Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja

FROM THE ARCHIVES (Comics That Time Forgot)

Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja

# 1-16, Marvel (1989-1990)
Scripts: Larry Hama (# 1-16)
Pencils: Ron Wagner (# 1-7, 9-16); Dale Keown (# 8)
Inks: Fred Fredericks (# 1-16)
Colors: Mark Chiarello (# 1-7); Bob Sharen (# 8-16)
Letters: Janice Chiang (# 1-16)
Editor: Bobbie Chase (# 1-16)
Editor in Chief: Tom DeFalco (# 1-16)

Although plentiful in novels and movies, Cold War era tales of World War III were rare in comics. Nth Man: The Ultimate Ninja is one such rare example. The plot of Nth Man is a fascinating one. An incredibly powerful and near-omniscient human named Alfie O’Meagan disables all nuclear weapons worldwide in a bid to ensure the future of Earth. In the confusion and panic that ensues, the world’s superpowers enter into a conventional war: the Soviet Union quickly overruns much of Europe, while China and the United States join together to help stop the juggernaut. Unwilling to take the chance of defeat, the CIA sends its best operative, John Doe, to assassinate O’Meagan so the United States can once again have a nuclear deterrent.

Larry Hama is one of the very, very few comic book writers who could pull off such a set-up, but it works wonderfully. His extensive knowledge of military tactics and hardware lend the World War III scenes a realistic and engaging atmosphere (and avoids casting either the U.S. or the Soviet Union as "good guys" and "bad guys"), but it is with the characters of John Doe and Alfie O’Meagan that the writing really shines. Through extensive flashback scenes seamlessly integrated into the main plot, we learn that Doe and O’Meagan grew up together at the same orphanage and were an unusual combination of friends and enemies at the same time. In short, the events of the past influence the events of the present, and we learn a lot about O’Meagan and Doe and start to really care what happens to them.

The series major failings probably came in marketing and timing. With a logo spouting that Nth Man was "The Ultimate Ninja," serious comics readers likely assumed the series was simply another attempt to capitalize on the "ninja" phenomenon that was appearing in so many other comics, or a spin-off of Hama’s G.I. Joe work. The fact that the series came out in 1989, the same year the Berlin Wall fall and the real Cold War ended, probably did not help matters any.

Nth Man only lasted sixteen issues, which is unfortunate because Hama had an epic story to tell and instead was forced to advance the course of the war (and the plot) by a year in between issues 14 and 15. Hama still gives us a great ending, however, tying the conclusion of the series into its beginning in a way that few writers could. Nth Man is one of those series that at first glance may seem stupid, but is definitely worth delving into.

NOTE: It's been reported that Nth Man also made an appearance in Excalibur # 27. I don't have this comic but it may be worth checking out.