Nexus Archives Volume 7 (v. 7) [Hardcover]

Mike Baron (Author), Steve Rude (Author)

Book Description

Series: Nexus Archives | Publication Date: May 27, 2008

The Merk is restless, dissatisfied with Nexus's performance as champion and executioner since the massacre on Mars. The fallout from that incident is just beginning: Of the two Quatros responsible, Sinclair has disappeared, and Kreed is being tracked by two Gucci assassins hired by the Martian government. The Merk now psychically reaches out to Michana - the youngest daughter of the late General Loomis, bent on revenge. Nexus doesn't have the luxury of worrying about any of this, though . . . the artificial black hole known as the Gravity Well is on the verge of collapse, which endangers the entire solar system! He and Judah Maccabee set out to appeal to the one creature who can manipulate black holes . . . Ashram, resident of the Bowl-Shaped World. The only time the duo encountered this strange world, they were with the likewise bizarre Badger! And speak of the devil . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

In these 1988 episodes of the sf-cum-superhero series, the experimental black hole the Gravity Well has gone out of control, so Nexus and sidekick Judah Maccabee travel to the Bowl-Shaped World to seek the aid of Ashram, a being with the ability to manipulate black holes. Meanwhile, Mars has dispatched a pair of assassins to take revenge for a massacre committed there by Nexus’ giant alien bodyguard, Kreed. Scripter Baron maintains his usual blend of humor and space opera, and Rude’s sleek, economical artwork is always a pleasure. --Gordon Flagg

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593078773
• ISBN-13: 978-1593078775
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,336,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nexus...Classy!, September 10, 2008

By 

Tim Lasiuta "Comic Fan 42" (Red Deer, Alberta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nexus Archives Volume 7 (v. 7) (Hardcover)

The adventures of Nexus by Mike Baron, Steve Rude captured the imagination of independent comic readers from 1981 to the early 2000's. Issues 40-46 of the First Comics series puts Nexus and his crew through dreams in "Possession" to "Bucaneers". "Portraits of Death" explores what happens when a father refuses to accept his sons' artistic leanings. Judah The Hammer is a splendid addition to the book as well.

The art of Steve Rude, Paul Smith (in two guest shots), John Nyberg and golden age artist Sam Grainger is very cool. Rude gives us simple, uncluttered panels. Smith deftly moves us with his cinematic eye, and Nyberg/Grainger provide finishes to art jobs oozing with passion and precision.

The book if produced up to the usual Dark Horse standards. Stunning stories that take readers into the world of Nexus. Classic adventure influences find their way into the stories. Pirates, noir detectives, and philosophy find their way into the volume.

To paraphrase Bugs Bunny, "What's Nexus Doc!"

www.darkhorse.com

Tim Lasiuta

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Best to keep your nostalgia and not buy it., December 10, 2009

By 

Tim Lieder "Founder of Dybbuk Press" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nexus Archives Volume 7 (v. 7) (Hardcover)

I remember when I stopped liking Nexus. It was after the regular run of the series due to no fault of the authors. First Comics had folded amidst a lot of promises of "reinventing the comic market" and Nexus as the flagship was one of the first series to see continuation. Baron & Rude wrote a miniseries for Dark Horse (I believe. My memory is sketchy) about all the deities showing up on Nexus' home world. The first issue had a little controversy as the inker or the letterer bowed out due to his reluctance to portray Jesus as just another deity in a pantheon of convention going deities (that also included Buddha dressed like a skate punk) and he got his own page in the back to explain the fundamentalist Christian belief (it's from Mere Christianity but basically it just states that either Jesus is what he said he was or he's a charlatan or a lunatic - no wonder C.S. Lewis is considered a gateway out of Xianity for many). The story was pretty inocuous with Muhammed wearing a hood and Jesus complaining about Dad. And then somewhere along the way Jesus and Buddha ended up in the pool splashing around like closeted homosexuals at Bible Camp.

The next issue's letter column was full of praise for that scene and hissing for the letterist/inker/whatever because THEIR Jesus was all fun-loving. Sadly, I had gone through my first couple years of college doing all the "spiritual awakening" and existentialist questioning (if I never see another copy of The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Goddess: 20th Anniversary Edition or Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah again, it will be too soon) and I was edging towards my eventual conversion to Judaism. I found that scene, those readers and the whole story smug and superficial. I also realized that the character of Judah Maccabbee took his name from a Jewish hero, but the only thing particularly Jewish about him beyond his name was his love of money (so I was little insulted). I didn't buy the rest of the series. Before then, I had read the first 70 issues of the series in rapid succession and loved the story telling and the existential questions (see - I like that word existential. So much better than deconstruction) and I was a little irritated that I was missing the last few issues. Afterwards, I couldn't care less.

So I grabbed this book from the library hoping to relive some nostalgia. And there were moments that I could remember like poor Kreed's fate (which mirrored the fate of the demon who succumbed to his demonic nature and died). However, the more I read, the more I remembered that moment of utter stupidity and the less I could sustain my youthful enthusiasm.

Quite simply, this book is marked by poor storytelling, cliched situations and the same "dilemma" over and over again which is answered quite simply with "Yes. Nexus should kill these people." I would give it a mediocre three star (because the art ain't bad) but for the presence of two utterly terrible stories. One of them has Nexus setting up all the murderers to kill each other which would be clever save for the scene (which I remember as being praised as subtle and intelligent in the letters column - the stupid stuff that I keep in my head) where Nexus asks the child murderer to make a video of himself killing a kid. The guy does and Nexus watches it and puts his head in his head looking sad.

That would be subtle and sad and all except for one salient fact - Nexus just GOT A CHILD KILLED in order to make sure that he was killing the right child-murderer. With one moment of utter stupidity, the cleverness of the rest of the story dies.

And then there's a bit about the gravity well with Badger. Nexus is a mediocre comic book, but Badger is atrocious. You see, Badger is CRAZY man. SO CRAZY is Bader that he calls everyone Larry. In other words, he's crazy like whacky and funny and cool and Natalie Portman from Garden State, but not crazy as in actually mentally ill and liable to hurt himself or others. Because insanity is FUNNY.

Basically, if you remember Nexus as being a good comic, let yourself hold to your memories. This can only disappoint.