Customer Reviews

John Byrnes Next Men Volume 3: Fame (John Byrne's Next Men (Dark Horse Comics))

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Mr. Byrne's theme of superheroes-set-in-the-real-world forges ahead. With Dark Horse Comics 1994 release of JOHN BYRNE'S NEXT MEN: FAME (Book 3) - which collects the title's original issues #13-18 - Creator/Writer/Artist John Byrne has his five fish-out-of-water protagonists integrating even more closely with everyday society. This time out, the Next Men are outed to the world and become celebrities, touted as the world's first real superheroes. But fame, as we know, comes with a lot of baggage. When their faces are splashed all over the media, it doesn't take long for one particular sheriff in the desert to recognize them and promptly hightail it to New York, where the Next Men are currently hanging out. Before you can say, "Lord, Bethany sure is pale!", the Next Men are arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder (see Book One, which tells of their escape and ensuing confrontation in the desert).

In other news, a devastating personal betrayal by two of the Next Men forever changes the dynamics of the team. A time traveler from the future arrives, and two characters from John Byrne's novel The Whipping Boy have a cameo. Meanwhile, the evil, vampiric Sathanas motors along as his decades-long plan continues to gel. The ruthless Aldus Hilltop, who's worked his way up to the Vice-Presidency, has his eye on bigger things. We also learn the origin of the plucky Tony Murcheson. And Danny keeps his secret, but loses something else.

To be honest, not much in the way of action happens in these pages. But just because there isn't a lot of action doesn't mean that stuff doesn't happen. Read the stories, you'll get sucked in. No, it's not as "real" as, say, Brian K. Vaughan's EX MACHINA stories, but the events which unfold for these uncertain superheroes are things I could actually envision happening, given the wild premise. John Byrne manages to set forces in motion, preps the stage for later issues, and gives his readers the reassuring sense that he knows exactly where he's going with these stories. There's certainly plenty of character and plot development. And the kids get fancy costumes and a whole new batch of superhero names. John Byrne's artwork is, at first glance, simplistic, but there's a wonderful evocativeness and a timelessness to his pencils and inks. He's one of my all time favorite comic book artists.

If you're at all a fan of the Next Men or are curious about them, be advised that you can't really miss an issue. There's a deliberate and well-thought-out chain of progression here; every installment is integral to the overall story arc and to the development of the key characters. Trust me, there isn't a filler to be found. That's the downside and the beauty of this series. And, finally, for those who've actually read the original issues, there's a segment at the end of Book 3 which reprints the covers to issues #0-18.

Celebrity is not all it is cracked up to be.

If there is a real life superhero team running around, then it is pretty obvious to take a crack at a comic series starring them, isn't it? Yep.

Because of this, the heroic bunch get asked to help out on a nasty case in a small town. They do have to wonder about the sheriff's motives for doing so.