TokUSA Studios returns after a hiatus to launch their first full-length title, Nebulon: Knight of Justice #1, which is currently on Kickstarter. Part of this 24-page indie comic was in their preview book, The World of Nebulon, which was successfully Kickstarted last year. Nebulon is positioned to be TokUSA’s flagship hero, thereby spearheading their “Nebuverse,” and his first outing is a solid start to his story that wears its henshin hero (and other) influences on its spandex sleeves.
In a futuristic post-invasion Earth, an alien race called the Garlex rules humanity with an iron fist. A band of rebels called the Wings of Justice fights the oppressive regime. But for a young man named Jono, this is a personal war, as he battles the invaders not only to save humanity but also to avenge his brother, Davis, in the guise of the costumed hero, Nebulon. This is his origin story.
Writers James Santana and Hunter van Lierop take cues from Japanese storytelling and drop readers right into the “Nebuverse.” The comic quickly establishes Jono’s personality and power set in a fight scene that feels like a typical episode of a henshin hero TV series. A manga influence becomes quickly apparent with much of the onomatopoeia indicating actions instead of sounds, such as “SLASH!” in the aforementioned fight scene. Artist/letterer Gaspar Flores even gets creative in a borderline meta-textual way by having one of these onomatopoeia be cut by Nebulon’s gigantic sword. However, most of the comic is a flashback that details how Jono’s brother died and how Jono became a superhero. The mentions of these events before the flashback make this part of the story feel a little telegraphed and almost repetitive, like it should’ve been saved for a later issue, but it still works well. The preview copy of issue one I receieved didn’t include the last five pages to avoid spoilers, so I don’t know how this framing story concludes. There’s incentive to back it on Kickstarter!
Santana and company make no secret of their influences throughout the book in multiple homages. Santana said in an episode of That Other Toku Podcast that Nebulon’s design was heavily inspired by the Magna Defender from Power Rangers Lost Galaxy (aka BullBlack from Seiju Sentai Gingaman). The hero’s transformation, which is triggered by the command “Unleash!”, includes poses that appear to emulate the title character from Kamen Rider Black (1987). Completing the tokusatsu trifecta, Jono bonds with a mysterious ghostly being to become a superhero a la Ultraman. So, Nebulon truly is a synthesis of the three biggest tokusatsu titans. Elsewhere, Flores pays tribute to Frank Miller with a silhouette of Jono jumping from a building that’s posed like Batman from the iconic cover of The Dark Knight Returns (1986), and Flores’ designs for the Garlex have a distinct Miller-inspired energy. There’s also a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance by The Uncanny X-Men #135 (the iconic Dark Phoenix cover) in a couple of panels, where Jono is reading said issue.
Speaking of the artwork, as I mentioned in my review of The World of Nebulon, your mileage may vary on it. This is where the book’s “indie-ness” comes through most. The art isn’t “bad,” but looks more like something you would find on WEBTOON than a mainstream book from the “Big Two” (DC and Marvel)—but that’s part of its appeal.
The script isn’t anything revolutionary, but what it does, it does well. There’s plenty of pathos and corny one-liners, both funny and badass. The humor never undermines the drama, and said drama is sincere. In other words, Nebulon borrows Frank Miller’s visuals but not his writing style. This is no cynical deconstruction of tokusatsu tropes or heroism. It’s an unabashed traditional hero’s journey.
Nebulon: Knight of Justice #1 launches its story (and the TokUSA brand) with a fun first issue that will feel familiar and even cozy to longtime tokusatsu fans. However, it might also appeal to comic book and manga readers and anyone looking for a good alternative to “the Big Two.” Santana and company plan to create an entire shared universe of tokusatsu-inspired comics, and this looks to be a good foundation for that world.
Watch my interview with co-writer James Santana:
Score: 8/10
Nebulon: Knight of Justice #1, which is currently on Kickstarter, is a solid first issue that not only establishes its hero but also TokUSA’s burgeoning “Nebuverse.” It proudly wears its influences on its spandex sleeves while also forging its own unique identity. The art may not be “mainstream,” but tokusatsu fans will feel right at home in its story.
