Love this book so much I crammed it in the scanner. Well, a spare copy, anyway.

Today, a book I genuinely love, and one that I think has influenced me a great deal, for good or ill. From 1988, Nexus #50, written by Mike Baron, art by Steve Rude.

This 52-page issue wrapped up a number of storylines, including the six-part Badger crossover...y'know, that wasn't really a crossover as much as a guest-spot. Nexus, Judah, and Badger have returned to the mysterious Bowl-Shaped World to enlist the help of its creator, Ashram. The manta-like alien could manipulate black holes and suns, but had been overthrown by the tyrant Sklar. Sklar, for his part, is overthrown and fried early on this issue; and the weakened Ashram plans to reach into our universe to drain power from a star...but Nexus has an idea.

In our universe, the black hole/gravity well project at space station Stacy is nearing implosion, which would probably destroy earth's entire solar system. Mars, for its part, seems unperturbed, but does postpone the execution of the mass murderer Kreed. (Kreed was one of Nexus's closest friends, yet he and Sinclair had gone kill-crazy trying to cross names off Nexus's list of mass murderers.) As panic grows, and refugees swarm to the now-swamped haven of Ylum; Nexus and Ashram plan to save both Ashram's sun and the gravity well. But first, Ashram wants to tell Nexus how he finds Ylum:

"But Ylum's a mess! Housing shortages! Overcrowding! Crime!"

"Au contraire, Nexus. It is a most exciting experiment in democracy...even taking into account those Ylumites who don't understand democracy...who have no hope of ever comprehending democracy..."

I've mentioned that exchange before, I've always liked it. Again, I'm not sure that this was Baron or Rude's intent, but I've always felt like it meant that Ylum is great because it's trying to work with people that don't understand democracy, don't wanna understand democracy, and may never understand democracy. And I've always really liked that idea. It makes me feel like used properly, a democratic society will eventually wear down extremists, tyrants, and opportunists. It's a hopeful line, that even though it seems like no one gets along and everyone is filled with generations of hate, eventually people will work it out. I don't know if either Baron or Rude would agree with me on that now, though. Hell, I don't know if I agree with me now, but it still makes me hopeful.


Ashram sends our heroes--and tinpot used-car salesman and chiseller Honest Crocus--back through the black hole, where Judah and Nexus are able to use their fusionkasting abilities to help stabilize Ashram's sun and the black hole, saving both. (Badger is sucked back through the black hole, presumably back to his own book! Judah and Nexus aren't terribly broken up, perhaps expecting such to happen, or perhaps six issues is a long time to spend with Badger.) Having saved the solar system, Nexus lobbies for greater acceptance of his world Ylum, as well as commuting Kreed's sentence. Kreed begs to differ, that saving him sends the wrong message: Nexus argues some people would always say such, Kreed argues back that with his death...they would say it less. With a final farewell, Kreed dies, apparently willing himself to do so.

Although Ylum and the rest of the universe seem to celebrate him, and Horatio is glad to be back with Sundra, he claims he is through being Nexus. His boss, the alien Merk, can "find another sucker." Sundra worries that it seems wrong...as the Loomis sisters, daughters of one of Nexus's victims, find a tank not unlike the one that gave Nexus his powers, on neighboring Headworld...and one of Horatio's daughters, Scarlett, has a terrifying vision of a man with "a long scar running down his left eye..." That would be Grimjack, who with Dreadstar would face Nexus in the Crossroads crossover.

While several new plots were being warmed up there, this issue felt a lot more like an ending than a beginning. Co-creator Steve Rude would be drawing the Next Nexus mini-series, while Paul Smith drew the main title for four issues--and you could do a lot worse than Paul Smith! Rude would return with #58, but would only stay until #60, then not return until the series' relaunch with Dark Horse and Nexus: the Origin.

