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Kieron Gillen Explains The Uber Special #1 Coming In March – With Exclusive Artwork

Uber, written by Kieron Gillen (Young Avengers, Journey into Mystery, Iron Man), with art by Caanan White (Ptolus),  is a fan favorite among new series of 2013, and is a World War II epic featuring an alternative timeline where Hitler develops "Ubermensch" that threaten to turn  the course of the war. The Allies are counting on some insider help to develop supersoldiers of their own, and it's all about those possible jumping off points in history that shape the future in inexorable ways. Currently in its 8th issue, where the supersoldier threat has spread to the Pacific Theater, the series charges towards a special treatment coming for fans in March.

The Uber Special #1 arrives in March at a stonking 40 pages in one-shot format telling the backstory of the Ubers, battleship by battleship, and their first respective missions through the artwork of Gabriel Andrade (Ferals).

Kieron Gillen, as the mind behind the mayhem, has some thoughts to share with Bleeding Cool about the role of the Special and how it will shape our understanding of the series:

One of Uber's defining characteristic in its first year has been the pace of the thing. If you'll excuse the phrase – and you probably shouldn't – it's a Blitzkreig narrative. When William [Christensen of Avatar Press] suggested doing an Special, I saw it the chance to basically come to rest, reinforce the lines, and dig in. This metaphor is terrible. I'm abandoning it.

So why does Gillen feel a retrospective Special is necessary? He says:

Basically, I saw it as a chance to do some character work, and dig into what makes the three Battleships tick. We've had hints of it, but now we give them a chance to talk. Surprise surprise, they've got things to say. Klaudia's story is close to an origin story, if you define "motivation" as "origin". Siegfried's is similar, and is simultaneously one of the most low key stories in Uber yet and one of the most horrific. Siegmund's digs into an episode from the early parts of Uber, and explores that.

According to Gillen, the Special is really "about" approaching questions in different ways:

Each of the battleships tells the story about the first person they killed. Each understands the question in a different way. I think you'll find it interesting.

It's not surprising that a series which already addresses different historical possibilities is also amenable to reaching out into alternative perspectives from its cast of characters in multiple modes of storytelling. And so the Uber universe expands…

Make sure to also look out for Bleeding Cool Magazine #8 which includes a special exclusive digital download of the Uber #1/2 story revealing the back story of  the battleship Sieglinde. Uber is available through Avatar Press, who own Bleeding Cool, and also digitally now on ComiXology.

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