The story takes some darker turns.
Creative Staff:
Story: Scott Snyder
Art: Francesco Francavilla
Letterer: Andworld Design
What They Say:
In the film Night of the Ghoul, it’s 1918 and our nation is rejoicing as soldiers return from the battlegrounds of the Great War. But what if something has come back with them? In the real world, a father and son discover the blurred line between fiction and reality.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
I was definitely keen on Night of the Ghoul with its first issue as it plays in the realm of horror, something that I get to see a fair bit of but not enough with talents like these. Scott Snyder is certainly capable of working in this genre and the diverse stories he’s told over the years with his various works, and in more mainstream books, has shown that clearly. But without having to worry about established characters and continuity he’s able to really just put it all out on the table. With this series, which I suspect might be the shortest of the projects, he’s paired with Francesco Francavilla. I adore Francavilla’s artwork in general and the color design he uses, making it an easy purchase just for that. He’s ideal for this story that takes place at night for part of it and in the past for others, which is sepia-soaked. But I also know that he doesn’t stay on really long projects overall, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he puts together here.
This issue does get al little confusing at times when it comes to who is who in the past a bit, and which part of the past, but the gist of events are coming through well. We see at the end of the war the return of soldiers to America and Kurt just wants to get off the ship and go away. Johnny is able to keep him on track to see his son, watched over by his grandmother, but this just starts us down the dark path that they’re on. We see that there’s been a hundred grisly deaths on the ship, right down to bones being eaten, and we know that it’s Kurt because of what got into him overseas. His son Alex becomes keenly aware of this and that his father isn’t right now, though most just blame it on the war and that time will fix all things. But Alex continues to push, getting help from his “uncle” that served with Kurt, especially as he sees his father hoarding dead animals from the neighborhood to consume. The darkness grows.
In Summary:
This has all the right elements of horror to it as it moved onto the next stage here as the war finished and things began to come home. I like the use of the son that’s seeing what’s really going on and trying to get people to listen while at the same time we get things in the present where both men aren’t quite on the same page in how they’re reaching each other. It’s a really smartly scripted book in its pacing and Francavilla delivers some absolutely gorgeous artwork, especially with its color design, to make something really intriguing and enjoyable to read here. This adds more fuel to the fire and has me excited to see where it goes next.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Best Jackett Press / ComiXology Originals
Release Date: October 19th, 2021
MSRP: $3.99