Also this issue: a glimpse into Baron and Rude's process. Baron gives Rude rough layouts and dialog, with the caveat "Remember to forget my layouts!" I love that! I've been working off that idea for years now: if I had a proper artist, I would have them go nuts on my stupid panel layouts...

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Yes, I can see how there would be...confusion.

Guest artists are great, but it didn't seem right to do a week of Nexus posts without any Steve Rude art; so we'll take a quick look at one of the Dark Horse issues.

When a death-row inmate on Mercury is broken out of prison, moments before his execution, by a fusionkasting vigilante, blame quickly falls on Nexus. Even though Nexus' mandate is to kill murderers. And his costume is a different color. And, um, other stuff...

The inmate then commences a new murder spree, and Horatio is forced to leave off his archeological dig on Ylum with Sundra, and set out as Nexus again. In his journals, Horatio tries to work out why he continues the Merk's mission: was he bred to kill murderers? Is he a force for justice on this side of death? Or does he just enjoy his work?

Horatio's current sponsor, GQ (another of the Merk's race, but seemingly far more stable and reasonable) asks him to devote his energies elsewhere this time. Horatio senses there is something unspoken there, but is not swayed.

Before Nexus can finish the inmate, he is stopped by his newfound opposite number: Plexus. (If you ask, "Why Plexus?" you might as well ask "Why Nexus?" Because it sounds cool. And somewhat off topic, back in the First comics days, I think editor Rick Oliver had a great column about how First sank a ton of money into subliminal advertisements in grocery stores, then realized their books were direct sales only and not even available there. All they did was drive up sales of some stupid shampoo...)

Nexus and Plexus are too evenly matched, and their prolonged use of fusion power is starting to have adverse affects on the sun and the solar system. Plexus points out that "You don't cure murder with more murder." Nexus argues back that they "can no more cure murder than we can the common cold!" Both have points: while Plexus' accidental release of the inmate led to more murders, when Nexus kills someone, they're dead with no chance of appeal.

Eventually, the two are forced to stop and repair their battlefield, and both sponsors appear: Kimbo for the Plexus, and GQ. Both claim to be the last of their race.
Nexus innocently suggests the sponsors withdraw their power, so the men can settle it man to man...then throws a shard of glass into the inmate's chest, taking away any reason for the fight. (Where Horatio used to be a bit hapless without his powers, over the course of the years he became pretty hardcore.) Plexus accuses Nexus of being a thrill killer, who picks unsympathetic victims and kills with style, but a thrill killer nonetheless. Kimbo and GQ start at it with eyebeams, then both disappear. (I would've preferred a slapping match, it suits them...)

Poor Plexus is left without juice, or a ship, or the sympathy of the casino the inmate had terrorized. Nexus returns home to Sundra and the (seemingly) cheerful insanity of Ylum. Sadly, we haven't (yet) seen Plexus return, nor is it even clear if his powers returned. From Nexus: Executioner's Song #3, "Negative" (or "Plexus") Written by Mike Baron, pencils by Steve Rude, inks by Gary Martin.


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Once again, it's Friday Night Fights!

Fighting is all well and good if you've been training since the age of six, or have insane super-powers, or can heal from grotesque and crippling injuries rapidly. For everyone else, though, it's a bit more of a boondoggle. We don't want to get hit, we don't know how to hit properly, and we sure as hell don't recover quickly. (I personally haven't hit anyone since college, and am strictly amateur hour. I left the violence to the pros.)

This week, Nexus finds himself in the same boat. You might assume someone who's job is killing mass murderers might have some fighting skills, but Horatio just isn't a hands-on kind of guy. If you can zap killers with fusion blasts, why get your hands dirty...unless your powers aren't working, as was the case when he and Judah and Badger were trapped in the Bowl-Shaped World. (This was a fill-in issue, set right after Nexus #6 rather than the current storyline.)

Possibly even more galling for Horatio, Badger and Judah are both masters of several martial arts, wrestling, armed and unarmed combat, defenestration, etc. Without his powers, Nexus is a philosopher with a neat costume and hip boots.

