While we wait patiently for the return of “Nowhere Men”, we still have an opportunity to enjoy the writing of Eric Stephenson, a writer of dense narratives and great character writing all wrapped up in a bow a interesting concepts executed fantastically. That opportunity is called “They’re Not Like Us”, an upcoming series written by Stephenson with artwork by Simon Gane. Stephenson is also joined once again by “Nowhere Men” colourist, Jordie Bellaire.
So if you’re looking for something to scratch that itch that the hiatus of “Nowhere Men” has left you with, check out our spoiler free advance review of “They’re Not Like Us” #1 to see why you should not miss out on this.
Written by Eric Stephenson
Illustrated by Simon Gane
We all have advantages over one another, but what if you were capable of things most of us can only imagine? What would you do – and who would you be? A doctor? An athlete? A soldier? A hero?
Everyone has to make a choice about how to use the abilities they’re born with… but they’re not like us.
There is a very brief, rather apt, but still rather unfair comparison that I could level at “They’re Not Like Us” that would somehow both sum up the issue for anyone still unsure about what’s all going on with it, but still wouldn’t quite hit the mark on how the issue feels to read. Still, here goes: if “Nowhere Men” is Eric Stephenson’s “Fantastic Four”, then “They’re Not Like Us” is Stephenson’s “X-Men”. But, as I said, while that comparison works to a degree, it doesn’t even touch the bigger picture. Anyone who’s read “Nowhere Men” will attest that there’s a lot more going on in that book than the umbrella comparison that there are scientists transformed by accidental exposure to unknown energies covers.
So, what is “They’re Not Like Us” really about? It’s about kids. It’s about being a young adult in the 21st century, about being what I guess is now dubbed a millennial, and facing the pain and pressure leveled on you every day of your life by a society that left you a broken world that then says “fix it”. It’s about a girl who is told her entire life that the voices she hears means she is broken, but who is really just gifted a way no one has encountered before. And it’s about kids with those same gifts finding themselves and banding together to provide a safe haven for those like them. Without spoiling too much, as the crux of this issue’s story is being introduced to these kids, it’s an issue that really showcases how great a character writer Eric Stephenson is and that he can write more than just dense mysteries.
As a millennial myself and as someone dealing with a malady of mental problems from clinical depression to social anxiety as well as embarking on my own journey of self discovery in terms of my gender, I can easily say that Eric Stephenson’s writing on this issue spoke to me in a very personal way. But just because it hit me emotionally doesn’t mean it’s all that good, right? Well, thankfully, “They’re Not Like Us” has a lot of artistic merit back up that writing.
What you might notice looking at the cover to “They’re Not Like Us” #1 is that there’s a speech bubble. At first, I thought that might be a call back to their use on older golden and silver age comic book covers, but then I noticed that the artwork on the cover is actually rather small. And then I realise that that’s the book’s cover, first panel and credits page all rolled into one, and suddenly, everything fell into place. This is a book about being different, about breaking the boundaries of social norm. Well, how better to illustrate that than by having the book itself break artistic norms?
This is where Simon Gane steps in, bringing with him an art style that is perfect for this book. Gane’s artwork is rather European in its influence, keeping a realistic feeling of imperfection in its depictions of the characters on the page by using a lot of scratchy and warped lines to build a sense of the world and its people. There’s no sense of American comic book polish and that’s an effect that is so perfect here. Hell, even the panel borders look hand drawn instead of the rigid, harsh lines that you see in most other comics. It’s an artistic style and aesthetic that is perfectly in sync with the tone and themes present in Stephenson’s writing to bring the comic to life. Is it a style that not everyone will like? Sure, probably, I can’t dictate who will and won’t like how the book looks, but in terms of sheer craft, Gane was a fantastic artistic partner for Stephenson in this book.
Continued belowSpeaking of fantastic artistic partners: Jordie Bellaire. She seems to be able to come to any book, any art style and bring it to life with colours that are not only appropriate to how the book should feel, but she does it so often and on so many books, it’s simply amazing. Here, Bellaire breathes life in Gane’s pencils by bringing a vibrancy to the colours that speak to the superheroic origins of the book’s influences. Even the darker, earthier colours that would normally appear rather muted to keep a sense of realism in other books are incredibly vibrant here, highlighted by details in the panels of bright and saturated warm or cold colours. The final sequence of the book, which I shall not reveal anything about for the sake of spoilers, is an especially great showcase of this that shows that Bellaire is a colourist like no other.
While “Nowhere Men” may be stuck in an unfortunate limbo (and who knows when we will see it next), I’m just thankful that “They’re Not Like Us” not only scratches the itch left in its absence, but is a work of beauty in terms of writing and artwork from all involved. It is simply gorgeous and it touched me in a very real way. While the plot heavy nature of this issue and the promise of keeping this review free of spoilers means I can’t really examine why Stephenson’s writing in this issue spoke to the heart of being a millennial and being “different” better than pretty much any X-Men comic I’ve ever read, I will say that this issue was surprisingly heartfelt and beautiful in both writing and artwork.
“They’re Not Like Us” #1 from Eric Stephenson, Simon Gane and Jordie Bellaire is dropping on December 24, and for fans of “Nowhere Men” or the X-Men, I would say it is definitely worth checking out.
Final Verdict: 9.1 – A great debut from a top creative team
