The series draws to a close as the remaining Next Men attempt to stop their own existence.
Creative StafF:
Writer/Artist: John Byrne
What They Say:
The end is the beginning, and the beginning the end. The Next Men must make the most important decision of their lives, and very possibly the last!
The Review:
With the convoluted nature of time travel, long life and changes to the time stream, Next Men has been all over the map with this run of the series and the end has finally arrived for it, both with a bang and a whimper. With the plan coming up previously to head back to 1955 to try and stop Sathanas from arriving and eliminating everything that came with him, it’s the kind of thing that makes a whole lot of sense except that you’re asking the people to do it that will potentially be the most harmed by it. If Sathanas doesn’t come back, then Project Next Men never happens. And if it never happens, what happens to those that made it to the very end and have been jumping all over time. While Bethany and Nathan are able to process this and kind of put it to the side in favor of trying to put so many things right since this action will fix so much, Jasmine on the other hand is working herself up into quite a state.
So much so that she actually hijacks the equipment for a bit to go back to the past and see Jack towards the end of his life, when he took on the role of a reverend and helped others in the best way that he could. It’s a difficult reunion to be sure with Jack trying to understand it as Jasmine has so much to convey, but mostly she wants him to allay her fears over her existence being wiped out. It’s one of those very understandable situations and her ability to cope with it is just not working. On the plus side though, her reunion with Jack has revealed one key thing in that he does remember her and the others and all they did together. With the time line being changed dramatically because of what Toni did in saving Lincoln, it kept him as he was before since he was out of the time stream himself, much like Jasmine and the others will be. It’s enough of a hope to grab hold of when your very existence is at stake.
Gil’s plan is pretty solid overall and while it’s light on real details, science and time to be told cleanly without the feeling of being slightly rushed, it does convey things well as it gets down to the final two. Bethany and Nathan have been such wonderful characters from the start that to move things to a point in time where it’s just the two of them going and trying to stop things, you feel the bond they share even more as they go back tin 1955. It’s almost a too-quiet and too-somber kind of piece as they just do what they have to to, even as they start to feel their powers weaken as they realize the events they’re about to set off will change things dramatically. With simple panels that convey the characters well and what they’re doing, it’s a beautiful ending to the series that’s wrapped up in simple closeness and a sense of closure, though with enough of a hope that there could be more in the offing in some way.
Release Notes:
This comiXology edition of Next Men comes with the main cover as released with the print edition and no other extras.
In Summary:
Next Men has been an amazing series from start to finish and I’m still beyond thrilled that Byrne was able to get at least nine more issues out if it through IDW Publishing. The series is one that has such a fantastic and layered story that it really makes you feel like you get every penny’s worth when you have a new issue or compiled volume. This volume of nine issues is a difficult one in a lot of ways because it was in no way accessible to new readers, unless they really wanted to put in the effort and grabbed the older books. For fans of the previous series, it may take a bit to get into it, but once it gets running it’s a fantastic run. There’s just so much going on here that ties into everything else that it can get convoluted at times, but it’s worth every moment of effort because the enjoyment trumps it all in the end. A great ending to a great series that I hope we’ll see more of in some form. Highly recommended.
Grade: A-
Readers Rating: [ratings]
