I purchased the Negation TPB at half price at Wizard World and it is really an awesome book.
Negation sounded intimidating and continuity-mired from the descriptions of it. As a book that was “pivotal” to the whole CrossGen Sigil and Firsts and upcoming War, I thought it would be a mishmash. The only Negation story I had read was in an issue of Forge (the now-canceled anthology book that reprinted many of CrossGen’s books from the previous month in a handy TPB format), and it was interesting and exhiting but the backstory took a while to read and I thought, “If this is the short version…”
BUT I picked up Negation volume 1, “Bohica!” (it’s a curse word), since it was only 7 bucks at the Steve Buscemi Guy’s booth. In a nutshell: individuals from all over the galaxy have been kidnapped and taken to a planet where they suffer numerous deprivations and are preyed upon by both wild creatures and the stronger captives. Some of them have strange powers, but the powers don’t seem to work right in that world. And they are unable to sleep until a black tidal wave of energy washes over them and puts them to sleep…during which they have nightmares of being tortured by the aliens that have captured them. One of the captives, Obregon Kaine, a military man, tries to organize them and find a way off the planet.
All of that is explained in the Prelude. I haven’t given anything away, really.
It’s a well-written book with awesome art, believable and approachable dialogue (not an easy things at times in sci-fi), and an intriguing villain named Komptin who has…I guess you’d call them tentacles emanating from his forehead, but that sounds cheesier than it is. Komptin is perhaps one of the few CrossGen characters that would make for a great action figure.
Joe Bob says check it out. It’s not too late to order it for Christmas for the comics fan you love!