Last month got pretty crazy for Nightbreed. We heard of two stories from two completely different monsters. Somehow they mirrored each other with underlying messages though. We heard of Annastasjia sneaking perfection and acceptance from her fans and colleagues. Then we heard of Lude being abandoned by his own mother. Each story is being told to Boone who is trying to take it all in. So when we start this month’s issue, it is no surprise that Lylesburg is breaking up the clear rivalry between Annastasjia and Lude. Both stories were moderately entertaining, and we will finish them both in issue #6. The two stories intertwine one with another. Let’s start with Annastasjia’s first. After having surgery, she now has another face on her head. Seriously she has a nasty face sewed on her head. This explains last week’s cover. She can’t get rid of the creature who even talks to her now, so she must seek revenge on those who hurt her most. I personally enjoy her story better. Maybe because she is a woman.
Lude’s story just freaked me out. It had way too much sex and inappropriate sex. I don’t need to see that much detail. Gore I get, blood I get, torture I get, but this sex scene I don’t get why we needed so much detail in a horror comic. That’s just me though. So it gave me a horrible feeling and unfortunately Lude’s story started the comic off on a bad foot. I couldn’t shake it. Anyway, Lude longs to find answers about his past. Lylesburg knows there's only one place to lead him to; his mother.
I found it strange that neither story had much more to tell than the first time we heard the story. I was disappointed with the endings not really giving us much. We didn’t learn anything more of the characters, but instead just follow them on a timeline of sorts. It follows them right up until they find comfort in Lylesburg. Even Lude’s story had the most potential to see what he learns of, but instead it is anticlimactic. I thought their stories would be ever-changing, so the timeline would have been more intense and seemed less like a summary of these monsters.
Nightbreed has gotten slower over the past couple of issue. They are pulling out big stories, and yet I still don’t feel fulfilled. I think the problem is having all these background stories with no interaction between Boone and the other characters. I want to see Boone in action. We literally know nothing about him. We will see more of him next issue, as for #7 promises some background on Boone, but is it too late? If Nightbreed doesn’t hit me in the gut with Boone’s story, then I may be long gone from this series before it even picks up. With only six issues out, Nightbreed is quickly fading out for me. I hope we can pick up some momentum in our next issue.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Marc Andreyko Artist: Piotr Kowalski and Emmanuel Xerx Javier Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 10/22/14 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital