Welcome to another edition of Last Call Comics. Here, as we continually bolster AIPT’s weekly comics coverage, we catch any titles that might’ve fallen through the cracks. Or those books that we might not cover but still deserve a little spotlight. Either way, it’s a chance to explore more comics, generate some novel insights, and maybe add to everyone’s to-be-read pile.
Once more, happy New Comic Book Day to everyone.
Nights #10
Courtesy of Image Comics.
Remember those “very special episodes” in old sitcoms? Like, Jessie from Saved by the Bell had a problem with diet pills, or Shawn and Cory faced an abuser on Boy Meets World. In issue #10, Nights has its own such offering, and the end result will smash your heart and also lift your spirits.
After some nine issues of being slightly ignored, Matt finally gets his time in the spotlight. Without revealing too much, we get a chance not only to see how Matt met his demise but also the kind of life he had before it was all cut tragically short. And while Matt’s mostly been played as the kind of “house parent” for Vince, Gray, and Ivory, we see him as this super loving kid with a big life in front of him, and we’re meant to both grieve for what could’ve been but also see just how vital he is to the group’s dynamic.
I don’t think the book’s creators (Wyatt Kennedy and Luigi Formisano) meant to ever treat Matt harshly. Rather, they were strategic in their efforts, and after issue #9’s Christmas “episode,” it seemed like the perfect time to give Matt his dues…and maybe stir the pot just a bit.
Because as much as this episode is clearly about Matt, it’s also very much about Matt and Ivory. Again, in the name of being deliberately nebulous, their friendship is tested when we see just what role Ivory plays in Matt’s death. On the one hand, having a possible killswitch for that relationship is going to be absolutely scrumptious as we move toward issue #12’s “first season finale.”
But at the same time, this friction or tension between Matt and Ivory is getting at the heart of this book’s interests in interpersonal relationships (and how the supernatural extends and augments their parameters) as well as playing with Ivory’s arc (his role has been interesting so far, and it’s really exciting to see what role he’ll truly serve).
We now see Matt’s light and goodness more than ever, and what happens when that’s perhaps put into question, as well as complicating Ivory’s “redemption” and if he truly has what it takes to be domesticated (wordplay/pun intended, Nights faithful). It’s another Christmas-y snapshot/bottle episode — another instance for Nights to pull back from the main narrative/end of the world to flesh out these people’s lives. That may serve to make the bigger stuff seem more important, but it’s never done as a way to take away from all of this humanity.
Issue #10 is perfectly satisfied with letting this “little” stuff stand on its own, and to make the story about the complicated lives of these endearing but weird people. It’s that sensibility that makes all the strangeness really matter — it’s humanity for all the best reasons, and as that grows wilder and more complicated, it’s always about the relationships and what these people learn (or don’t for that matter).
It’s an idea reflected in the art (where Formisano is joined by colorists Francesco Segala and Gloria Martinelli as well as letterer Maria Letizia Mirabella). Nights is, like, 65% about the overt supernatural intensity, something that’s been slightly minimalized over the last couple issues. But rightfully so, as issue #9 and #10 have proven that there’s just as much power in the “smaller” visual components. The people and emotions continue to be massive — it’s all of that deep connective material that brings us in and lets us engage with that core of fear, love, etc. in the face of truly bonkers surroundings.
Even something as simple as an abandoned toy store in the woods (is that simple?) is given a certain magic and power; it’s about letting in just enough light and fantasy to make the world and people hum with significance. Even the lettering here was a step up — as Matt got more time, his unique speech bubbles reminded us of the way this book expertly rides the line between life and death, light and darkness.
But it wouldn’t be Nights if we didn’t get at least some dope worldbuilding and lore that felt a bit more significant. There were a couple scenes that hinted at, rather abruptly, some dark magical tendencies of this universe; I love that approach and placement as a way to keep the focus on the people and further build the chaos all around them in a way that makes these elements feel more strategic and important. But we also got our first look at a new creature in the Nights-verse in the form of a poltergeist. I won’t ruin the context for that new phantasmic wonder, but suffice to say it shows how this series can take something familiar enough, add some new emphasis and energies, and make this “creature” apart of this world as much as it kicks open the door to show us some important new corner (complete with even more possible narrative implications).
Some books see the mundane and the extraordinary battle it out or struggle for alignment. But with Nights, each aspect gets time to shine and interact as needed, and that is how it feels like we’re moving through this richly layered world. Or, we’re experiencing something where all of the boldness and subtlety are collaborating to really build the world with us inside (and not just us readers occupying space).
The thing about most special episodes is that the character leaves the drama with some new insight or perspective. Matt still may have some grappling to do, but at the end of issue #10, he makes decisions that may finally be for himself and himself alone. And even if that might impact the crew’s dynamics (and in an extra tasty, massively dramatic way), it’s ultimately going to be a good thing for Nights overall.
The more this story develops — and lets the characters move around this world — the better it’ll be and the more layers there will be to explore down the road. In the case of Nights #11 and #12, we may get even more special episodes, but one thing is already clear: we’re about to go through it more than that Fresh Prince episode “Just Say Yo.”
Final Thought: A very potent b-day celebration for us and the characters alike.
