Some at the Summer s Institute for Higher Learning are beginning to become suspicious of what it’s being told about the world. Some are beginning to become suspicious of those who are suspicious of what they’re being taught at the institute. The dynamic gets particularly volatile in the third issue of Next Gen. The Age of X-Man looks even more sinister than it had in previous issues as questions are raised and answers are revealed in a somewhat intriguing look into the nature of history in a world of lies. Ed Brisson delivers the mystery drawn by Marcus To with color by Jason Keith.

The big mutant named Rockslide is a bit lost. He’d been doing research into a bit of history which seems to have been deleted from the library. He consults with history professor Madison Jeffries on the matter only to find the answers a bit too simple and suspicious. Elsewhere suspicion is delivered to the students in the form of stern warnings against the use of a drug that could lift the veil on a clearly artificial world that everyone is so deeply entrenched in. Suspicions of drug use prompt a very physical confrontation between students of opposing perspectives.

Brisson’s delicate rendering of a world of lies is marred by the fact that it’s so very clearly apparent that the world IS a lie. So much of the script is exhaustively exploring the nature of a reality that the reader KNOWS isn’t true. It’s a bit difficult to become deeply engaged in a mystery that is already solved for the reader. The frustration with characters circulating just outside the reach of knowing everything is a lie almost feels like its own kind of art. While it’s a perfectly okay story as it is, it’s difficult to shake the feeling that Next Gen would be a far better story if the true nature of reality were as shrouded in mystery for the readers as it is for the characters.

So much of the challenge in the visual presentation lies in delivering human drama to superhuman people. Marcus To’s layouts are fairly straightforward. The mystery flows across the page in a slow, steady procession with the occasional glimmer of aggression. It’s a really patient approach that seems to be showing some reward as the series progresses. The challenge here is to show the drama of characters changing in a school that is actively trying to remain still and unchanging. To does just barely manages to make the drama feel compelling even in an issue that spends a solid four pages hanging out with a pair of chickens as a couple of characters discuss matters. That’s actually one hell of an accomplishment on To’s part.

Though it doesn’t meet the potential of characters searching for truth in a world fabricated by authority, the drama in the third issue of Next Gen is engaging enough to keep the pages turning in another oddly enjoyable trip to the Age of X-Man.

Grade: B-