Next Men Premiere Edition Volume 1

Last week, I read Hellspawn: The Complete Collection, which was a fantastic art book with a pretty good story, too. Since I’ve been having so much fun with mainstream books, I thought I would try another. I decided to go with one of the biggest, most mainstreamy names I could think of, so I read NEXT MEN PREMIERE EDITION VOLUME 1, written and illustrated by John Byrne, published by IDW.

The "Next Men" are late teens/early 20-somethings who were genetically modified as babies and raised in a computer generated world. The group is freed from the machines that "store" them and they quickly discover the real world is far different from the one in which they were raised. While they were normal looking inside the computer world, once in the real world they quickly start to mutate as their genetic enhancements develop. They are the first people in the world with abilities beyond the normal person… but is the world ready for them?

Over the past decade I think Byrne’s outspoken and slightly grumpy attitude has cost him some of the respect he is rightfully due. His run from X-Men to Fantastic Four to Superman has got to be of the greatest runs by a writer/artist ever. Next Men is at the tail end of that peak period but it still packs a punch. This is a solid science fiction comic with slight superhero overtones. This is one of the earliest books to really address the idea of superpowered people in a modern world.

This volume collects John Byrne’s Next Men issues #0 to 10, which were originally published in 1992. Byrne quickly sets the premise and starts working his way through the obvious plotlines with deft skill. The questions, such as why were the children mutated and how it was done, are quickly answered. At the same time Byrne spends equal time developing the group as individuals and how they deal with the changes that are happening to them and around them. It’s interesting to see how Byrne tried to apply real physics to superpowers and the likely consequences of having them.

The entire book moves at a speed that isn’t too fast nor too slow; it’s just right. The sub plots are developed to perfection and the villains are true villains that you both love and hate. There are plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep even the most jaded fan entertained.

The art is classic Byrne. At this point I am sure everyone knows what Byrne’s art looks like but what people forget is just how good Byrne really is. He doesn’t cheat and create splash page after splash page just for the sake of big pretty pictures. The word balloons are always in the right order and there is a clear sense of who is saying what. And, these days, most importantly, the visual lines and cues are perfect. The way Byrne lays out a page your eyes are pulled and pushed from panel to panel. You don’t have to guess where to go. It’s comic book art the way comic book art is meant to be.

Next Men is really good and largely overlooked these days but it could be a case study on how to create a comic book. If you plan on keeping this forever then you can buy the expensive oversized hard cover, but the entire run has been reprinted in both the b&w essential format and color trades so it’s affordable to all. In a rare case of "if you’re looking for the something like the books you always read but certifiably good" then this is the book for you.

- David Lee