Nexus (comics)

''Nexus'' is an American comic book series created by writer Mike Baron and penciler Steve Rude in 1981. The series is a combination of the superhero and science fiction genres, set 500 years in the future.

Publication history

The series debuted as a three-issue black-and-white limited series (the third of which featured a 33 RPM flexi disc with music and dialogue from the issue), followed by an ongoing full-color series which lasted 80 issues. The black-and-white issues and the first six color issues were published by Capital Comics; after Capital's demise, First Comics took over publication.

On the creation of the series, Baron noted that they had originally pitched a series called ''Encyclopaedias'' to Capital Comics, but the company rejected this, saying they were looking for a superhero title. Over a drink at a restaurant, Baron outlined his ideas for ''Nexus'' to Rude:

In addition to the ongoing series, First reprinted the original miniseries as a graphic novel and later reprinted the first two years of the ongoing title in the ''Nexus Legends'' series. The ongoing series was also supplemented by ''The Next Nexus'', a four-issue miniseries that followed ''Nexus'' #52. Following the conclusion of the ongoing series with #80 (May 1991), seven miniseries and two one-shot comics were published by Dark Horse Comics. The last of these miniseries was printed in black and white as a cost-cutting measure; low sales led to the series being discontinued. Although each miniseries had its own issue numbering, Baron and Rude added a sequential number to each, as explained in the back of the first issue of ''Nexus: Executioner's Song'':

The sequential numbering system excluded ''Nexus the Liberator'' (which neither Rude nor Baron worked on), and crossover specials with '' Magnus: Robot Fighter'' and '' Madman''.

Baron and Rude discussed plans to either revive the series or release a movie, possibly in animated form (a brief animated test clip was shown at comics conventions). From July 2007 through July 2009 they published the miniseries ''Space Opera'', which culminated in a double-size issue #101/102.

The creators' canonical publication list includes 105 issues:
* Volume 1 (Black and White) – #1 – #3
* Volume 2 – #1 – #80
*''Nexus: The Origin'' (#81)
*''Nexus: Alien Justice'' (#82 – #84)
*''Nexus: Wages of Sin'' (#85 – #88)
*''Nexus: Executioner's Song'' (#89 – #92)
*''Nexus: God Con'' (#93 – #94)
* ''Nexus: Nightmare in Blue'' (#95 – #98)
*''Nexus: Space Opera'' (#99 – #102)
The series returned to publication in 2012 within the pages of ''Dark Horse Presents''.
* ''Dark Horse Presents'' #12–#14 ("Bad Moon Rising" and "Infestation")
* ''Dark Horse Presents'' #23–#26, #29–#34 ("Into the Past")

As of April 2022 Rude has announced that he has parted ways with Baron and will be writing and drawing a new 100 page Nexus story "Battle For Thuneworld" to be finished sometime in the fall of 2022.

Horatio Hellpop

The lead character, Horatio Valdemar Hellpop, received his Nexus powers from an alien entity called the Merk. As payment, the Merk required Nexus to seek out and kill a certain quantity of human mass murderers per "cycle". When the Merk selected a target, Nexus would receive strong headaches and maddeningly anguishing dreams (whose extremely intense episodes caused physical injuries to Hellpop's body that emulated the dream violence) of his target's victims until he did his duty. Horatio was reluctant to act as the Merk's tool, but continued seeking out mass murderers to maintain his power and his sanity so that he could defend his homeworld, a lunar refuge named Ylum (a shortening of the word "asylum", thus pronounced "eye-lum").

Stylistic influence

Both Baron and Rude paid homage to ''Space Ghost'' in their work on ''Nexus'', including use of the battle cry "This calls for hyperspeed!" and including ''Space Ghost'' characters Jan, Jayce, and Blip in several uncredited background cameos. Hanna-Barbera cartoon characters from ''Jonny Quest'', ''The Herculoids'' and '' Magnus Robot Fighter'' along with his girlfriend Leeja Clane are frequently spotted in Nexus comics along with the occasional appearance of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock from '' Star Trek''. Rude was later hired to create a Space Ghost comic for Comico with writer Mark Evanier.

