earth. Immediately upon contact, it has transformed four humans into its agents -- designates given specific tools in order to help humanity transition into a new age. Unfortunately, this "paradigm shift" is automated, and it tends to result in the destruction of the entire planet nearly as often as it succeeds in transforming humanity. As a result, the four designates of the White Event must adapt to their new roles and abilities with expediency and great care in the absence of an overseeing god. Along the way, they'll receive insight from an alien space station on another plane of existence, alternate and future versions of themselves, and a paranoid NSA director who has had to kill their kind before.

This may easily prove to be Ellis' masterpiece, thematically borrowing from the amoral and distant gods of Jack Kirby's "The Eternals," as well as the inter-linking design of the universe that played such a prominent role in Ellis' own "Planetary" series. Newuniversal surpasses both works, featuring a central concept that is far more complex and dramatically rich than anything similar that came before it. In addition, Ellis provides a fascinating and expansive ensemble cast in which the "bad guy" of the series (Phil Voight) is potentially its most enduring character. His, and all of the central characters' stories, are weaved into a grand tapestry that provides a vivid portrayal of the human condition on the brink of its destruction (and/or transition). For these reasons, Newuniversal proves to be just as dramatically rich as it is thought provoking, as surprisingly spiritual as it is science-fiction."