July 22, 1986 saw the birth of Marvel's New Universe: eight comics created for the company's 25th anniversary, separate from the MCU and free of the baggage of continuity. Despite personality clashes, corporate machinations and critical panning, comics' brightest stars persevered to create some quite good stories.

In the first of a two part series, Chaos Magic author Andy Luke revisits the New U imprint and the talents behind it - Jim Shooter, Archie Goodwin, Mark Gruenwald, Bob Hall, Peter David, Doug Murray and many many others - in a celebratory look at an unfairly derided imprint.