The 3rd Degree

    (NBM)
™ and © NBM

This is a well-blended amalgamation of elements from the fictional and non-fictional. Writer Chris Rowley seamlessly combines issues from tomorrow’s headlines with ideas borrowed from classic science fiction. The company known as Cube is the Microsoft many could imagine existing in five years, and its operating system that promises an idyllic and forever-secure lifestyle is the precursor to the classic cyber-Machiavellian computer that makes its play for world domination.

Artist Justin Norman’s work is a fusion of sorts, as well, using the best elements of Frank Miller and Tim Sale, while creating a look that directly mimics neither. With a fresh approach like this, backdrops like the future San Francisco Haight-Ashbury district never looked so—futuristic.

Rowley revisits another old SF idea: cryogenics. Only this time, technology has advanced to the point where aging can not only be stopped, it can also be reversed via a highly sophisticated software program. So, on top of everything else, Rowley’s world is one consumed by the reality of eternal youth. With such a rich introduction, one has to wonder how this will all be squeezed into four issues.

— Jim Johnson
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  • 1
    #1
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chris Rowley  ·  A: Justin Norman
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    #2
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    W: Chris Rowley
    B&W; ca. 2002
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  • 3
    #3
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chris Rowley  ·  A: Justin Norman
    ca. 2002
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    #4
    Cover: $2.95
    W: Chris Rowley
    B&W; ca. 2002
    1 copy for $19.98