Steve Rude cited a number of influences on his clean, distinctive style, including ''Space Ghost'' character designs and other work by Alex Toth, Doug Wildey, Jack Kirby and commercial illustrators of the 1940s and 1950s, particularly Andrew Loomis. Rude occasionally does covers in the style of American illustrator Norman Rockwell.

Baron's ''Nexus'' stories responded to the world he was writing in, with competing merchants overwhelming media channels (and telepathy) with advertising. A great computerized library controlled the universe's memory of history. Some of his early 1980s references have become outdated, such as the menacing Sov empire.

Collected editions

Dark Horse Comics hardcover archive editions include:
* ''Nexus Archives, v1'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' #1–3, v2 #1–4)
* ''Nexus Archives, v2'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #5–11)
* ''Nexus Archives, v3'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #12–18)
* ''Nexus Archives, v4'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #19–25)
* ''Nexus Archives, v5'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #26–32)
* ''Nexus Archives, v6'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #33–39)
* ''Nexus Archives, v7'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #40–46)
* ''Nexus Archives, v8'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #47–52, ''Next Nexus'' #1)
* ''Nexus Archives, v9'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #53–57, ''Next Nexus'' #2–4)
* ''Nexus Archives, v10'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #58–65)
* ''Nexus Archives, v11'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #66–73)
* ''Nexus Archives, v12'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #74–80)

Rude Dude Productions:
* ''Nexus: Space Opera'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' #99–102)
* ''Nexus: As It Happened, v1'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' #1–3, v2 #1–4)

Dark Horse Comics Softcover omnibus editions:
* ''Nexus Omnibus, v1'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v1 #1–3, ''Nexus'' v2 #1–11)
* ''Nexus Omnibus, v2'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #12–25)
* ''Nexus Omnibus, v3'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #26–39)
* ''Nexus Omnibus, v4'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #40–52, ''Next Nexus'' #1)
* ''Nexus Omnibus, v5'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #53–65, ''Next Nexus'' #2–4)
* ''Nexus Omnibus, v6'' (, reprinted ''Nexus'' v2 #66–80, ''The Nexus Files'')
* ''Nexus Omnibus, v7'' (, reprints ''Nexus: The Origin'', ''Nexus: The Liberator'' #1–4, ''Nexus: Alien Justice'' #1–3, ''Hammer of the God: Pentathlon'', ''Mezz: Galactic Tour 2494'', ''Hammer of God: Butch'' #1–3, and the "Clonezone Special")
* ''Nexus Omnibus, v8'' (, reprints ''Nexus: The Wages of Sin'' #1–4, ''Nexus: Executioner's Song'' #1–4, ''Nexus: God Con'' #1–2, ''Nexus: Nightmare in Blue'' #1–4, and ''Nexus meets Mad Man!'')

Reception

Martin A. Stever reviewed ''Nexus'' in '' Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer'' No. 83. Stever commented that "the success of the book is due, in part, to its greatly detailed setting. Together Baron and Rude have fleshed out an entire future universe that is as rich and original as anything that I've seen in any medium".

Awards

The series won a total of six Eisner Awards. In 1988, the series won an award for Best Artist/Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team. 1992's ''Nexus: Origin'' won awards for Best Single Issue/Single Story, Best Writer/Artist, and Best Artist/Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team. In 1997, ''Nexus: Executioner's Song'' won Best Artist/Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team. In 2008, Todd Klein won Best Letterer/Lettering for his work on ''Nexus''.

Crossovers

The ''Nexus'' series produced several crossover issues, featuring characters from several other First series, including ''American Flagg!'', ''Grimjack'', '' Jon Sable: Freelance'', ''Badger'', ''Whisper'' and ''Dreadstar''. An example of ''Nexus'' crossover issues is the series ''Crossroads'', published in 1988. Following the switch in publishers from First to Dark Horse, ''Nexus'' crossed over with ''Madman'' (''Nexus Meets Madman'') and '' Magnus Robot Fighter'' (''Magnus Robot Fighter/Nexus'').

Adaptations

A 2-minute promo for a ''Nexus'' animated series was produced in 2004.Nexus: The Animated Series Promo (Video 2004) – IMDb
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Notes

References

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External links

at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original on March 28, 2016.

1981 comics debuts
Characters created by Mike Baron
Dark Horse Comics superheroes
Dark Horse Comics titles
Eisner Award winners