Stuck in a seemingly endless desert, the three are already starving, particularly since the Thune Judah "needs to eat about half his body weight every day." Eventually, they come accross a caravan of those weird mouth-stalk aliens I'm positive Giffen drew in every old issue of Legion of Super-Heroes. Badger jumps out, and the aliens shoot arrows at him. Nexus and Judah sit this one out.

Once they run out of arrows, the aliens kneel before our heroes, then feed them. Horatio notices "my porridge is starting to flow," but the aliens just fed them their translating MacGuffin, the Leaf of Larger Thought. Great name, though.

Now I imagine the aliens as having that squeeky-froggy voice from the Slurm slugs on Futurama, and they mention their prophecy, which Badger intones solemnly. (Actually, people would probably pay to see a movie called, 'Generic Legend.') And out of his ass. Not entirely convinced these are the heroes of legend, they still let Badger, Judah, and Nexus eat all their food on the way to the walled city.

That night, Horatio wrestles with the ethical problem of deluding the aliens. Judah argues it would crush them, and Badger figures they probably are the chosen ones. Who else would've shown up?

The next morning, the aliens greet them at spearpoint. Accusing them of being false prophets and demons, the aliens present the new heroes of legend, three other travellers. Judah tries to play it off as if they were in the wrong universe, but Horatio confesses they are only lost. And one of the new heroes punches Badger in the face, so it's on.

While Badger and Judah pummel their foes, including a pre-Tyson ear bite from Judah against a guy that looks like Furball from Five Years Later era Legion; Nexus discusses this heroes-of-prophecy business with the third man. The new 'heroes' are lost travellers as well, and not above exploiting or enslaving the aliens; and Nexus is forced to choke a b--wait, his name was really Miracle Whip? Choking's too good for him. Nexus apparently twists his top off.

Nexus apologizes again to the aliens for misleading them, and offers their help. The aliens explain they used to have water, that flowed through a mysterious keyhole in the mountains, and that none who had ventured there had ever returned. The heroes set out to see if they can bring back the water somehow, leading an alien to proclaim "some (prophets) are more false than others!"

In the mountains, they find a dimensional gate, like a wall of static, apparently broken. A skeleton lies at the base, and they deduce the gate is only one way now: the other way. Judah argues they could go through, but Nexus advises checking with the aliens.

Back at the walled city, Nexus smells a disturbingly familar scent: cooked flesh. The aliens have eaten the false heroes, since they now have new gods that said it was OK: three new heroes of legend, including a Quatro. Nexus tries to explain, there's just a lot of strangers coming through right now, and not every one of them is going to be the prophecied chosen.

Things turn violent shortly thereafter:

The big guy that looks like Groot, from Omega Men, doesn't seem to put a lot of effort into the fight; while the Quatro's still game after getting an arm punched off.

With the aliens and heroes against them, Nexus, Badger and Judah have no choice but to make a break for the gate. Reappearing underwater, the three make their way to shore; discovering a new land, with game, water, and the continuation of their journey...

And back at the walled city? It's time for a Giffen big-eye panel...because Quatros have big eyes, really.

There's a lesson here somewhere, but it's not in a little box like the end of a Groo comic, so you're on your own...

From Nexus #23, "False Prophets" Written by Mike Baron, guest pencils by Keith Giffen, guest inks by Rick Bryant. Giffen's art is to my taste, but I wonder what Rude's fans thought of this one. And Bahlactus is the safety word. Don't pretend you don't hear it. Read more!

"The End" Week: Nexus #80!

Every year, there's always one issue I'm surprised we haven't hit before! We might have mentioned it, but time to dig in: from 1991, Nexus #80, "Prelude to a Kiss-Off" Written by Mike Baron, pencils by Hugh Haynes, inks by Arne Starr. Cover by Les Dorscheid. 

