Thus Spake the Mighty Wha-keem: IDW

Monday, 2 August 2010

The Return of John Byrne's Next Men

Okay, so some belated news to catch up with. Last Monday, after having posted my final segment on Adnan Mahmutović, I came across some of the best news with which a guy like me could start the week: John Byrne returns to his awesome creator-owned comic John Byrne's Next Men. Byrne has since a few years back now seemed to have found a creative home at IDW Publishing, where he has both helped bring Wayne Osborne's FX (see my review) to life and contributed to Angel: After the Fall – First Night (see my review), not to mention written and drawn Angel: Blood & Trenches (see my review), Star Trek: Assignment Earth (see my review) Star Trek: Crew, Star Trek: Romulans – Pawns of War and (forthcoming) Star Trek: Leonard McCoy – Frontier Doctor, as well as some assorted one-shots.

Byrne's association with IDW has also led to the simple fact that his previous work on JBNM is back in print and now available to a whole new audience, either in three colourful hard cover volumes – John Byrne's Next Men Premiere Collection Vol. 1, Vol. 2 and (soon to be published) Vol. 3 – or (my own preferred choice) two glorious black and white paperback editions – Compleat John Byrne's Next Men Vol. 1 (see my review) and Vol. 2 (see my review). While both options collect issues # 0–30 of the series, the b/w collections have the advantage of including the prequel 2112, originally published as a prestige format one-shot.

Now, as the series is about to start up again with issue # 31, I would heartily recommend anyone interested in either good superhero stories or good SF to check the series out. The available collections are well worth your money, to be very frank, and would allow you to catch up to the story so far. However, if you do not feel sure about it (heck, don't take my word for it, right?), you always have the option of picking up issue # 31 when it hits comic shops in December and see if you like it. And do not fret about being able to follow the story without having read the old stuff first. Byrne likes to follow the old school adage of every issue being somebody's first and he did, in fact, write the following over at the John Byrne Forum (post 23 on the linked page):

So here it is: YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO HAVE READ ANY OF THE PREVIOUS ISSUES IN ORDER TO PICK UP THE NEW ONES.

Trust me on this! And SPREAD THE WORD!

That being said, I do think a lot of you will want to pick up the collections. Not because you have to, but rather because they are that good.

Anyway, what are you waiting for? Off to your respective comic shops and reserve a copy for JBNM # 31!

P.S. If you feel like learning even more, First Comics News has an interview with Byrne up now, and it is all about the return of JBNM.

Tuesday, 8 September 2009

Wayne Osborne's FX at IDW: A Comic for All Ages

I first learned of FX over at the John Byrne Forum back in February 2007 (see thread). At the time, however, I did not know of it as FX. All I knew was that a fan, later revealed to be Wayne Osborne, had commissioned Byrne to draw an entire comicbook for him. An exciting prospect in and of itself to many of us at the forum.

In fact, more than a few of the regulars at the JBF felt a genuine anticipation for the project. We kept wondering; would this be made available in any way? Even published?

Throughout the project, Byrne posted occasional sneak peeks

; the first one being this non-spoiler page in pencils:

I, for one, was not disappointed.

Eventually, the news came that Osborne had taken a so-called ashcan version of the comicbook to a comics convention, where he (not by any means surprisingly) had gained the interest of a few companies. It was IDW who ended up as the takers and not only would FX be released, it would be a six issue limited series by Osborne and Byrne. Spirits among us early fans in the making were high, I can tell you.

So, work began on FX the series (as opposed to the original commission that would be issue #1 in the series). As work progressed, the forum members were treated to more beautiful sneak peeks. All good. All mouth watering. All leaving at least yours truly wanting more, ever more.

When I eventually had the chance to read the b/w ash can version of what would become issue #1, I was more than delighted. I felt an almost giddy feeling that the project had been inducing me with since that first sneak peek. This first issue, even in b/w and in smaller format read as the comics I grew up on as a kid. And I mean that in the best sense of that phrase. It was ever so clear that this here was a comic which both adults and kids could enjoy, separately or together.

Soon (though hardly soon enough) the comics started hitting the market monthly. There was an annoying delay for me on account of being situated across the pond, so to speak. A delay which wasn't helped by the fact that my local comic shop didn't get a delivery for the second or third issue (memory fails me to the exact details). Since I didn't want to read the series out of sequence, I held out, waiting for the missing issue to turn up, and while it did do so eventually, it wasn't until around issue 5 or even 6. So, frustration and anticipation were both high... and I admit that I did take a few sneak peeks in the issues I had on hand while waiting.

I eventually got to read the rest of the issues though, and I absolutely loved them. The final issue, beautiful as it is, could well have been longer for my taste. There are some points in that issue where the story is moved along a little bit too quickly for my taste. As if Osborne wanted to put in a little bit more than he could fit in there and I can feel that I'd like to see some of that a bit more in depth. But in a day and age where decompressed storytelling makes you feel as if you rarely get much story at all for your entrance fare, well, this is almost a luxury complaint one might argue.

And now there is the TPB (see my review at Goodreads), with