The last time we saw “Nowhere Men” was in October, 2013. Now, just over two years later, the acclaimed series from Eric Stephenson (the publisher of Image Comics) returns. Unfortunately, Nate Bellegarde is no longer attached to the project — though his look and style remains hovering over the book, for better or for worse.
Written by Eric Stephenson
Illustrated by Dave Taylor & Emi Lenox and Jordie BellaireERIC STEPHENSON, JORDIE BELLAIRE, and FONOGRAFIKS welcome new artists DAVE TAYLOR and EMI LENOX as the Eisner-nominated series returns with the first of six all-new issues. Featuring thirty-two pages of story and no ads for $2.99, the second story arc picks up right where the volume one trade paperback left off and will ship monthly through May 2016.
When “Nowhere Men” burst onto the scene, it loudly declared that science was the new rock and roll. The main scientists at the center of the book were modeled on The Beatles; there was a sense of wildness and extravagance running throughout the pages; the story seemed structured around the rise and fall of a supergroup while their competition reacted against them; but there was some innovation and experimentation, and, best of all, this mix of all these disparate elements to make something so originally entertaining. That first arc may have been a wild time, but even before the long hiatus, readers are left with still tons of questions.
Suitably, “Nowhere Men” #7 mostly deals with the aftermath of the first arc. Everyone’s trying to figure out what happens next, what they are capable of, and where they’re going. Stephenson introduces the characters gradually, mostly revealing them with Dade Ellis, which is a nice and effective method of bringing everything back. Their questions make sense, their insecurities rear their heads. Stephenson grounds this fantastic and cray world with real reactions and emotions, and though a lot of characters take the stage in this issue, we get a nice sense of their behavior.
Of course, the elephant in the room is the absence of Nate Bellegarde. I realize we’re getting metatextual over here, but the dude was instrumental in developing this world and establishing these characters, and for the most part, Dave Taylor (“Batman: Death by Design”) doesn’t stray too far from that aesthetic. Taylor’s work is fine, if conservative. It might take super causal readers a few before they realize the artist in the main pages changed. Part of me respects Taylor’s decision to sort of maintain the original style and tone, to, you know, ease the transition of artists, but it may have been more exciting if Taylor had the room to go off on his own. He does have a more cinematic layout preference than Bellegarde, but his staging is sort of bland. For an issue that has some many conversations going on at once, having the characters generally standing around makes it more difficult to generate momentum.
It’s not till page 20 or so that we start to see hints of the clever work Taylor’s capable of creating. There’s a scene where Ellis tries to communicate with this comatose scientist. Jordie Bellaire’s color scheme goes monochromatic and Taylor makes it feel like we’re actually spinning around. It’s at this moment that his artwork is the most interesting and exciting.
Taylor also has to follow Emi Lenox’s wonderful prologue. Delivered as a sort of online comic diary, she balances Stephenson’s story with some great images and excellent expressions. With such an energetic opening, the book does feel a little stalled with a more general middle act.
All in all, “Nowhere Men” #7 is a fine return. It mostly deals with catching us up on what happened in the first arc, but Stephenson does well in grounding the characters and posing more questions. Dave Taylor’s artwork serves it’s purpose, but it’s not until near the end where he starts to make it his own. It remains to be seen if Emi Lenox’s prologue is probably the most effective piece, and if the world continues to expand, a wide plethora of styles could help.
Final Verdict: 7.7 – a lot of set up, but there are still some really cool moments.
