Night of the Ghoul

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If there has ever been a horror comic that has captured the magic of the golden age of horror films of the 1920s - 1940s it’s Night of The Ghoul. Now I know this is a bold statement, but stay with me and at the end of what I have to say please experience this masterclass in suspense, art, and storytelling alternating between the present and World War I. At times, Night of the Ghoul feels like you’re reading the comic equivalent of a Golden Age horror film. That’s kind of the point, though, as Ghoul revolves around a classic movie. The comic’s plot is triggered when failed filmmaker Forest Inman finds a reel of footage from Night of the Ghoul, long rumoured to be the Citizen Kane of big screen horror tales, but also long thought destroyed in a studio fire. I enjoyed the 2 narratives that slowly came together. I liked the art which was very evocative and scary with just the right level of horror and I thought the writing really strong.

The writing gets sloppy and incorrect, the dialogue gets cliche and revolves around characters explaining big exposition points that they shouldn’t even be aware of. It really falls off hard in the second half with an anticlimactic ending. It started a really strong with a unique premise, interesting characters, a brilliant setting and a visceral sense of menace without being too explicit at all. It then remained on right up until the last half where while still good it did not quite live up to how well it started. And if you know what that last clause means, I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t. Francavilla art from The Joker: The Man Who Stopped Laughing #4 (Mar. 2023); lettered by Tom Napolitano, written by Matthew Rosenberg. This opening issue finds a father and son travelling through the night to hospice of sorts. They are hunting for the infamous T.F. Merrit, writer and director of the infamous horror film, The Night of the Ghoul. A film that was lost to a fire shortly after it's first screening.

‘Batman’ #115 sets things up very slowly

Night of the Ghoul is one of eight new series from Scott Snyder in an initiative that launched right in time for Halloween. Unfortunately for the series, the second issue out today might be even scarier. Night of the Ghoul #2 continues the story co-created by Francesco Francavilla about a film called, fittingly, “Night of the Ghoul”, which features a monster found during World War I that may be more real than any silver screen horror story. In the second issue, we learn not only are our main characters in danger, but possibly the world. The anticipation for Night of the Ghoul is high for many thanks to it being part of eight titles Scott Snyder is co-creating at comiXology, but also because it has been teased for years. Now available digitally, Snyder and Francesco Francavilla join forces on a horror tale that involves an incredible monster, a lost film, and a father and son who may not make it out of the story alive. Along with the present-day narrative of Forest and Orson visiting the former director that leads to a night of horrors, the book contrasts with the narrative of the movie “Night of the Ghoul”, which is revealed to be autobiographical to T.F. Merrit, recounting how his father became one with the eponymous Ghoul after his time of World War I. Considering the emotional anchor that is the flawed father-son relationship that you believe between Forest and Orson, the simplicity of that narrative gets interrupted by the other narrative, which goes into great length about this history of the Ghoul, as well as the cult that worships it.

Why only 3 stars then? While it was a good horror tale I thought it was going to be brilliant. It became less of a surprise and the ending was such a popular horror trope that it felt like it didn't belong. One of the things I'm so excited about is experimenting to find new ways to build and nurture a community of readers," says Snyder. "We want each release to be an event and we can't wait for readers to see what we have planned, whether they're reading via Comixology Unlimited, print, or both."Night of the Ghoul was supposed to be the next horror masterpiece, some saying better than Frankenstein and Dracula. The Ghoul was set to become the most legendary horror monster ever conceived. In the final days of production, a fire break outs in the studio, destroying the much of the film and killing many cast and crew members.

The premise has ingredients of what you want from a Scott Snyder comic, from his aforementioned tropes to reuniting with Francavilla, who also made a name for himself on another horror title, Afterlife with Archie. The story also taps into an important period of horror cinema in the 1930s, where the Universal Monsters such as Frankenstein and Dracula thrived. Originally published online in six issues as a ComiXology Original (and eventually physically released as three oversized issues by Dark Horse), it becomes apparent that Snyder is overly serving the premise, which becomes the main fault of the series. I just wish the story lent itself to being a bit more original, then I’d wish it were longer. As it is, this is long enough. Middle of the pile and kind of forgetful tbh. Between the incredible Clear — which I gave a perfect 10/10 — and We Have Demons which both came out earlier this month, Snyder is on a roll. Night of the Ghoul has a lot of elements that feel familiar, but also new all over again. It features a World War II story told via the lost film which the main character details and may in fact be a cursed object. There’s a clear love of classic horror movies at work here too, which permeates the main character’s dialogue as he questions a very old man. Much like Snyder’s other works out this month, there’s nothing else like this in comics right now. Several of these books will debut in October 2021, with more details to be announced later in the year. Former DC/Vertigo editor Will Dennis will be the editor for all eight books, after already editing Snyder's Undiscovered Country, Wytches, Nocterra, and the upcoming series Chain.This idea, this prose-writer, this art: it's already there! It feels like they got in their own way, and I'm wondering if the format for the releases of this as a comixology exclusive launch are to blame, as the periodic release schedule/size is SO OFTEN to blame when a collection's greatest failure is the pace and attentiveness of the story. Writing and editorial decisions kept this from being the horrifying success it could've been. But, for all my belly-aching, it was still a pretty good read. Kurvafix tohle je dobrý jak chleba a i kdyby další issues stály za uplný nic, tak první bude pořád jedno z toho nejlepšího, co jsem v rámci žánru kdy v komiksu četl. This series has a lot of promise. Yet, there is a niggling familiarity to it that I currently can't put my finger on. I certainly haven't read this before and it isn't anything like the previous Snyder comics and graphic novels I've read. Maybe it'll come to me as I delve further in.

Boží scénář je doprovozenej skvostnym artem a ještě lepším coloringem. Stejně jako scénář pokukuje po dobový stylizaci ale zároveň nekopíruje a je svěží. I don’t think I can praise Francavilla’s art enough. He captures the eerie, unnerving, and suspenseful feeling that horror movies give you as a little kid, and even as an adult. I don’t mean the slasher, or almost comedic violence kind of horror movies. I mean the ‘what’s in the shadows’ or ‘around the corner’ feeling of dread. It’s the lovecraftian terror of not knowing what you’re even afraid of that’s ever present Francavilla’s art and is what makes Night of The Ghoul so delightful. His colors are striking, vivid, and muted when needed, providing you that classic horror movie poster feel that much of the magic comes from. The second half kind of takes a big nosedive though. Most of the plot points either fall flat, contradict themselves or create giant plot hole inconsistencies that don’t make logical sense in the context of the full story. The second half is also told in a completely different style than the first half. The first half feels like a good horror story with a slow intense build up. The second half feels like the unfinished bullet points of a movie script turned into a comic book. In any event, I’ve spent a lot of time looking at his art. The more comfortable he has become with his brush, the chunkier and less self-conscious his line has become, the freer his composition and the more assured his set pieces. He’s quite an ambitious artist, and he’s still getting better. Everything he draws just looks good. What more do you need to know?Night of the Ghoul has a really solid first half. It feels like a genuinely creative take on the found film horror genre with a double timeline story depicting the past events behind the creation of the movie and the dark truths surrounding its bizarre destruction. The art style has a gritty 80’s horror movie aesthetic with a nice build up to the mystery behind the origins of the ghoul monster featured in the missing footage. Night of the Ghoul is two noteworthy things: the only Comixology Original I’ve read that wasn’t pure dross and Scott Snyder’s best comic in years. Neither is high praise given what they’re compared to, but this is still a pretty decent horror comic that definitely held me attention, even with the abundance of cliches dotted throughout the story.