Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
34th out of 82 books
—
31 voters
Midnight Nation - New Edition
Writer J. Michael Straczynski's classic tale of loss and redemption is collected in its entirety with all 12 issues, Midnight Nation #1/2, and a cover gallery. Also includes a touching and insightful afterword from Straczynski.
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
January 4th 2005
by Top Cow Productions
(first published 2002)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
801)
J. Michael Straczynski (the writer on a bunch of television shows movies, as well as Spider-Man) writes this graphic novel about a man trying to reclaim his soul.
A policeman is attacked by creatures, and he son discovers his soul has been taken, and he will slowly change into one of the being that attacked him. A woman shows up to lead him on a journey to get his soul back, and he’s told he will need to travel to New York where the man holding his soul lives along with his followers. If he reach...more
A policeman is attacked by creatures, and he son discovers his soul has been taken, and he will slowly change into one of the being that attacked him. A woman shows up to lead him on a journey to get his soul back, and he’s told he will need to travel to New York where the man holding his soul lives along with his followers. If he reach...more
I'm not going to get drawn into the "are graphic novels legitimately literature" argument. The fact that I'm including Midnight Nation on my reading list should tell you where I stand.
Telling a compelling story through pictures and word-balloons requires a different approach than a traditional novel, both from the author (and those collaborating on the project) and then reader, who has to fill in blanks more self-consciously than they would a straight text-based story. Coming from a background o...more
Telling a compelling story through pictures and word-balloons requires a different approach than a traditional novel, both from the author (and those collaborating on the project) and then reader, who has to fill in blanks more self-consciously than they would a straight text-based story. Coming from a background o...more
I'm a big B5 fan. In fact, it's probably my favourite science fiction television series that I've seen. I therefore find it hard to believe it's taken me this long to look in JMS's other work. But so it goes.
In all honesty, I wasn't taken by Midnight Nations to begin with. The set up felt rushed and undeveloped, we go from a cop story to a piece of fantasy in one issue with no explanation. It happens, deal with it and now here's the story (at least this is how I read it.) Despite this, the stor...more
In all honesty, I wasn't taken by Midnight Nations to begin with. The set up felt rushed and undeveloped, we go from a cop story to a piece of fantasy in one issue with no explanation. It happens, deal with it and now here's the story (at least this is how I read it.) Despite this, the stor...more
So it shouldn't be any surprise to you that writing behemoth J. Michael Straczynski is pretty darn good, but, just in case, let me tell you; J. Michael Straczynski is pretty DARN good. Case in point; Midnight Nation, a classic that, if not already on your bookshelf, should soon be on its way. Something strange is happening in Los Angeles, and when determined police officer David Grey pushes too far he suddenly finds himself soulless and stranded in limbo. Literally. Here is the place where all t...more
Nov 11, 2011
Janelle Dazzlepants
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
comics,
demons,
devil,
paranormal,
utopia-dystopia,
horror,
urban-fantasy,
graphic-novels,
angels,
apocalypse
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I enjoyed the art more than the writing. A great idea but I seriously wonder about the tone and the author's message. The author manages a strange mix of constant annoying cryptic messages that transforms into a truly preachy tone. I dislike preachiness and it instantly soured me on the rest of the book. None of the characters were very likable and nothing made me smile, laugh, open my mouth in awe, reread a passage, or pause and simply stare at a page in true appreciation. Generally I love stor...more
view all 4 comments
Wikipedia has a pretty good summary of the story, so I won’t bother here. Straczynski crafts a religious tale about a man who battles demons over his soul. Some thoughts:
* The story is okay, but the art got in the way for me — I don’t understand why a good story needs to have scantily clad ladies with prominent breasts to be a good “comic.” Admittedly, it’s not as bad as it could have been, but really, did the angel character need to have busty cleavage, a bare midriff, and high-cut underwear t...more
* The story is okay, but the art got in the way for me — I don’t understand why a good story needs to have scantily clad ladies with prominent breasts to be a good “comic.” Admittedly, it’s not as bad as it could have been, but really, did the angel character need to have busty cleavage, a bare midriff, and high-cut underwear t...more
David Grey, an LA detective conducting a murder investigation, pisses off some seriously weird mobsters. When he raids a suspect's apartment, they get fed up and steal his soul. He wakes up in a hospital surrounded by semi-transparent people who act as if they can't see him. Only one woman is aware of him, and what's more, seems to know what's going on. He learns that he has one year to retrieve his soul--and he has to walk to New York to get it--or else turn into a monster and spend eternity mu...more
This trade collects the entire Midnight Nation series.