Dragon lady-type (not literally!) Ursula is torturing her kids' nanny, former interim Nexus Lonnie Loomis, to see if she still had powers: she decides no, but then finds her young daughters Sheena and Scarlett spying on her, and drags them off for punishment. Lonnie did have at least some powers left though, and manages to escape, accidentally killing a guard in the process. Meanwhile, on Ylum, Horatio Hellpop was Nexus again, and kills a corrupt businessman who was buying a condo there. (That seems like a poor choice of location for a murderer to buy a place!) Horatio is a little put off that he had to snuff a guy in front of his wife, but honestly, that was how he rolled: he wasn't going to wait and kill him in the bathroom or anything. Sundra tries to comfort him, but also light a fire under his ass, since they had to go a museum opening, since Horatio had donated most of the exhibits.

A ton of fun cameos there, from Badger and his supporting cast, Grimjack, Skeevo from Dreadstar (a great character I wish could still be used!), Space Ghost, Bruce Lee, and Elvis...Unfortunately, at the opening Horatio has to deal with the new ambassador from Earth and her husband, but when he and Sundra leave, Lonnie is in their car, and warns them the ambassador was actually a spy for Ursula, who was building an army of women. (The women were treated as second-class citizens by their religious zealot men, but were now fanatics themselves for Ursula, who trained them and gave them opportunity to prove themselves.) It's bad news, but then Horatio has to tell Lonnie that when he had to kill the replacement Nexus Stanislaus Korivitsky, Lonnie's little sister Michana had been powering him, and Horatio had been forced to kill her as well. Lonnie says no, she couldn't tell how, but Michana was still alive...

Somewhere, deep in an asteroid belt, Michana has a tea party with a stone copy of her stuffed animal Otis, and fantasizes about her mother and sister Stacy coming for her, and not that rat traitor Lonnie. (The Loomis sisters all got powers in the Next Nexus limited, to avenge their dad, who of course had been killed by Horatio.) Michana's mom doesn't come for her, but Ursula does; which might be biting off more than she can chew. Michana was a formerly spoiled little girl turned stone psycho-killer, with all the Nexus fusion-casting powers and zero compunction against killing...to be continued? 

Eventually! As we mentioned when we looked at Grimjack's last issue, First Comics was trying to transition from monthly comics to squarebound one-shots or limited series. On the creative side, that seemed like a good idea: less burnout, more time to make something a special event. But on the sales side, that sounds like a nightmare: unless you have a lot of books in the pike, you don't have the steady stream of income like you would with monthlies, and pre-internet First would've had to maybe spend more to get the word out? Sadly, First Comics would go under in 1992. But Nexus would return, with original artist/co-creator Steve Rude for the Origin and Alien Justice in 1992 at Dark Horse, although it felt like a much longer gap. The letters page for the last First issue also mentions Nexus the Liberator as a two-issue deluxe, but it would instead also be released by Dark Horse in 1992 as a four-issue mini. Nexus continues, sporadically, to this day: the most recent was Nexus: Scourge from 2024. Oddly, both Baron and Rude are still working on Nexus, but separately! I don't know if there was any animosity, or if they both just wanted to do their own things with the character, or maybe their schedules didn't line up to keep working on it together.

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Nexus explains the policy I live by. More or less.

Scans from Nexus the Liberator #3-4, written by Stefan Petrucha, art by John Calimee, inks by John Nyberg. When Baron and Rude took Nexus to Dark Horse in 1992, they also released this four issue miniseries, which I believe was the first non-Baron written Nexus. It might have been a test to see if Nexus could become a franchise book, sadly, it did not.

Which is a damn shame, because this was a pretty good try. The only fault I see with it, is that it was set deep back in the book's continuity: on the return trip to Ylum after Nexus' first public execution on Thuneworld, Horatio has another dream of a mass-murderer, and has to make a little detour. The dream comes a little sooner than Nexus would've preferred, since he was still accompanied by refugees from Thuneworld, including Dave, who would become one of his closest friends.


