NOWHERE MEN #1 by Stephenson, Bellegarde, & Bellaire

December 5, 2012

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Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and others are the tech rock stars of our generation, now they’re in a comic book. Click the jump to read more.

Nowhere Men #1
Written by Eric Stephenson
Art by Nate Bellgarde & Jordie Bellaire
Published by Image Comics

If tech geniuses like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates joined forces as one corporation to perfect the world, they would become all powerful beings, not that they aren’t already. Writer, Eric Stephenson (publisher of Image Comics and writer of Hector Plasm) tells a story of this particular situation where science and technology who join forces to monopolize the world. It’s a fascinating story and a reflective piece of work by Stephenson.

Synopsis: The dawn of a new age of enlightenment, where science has become the new rock ‘n’ roll. Scientists have become the rock stars of technology turning the world on its heels from out of nowhere. When it’s all said and done, how did these scientists become who they are? At what costs? And how are they able to stay relevant over the years?

Good: A phenomenal writer, Stephenson uses a lot of elements to help the readers get to know the characters in this story. We are first introduced to the four men or “rock stars” of science:

You must pay close attention to the illustrated literature presented throughout this book. These are elements that establish not only the plot, but also the characters within this first issue. It’s a beautiful move by Stephenson and a quite remarkable method to engage the reader.

From the overall feeling of the book to how he wants the story to be illustrated on page to overall direction of the how he pictures the characters as an ensemble, Stephenson has a clear path set out for this book. It’s a home run and it’s very appropriate for this day and age especially with companies like Apple and Microsoft constantly trying to outdo each other. Stephenson might not be writing a reflective piece with this book, but it’s easy to see how it can be; Technology is so highly praised in our society, but the ideas of technology are rooted farther back in history. Stephenson takes the book back to the 1960’s, using the nostalgic appeal of MOD style in this book. Fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars: A New Hope will also appreciate this book as Stephenson pays homage to both movies AND current science fiction, all reflected in the look of the technology (computers and space ships) in his book. It’s quite retro and it has a classic appeal and artist Nate Bellegarde (Hector Plasm, Brit, and Atom Eve) has really paid attention to all the details.

Bellegarde illustrates the drama behind the dialogue taking place between the characters in this issue and does well with non-dialogue scenes, all of which still hold as weight as the dialogue scenes. It is clear that Bellegarde’s collaboration with Stephenson is well communicated; The two are a perfect match to each other and understand the feeling of how the book needs to be delivered to readers.

Bad: It’s a first issue in a series of what is to become a long run. We’ll have to see how far along Stephenson gets with this book before judging anything to harshly. For right now, it’s an amazing issue in a series that will be a reflection of our technological time.

It’s a sci-fi drama filled with heated conversations, mass hysteria, and self doubt. What you can expect out of this book is a lot characters who are all connected to the main plot but What that over arching plot will be, we’ll have to wait to read more in order to find out. If you’re expecting a bunch of superheroes saving the world, this is not the book for you. There are no heroes or villains specifically, only reality based people who create the technology to perfect the world and those who use it. Nowhere Men is one of those books that have been appropriately released in a time that readers can reflect on the technological fads and trends around them and really think.

Rating: 5/5

What did you think of Nowhere Men#1? Are you reading this issue? Why or why not?

Enjoy this gallery of images from the first issue. PLUS the cover for Issue #2!