TITLE: John Byrne’s Next Men Issue #0
YEAR: February 1992
COMPANY: Dark Horse Comics
Story & Art: John Byrne
Colors: Matt Webb
Executive Editor: Randy Stradley
Managing Editor: Barbara Kesel
When it comes to comic book artists and writers, if there was an artist that I grew up reading and respecting his work as a child, it was John Byrne.
May it be his work from Marvel’s “Fantastic Four”, “Uncanny X-Men”, “The Sensational She-Hulk”, “Alpha Flight” and his work on DC’s “Superman”, John Byrne releases are what I look forward to reading.
And sure, the Internet tends to bring up John Byrne, the individual who speaks his mind and whether you love him or dislike him, I grew up during a time where Internet forums were not common place. And because I never went to a convention to get an autograph from him as a fan or interview him as a professional, I have no experience meeting with John Byrne or hanging out with him.
My ’80s and ’90s John Byrne experience were strictly based on his comic work and I am a fan.
So, when John’s work for “John Byrne’s Next Men” was featured in Dark Horse Presents (and even earlier with his graphic novel, “2112”), there was no doubt excitement for his work for independent comic book publisher, Dark Horse Comics.
While many people may have been jumping in with episode 1 of “Next Men”, an issue #0 was released and this contains the work that was presented in “Dark Horse Presents” but this time with color!
In episode #0, the senator comes to visit scientist in regards to their top secret laboratory must be closed and that every trace of the projected must be destroyed.
For the scientists who have been working hard on this project, its bitter sweet because they were able to design and create new life and. now they are force to terminate it.
Meanwhile, as they try to eliminate all traces of the project, to their surprise, Tony Murcheson from J Street of the US Govt. has come to investigate much earlier than expected.
When Tony sees a door open in the lab, she wants to take a peek but when the Senator tries to stop her, she knees him in the balls and locks the door.
Meanwhile, we are introduced to a group of people who think they are living a great life as they can imagine whatever they want and get it. But they are starting to show some awesome supernatural powers.
Jack with unbelievable strength, Jasmine with agility, Danny with super ability, Bethany with invincibility and Nathan with the ability to see things others are unable to see.
As Jack and Jasmine are sharing an intimate moment together, something happens and Jack awakens in a mechanical suit. Jasmine comes to warn the others and we start to learn that others were living there with them but a lot of them are no longer alive.
Next thing you know, the group are awakened to their true reality and that they are not living in paradise. They were sleeping in chambers and now they are out. When they take off their iron uniforms, all but Bethanny have no hair.
As the Senator sends his soldiers to stop Tony Murcheson, Tony tries to free the five individuals but she is shot.
As the five try to escape with Tony and leave by car, they are shot by a soldier with a bazooka and this leads into issue #1.
From reading issue #0, there is no doubt that these five individuals were part from a rogue operation trying to create super soldiers. An experiment that has last for several decades and now is going to be closed down.
If anything, it’s an entertaining story and some may think by the title that it may be related to the X-Men which John Byrne worked on years prior but while there are a few similarities, the storyline is quite different.
But reading this title during my college years, it was no doubt one of my favorite titles of the early ’90s and it’s a comic book series that I definitely recommend!