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The Original Nexus
Graphic novel by Mike Baron and Steve Rude. Intro by Chris Claremont. 1981, First Comics. Discover the origin of the superhero Nexus. Includes the rare Nexus #1. Contains all 3 stories.
108 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 21, 2017
Nexus is one of those comic book properties that's impossible not to at least have heard of, a legend of the '80s that helped define the medium outside of Marvel and DC. And yes, technically Nexus looks like a superhero, but he's really not. The concept itself is more science fiction than anything. This collection features the character's origins in more ways than one: not only his first appearances but, well, his origin as well. It's interesting stuff.
Mike Baron seems to have been inspired, whether consciously or otherwise (included is an essay where he explains how it all began, and no such revelation is coming), by classic Greek tragedy (the Oedipus cycle). Nexus begins life as Horatio Hellpop, who learns one day about his dad's prior life as a brutal despot. The whole thing explains how Horatio becomes Nexus quite handily, although I'm not entirely convinced that Baron himself understood just how well.
The storytelling is of the kind that's convinced it's better than it is, the way these comics tend to be, finding success and then justifying it by claiming they're better than the competition (i.e. superhero comics). There's a real case to be made that this material directly inspired Alan Moore's Watchmen, which is similarly exaggerated in quality by fans eager to justify its continued popularity; Baron handles the same basic beats better, actually, although neither knows what to do with them except play the same superhero material they claim to abhor. But Nexus today means little while Watchmen remains just as legendary as ever. And why? Well, because of better publicity, mostly.
In its way, Nexus is exactly like the superhero comics Baron is trying to reject. His main character is much like the Spectre, who is compelled to exact justice on those who have previously eluded it. Baron is also reacting to the grim storytelling of his day, which reached a crescendo in the '90s, the same point everything from the '80s either vanished or exploded in previously unimaginable ways, but giving his killer a reason to kill is still to have created a character whose main objective is...to kill.
So again, this is all very interesting. Just, sometimes not precisely in the way it was originally intended.
Mike Baron seems to have been inspired, whether consciously or otherwise (included is an essay where he explains how it all began, and no such revelation is coming), by classic Greek tragedy (the Oedipus cycle). Nexus begins life as Horatio Hellpop, who learns one day about his dad's prior life as a brutal despot. The whole thing explains how Horatio becomes Nexus quite handily, although I'm not entirely convinced that Baron himself understood just how well.
The storytelling is of the kind that's convinced it's better than it is, the way these comics tend to be, finding success and then justifying it by claiming they're better than the competition (i.e. superhero comics). There's a real case to be made that this material directly inspired Alan Moore's Watchmen, which is similarly exaggerated in quality by fans eager to justify its continued popularity; Baron handles the same basic beats better, actually, although neither knows what to do with them except play the same superhero material they claim to abhor. But Nexus today means little while Watchmen remains just as legendary as ever. And why? Well, because of better publicity, mostly.
In its way, Nexus is exactly like the superhero comics Baron is trying to reject. His main character is much like the Spectre, who is compelled to exact justice on those who have previously eluded it. Baron is also reacting to the grim storytelling of his day, which reached a crescendo in the '90s, the same point everything from the '80s either vanished or exploded in previously unimaginable ways, but giving his killer a reason to kill is still to have created a character whose main objective is...to kill.
So again, this is all very interesting. Just, sometimes not precisely in the way it was originally intended.
December 31, 2018
First Comics was another one of those independent comics companies that put out some decent original content; American Flagg!, Badger, Dreadstar, Grimjack, Jon Sable, Time^2, etc.
I'm primarily team Eclipse over First! but they were close competition for the "Creator-Owned" demographic, drawing disenfranchised writers and artists from a variety of publishers, including Marvel.
Regardless, this is the first storyline for Mike Baron and Steve Rude's Nexus--Mike Baron had a sensibility that influenced a lot of writers (i.e. his Flash run was particularly grounded for the time), he's got some true science fiction sensibilities and is quite a competent writer, I'm just not the biggest fan of his politics!
Nexus is lethal, one of the few examples outside of the Punisher. He's basically an edgier space ghost.
I'm primarily team Eclipse over First! but they were close competition for the "Creator-Owned" demographic, drawing disenfranchised writers and artists from a variety of publishers, including Marvel.
Regardless, this is the first storyline for Mike Baron and Steve Rude's Nexus--Mike Baron had a sensibility that influenced a lot of writers (i.e. his Flash run was particularly grounded for the time), he's got some true science fiction sensibilities and is quite a competent writer, I'm just not the biggest fan of his politics!
Nexus is lethal, one of the few examples outside of the Punisher. He's basically an edgier space ghost.
January 23, 2013
OK, so you can actually feel the growing pains of artist Steve Rude in this collection of the first Nexus stories, he was trying too hard to make it look like pretty much all the other superhero comics out there. Once he realized that it wasn't like any other superhero book out there, he establishes what will become his signature style, which he pretty much gets to by the end of this edition, of what would become one of the best graphic novel out there.
Mike Baron is a master story teller from the start!
Mike Baron is a master story teller from the start!
February 11, 2014
The origins of Mike Baron's Nexus; there were certain rough spots, but, already, even in black and white, it was really good, and you could see how it could evolve into a great series, which it did. Last week, I read through this again for the first time in at least a decade and a half, and I was not disappointed in the least. Then, I pulled out the first five issues of the Capital Comics run, and things got way better!
January 16, 2016
This is the beginning of what turned out to be a sporadic publication. It started with those independent producers of comics in the 1980s and move publishers quicker than you can say Nexus! The artwork by Rude is crude but competent and the storytelling by baron is warming up to the great stuff he did later. Good stuff
March 5, 2024
Nexus (black & white series 1) #1-3 -
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews