The first appearance of Mike Mignola's Hellboy is just the icing on the cake in John Byrne's Next Men: Faith! The Next Men, having been falsely convicted of murder, break out of jail and go underground...literally. They head for the abandoned subway tunnels of New York and find them less abandoned than everyone thought, filled with a secret community of homeless people. But they can't stay hidden forever, and when the government's forces finally track down the Next Men it becomes both an exercise in survival and a lesson in betrayal.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
"In twenty-five words or less, Bethany...it's a jailbreak!",
By H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
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This review is from: John Byrne's Next Men Volume 4: Faith (John Byrne's Next Men (Dark Horse Comics)) (Paperback)
Plenty of SPOILERS here.
Back in 1995, Dark Horse Comics released John Byrne's NEXT MEN - FAITH, Book 4. With an introduction by comic book writer/author Roger Stern, this TPB collects issues #19-22 of the original series. To me, though, FAITH might possibly be the weakest of the Next Men story arcs. The overall impression I get from these 4 issues is a whole mess of running around and finding short-lasting sanctuary, then being attacked again and running around some more. For the unfamiliar, here's a broad brush: As read in the series's initial issues (John Byrne's Next Men), Nathan, Bethany, Danny, Jack, and Jasmine are the result of a secret government research project which has spanned decades, the goal of which was to determine the next human evolutionary stage. These Next Men are five young folks, the latest and, as it turns out, the final batch in a succession of experimented-on infants. They manage to escape the well-armed research facility and abruptly find themselves lost in a strange and frightening new world. But the Next Men are not without super powers... Back to FAITH. Last time we checked up on the Next Men, they'd been incarcerated, having been found guilty of multiple counts of murder and now awaiting sentencing. But the Next Men aren't having this, and they promptly escape. They flee to a series of long abandoned subway tunnels and stumble onto an underground community of hard luck transients and downtrodden souls, headed up by the kindly Father Benedict. In this hidden haven, the five fugitives find temporary respite. Temporary, because, all too soon, they're found out by the police and the military, and the chase is on again. But, other than all the chasing, what else is going on with the Next Men? Well, Jack, the super strong one, is burdened with feelings of guilt and finds solace in religion. Jack, having been raised in an information controlled simulated enviroment with the other Next Men, has no point of reference on which to ground his newfound religious concept. So it's pretty interesting to note just how he reimagines the story of Jesus Christ. Jasmine's pregnancy arc reaches its resolution. Bethany becomes even more isolated. Nathan doesn't really do much. And Danny still has big legs. Oh, and there's another betrayal. Somewhere in there, Byrne also catches us up with the supporting cast. He unveils more background on the life force sucking time traveler Sathanas. Byrne also fleetingly touches base with another character from the future (introduced in the prior TPB, John Byrne's Next Men Volume 3: Fame). There are further developments with Sandy, a staffer at Dollar Comics, whose physical changes are becoming more and more pronounced. And now she's also dreaming of comic book characters, then waking up to discover that the events in her dreams had actually transpired. Too, Byrne continues his crossing over of characters from his novel The Whipping Boy. However, there's not a peep seen of the ambitious Aldus Hilltop, who in FAME had become the U.S. President. While this is still an integral part of the Next Men series, I must admit that, of the six TPBs, FAITH is the most sluggish. It's main function seems to be to tread water, to keep the separate plot threads going, as Byrne prepares to go into narrative overdrive with the next set of issues (see John Byrne's Next Men Volume 5: Power. At least, in these pages, Byrne is kind enough to drop a few hints regarding the thrust of that ensuing story arc. In FAITH, however, the most important thing to have happened seems to be the departure of one main character. John Byrne's distinctive art remains a pleasure to gaze at for the comic book fan, and his crisp storytelling style is quite easy to follow. One highlight of FAITH is the guest appearance of none other than Hellboy in 10 pages of moody guest artwork by Mike Mignola. Also noteworthy is the inclusion of 4 excerpts from Byrne's "A Flame About This High" editorials, my favorite being the segment in which he disparages Image comics, much to Todd McFarlane's bewilderment.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Graphic SF Reader,
By Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" (Legion clubhouse) - See all my reviews
This review is from: John Byrne's Next Men Volume 4: Faith (John Byrne's Next Men (Dark Horse Comics)) (Paperback)
Breakout, with a dash of Hellboy.
One of the cool things about this part of the Next Men series is the appearance of Big Red, in colour. At the end of the last part, the youngsters had been shafted and imprisoned. In such situations it is traditional for superhumans to break things and people and get the hell out of prison and out of Dodge. There will be people coming after them, and who can they trust? 3.5 out of 5
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