The One (comics)

The One was an American six-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel's Epic Comics imprint in 1985–1986. It was written and drawn by Rick Veitch.
Within the Marvel Comics Multiverse, The One reality is designated as Earth-85735.

Overview

The One is a fantasy adventure involving monstrous superheroes, the Cold War, and spiritual evolution. An individual of deranged disposition orchestrates a deception, inducing both the United States and the Soviet Union to unleash both their arsenal of nuclear missiles and their superhero operatives against each other. Contrary to expectations of cataclysmic nuclear conflict, this action catalyzes the revelation of the latent cosmic capabilities inherent within humanity.

Analysis

The One presaged both Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons' Watchmen and Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns in its revisionist approach to superheroics. As Moore would later write:

Publication history

Veitch's own King Hell Press reprinted the series in two trade paperbacks:The One The One: The Last Word in Superheroics
In 2018, IDW Publishing reprinted the whole series over a period of six months.