Midnight Nation is the story of David Grey, an obsessive LAPD Lieutenant who investigates a murder no one else cares about and as a result encounters creatures known only as "the men." This chance meeting plunges David into the world of the lost and forgotten, and starts him on a cross-country march of discovery and pain to try to reclaim what the men stole from him. But David is not completely alone - a stranger named Laurel has been sent to...more
Midnight Nation is the story of David Grey, an obsessive LAPD Lieutenant who investigates a murder no one else cares about and as a result encounters creatures known only as "the men." This chance meeting plunges David into the world of the lost and forgotten, and starts him on a cross-country march of discovery and pain to try to reclaim what the men stole from him. But David is not completely alone - a stranger named Laurel has been sent to...more
This was an awesome story. Extremely creative. Intriguing. At times laugh-out-loud hilarious.
And tackling some awesome issues. Feeling like you can't make it one more day. Feeling like you can't leave this comfort zone (rut) that you're in (…the devil you know). Powerful stuff. Especially if its stuff that you've dealt with. Or deal with.
And it's not often I shed a tear in a comic book.
And - please, please read the afterword.
It was interesting in a theological sort of way, too. Dealing with...more
And tackling some awesome issues. Feeling like you can't make it one more day. Feeling like you can't leave this comfort zone (rut) that you're in (…the devil you know). Powerful stuff. Especially if its stuff that you've dealt with. Or deal with.
And it's not often I shed a tear in a comic book.
And - please, please read the afterword.
It was interesting in a theological sort of way, too. Dealing with...more
Redenção e obtenção da liberdade individual mesmo que a custo do que nos é mais precioso são os grandes temas que balizam este intrigante Midnight Nation. Este périplo de descoberta passa-se num mundo semi-paralelo ao nosso, uma quase realidade habitada por aqueles em que ninguém repara e se esfumam num esquecimento colectivo. Criaturas violentas agem como predadores nos grupos de almas extraviadas que sobrevivem nos espaços levemente dessincronizados com o real. É nesta paisagem que um detectiv...more
Whew. This is a trick one. First off I loves me some Gary Frank art. Can't get quite enough of that. What I have had enough of is J. Michael Straczynski's constant moralizing. I have no problem with books that make a point but I feel like JMS prefers to beat one over the head with it. What's really intriguing is this is a book about a guy walking across the USA. Not unlike another more recent offering where another more Super man opts to do the same. Hmmmmm.
