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Nightworld Volume 1: Midnight Sonata
It's fast and furious Faustian action as a trio of demons -- the noble Plenilunio, the hellraising Hotspot, and the haughty Hellena -- battle the evil Empyre and each other over mythic artifacts to lift their curse! Meanwhile, Plenilunio's spellbound lover Lidia sleepwalks his castle and haunts his heart. The cult-hit team of writer Adam McGovern and artist/creator Paolo Leandri (Dr. Id, The Next Issue Project), along with sought-after color artist Dominic Regan (Paul Pope's One Trick Rip-Off) channel pop-art comic classics with postmodern humor, in a unique mashup of vampire romance, gothic tragedy and supernatural heroics. This meta-monster-movie tale of wayward souls in a death-race on the road to redemption is B-movie psychodrama at its best! Now readers can see the entire saga that the A.V. Club's Oliver Sava called "stunning," Multiversity Comics' Michelle White said is "the right way to do old-fashioned horror," and Comic Bastards' Kimberly Gibson called it "a breath of fresh hell fire." This edition contains never-seen prototypes and unique looks at the creative process, with character designs, pages from an unused version, alternate cover sketches, script development and commentary from the creators. All adding to the comic that's been compared to everything from Edgar Allan Poe to Jack Kirby!
- GenresComics
104 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2014
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 28, 2016
Some comics attract me because of the cover (yes I am that shallow!) and some comics, after reading them, leave me still admiring the cover – and little else. So it goes with Nightworld, Volume 1: Midnight Sonata, a comic with an intriguing Abe Sapien-type character on the cover (loves ya, Abe!) with gorgeous pop-art visuals throughout and, unfortunately, a completely pants story.
The Abe-wannabe, Plenilunio, along with fellow demons Hotspot and Hellena are vying for an artefact to lift their curses – and the Devil’s sort of involved? That’s about all I can glean from Adam McGovern’s vague and immensely boring script!
I liked the Edgar Allan Poe/House of Usher flavour to Plenilunio’s story – he’s kind of like a vampire who’s haunted by his (dead?) lover Lidia who wanders his house like a ghost. The corny Devil character though was terribly campy while Hotspot, a sort of demonic Flash, talks like an idiot throughout. Anyone who uses words like “word”, “totes”, and “brah”, unironically or not, is a complete twat who needs to go away.
I really loved Paolo Leandri’s pop-art/Jack Kirby-homage style with its thick lines and bright colours, even if everyone’s eyes look way too far apart! As terrible as the writing was at least the art made paging through the book pleasant.
Unless stylized comics art is enough for you, I wouldn’t recommend Nightworld to anyone. Looks like a dream, reads like a nightmare!
The Abe-wannabe, Plenilunio, along with fellow demons Hotspot and Hellena are vying for an artefact to lift their curses – and the Devil’s sort of involved? That’s about all I can glean from Adam McGovern’s vague and immensely boring script!
I liked the Edgar Allan Poe/House of Usher flavour to Plenilunio’s story – he’s kind of like a vampire who’s haunted by his (dead?) lover Lidia who wanders his house like a ghost. The corny Devil character though was terribly campy while Hotspot, a sort of demonic Flash, talks like an idiot throughout. Anyone who uses words like “word”, “totes”, and “brah”, unironically or not, is a complete twat who needs to go away.
I really loved Paolo Leandri’s pop-art/Jack Kirby-homage style with its thick lines and bright colours, even if everyone’s eyes look way too far apart! As terrible as the writing was at least the art made paging through the book pleasant.
Unless stylized comics art is enough for you, I wouldn’t recommend Nightworld to anyone. Looks like a dream, reads like a nightmare!
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October 4, 2019(Read the individual issues, not this collection)
If you're gonna do Kirby, do bananas, psychedelic Kirby. The plot was simplistic yet ironically confusing. Huge tonal change from the mostly-earnest first issue to issue #3 when characters are referencing Facebook. Writing in general was a bit jumbled and hard to read - overuse of passive voice? I dunno. That's all I got.
If you're gonna do Kirby, do bananas, psychedelic Kirby. The plot was simplistic yet ironically confusing. Huge tonal change from the mostly-earnest first issue to issue #3 when characters are referencing Facebook. Writing in general was a bit jumbled and hard to read - overuse of passive voice? I dunno. That's all I got.
December 23, 2015
What drew me to this work, was the Kirby-esque artwork rendered at times by organic looking linework, reminding me somewhat of Kirby's collaboration with Alfredo Alcala on Steve Gerber's Destroyer Duck.
The story itself is fine, and thankfully doesn't attempt to mimic Kirby's writing style, especially dialog. Though, Hotspot's "trendiness" might be a callback to those occasions where colloquialisms found themselves awkwardly inserted in certain conversations in Kirby's 70's work. Though my memory of that time is vague (as is much of my memory), I can't forget that time Machine Man had a dialog with a cab driver and used the phrase "even Steven." It wasn't mis-placed or wrong in context. Just weird.
Though written in a traditional-ish Marvel style, the words compliment the visuals, and tells us things we can't readily see for ourselves. The story is fun, which is a word that can't be overused, if I'm enjoying what I'm reading. And I've been enjoying myself a bit lately.
Comixology version.
3 anna half stars outta 5
The story itself is fine, and thankfully doesn't attempt to mimic Kirby's writing style, especially dialog. Though, Hotspot's "trendiness" might be a callback to those occasions where colloquialisms found themselves awkwardly inserted in certain conversations in Kirby's 70's work. Though my memory of that time is vague (as is much of my memory), I can't forget that time Machine Man had a dialog with a cab driver and used the phrase "even Steven." It wasn't mis-placed or wrong in context. Just weird.
Though written in a traditional-ish Marvel style, the words compliment the visuals, and tells us things we can't readily see for ourselves. The story is fun, which is a word that can't be overused, if I'm enjoying what I'm reading. And I've been enjoying myself a bit lately.
Comixology version.
3 anna half stars outta 5
March 8, 2015
Kirbyesque comic book collection about demons
Obviously influenced by Jack Kirby, this collection about hellspawn and demons vying for various items of power is quite fun. With a lot of colour and jumping/flying around, the stories are short and moderately interesting. The main character, Plenilunio, is trying to redeem himself and retrieve past love.
I found this quite entertaining but not overly so. Too derivative for my liking.
Obviously influenced by Jack Kirby, this collection about hellspawn and demons vying for various items of power is quite fun. With a lot of colour and jumping/flying around, the stories are short and moderately interesting. The main character, Plenilunio, is trying to redeem himself and retrieve past love.
I found this quite entertaining but not overly so. Too derivative for my liking.
March 2, 2015
This is a very fun, beautifully done romp through occult territory. I love the Kirbeyesque madness it invokes, and the fact this book is unique. While not perfect, it is fun, and it is obvious the creators care about making something special. I love the character design of our hero.
December 26, 2015
2.5 stars.
Loved the retro art (think Kirby with a liberal dose of Ditko), less enamored with the deliberately hokey retro dialogue and the thin plotting. Fun but slight.
Loved the retro art (think Kirby with a liberal dose of Ditko), less enamored with the deliberately hokey retro dialogue and the thin plotting. Fun but slight.
July 6, 2016
A quick and enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews