Nowhere Men, Volume One: Fates Worse Than Death

"Science is the new rock 'n' roll," is a frequently repeated quotation in this book. Nowhere Men portrays an alternate world where scientists are regaled and worshiped like rock stars are on ours. The men in question are a quartet who band together in the 1960s to form World Corp., a company that rattles off a list of groundbreaking inventions, innovations, and scientific breakthroughs that completely change world culture, much like The Beatles did.

Like any supergroup, their partnership brings creative tensions, unrest, and break-ups. There is much drama, and unlike rock stars, whose exploits often involve drug overdoses and hotel room destruction, these scientists' excesses lead to unlawful experimentation, strange alien life, space debris, and a mysterious radioactive plague.

This inventive take on fame and science is not completely linear and jumps around in time and also setting. Additionally it is also not just a straight sequential art narrative but relies heavily on multiple kinds of text as a kind of collage that tells the story. There are complicated ads from imaginary products and companies, magazine interviews and articles that call to mind Rolling Stone or Creem, and excerpts from a tell-all oral history that propel the story and provide much needed background to the proceedings. Such features have been in other graphic novels to add verisimilitude, notably Watchmen and Ultra, but here are put to much more prominent use.

With all those narrative features, needless to say, this book is a pretty complicated reading experience, but it is not so arcane and impenetrable to be off-putting. There are so many details that alert readers are rewarded, and I feel this book  invites multiple rereadings. And its wide spectrum of storytelling, with its cerebral bits as well as its extreme action sequences, can appeal to many sensibilities. I felt Stephenson's story was incredibly dense and complex, and Bellegarde's art is exceptional, running a gamut from iconic tributes to polished advertising to moments of horror to emotional scenes in hospitals and boardrooms. I also very much appreciated the references to multiple songs and musical artists throughout this book (like Making Plans for Nigel - who else remembered that one?). Clearly, this book is full of wonder, craziness, and chutzpah.

But don't take my word for it. The critics I have read online have been very positive as well. John Parker called this volume "one of the most unique comic experiences on offer." Ron Richards remarked that this series is "a complete experience that’s unlike anything else on the stands." Andy Wolverton wrote, "Don’t be surprised to find Nowhere Men on many Best of 2013 lists. It’s certainly on mine."

one of the most unique comic book experiences on offer

Read More: 'Nowhere Men': Science, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll [Review] | http://comicsalliance.com/nowhere-men-review-stephenson-bellegarde-bellaire-fonografiks-image/?trackback=tsmclip

one of the most unique comic book experiences on offer

Read More: 'Nowhere Men': Science, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll [Review] | http://comicsalliance.com/nowhere-men-review-stephenson-bellegarde-bellaire-fonografiks-image/?trackback=tsmclip

one of the most unique comic book experiences on offer

Read More: 'Nowhere Men': Science, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll [Review] | http://comicsalliance.com/nowhere-men-review-stephenson-bellegarde-bellaire-fonografiks-image/?trackback=tsmclip

one of the most unique comic book experiences on offer

Read More: 'Nowhere Men': Science, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll [Review] | http://comicsalliance.com/nowhere-men-review-stephenson-bellegarde-bellaire-fonografiks-image/?trackback=tsmclip

one of the most unique comic book experiences on offer

Read More: 'Nowhere Men': Science, Drugs, and Rock N' Roll [Review] | http://comicsalliance.com/nowhere-men-review-stephenson-bellegarde-bellaire-fonografiks-image/?trackback=tsmclip

This book is the product of writer Eric Stephenson and artist Nate Bellegarde. Stephenson is the Executive Director of Image Comics and has also written a handful of other comics. Bellegarde is known for his work on Invincible and is also the co-creator of Hector Plasm. Stephenson talks about his ideas for this series here. Bellegarde speaks about his work on this book in this interview.

This volume collects the first six issues of the comic book series from Image Comics. There is a brief preview here from Comic Book Resources.