In the early 1990s the comics industry enjoyed a real growth spurt, largely sparked by the success of Image and Valiant Comics.Lots of writers, artists and writer/artists decided to try the independent waters, including the guy whose name is part of the title of John Byrne's Next Men.
By the time this issue was published (with a cover date of February 1992) Byrne was well established as one of the industry's top writers and artists. To his credit, instead of producing just another brainless superhero knockoff (which seemed to be the specialty of Image), he created a thoughtful and unique science fiction-based super-team.
The story unfolds in parallel stories. In one, we follow the attempt to hide the discoveries in an advanced lab - discoveries that focus on genetic research.
In the other story, we meet the Next Men. They are five young people who seem to live an idyllic life in a beautiful Garden of Eden-type setting. Whatever they wish for - food, for example - appears the moment they wish it.
But then changes start happening. The towering Jack develops amazing strength. The group's leader, Nathan, has super-vision. The beautiful blonde Bethany is impervious to injury. Young Dan moves at amazing speed. And the slender Jasmine has amazing agility.
And just as they're beginning to understand their powers, everything changes, and they find themselves facing a stunning mystery.
It was a great beginning for the series, and the issues that followed (with few exceptions) maintained a great mix of intelligence and adventure.
The entire comic - pencils, inks, letters (all except for Matt Webb's colors) - were created by Byrne, and it's powerful stuff. You get the impression that he really put his heart into it. Loads of detail, powerful emotions, raw action, lots of super-scientific equipment, clear storytelling - all the work of a true professional and a heck of an artist.
Future stories took the series in a dark direction, as the logical next step for each character - and the dark side of their powers - was examined.
The series continued for 30 issues, and thankfully the run was reprinted by IDW in large collections. Byrne has said that the series had another 20 (or so) issues still to be told, so we'll have to keep hoping that those will finally see print - someday.
The series never attained the sales levels of the top Image comics, but that is no measure of quality. This comic was one of the (sadly few) truly intelligent comics out there in the '90s, and is well worth tracking down.
Grade: A
2 comments:
One of the things I enjoyed about this series was how Byrne really thought out how their powers would affect them physically. For instance, Jack's strength came from his very dense muscle structure, Nathan's pupils were very large. While Bethany was invulnerable, she had no sensation of hot or cold, and her hair would slice your fingers off if you grabbed it. And Dan's legs were larger than the rest of his body.
Superman Fan, I agree. By taking those powers to their logical extension, he came up with an interesting take on what superpowers might be like in the real world.
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