I don’t know how I feel about this comic. I keep coming back for reviews, but I don’t really know why. I can’t say I am hooked nor I am a fan of the movie. Honestly, I think it is just the association of Clive Barker that makes me stay, but I just don’t know how long this is going to last. So just like Nightbreed has done from the beginning, we get two stories overlapping each other in this latest issue. I quite like how Nightbreed does this every issue. At first, I thought that layering the stories would only just take away from the better story. But although there usually is a story I prefer more, without the layering you wouldn’t get as much away from it. They are related in some way and add to the meaning behind it all.
This week, both stories are happening at the same time. We follow Boone and Lori, after Lori has been changed by Boone. And then we follow the Breed and how they are coping without their God. What I love about this story is the overall creepy vibe it gives the reader. Marc Andreyko balances the Breed’s good qualities with their monster instincts so well. Peloquin definitely comes to mind when I wrote that last sentence. He shows both sides in this issue and when The Naturals challenge him in anyway, he completely goes back to his monster instincts. What lacks in the story is movement. The issue opens with a couple of paragraphs of tons and tons of movement. But in this issue, we get a slow story. To me, it makes perfect sense to reverse those and to amp up the plot movement. It is strange and makes me wonder where this comic is going.
The art is good though. Emmanuel Xerx Javier draws Boone’s story. I love his art. It captures the mood of Boone and Lori. They are in love, but you can sense a deeper problem about to occur. Then Devmalya Pramanik draws the Breeds’ story. His is darker and really draws upon the posture of each of his characters. It seems like he spend lots of time just thinking about how each character would sit, stand, and approach situations. Both guys complement each other. If I had to pick one though, I think I prefer Pramanik’s art.
Nightbreed delivered on the art this week, but the story lacked some movement. I really wish this comic would pick up, because although I enjoy Barker’s slow moving stories, there always seems like there is something major happening. Andreyko gets some things right, but I think he needs to mimic Barker’s style a tad more to keep me around.
Score: 2/5
Writer: Marc Andreyko Artist: Emmanuel Xerx Javier and Devmalya Pramanik Colorist: Juan Manuel Tumburus Publisher: BOOM! Studios Price: $3.99 Release Date: 1/28/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital