The Nevermen by Phil Amara and Guy Davis
I have been a fan of Guy Davis’ art and work since I got into The Marquis a million years ago. He also teamed up with another favorite of mine, Mike Mignola to produce some great work on B.P.R.D. I love his crazy scary and creepy beasties (c’mon, an octopus-headed villain in a fez!! A disembodied head that calls himself Cadaver!! The Murderist!! The League of Crows!) and characters. The book is hard-boiled detective fiction or film noir mashed up with steampunk sensibilites and a rather bleak look at the future of humanity.
The Nevermen have their hands full. There’s gangsters, killers, thieves and a mad scientist who has built the Chronos Reflux, with which he hopes to manipulate time, even reverse it. There’s all manner of wild gadgets and doohickeys, I spent a fair amount of time getting lost in some of the panels, there was so much detail. Like some kind of fever dream, with guys talking like Jimmy Cagney and Edward G. Robinson.
“Holy maloney! You look like hell in a pair o’ pants!” or “Aw yer father’s mustache!!”
Naturally there’s some sad backstory that makes the mad scientist go mad and near wholeseale destruction at the end. Even when I had trouble following the story, the artwork was just spectacular. A cracking good read.
janniethestrange 