A young boy obsessed with crop circles and cryptography finds his boring life turned upside-down when he discovers that all of his conspiracy theories are true, sending him on the ultimate treasure hunt for an ancient secret spanning thousands of years. What is the connection between a lost mountaineer, an indecipherable manuscript, and the lost library of Alexandria? How is this connected to a one-eyed, flatulent Welsh Corgi and endless plates of corned beef sandwiches? Find out in...Beyonders!
From Paul Jenkins (ALTERS, Wolverine: Origin, Sentry) and Wesley St. Claire (FU JITSU, Teen Titans) comes the mystery series that HAD to be told more
Beyonders #1 is one heck of an introduction to what promises to be a fun and exciting mystery adventure. Equal parts X-Files, Gravity Falls and any number of action movies, Beyonders wears its inspirations squarely on its sleeve while also blazing its own trail. There was a lot going on in this first issue and some extra explanation would have cleared a few things up, but I don't know how much more fun I could have had with this introductory issue. Aftershock Comics has something very fun and very exciting on their hands, so you should make sure to put it in yours. Read Full Review
This story is more than just the classic trope of teenage loser visited by fate. Jenkins distinguishes Beyonders by injecting some fun into it with a real-life treasure hunt and the careful building of a unique fictional history that we are promised will matter greatly in the future. While the visuals do a serviceable job driving forward the narrative, the frequent usage of irony is what takes the relatability to the next level. As the "real" story seems to start with the next issue, let's hope things keep moving along now that we've been set up adequately. Read Full Review
The first issue of Beyonders feels more like a prologue installment to me, right down to that "Come with me if you want to live" line that Jake gets as a choice to make. We get a lot of deep diving on mysteries from ages ago that slows down our entry into the book which surfaces again later on but we also get an interesting character in our lead and a tease of someone that could play well against him at the very end. I like how quickly things get surreal in his life when he was just kind of coasting for so long and it'll be interesting to see if they work through him coping with that and the loss that he has now while getting introduced to the bigger world that he's about to be pulled into. Read Full Review
Conspiracy theories are cool again, thanks to Paul Jenkins and Wesley St. Claire's work in "Beyonders" #1. Read Full Review
Wesley St. Claires (Fu Jitsu, Teen Titans) art and colouring is in a style I really enjoy, not too polished, like a hand has actually dragged a pencil across a page and I really liked his depictions of the historical aspects of the story. I genuinely dont know a lot about St. Claires previous work but hes done a great job here of bringing the drama and intrigue of Jenkins story to life. Read Full Review
Beyonders has room to grow and improve, but its first issue is predictable, slow-moving, and centers on an unlikable protagonist. Perhaps it will improve with future issues. Unfortunately, I cant recommend this installment. Id suggest giving it a pass. Read Full Review
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