The afterword gave me a lot of sympath...more
The afterword gave me a lot of sympath...more
Sep 14, 2011
janapka
added it
A little bit of mystery, darkness, romance and psychology.... all packed up with a wonderful art. The whole idea of the world somewhere in between seemed to me as not very appealing, but as I've opened the book and dove in the story, I loved the world. The book pictures a spiritual journey through this world (well through the shadowy US)... the loneliness, questions of priorities and surprisingly deep thoughts... everything is in here. It is more of a life metaphor than anything else. A wonderfu...more
An awesome story which serves as a wonderful metaphor for life. sorta spiritual journey. JMS is always a good writer but this blew me with the first few issues which are very different from each other as if they cater to different genres despite treading through a single story. and Gary frank proves why he is one of the best. although his superman work is phenomenal, this one doesn't fall far from his best. i have no idea why i didn't hear much about this one along with the best of the lot in th...more
A couple weeks ago my fiancé told me that I should read Midnight Nation. He compared it to Neverwhere, a book I’ve read recently and really enjoyed. I was skeptical at first. Neverwhere is a very British book. How could this very American story be similar? Once I started, I realized quickly that I had underestimated it. Midnight Nation tells the story what happen to people who have been forgotten by society. They fade from our world, exiting in a bleak shadow of our own universe that is patrolle...more
This was a favorite from when I was working my way through College. It follows the journey of David Grey, Los Angeles Cop. David stumbles into a spiritual journey after a murder in a back alley puts him on the scent of a gang of villains known only as 'The Men'. The Men however aren't human as he soon finds out, and in interacting with them he loses his own soul.
When he comes to, he finds that he is still alive, but that he'll need to journey across the country, from LA to NY, in order to regain...more
When he comes to, he finds that he is still alive, but that he'll need to journey across the country, from LA to NY, in order to regain...more
Como historieta no me pareció tan genial (aunque sí lo mejor de Straczynski que leí hasta ahora), sobre todo por el dibujo noventoso fallido y por un bamboleo en los diálogos de los personajes. Pero la idea en sí me pareció tan interesante, y tan bien manejadas las metáforas (bastante explícitas, eso sí), que promedio para arriba. Puntos extras por el texto de Strac del final y el capitulito extra con reminiscencias a la Biblioteca de Lucien de Sandman.
First foray into the Graphic Novel world (well, serious study, I've read many before). I thought this one started out very strongly, lots of mystery. The art is beautiful but for some reason the payoff didn't hit me. It was very intellectual and I kinda wanted a more impactful revelation to the "meaning" behind it all at the end. Maybe another read would enlighten me, but again, I like a lot of action, not philosophy :)
A bit confused review, but I don't really know what to think about this one.
Mixed feelings here - strong story with deep meaning doesn't go well with "X-Men" like art, it just looks weird. Plus I never really felt connected with the heroes of this novel. It's not a bad book, not at all I just didn't really enjoy it - and I don't see myself coming back to this one any time soon.
While reading I had this feeling that the book is trying to say something really hard, so hard it eventually fails.
The...more
Mixed feelings here - strong story with deep meaning doesn't go well with "X-Men" like art, it just looks weird. Plus I never really felt connected with the heroes of this novel. It's not a bad book, not at all I just didn't really enjoy it - and I don't see myself coming back to this one any time soon.
While reading I had this feeling that the book is trying to say something really hard, so hard it eventually fails.
The...more
as cheesy as Babylon 5 is, Midnight Nation is extraordinary. My favorite one-shot single-volume graphic novel. This is a deeply moving romantic story that happens to include demons, the afterlife, and metaphysical questions. this is the work i recommend to friends who think graphic novels are just childish comics. they have yet to read Midnight Nation.
Quite enjoyed this title. Check out my full review, plus a preview of the first issue, on Guerrilla Geek: http://www.guerrillageek.com/2010/09/midnight-nation-straczynskis-road-to-redemption/.
This book was definitely not what I was expecting, but I ended up loving it! It was a bit confusing in the beginning, as there was so much happening and not much of it seemed to make sense. As David walked with Laurel across the US, more of the puzzle began to take shape and it was clear what this story was about. I'll admit I cried at several points during the book. There are some really poignant passages throughout that sort of take your breath away. The overall message came through loud and c...more
Midnight Nation is a story about a man travelling across the country on foot on a quest to "save his soul" and to hear the stories of the others who have fallen through the cracks in society. This is the exact kind of Americana folklore that I tend to love.