Score: 9.5/10
Universal Monsters: Creature From The Black Lagoon Lives! #4
Courtesy of Image Comics/Skybound.
I’ll admit it’s a little strange to review a book a month or so after its release. But in the case of Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives!, something just kept gnawing at me. The strangest creature in the Universal lineup, the Creature from the Black Lagoon was never going to be an easy story to tell. And the creative team (writers Ram V and Dan Watters, artist Matthew Roberts, and colorist Trish Mulvihill) responded in kind with this tale of revenge that felt more and more like an action flick with every new issue. But even as I struggled with this book — it often felt too cheesy or overly abstract in its intentions — I always wondered how it might end.
So, here we are, revisiting issue #4 of Creature from the Black Lagoon after all the buzz and hype has died down. And I have to say, in spite of my genuine complaints or concerns, the Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives proved to be something that’ll stay with me for quite some time.
On the one hand, that’s totally a compliment. Issue #4 of Creature from the Black Lagoon may have been my favorite thus far because the creators leaned into the strange turns this book had become interested in. After some reveals in issue #3, the final chapter is this juicy final confrontation between Kate Marsden and a newly-transformed Collier, who had basically started turning himself into a fish-man. It’s a bonkers turn, yeah, but it works — this book clearly had some wild and lofty aspirations, and it’s great to see them really embrace that to become what’s basically a mix of Red Dragon and Predator. Evidently this book was destined for the realm of slightly surreal action extravaganza, and we get that in a big way.
The art felt kinetic in its pacing as much as it also captured this overly intense sensibility of its cast. (There’s some really moody and perfectly developed fight scenes that have so much inherent power.) The mood undulated between terse and paranoid and exploding with emotion and raw passion. Even the arc of the narrative worked in a way to feel very tight and compact, just like you’d want in a great action flick. Trying to be anything else at this point would have been silly, and Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives does some great work to embrace the tone and mood in a way that we get something primal and bloody that’s massively satisfying. It became something fully, and the story’s path and tent-poles here felt hugely accessible as it turned this uneven story into this deeply thrilling experience.
At the same time, the book has always been interested in asking some novel questions. Like, does revenge connect us to some baser part of ourselves, and have we truly evolved beyond them? And also, what really makes a man, and can you be human even if you’re not actually one at all? The only issue is that the more robust, action-heavy tendencies really didn’t leave room for the nuance these questions needed, and what we got was either super cheesy dialogue or an inadvertent dismissal of these thematic interests. But issue #4 of Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives actually makes an effort to bring these ideas back into the forefront even amid the extra brutal battles and horror movie turn of Collier’s transformation. Even if this book has been out a month already, I don’t want to spoil it too much because it’s this really subtle but effective turn.
The monster is, in a way, positioned in such a manner that he’s seen less as an outlier and more of this standard for humanity. The creature has a kind of peace and authenticity that makes both Marsden and Collier compare themselves to him. And while that’s a slightly silly prospect, it works — they’ve found themselves changed by this arc of revenge and confrontation, and it forces them to grapple with their own humanity and to see if they’re just as they viewed themselves or if they’d somehow lost the plot.
It was this great way to empower the Creature as this larger than life ideal without having to ruin his nature as an icky monster. It was a novel means to make the Creature feel significant thematically, respects his limitations, and focus on our leads through this really clever lens. The art once more helps in this way, as we get some really powerful closeups and vivid life and detail that draws out this stark humanity and welcomes us to mull it over ourselves. It’s not an especially obvious prospect but it feels like this satisfying thing that uses the power of the Creature to make us consider parts of ourselves we’d rather leave submerged.
Now despite my praise for this chapter of Creature from the Black Lagoon, I don’t want it to seem like I’ve totally forgotten about my aforementioned issues. I still think the road to this finale was a little overly odd and winding — we had to get through some awkward, half-cocked bits to get to a pretty good ending. And even if the ending is satisfying enough, that doesn’t mean it’s not entirely perfect process. I get the sense still that maybe the creative team didn’t mean to wind up here, or that we did out of a little dumb luck. Or, that if this road really was intended, it’s mostly quite lucky that it actually proved satisfying or things could’ve blown up in their faces.
Either way, there’s this overarching sense that we kind of stumbled across the finish line, and what we got was maybe more about this patchwork experience of interesting thematic explorations and big moods and energies then just a neatly packaged story. But then that’s mostly been the M.O. of those series from day one, and the fact that we stuck the landing well enough is proof that it’s been a proper journey to get here. And not all journeys are exactly what you thought they’d be (just ask Mr. Frodo).
And, sure, I have some other qualms. I would have liked to see a little more actual change or development for the Creature and not just as this moral genie or whatever for the two humans. Or, a story that didn’t have to go so hard in one direction and that better honored the spirit of the creature (as the other Universal titles have thus far). But as it is, Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives was a good enough book — one that took some time to accomplish its goals and ultimately gave us something novel enough.
Do I think the ideas and lessons here are what was intended for the Creature? Who knows. But we got something interesting that, if nothing else, stands out as the most daring and inventive of the Universal line, and a book that had lofty aspirations to explore a central horror character in new light. You take your time deciding if that was genuinely worth it or not.
Final Thought: A thrilling, decidedly contemplative end to an imperfect miniseries.
Score: 7.5/10
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