So – when Multiversity last checked in with “Nowhere Men,” things were very aesthetically pleasing but maybe on the shallow side. How does this bright, retro-futuristic series fare, two more issues down the line?
Written by Eric Stephenson
Illustrated by Nate BellegardeEverybody’s on the run.
In a way, that succinct solicit tells you all you need to know. The younger and apparently ailing scientists of “Nowhere Men” are all making progress, exploring the locales in which the teleportation gateway dropped them, and having their fair share of revelations along the way. Meanwhile, Dr. Strange checks in with the newly-awakened Dade Ellis, finding he may have more to deal with than he expected, and we catch up with the weaselly and mysterious Darrow Fletcher.
In other words, things are progressing at pretty much the same rate they have been these past three issues – sloowwww. That said, what with the bits of world-building here and there (thanks to those slick, faux magazine pages and book covers and the like), it’s all beginning, almost imperceptibly, to stack up into a believable and compelling and absorbing universe. The key ingredient, it seems, is the element of participation; the fact that there is material in disparate formats, presented alongside the comic, leaves the reader to cobble the information together as they like. It becomes a real pleasure to be involved with puzzling out the details, reading between the lines as the characters and the supplementary materials present different sets of information.
I noted the lack of thematic depth back in issue #2 – it was hard to see past the eccentricities of the characters and circumstances and get at the moral implications of the proceedings – and it would be easy to say that this is still the case. The younger set of scientists – now separated from one another – are mostly just puzzling out their immediate situations, not the big picture, and Dr. Strange and Co. are doing something pretty similar, if at a more leisurely pace. But more and more it looks like the work of sorting out this universe, and having it make some kind of sense, is being handed to the reader. Not in a lazy way, either – “Here are some vaguely corrupted people, draw your own conclusions” – but in a manner which emulates the processes we go through in everyday life, gleaning from conflicting accounts and figuring out which truth suits us best.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the comic, extra material or no, is being executed near-flawlessly. As in earlier issues, one of the most morbidly arresting elements is the tangible sense of unease as multiple characters deal with the mysterious virus afflicting them. The situation is improving on some fronts but deteriorating on others, and Stephenson and Bellegarde sure do excel at incorporating some really, really unsettling symptoms into the flow of events (there’s at least one “OH JEEZ” moment over the course of the issue).
Meanwhile, watching different characters sort through the limited information they have, and not quite draw definite conclusions – again, just as the reader is being expected to do – makes for surprisingly engaging reading. It’s getting to the point where you wish you could just see pages from everybody’s diaries, and finally figure out just what they’re thinking – but then, not knowing adds even more to the suspense.
Then there’s the art, which, insofar as that is even possible, embodies all that is uber-slick and false and surface-level about the world of pop science. Bellegarde’s characters are truly unsettling, even when they’re not covered in rashes or exploding into a mushy pulp; you can sense all the conflicting motivations bubbling just under the surface of their expressions. Meanwhile, their mod yet futuristic environments are detailed, interesting and dynamic, while the layouts flow like mercury.
And, coming back to those book covers and such, it’s impossible to over-emphasize just how drop-dead believable these pages are – while being pretty damn gorgeous, too. It’s a real testament to the design talent involved when you can envision taking out any of those pages and framing it, and it’s starting to look like a line of tie-in posters is a necessity – particularly in a series that’s putting so much emphasis on participation and immersion.
Continued belowJordie Bellaire’s contribution to the whole, of course, is obvious everywhere you look – her trademark punchy colour schemes fit the aesthetic perfectly, and add so much verve to every scene.
Put it all together, and it’s obvious that this is one inventive issue; even if Stephenson’s script weren’t so cerebral and complex, the art and design would make it a definite buy. Sure, the story is advancing slowly; but it’s also building one heck of a complicated and believable world. “Nowhere Men” just keeps getting better and better, and if the spirit and energy on show here are any indication, there are some seriously fun issues ahead.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Comics are the new rock n’ roll.