Nexus arrives on a world ruled by a theocracy, where the ruling class killed thousands of protesters with a drug that caused "sleeplessness without agitation," dooming them to incoherence, then insanity and death. Although he's able to kill the evil religous leader Gigo, Nexus then has to deal with other problems, including the idolation of the people, rival splinter factions, a possible new girlfriend, and the fact that the Gigo won't stay dead...

Even though as a book, Nexus is perhaps best known for the art of co-creator Steve Rude (and rightly so), there have been other artists of note that have done some good work, in some cases early in their career. The list of guest or regular Nexus artists includes Paul Smith, Hugh Haynes, Steve Vietch, Keith Giffen, and more. All this week, we're going to check out some non-Rude Nexus issues; plus on Tuesday, a special homemade strip! Read more!

This month, Nexus subcontracts some jobs...

Ever been at a job you hated so much, but couldn't quit; so you decided to try to get someone else to do your work for you? Well, Nexus may have had a bad experience outsourcing, but he's getting a little tired of killing mass-murderers himself. Hence, from Nexus #41, "The Experiment" Written by Mike Baron, pencils by Steve Rude, inks by John Nyberg.

Nexus dreams of four murders on an industrial planet named Clockwork: a child murderer, a slaver, a religious assassin, and a psychotic. Starting with the child murderer, Nexus starts a series of dominoes to take out all four. Tailing the assassin, he finds the killer's target, a bride-to-be. The psychotic wants to kill a priest, so Nexus points him towards the upcoming wedding. Posing as ex-military police, he then warns the slaver of an assassin trailing her. Then, he points the child murderer at a prospective victim...

At the wedding, Nexus convinces the priest to let him take his place, then plays dead as the assassin "kills" him and takes the priest's outfit. Before he can kill his target at the wedding, the psychotic murders him with an axe, then runs out of the church, where the slaver kills him with an arrow, before she's grabbed by the child murderer. Planning to torture her on film (the slaver looked younger than she was...) the murderer gets overly excited and kills her. Nexus takes out the last one himself, describing it as a pleasure.

Man, considering Nexus had "fusion-kasting" powers (think Space Ghost with death beams) and telepathy, Clockwork seemed like way more work than just outright killing those four. Still, at this point in the series, Nexus was burning out on murder (even righteous murder) and wouldn't get his groove back for some time.
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Strictly speaking, not a Nexus artist...

...but Luke McDonnell did the art, and Mike Baron the story, for Crossroads #5. A five-issue, prestige format, limited series from First Comics, Crossroads brought together most of First's titles at that time, rotating two or more per issue: Sable, Whisper, Badger, Luther Ironheart (of American Flagg!, Judah Maccabee all appear; Judah also guests here with Dreadstar, Grimjack, and Nexus. When Vanth Dreadstar crosses over into the pan-dimensional junction Cynosure; the Merk is more than a little upset: he's an insane alien who tasks Nexus to kill mass-murderers, and Vanth destroyed his reality's Milky Way galaxy. (Back in Jim Starlin's Metamorphosis Odyssey, which is like the one chunk of Dreadstar I've never read; but frankly, it didn't come up a lot...) Calling Dreadstar "the Anti-Nexus," the Merk rather forcibly sets the reluctant Nexus on him. Vanth does have one piece of luck: running across John Gaunt, a.k.a. Grimjack. Gaunt gives Vanth the head's-up on Cynosure's hit-and-miss laws of physics. Determined to track down Dreadstar, Nexus blows up Munden's Bar; and I don't know why it is called that, since it's Grimjack's bar. After that, it's on, and a sidetrip to a no-power dimension later, Nexus gets a good deal of comeuppance. The whole issue could be subtitled "Honorable men can differ," and in the end Judah, Horatio, and John share a drink at a different bar; with Horatio promising full restitution. But, somewhat differently for a crossover series like this, there would be repercussions in Nexus' home book: this would be the final straw for Horatio, who would quit as Nexus in issue #52. Read more!

