Graphic Novel Review – Nowhere Men Volume 1: Fates Worse Than Death TP by Nate Bellegarde , Jordie Bellair, Eric Stephenson (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Graphic Novel
Length: 184 pages
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: December 3, 2013
ISBN: 978-1607066910
Stand Alone or Series: 1st volume in the Nowhere Men series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

I got a copy of this graphic novel to review through NetGalley(dot)com. This was a really well done and interesting science fiction graphic novel.

Dade Ellis, Simon Grimshaw, Emerson Strange, and Thomas Walker formed the company World Corp and led a new age of scientific advancement. Years later things aren’t going as well for these four geniuses. Dade is in a coma and Emerson is the only one left still leading World Corp. Emerson has a large secret, he’s built a secret space station and things aren’t going well on there. The inhabitants have acquired a virus and Emerson is trying to decide what to do….since of course no one even knows this space station exists.

This was a very, very well done science fiction graphic novel. It honestly wasn’t really my cup of tea, but it was incredibly well done. The story jumps between the past, when these four scientists were at the top of their game, and the present day, when they are all old and a mess. In between these bits of story we see advertisements of the day, excerpts from interviews with the scientists, and excerpts from books about these scientists. All of it comes together to create a very real story, that sounds like real history even though it’s not.

The world is very detailed, but the graphic novel focuses less on the science and inventions and more on the scientists and how they fell apart as a group.

The story also goes back and forth between the past/current day scientists and the crew on the secret space station. The crew on the space station is suffering from some horrible ailments. They are struggling to escape the space station they have been quarantined on and trying to help each other survive.

Given all the above, the number of characters in this graphic novel is absolutely massive. The creators of this graphic novel have started an epic story here and a huge undertaking. Which is one of my problems with this novel…there are just sooo many characters and it is hard to keep track of them. They look different in past and present day, so you have to keep figuring out who is who. Then the crew on the spaceship is changing drastically as well, and there are a lot of crew.

I admire all the work that went into making all this seem like absolutely real history here. The work it took to write multiple page excerpts about fake books about these scientists is amazing and making all that form a cohesive story along with fake advertisements and interviews was amazingly done.

The illustration is done in a very realistic style and generally well done. There’s nothing really exceptional about it, but the illustration was easy enough to follow and the drawings are very detailed as well as being full color.

This book mainly sets up the story for future graphic novels. There is a lot going on here, and there is a lot of political intrigue and a very complex story. It’s very well done, but I honestly had some trouble keeping track of and engaging with the story and characters. It’s a fascinating read, but for me not necessarily an enjoyable one.

Overall an incredibly complex and detailed science fiction graphic novel. This novel is incredibly well put together and makes for a fascinating read. I love how there are a lot of elements (the graphic novel, interviews with characters, excerpts from books, advertisement, etc) that come together to weave the story. I had some trouble relating to the characters and there were way too many characters to keep track of. So, although I was impressed with the ingenuity and detail of how this story was put together, I didn’t really enjoy reading it all that much. I guess I would recommend to fans of hard-core science fiction and conspiracy theory. It really is well done.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge
– 150+ Reading Challenge
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge