My relationship with Nights could best be described as “glowing” or “a weird, one-sided version of Jack and Rose.” But as much praise as I’ve offered up to creators Wyatt Kennedy and Luigi Formisano, I’ve also been critical when needed. Issue #8, for instance, was sort of a misstep — sure it proved enjoyable enough, but given the sheer size and scope of Nights, it’s going to miss the plate every once in a while in achieving that vision.
Issue #15 may not be as much of a misstep, but it’s also not at the usual level of face-melting goodness, either.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
As we found out last time, once-future Director Tsukumari has captured Gray and her then-BF, the wizard Erik, to help tackle cases for Chimera. In Nights #15, the unlikely trio tackle their first such outing, which involves a seemingly magical land accessed by weird mushrooms. I’ve also accessed a magical land via mushrooms, but that’s a tale for another day.
The thing is, we still get something of discernible value here. For one, the trio’s battle with a creature called the Lindworm is both appropriately epic and grand while also leaving room for ample blood and body horror (prepare to once more see Gray like you never have before).
Sure, a lot of that misses some of the visual might and heft of prior Nights issues, but the art team (rounded out by colorists Francesco Segala and Gloria Martinelli) also flourish by emphasizing humanity and narrative intent amid the uber-action. We get to see the kind of leader Tsukumari is, and how his unlikely partnership with Gray will one day take shape with one rather intense action “sequence.”
Courtesy of Image Comics.
It always makes the world feel so much more alive when we can feel the larger heart and purpose to all these insane monster fights, and this series always feels so deliberately plotted and especially thoughtful (even if some fights may be bloodier/bolder than other scraps).
At the same time, this issue was so much more vital than any dynamic set pieces. Without revealing too much, we not only get a little insight into how magic in this world works, but the trio are taken to the land of Thule, which further extends our knowledge of the arcane in the Nights-verse and also gives us a big event (a mystical eclipse, effectively) for this arc’s remaining three issues.
As much as this arc is about showing a different side of Nights at large, all this knowledge makes me better appreciate everything we’ve experienced already. That the more we know the origins of things, or see around dark corners, the more questions get asked and the more context is layered atop. The first arc spent ample time on ghosts and the Roggenwolf, and so to learn about magic users mostly in this storyline feels like the world is growing and expanding in front of our very eyes. It’s how you let a massive world unfold in parts/layers, and Nights primes readers with a proper mix of tension and openness.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
One new character especially, a certain leader of the magical island, is yet another solid character to this universe, and someone who could be a great friend or foe to Gray and company at a time when we’re really testing these characters in an elemental way. And, without belaboring the point, the bigger the cast feels with these textured characters, the more this series becomes even more multifaceted.
But even as we see even more of this universe’s sheer depth, Nights #15 also brought to surface some key issues with this arc. I’ve certainly loved going back in time — it’s not only full of new energies and context and history, but it’s a solid little break from the current day adventures of Vince and the gang. At the same time, this blast into the past was seemingly meant to be a brief but vital trip, something to add to the story and then get back to the true meat and gravy of Nights.
But this issue not feeling as in involved or robust just made me wonder if this trip will actually be worthwhile, and if three more issues back in the weird old days is going to be enough to make it truly meaningful. Which is to say, across issue #13 and #14, this “break” had felt generally worthwhile — if only because we were moving right along with new (old) relationships to explore and huge stakes almost everywhere. By taking something of a “pause” with issue #15 (things still happened but mostly we were prepared for what’s still coming), some of that novelty has been lost.
Again, I have every confidence Nights can recover, but I do wonder if this trip will be a proper addition to the story or ultimately a mere diversion. That, and it has to make a big impact to really match up comparatively to the debut arc.
Courtesy of Image Comics.
It reminds of exactly how I felt back with issue #8: Sitcom-ian titles like Nights have a certain momentum and structure attached, and these “breaks” are part of the formula. The only difference is that I’m a little less charmed this time around; likely because it harms the momentum of this rather specific story that is a big enough shift for Nights.
But all truly great love affairs can, occasionally, have their less passionate/intense moments. And in the case of me and Nights, the adoration and respect remains because the creative team have done more than enough to create something grand and compelling. Issue #15 adds to that with some intriguing new ideas and choices — even as it might not be totally enough and/or mostly just a bridge between this story’s solid intro and a potentially potent ending.
Because a breather/lull can be a good thing if we want to have meaningful connections to stories (sort of like with actual people, yeah?) I just hope Nights #16 brings back even more of that loving feeling.
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