If horse racing is the sport of kings, then surely bowling...is a very good sport as well.

No post yesterday, since I took the oldest bowling, and he got to throw an assload of frames. Kid bowled like five full games at least. His arm held up pretty well, but towards the end his hand hurt too much to use the finger holes.

I am mildly surprised, although I've mentioned it a few times, I've never posted anything from Nexus before. Although it's publication history has been a bit erratic, it's been one of my favorite series since I was in high school. Just last year though, I finally got the third issue from Capitol Comics, with the Flexi-record insert. Now if I only had a record player...

I don't know if anyone remembers, but around 1991 or so, First Comics, still the publisher of the bulk of Nexus issues, was going to switch over from monthly floppy comics to quarterly original graphic novels. Or something. There was a distribution problem or licensing, and for one or more reasons it never panned out.

For those of you with an empty spot in your lives where Nexus should be, it's the story of Horatio Hellpop, agent of the alien Merk, given fusionkasting powers to kill mass-murderers. Throw into that telekinetic heads, a vast 25th century Soviet space empire, and one of the best supporting casts ever. And Steve Rude designs, influenced heavy by classic Space Ghost and Star Trek.
If you can spring for it, Nexus Archives are reprinting the series in a very sharp hardbound; but if you aren't sure, don't want to go in blind, or are merely cheap; back issues of Nexus Legends should be fairly easy to come by. New issues should be out this year, and should be well worth a try. Ideally, I'd like it if someone could produce a Nexus action figure, too; but no, we'll probably get Badrock and Diehard instead...

Today's panels are from Nexus: Alien Justice #3, "The Split" Written by Mike Baron, pencils by Steve Rude, inks by Gary Martin. Great looking package on that one from Dark Horse, and if you can find it, the back cover on that one is one of Rude's best. Read more!

Possibly my favorite Nexus hit, or the oddest:

After the death of replacement Nexus Stanislaus Korivitsky (I suspect because Baron tired of typing the name...) Horatio returns to the job. Ostensibly, it's to keep the fusion power from falling into the wrong hands, but Horatio may feel there is nothing he does as well as being Nexus.

Luckily, Nexus has worked out some better working conditions now: instead of suffering through terrible dreams of mass-murderers, now he's working off a list. Today's target: Dexter Qassat, who admits he was a passionate warrior who killed hundreds "who raised no hand against me" during a war for independence; but now lives as a simple farmer. An old man now, Qassat was waiting for his daughters, and Horatio spends the day with him, eventually coming to believe Qassat was "rehabilitated."

Nexus plans to move Qassat down the list, or "work overtime" so his quota is met, but finds the indignant Merk waiting for him on his ship. Horatio maintains Qassat's death would serve no purpose now, and the Merk compromises: finish three other executions instead. Horatio agrees, and the first hit is pretty straight-forward, but the next one...

Is the standing cop Grimjack, also of First Comics? Well, that's the least of my questions: did Nexus kill a baby? A bad baby, but even so? Or did he lobotomize it, which would be worse somehow? Or did he somehow wipe Glom Norr out of the baby? This page also shows why Nexus sometimes didn't enjoy the best of reputations...

From Nexus #79, "Skip Day" Written by Mike Baron, pencils by Hugh Haynes, inks by Randy Clark. This would be the second-to-last First issue...First Comics, that is. And Haynes was the regular artist for the last year or so, but we've got one more artist to check out tomorrow...

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Hopefully not getting Baron & Rude in as much trouble as Parker & Stone:

Even as I still can't watch that episode of South Park that I missed and Everybody Draw Muhammad Day falls through (links via The Bureau Chiefs) I knew this reminded me of something. The Prophet Mohammed (spelled such there, I'm not sure if 'Muhammad' is the more accepted nowadays) appears in Nexus: God Con; along with Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Yahweh, among others.

