Saturday, March 5, 2011

John Byrne's Next Men #4

Finally, with this issue, we start getting an explanation about what the heck is going on with the members of the team, several of whom are facing death (or worse).

This issue takes us to the recent past and picks up the Next Men trying to settle into a normal life (or as normal as it can be when you have super-powers).

The four active members of the team gather at the site of a new Supercollider, where scientists hope to uncover the secrets of the universe. When things go wrong (and boy do they ever), the team must scramble - and one faces true horror.

The art is exceptional as always (although the double-page spread of "the event" is a bit confusing). Byrne is a master craftsman, and the layout and design reflect it - for example, when all hell is breaking loose, the panel layouts become chaotic, too, adding to the tension of the scene.

It's a sharp, intelligent science fiction story that is playing out here, and I have to admit that I have no idea how it's all going to be resolved (assuming he doesn't plan to actually kill off the team members, of course).

I can't wait to see what's next (no pun intended)!

Grade: A

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2 comments:

Kevin Street said...

"...although the double-page spread of "the event" is a bit confusing"

It's a black hole created by the collider, that instantly evaporates and takes everything inside with it. A very nice touch by Byrne. The hole is actually a sphere in three dimensions, but you only see half of it because the rest is underground.

Chuck said...

When I first looked at the page I didn't "get" that there were two panels there - one above the other. It looked like a single splash page, which was why the gaping hole at the bottom didn't register. I had to turn the page and then go back and look again to figure it out. Just one of those things - or perhaps we could blame my poor eyesight.