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aaronj21 's review for:
Night People
by Barry Gifford, Chris Condon
I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.
(Please Note: This is a review for the graphic novel publication under this title due to be published on 11 February 2025 by Oni Press, NOT a review for the short story collection by the same principal author which I have NOT read)
A lush, lurid, tale sprawled across a nightmarish, Through Looking Glass version of America that seamlessly blends horror, mystery, and character study in one unforgettable story.
Any summary of the Night People will fail to do it justice. But in the interest of giving a preview, let’s say it's an adeptly written story of violent, passionate, desperate, people and the sparks that fly as their narratives intersect. There are, first and foremost, feminist, religious fanatics, who have some good points but won’t let something as trivial as murder prevent them from spreading the good word. There’s a man on the run from his past who’s about to run right into something worse than anything he left in his rearview. There’s a shockingly observant little girl who might be even more than she appears, going on an ill advised journey and trying to save her broken father. When these characters find their paths crossing, the result is something rare and memorable, true lightning in a bottle type stuff.
Night People combines the best elements of classic pulp like Tales from The Crypt with its shocking violence and grisly storytelling, while also pausing long enough to make its characters fully fleshed out, tragic human beings. While reading I thought the world of the story was reminiscent of the grittiest elements of Sandman by Neil Gaiman and what would happen if someone were to adapt the show True Detective into expertly lined and colored graphic novel form. The aesthetic virtuosity on display here from the various artists deserves just as much praise as the brilliant narrative elements. Skill and care just seep out of every panel and no matter what’s happening in the story at any given time, the art is a joy to see. In conclusion, this was a gripping and immersive world that fascinates even as it repels, it demands your attention and compels you to finish in one sitting.
A shocking, compelling, pulpy trip, Night People is like a road trip from hell across the Deep South and I for one can’t wait to get on the road again.
(Please Note: This is a review for the graphic novel publication under this title due to be published on 11 February 2025 by Oni Press, NOT a review for the short story collection by the same principal author which I have NOT read)
A lush, lurid, tale sprawled across a nightmarish, Through Looking Glass version of America that seamlessly blends horror, mystery, and character study in one unforgettable story.
Any summary of the Night People will fail to do it justice. But in the interest of giving a preview, let’s say it's an adeptly written story of violent, passionate, desperate, people and the sparks that fly as their narratives intersect. There are, first and foremost, feminist, religious fanatics, who have some good points but won’t let something as trivial as murder prevent them from spreading the good word. There’s a man on the run from his past who’s about to run right into something worse than anything he left in his rearview. There’s a shockingly observant little girl who might be even more than she appears, going on an ill advised journey and trying to save her broken father. When these characters find their paths crossing, the result is something rare and memorable, true lightning in a bottle type stuff.
Night People combines the best elements of classic pulp like Tales from The Crypt with its shocking violence and grisly storytelling, while also pausing long enough to make its characters fully fleshed out, tragic human beings. While reading I thought the world of the story was reminiscent of the grittiest elements of Sandman by Neil Gaiman and what would happen if someone were to adapt the show True Detective into expertly lined and colored graphic novel form. The aesthetic virtuosity on display here from the various artists deserves just as much praise as the brilliant narrative elements. Skill and care just seep out of every panel and no matter what’s happening in the story at any given time, the art is a joy to see. In conclusion, this was a gripping and immersive world that fascinates even as it repels, it demands your attention and compels you to finish in one sitting.
A shocking, compelling, pulpy trip, Night People is like a road trip from hell across the Deep South and I for one can’t wait to get on the road again.