This storyline opens with Nexus's world of Ylum plastered with posters for "God Con One," placed by the Buddha, who appears as a young boy. After establishing his bona fides, Buddha explains that by popular demand, the gods are there to debate the question, how can a just god permit suffering, cruelty, and death?

Later, Horatio (the titular Nexus) is visited by Jesus, and is more than impressed with him.

Jesus is concerned about how his father will take this, being an Old Testament, 'thou shalt have no gods before me' kind of God; but actually seems more worried about what evil will do when it shows up. And it does, causing a bit of a ruckus before settling into a more pleasing, seductive shape:

Playfully, evil introduces herself to Nexus as Bernice.

Badger also shows up, not for his god Myrtle, but working security for a Thune earth mother. As the con opens, Jesus and Buddha work the dunk tank for charity, in probably the best scene of the book:

The first issue ends with Bernice opening up a ton of hell, and Yahweh arriving to put an end to evil forever. You can probably guess how well that's gonna work...
Hmm...reminds me of that Savage Dragon, "Don't **** with God" bit, although offhand I couldn't tell you which came first.

I think there may have been a few offended readers of this one, and long-time Nexus inker Gary Martin comments on the letters page about the story's liberties taken with Jesus and God. I don't know if Muslims were put off, though. Personally, this wasn't my favorite storyline either, since I'm mostly godless; but if you're offended or your feelings are hurt or you don't think your deity would act like that or you don't believe in any of them, you can just say it's a mysterious alien power taking a shape that would be recognized.

I've been a fan of Mike Baron's writing for years, but I also always thought he was on the liberal side of the fence; and in recent years his conservative views have been made more public. So I've been wondering if I've been seeing messages in his work that aren't there, or completely missing the point of what he was getting at. I thought the moral of God Con was that the real root of suffering and injustice in the universe was that there's always going to be the weak and the wicked that choose the tempting path of evil and wreck things up for everybody. I could be wrong...but I'm sticking with that one.

Scans from Nexus: God Con #1, written by Mike Baron, pencils by Steve Rude, inks by Gary Martin.

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There wasn't a garbage can to leave the costume in, but Horatio nails the Spider-Man walking away thing.

We haven't seen an issue of this one in a couple years, and although I'm pretty sure I had it I bought it with a bunch of other First comics from the quarter bin. From 1989, Nexus #52, "Take This Job and Shove It" Written by Mike Baron, pencils by Paul Smith, inks by John Nyberg.

Events in the crossover Crossroads, along with the loss of his friend Kreed, have finally pushed Horatio to the point of quitting his 'job' as Nexus. Deep in the caves of Ylum, he confronts his alien benefactor, the Merk, who remains immobile and silent as Horatio renounces the title, his powers, and his costume; no longer caring if the Merk tortured him to death with dreams of murderers. Convinced the Merk's silence wasn't consent, but another of his attempts at manipulation, Horatio leaves, facing a long hike through the caves. (He had left equipment, so he wouldn't have to go in his underwear!) He pauses when he finds a stone, covered in glyphs: earlier, Horatio had been digging up artifacts of Ylum's earlier civilization, only to later be told by the Merk that he had created them all, in a single night, possibly to give him something to do. But this stone, was apparently the work of a race of demons, now believed extinct. Maybe not completely extinct, as one introduces himself...

In Ylum's habitations, it's election season, with capitalist huckster Vooper against the incumbent Tyrone. Tyrone was a somewhat stern individual that took his duties exceedingly seriously, so he had hired young Casper Wineburger (from an earlier issue) as campaign manager. Vooper's partner, the sour Swerdlow, notes he was an experienced "rabble-rouser," and sets his security staff on him, with laughable deniability. Dave, long a voice of reason in Ylum, makes a courtesy call to Vooper and then Tyrone, to let them know Sundra, Horatio's girlfriend, was entering the race. Casper recognizes her as a legitimate contender, while Dave fears they might split the vote and leave the door open for Vooper, who could easily outspend them both.

