The Classics - Nexus #1

While the 1980s had its share of average comics, Nexus was a series that towered over the others.

This was a comic that combined diverse elements into an intelligent composite of science fiction and superhero adventure stories - that is, if you pumped the whole thing up on steroids and threw in lots of humor along the way (not to mention a dash of Kirby and a smidgen of Ellison).

This wasn't the character's first appearance - he starred in three black-and-white magazines before moving into this color comic (in 1983) from the short-lived Capital Comics line (later migrating to First Comics).

Nexus had the strangest origin of any character in comics. Some 500 years into the future, a young man named Horatio Hellpop gains incredible powers, but they come with a curse. He is stricken by terrible dreams about mass murderers who have escaped justice, and his only release from those dreams is to kill the murderers himself.

Yep, the star of the comic is a killer who otherwise devotes his life to his friends, his lover Sundra Peale, and the protection of his home on the moon Ylum, which has become a haven for political refugees.

The stories by Mike Baron are frantic, hilarious and charged with energy, with loads of plot twists, unexpected events and some of the greatest characters in comics. His writing style is unlike any other, and while others have since tried to imitate his style, no one has ever done it better.

This was also the breakout comic for artist Steve Rude, whose style is original in its power and beauty, while showing touches of inspiration from artists like Kirby and Steranko. His men are handsome, his villains horrible, his comic characters hilarious and his women incredibly sexy. He's simply one of the best artists in comics.

So what happens in this issue? Well, Nexus and Sundra try to go on vacation, where they first meet the brutal-yet-refined Judah Maccabee (The Hammer), another powerful warrior who is following Nexus' example.

Back on Ylum, an army of sentient heads are plotting their own attack against the man who decapitated them, and a mysterious woman confronts Sundra about her secret mission.

I can't recommend this series highly enough, especially the issues done by Baron and Rude. Loaded with outstanding art, great humor, a terrific story and lots of mysteries to sort out, it has something for everyone.

Most of these comics are now available in reprints from Dark Horse Comics - well worth the investment.

Grade: A+