Negation War represents a lot of my fears come true about Crossgen's "Sigilverse" line. The shared universe elements always put me off their books to some extent, and Negation War is kind of exactly what I feared about the whole thing. Just as you don't want Lord of the Rings to end with "Frodo and Sam reached Mount Doom, and then a spaceship appeared and blew their heads off" you don't really want the fantasy epics of Sojourn and Meridian or the martial arts action of Way of the Rat to end in a big universe-shattering blend of science-fiction and superheroes. That said, while I remain wary of Crossgen turning their Sigil characters into little more than the superheroes that their early publicity swore up and down that they weren't, the first issue of Negation War is a decent little intro for a sweeping sci-fi/superhero style epic. New fans won't be lost, and longtime fans of the Sigilverse will get a finale of sorts for their characters, including an explanation for what all that Sigil nonsense was about in the first place.
Fortunately, much of what worries me about Negation War doesn't really show up in this first issue. The interview at the back of the book hints at the recruiting of the various Sigil bearers into this war, but the first issue introduces a new character and a new world and sets up Charon and his foes for those who don't already know them from the pages of Negation. It's a very accessible read, and a pretty effective introduction of full-on superheroes into Crossgen's universe, however briefly it lasts. Bedard spins a pretty dark tale of how the Negation take on a world, and set them up as powerful and nasty bad guys to beat.
I must confess, though, part of my enjoyment of this issue did come from having read a couple issues of Negation. There has been a pretty surprising turn of events for one of the main characters of Negation, putting her on the side of the villains, and it's perfectly consistent with her character and yet something of a shock at the same time. I also really enjoyed hearing the story of Charon, which may have been recounted before but which certainly I haven't read. Bedard does a very nice job of setting up his cast of protagonists and antagonists for all levels of reader, from those who have read every issue of Crossgen since its inception and those who have never picked up one before to all of those in between.
As expected, Pelletier, Meikis and Martin turn in an impressive art performance. The world-shattering appearance of the Negation on the world in the beginning is impressive, although it pales beside the Authority-esque confrontation between that world's Sigil bearer, Evinlea and Charon. In addition, Pelletier's detail on the technology, from the invasion ships of the Negation to the home of Appolyon to smaller elements like Kaine's costume, are perfect for the science-fiction feel that Bedard is aiming for.
My largest worry about the book comes at the end, when the larger scope of the story starts to come into play. The last thing I ever wanted to see in the pages of most of the Sigilverse titles was a bunch of sci-fi rebels spilling out from a dimensional portal, and yet that's exactly what happens at the end of the book. While the Negation cast could fit in alright with some of the Sigilverse books, notably the cast of Sigil and maybe (at a stretch) Scion, the jarring change of tone between Negation War and books like Way of the Rat and Sojourn leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The good news is, I don't know that it will affect any enjoyment of Negation War, but it may retroactively kill any interest I had in Sojourn, Way of the Rat or other genre books whose ending suddenly lands smack dab in the middle of a completely different story.