Fortunately, it didn't disappoint. The story gets a bit hamfisted at times, and it really does beat you over the head with some of the metaphors (even referring to the divide between realities as "the metaphor"). Straczynski isn't exactly a m...more
Fortunately, it didn't disappoint. The story gets a bit hamfisted at times, and it really does beat you over the head with some of the metaphors (even referring to the divide between realities as "the metaphor"). Straczynski isn't exactly a m...more
This is the book I always think of when I buy anything by J. Micheal Straczynski. "Of course it'll be good." I think, forgetting everything else I have ever read. "He wrote Midnight Nation." Turns out it is actually just one of the three good things he wrote...
Graphic novel. I wasn't sure about the plot initially: man loses soul, journies across the country to get it back. It just seemed kind of blah. Ended up really liking the story and the message it gives. The kind of book you could think about for awhile. Highly recommend.
Also, the epilogue was a good read, explaining a bit more about the title.
Also, the epilogue was a good read, explaining a bit more about the title.
Reads like an adaptation of unrealized tv series. Nice, clean art. Interesting and engaging storyline if somewhat preachy and straightforward. The ending was a little bit of a letdown even if I couldn't think of any other satisfactory conclusion. Still well worth reading.
Good story, great art. The author's reason for writing it is the best of all though. I've also been lost in the separate day/night worlds and long pondered the employed denizens of midnight.
Je suis déçue de ne pas pouvoir lui donner quatre étoiles parce que ce comic promettait beaucoup, mais je n'ai pas autant apprécié que j'aurais espéré. Les dessins sont vraiment super, les dialogues aussi, les trois premiers volumes parus en librairie et la toute fin de l'histoire m'ont bien plu. Seulement les explications données, le dénouement pour arriver à cette fin m'a beaucoup moins réjoui. Je n'ai pas du tout aimé: c'était trop "gros", comme sorti de nulle part et le lien avec l'histoire...more
Read the graphic novel a long while back and recall it started out with a great premise and intriguing build-up but tapered to a relatively weak resolution at the end. Worth checking out.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954), known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist, and author of The Complete Book of Scriptwriting. He was the creator and showrunne...more
More about J. Michael Straczynski...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Creation is built upon the promise of hope, that things will get better, that tomorrow will be better than the day before.
But it's not true. Cities collapse. Populations expand. Environments decay. People get ruder. You can't go to a movie without getting in a fight with the guy in the third row who won't shut up.
Filthy streets. Drive-by shootings. Irradiated corn. Permissible amounts of rat-droppings per hot dog. Bomb blasts, and body counts. Terror in the streets, on camera, in your living room. Aids and Ebola and Hepatitis B and you can't touch anyone because you're afraid you'll catch something besides love and nothing tastes as good anymore and Christopher Reeve is [dead] and love is statistically false.
Pocket nukes and subway anthrax. You grow up frustrated, you live confused, you age frightened, you die alone. Safe terrain moves from your city to your block to your yard to your home to your living room to the bedroom and all you want is to be allowed to live without somebody breaking in to steal your tv and shove an ice-pick in your ear.
That sound like a better world to you? That sound to you like a promise kept?”
—
4 people liked it
More quotes…
But it's not true. Cities collapse. Populations expand. Environments decay. People get ruder. You can't go to a movie without getting in a fight with the guy in the third row who won't shut up.
Filthy streets. Drive-by shootings. Irradiated corn. Permissible amounts of rat-droppings per hot dog. Bomb blasts, and body counts. Terror in the streets, on camera, in your living room. Aids and Ebola and Hepatitis B and you can't touch anyone because you're afraid you'll catch something besides love and nothing tastes as good anymore and Christopher Reeve is [dead] and love is statistically false.
Pocket nukes and subway anthrax. You grow up frustrated, you live confused, you age frightened, you die alone. Safe terrain moves from your city to your block to your yard to your home to your living room to the bedroom and all you want is to be allowed to live without somebody breaking in to steal your tv and shove an ice-pick in your ear.
That sound like a better world to you? That sound to you like a promise kept?”
