Continuing the First Comics theme, I bring you another character from that ill-fated publisher: Nexus.
Nexus was another Mike Baron creation, this time with co-creator Steve Rude. Once First Comics went under, Nexus was picked up by Dark Horse and, like other First Comics properties, made its way through several different publishers. I’m not sure who has the license now.
Nexus is Horatio Hellpop, which is either the coolest or stupidest name ever, I can’t decide. He is a guy given cosmic power by an alien force, called the Merk, in exchange for services rendered. In Nexus’s case, that service is to find and kill serial killers. Nexus has the usual superhero powers: flight, super-strength, telepathy and the ability to shoot frikkin’ lasers out of his hands. The Merk keeps Nexus motivated to do his job by making him feel the pain and anguish of the killers’ victims until he tracks down and ends the serial killer; which I guess is a good way to make overtime mandatory…
Much like Badger, I never got into Nexus, either. Maybe it’s a Mike Baron thing, maybe not. Still, I have a few comics with him in it, but I can’t tell you the last time I read one.
To make Nexus, I used two old Heroclix: a Hydra soldier and the Hobgoblin, both from the Marvel Heroclix Infinity Challenge set, not really hard to find (the Hydra soldier is actually tougher to find, and he was a common figure in the set).
I removed both the miniatures’ left arms, and with the help of some green stuff, did a Frankenstein’s monster on them. I also sanded his raised parts down a bit, then mounted him on a scenic base.
One quick repaint later, and Heeeeeeeeeere’s Nexus! The gloves don’t match, but by the time I remembered that I had already painted him and I didn’t see the need to go back and green stuff the gloves. I can live with it.
I have one more Forgotten Heroes submission I hope to complete by month’s end, and this time it’s not a superhero (gasp!). Suffice it to say it’s a character for whom I have long wanted a miniature…
Looks good to me Keith, good conversion, and nice paint work too. Heroklix are so good for this type of thing I’m amazed there are any left out there who are who they were originally supposed to be!
Another hero I’m afraid I’ve never heard of, my knowledge hardly strays beyond Marvel or DC.
One more before the end of the month eh, looking forward to that…
Cheers Roger.
Thanks, Roger. You’re not missing much, IMO. Nexus was a pretty long-running character, so he obviously has fans; and his stories were supposedly topical and socially and politically charged, at least for their time. I wouldn’t really know.
Heroclix are awesome even if you don’t play superhero games purely for their conversion value!
Great job on the conversion! I’m surprised Nexus didn’t go nuts having to experience the pain of the victims.
I do love his eclectic mix of powers, especially being able to simply shoot lasers out of his hands. I wonder how many innocent bystanders were taken out when he waved to his friends?
Thanks, Matt. I said lasers, but it’s probably more along the lines of “cosmic power blasts”. Basically, he pointed in a direction and shit blew up.
Another excellent conversion Keith, the heroclix models seem to be a great resource for your superhero conversions. the gloves weren’t noticeable until you mentioned it, so wouldn’t worry too much, and as your happy with it it’s a job well done
Thanks, Dave! I’m not worried…I doubt I’ll ever use Nexus for any real gaming, but he was a fun and pretty easy conversion.
Another character that I recognise and would be able to name, but knew nothing about. Seems Mr Baron likes to use the genre to address atypical superhero stories. Nice conversion.
And I agree with Roger and yourself regarding the utility of ‘Clix figures. I need to find a decent seller this side of the pond, as Blue Rat has closed down and we don’t have the equivalent of Troll and Toad over here.
Nexus is one of those comics I would always see advertised in Grimjack. I bought the Crossroads limited series, which featured a meeting between Nexus and the aforementioned Grimjack, but that is pretty much my whole exposure to the character.
I guess it’s the nature of the hobby that we who live in different countries lament what we don’t have. I have Troll and Toad, but you have Hasslefree and Crooked Dice (and a bunch of other companies I don’t have easy access to). I can get Magic Sculpt fairly cheap, but Roger told me it’s quite pricey over your way. Ditto for XPS foam (which is really cheap here, probably because Americans other than me don’t care about the environment), while getting cork floor tiles is a breeze for you, and almost impossible for me.
We should meet up once a year in the middle of the night, in some European underpass (a la Ronin), and exchange contraband. I’ll give you clix, Magic Sculpt and XPS; you hook me up with all the British minis I crave. Deal?