To anyone that might be kind enough to answer these questions after recently rereading JBNM 30:

1. In JBNM 27 Ducummen forms an "uneasy alliance" with Hilltop. Then Hilltop kills him and we never know why Control had associated himself with Hilltop in the first place. Control had "kidnapped" the Next Men for his own agenda in the earliest story arc right? Why the sudden change?

*

I always thought Control's "uneasy alliance" with Hilltop came from the fact that Hilltop had become President of the United States, a position which granted him power over Control. Unlike his predecessor, Hilltop knew that Control had taken the kids into his guard, so once he became President he could effectively force him to do what he wanted. Plus, it was stated that Control didn't have enough evidence to prove Hilltop's manipulations so he was at a disadvantage there. At least, that's my take, there could be more to it...

I don't recall it ever being explicitly declared exactly what Control's agency was or did, but it seemed to be an american top-secret intelligence agency with its usual procedures of gathering information for purposes of defense and national security. The sort of stuff they investigated (new drugs, hybrid grain stocks, mutates) made me imagine it could've been the precursor to 2112's Safeguard, Inc.  

*

3. If Van Damme has always been MIV for the "past 50 years" (I quote) does it mean his origin as a recent android created by Prof Kenniston is a lie? Were all the flashback sequences about his creation a lie?

*

Cornelius Van Damme says he had been manipulating people for the last fifty years in order to get rich and powerful. He didn't say he had been MIV for that period of time. 

Inviso-text follows for spoilers:

INVISO TEXT (Click or highlight to reveal): If you read carefully the MIV back-ups, Hilltop had a Robotics project parallel to his Next Men project. Its chief scientist was Michael Kenniston and it gave birth to MIV. We can infer that Sathanas' knowledge of future science not only helped present-day scientists develop mutates but also had a hand on the development of (at least) one shape-shifting android: MIV. This Robotics project, which was closed around the same time as the Next Men project, was probably the place from which Sathanas new mechanical legs came from back in issue 13. Now, Amanda Watson said she didn't think Hilltop knew of the secret basement in the Robotics building, but she didn't know of Project Next Men either, so Hilltop and Sathanas could've been behind it all.

I do not think all the flashback sequences were lies. But I think there is more to that story than we were told. I hope JB tells a bit more of that in the remaining issues of Next Men, particularly of the mysterious Cornelius Van Damme and his alluded relationship with Aldus Hilltop, who Cornelius said he knew very well.

Here you go, Nathan.

Never really understood why this great pic never saw print in the US editions...

I don't think these have been shown here.

••

I didn't think there was a "mystery"! I thought my use of use a distinctive name would be enough to tell readers there was a connection. But, if I dare borrow a quote from Alan Moore, here, "Everything has meaning, but not everything is important."

RE: "Cornelius Van Damme says he had been manipulating people for the last fifty years in order to get rich and powerful. He didn't say he had been MIV for that period of time."

Must I assume Van Damme takes complete control over MIV at the end of the LIES storyline? If so, how? With the mind-control device he'd put at the back of his head?