Back in the caves, Horatio has a pleasant conversation with the demon, who explains he had evolved past his malicious nature: that was how he avoided the Merk's wrath, and why he didn't kill Horatio on sight. The demon also claims to have known Horatio's father, but admits meeting a demon might have severely disturbed him. Horatio seems to be malingering a bit, as he sits in a hot spring with the demon: he didn't want to get mired down in Ylum's politics, and wasn't sure what to do with himself going forward. The demon, Farouk, advises a task: when he returns, the first person he sees will provide an answer.

Swerdlow's security man lures Casper to a trap, where he's sucker-punched by some goons who plan to drop him in a crevice. He almost escapes, but catches a knife in the back, just as Horatio arrives. Reflexively, Horatio tries to burn the goons down with a fusion blast, then has to kill one with a shovel and the other with a kick into that crevice. The dying Casper asks Nexus to avenge him, assuming his killers were from his homeworld Flatlandia. Carrying Casper's body, Horatio then is greeted by Sundra, who after brief dismay over the body, has to tell him she's running for president. Which strikes Horatio as funny, she had originally come there as a spy.

The story closes with the reading of Kreed's will: among other things, there was proof of Swerdlow's treason, and he and his goon are arrested. (Horatio appears to hold the security man at 'gunpoint' merely by pointing at him, as he would've assumed Nexus still had powers!) Next up, debates! How often do you see those in comics...Also this issue: "Baron's (Nonlinear) Guide to the Nexus Universe." Man, I feel like this series could've gone so much further, if it hadn't been ankled when First went under. It would go on at Dark Horse, but I feel like a lot of momentum was lost.

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Double wrong: In this case, it's not a double negative, just twice as far away from being right.

Ah, I was all set for Friday Night Fights for Bahlactus, then I took a nap and went to a barbecue and missed out! Maybe next week.

In the meantime, I had been thinking about the next issue of Nexus coming soon, and I've had the expression "Double wrong" stuck in my head for years. Kreed the Quatro, the one-eyed, four-armed gent above, was only in the series for a relatively short time, but he remains one of it's most memorable characters. This panels from Nexus #21, "The Battle of Ylum" written by Mike Baron, penciled by Steve Rude, inked by John Nyberg. (The next month was scheduled to be a fill-in issue, but that wasn't until the issue after, and it was a fill-in with Keith Giffen art, guest starring the Badger.)

I'm going to have to try to remember to check the sales figures, since I'm hoping the new run of Nexus picks up some readers. It's one of my favorite books ever, and I want it to be successful enough to keep going, and generate spinoffs and toys and cartoons and whatnot. I still wish the reprints were being done in a format more likely to get more readers, like an Essential-style or something.

The only other criticism I have so far, which may not be fair based on one issue, would be a request for more of the insane action/sci-fi aspects of the series. Like so:


Fun, almost but not quite whimsical, since I generally hate whimsy something fierce.

I don't know if it's even a possibility, but I would love to see a Legendary Heroes Nexus figure. No offense to anyone, but he's way more deserving than Star or Stryker. Here's a design challenge, though: how could they make hands that could hold a weapon:
Yet still look good in the flat, 'zap' hand:

You'd sell at least one, guys...

Other panels from Nexus #22, "Implement of Destruction" Baron, Rude, and Nyberg again. Read more!

Guess this Nexus artist:

Here's a hint: he's better known for his cover work.

Answer after the break!

From Nexus #57, "Trade War" Written by Mike Baron, inks by John Nyberg...

This month, Kitty Pryde, I mean, Sundra Peale fights a demon, Horatio returns to Ylum, and the Merk's latest candidate for the job of Nexus makes his first hit. The Next Nexus introduces himself as Stanislaus Korivitsky, and seems personable enough with Horatio, yet also seems like the Merk has a firmer leash on him.

Give up on the artist yet? Adam Hughes! I swear he must've been twelve when he did this one, back in 1989...
Read more!