Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s epic "Nexus Newspaper Strips, Vol. 1: The Coming of Gourmando," is MASSIVE. The production quality is top-notch from front to back. The heavy stock gloss paper and gorgeous color and black and white reproductions are a joy for the senses. Once a suitable location is found to comfortably absorb it, the book’s enormous size presents a thoroughly engrossing viewing experience.
"The Coming of Gourmando" is an incredible tour de force that reaches far, far beyond the telling of the Nexus story. It is an entire history and technical course in the art and writing of sequential illustration between two covers. The level of professionalism in Steve Rude’s art on all levels is astounding: from thumbnails to finish and all stages in between, this is a top-notch revelation into the creative process. He is a born teacher.
Each of the various in-depth sections that make up the book stand brilliantly on their own, with the sum of the parts coalescing into an even greater whole. The result is a forward-looking throwback into the whole history of comics by a true master of his art at the peak of his powers. This volume should come with its own diploma!