Steve Rude, Nexus issue 22 page 14 (First 1987)

Following my post about Nexus page 20 splash:

The (black) pencil is mightier than the sword!

Here, Ylum (short for asylum) awaits an attack by the Sov Empire (all things old are new again ... in 1987 the Soviet Union was a global superpower threatening the world - in 2026 we enter the fourth year of the latest Russian war of expansion) in revenge for Nexus having killed a Sov General for his crimes against humanity.

Ylum is largely defenseless as Nexus wrestles with his powers, so it calls on the Heads to protect it - the Heads are just that, heads of severed bodies, made so in slavery to take advantage of the telekinetic power that acrues to a head separated from its body. Joined in large groups, the Heads can wield awesome power, but that same power makes them a target for bad actors seeking to enslave them.

Here, the Heads unveil their group weapon, a black pencil through which to gather power and use it to attack their enemies. The weakest members of society gather together to become the most powerful through collective action.