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NOCTURNALS: THE DARK FOREVER #2
Highly Recommended (9/10)
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Oni Press
Writer/Artist: Dan Brereton
Letters: Sean Konot
Editor: Jamie S. Rich
Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN |
It's a damn shame there was such a delay between the first issue of this three-part series and this middle chapter, because a greater focus in plot and atmosphere comes into play here. This is some of Brereton's best Nocturnals work yet, and it has me chomping at the bit to read the concluding chapter.
Doc Horror and the Devil Lantern explore the ancient city that lay dormant and empty under his own home for what appears to be millennia. Fascinated by the culture and knowledge it represents, Horror doesn't realize the subtle influence the place is exerting over him. The influence is felt in different ways throughout Pacific City by the other Nocturnals. Eve and the Gunwitch go looking for Doc Horror, Polychrome connects with the subterranean city's former residents, and Firelion, Starfish and Raccoon face off against undead gangsters... not to mention something even more horrifying and deadly.
Brereton's art is rich, textured, haunting and colorful. His work is angular yet oddly organic as well. One could stare at his paintings for hours and never absorb all of the detail. He contrasts the eerie, cold green glow of the weird setting referred to in the title of the series against the warmth of the protagonists... the Doc and the lantern, Firelion, Halloween Girl's spirit. This issue, like other Nocturnals books before it, is a visual delight.
The characters' monstrous circumstances and the action-packed nature of their business makes them fun to read about, but what really draws one into their weird lives are their personalities. Brereton has captured a genuine quality in the dialogue for this book. The adult female characters boast a delicious sensuality, while the men exude an envious rugged quality, but none of them ever come off as a sexual object either.
Brereton really starts to bring the story together here. The "Dark Forever" beneath Pacific City isn't just the catalyst for this tale, but it's a common bond for the main characters and their origins, far beyond Doc Horror's leadership/father-figure role. The story is proving to have a real and lasting impact on these characters, and it makes for a more exciting read.
This comic book is not one of this week's new releases.
Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.
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