Once again, McGovern manages not to do anything special–or even particularly good–with his script for the issue and still it all turns out fine. Leandri’s art is so strong, his ability to mix in all the action and the mood–this issue has the good guys creeping through a varied landscape–just makes Nightworld work.

McGovern still has some dumb pop culture stuff and he entirely changes the narrative style for this issue–there’s a lot of talking–and the ending is weak, but there’s an earnestness to the script. And Leandri can deliver the visuals.

Unfortunately, McGovern’s plotting is so shabby the last page is a real disappointment. There’s not enough space to make the finish visually compelling; the series goes out on a down note.

But the rest of the art is so strong, it doesn’t matter. It’s a goofy, glorious comic; Leandri does awesome work.

B 

CREDITS

Clash by Night; writer, Adam McGovern; artist and letterer, Paolo Leandri; colorist, Dominic Regan; publisher, Image Comics.

It’s an all-action issue, with McGovern giving way too many pop culture lines to the hipster demon. It gets annoying on the first page the character shows up; by the end of the issue, it’s practically intolerable. McGovern doesn’t have anything for the character–at least the protagonist and antagonist have some kind of back story and the humans are sympathetic human characters… a sidekick, good demon? No story. Just annoying.

For the action, which is mostly the two good demons fighting bad demons, Leandri does rather well. Nightworld is a good looking comic and it moves well, it’s just really shallow. And McGovern doesn’t try to go any deeper with it, which is nice.

However, when there’s not much to it, any little thing hurts–like confusion during the humans in distress scene and especially the annoying demon. Facebook references are too much.

But it still works out.

B 

CREDITS

One Hundred Demons; writer, Adam McGovern; artist and letterer, Paolo Leandri; colorist, Dominic Regan; publisher, Image Comics.

The second issue of Nightworld has even better art than the first. Leandri doesn’t have as many things to draw, but his huge chase sequence between the hero demon and the speed demon adversary is fantastic. There’s a lot of the speed demon on a cross-dimensional treasure hunt with a nice Raiders homage.

The only problem would be McGovern’s script. There’s a lot of humor in it, but none of it is particularly funny. The grandfather in the supporting cast sort of talks in puns and vague rhymes. Is it amusing? It’s cute, not sure about amusing. Definitely not amusing enough to carry a scene.

And the speed demon gets tiresome rather quickly too. Nightworld has a disconnect–the writing is nowhere near as strong as the art and scenes can be simultaneously gorgeous and exasperating.

But McGovern does mean well and he’s got a lot of enthusiasm. It evens out.

B 

CREDITS

Writer, Adam McGovern; artist and letterer, Paolo Leandri; colorist, Dominic Regan; publisher, Image Comics.

Nightworld is off to a fine start. Artist Paolo Leandri does an excellent Kirby imitation, with Adam McGovern’s terse but verbose script–at least at the open–making the comic feel like something out of the seventies. Like a Charlton knock-off of Tomb of Dracula maybe.

Leandri has some issues with the faces–his noses are off and his cheekbones are a little much–but there’s so much flow to his movement, problematic faces barely register.

The story has some doomed soul in a superhero outfit battling a demon for the soul of his beloved. There are villains, like a hellish femme fatale and–in the most obvious Kirby homage–some New God-looking speed demon.

There are the nice humans who take the time to help the tragic protagonist too. I’m sure it’ll be a bittersweet end with the girl.

Nightworld isn’t incredibly original, just very well produced.

B 

CREDITS

Writer, Adam McGovern; artist and letterer, Paolo Leandri; colorist, Dominic Regan; publisher, Image Comics.