Nocterra #1
- WRITER
- Scott Snyder
- Artist
- Tony S. Daniel
- Letterer
- AndWorld Design
- Cover Artist
- Francis Manapul, Jock, Ariela Kristantina, Tony S. Daniel, Tomeu Morey, BossLogic, Greg Capullo
- Publisher
- Image Comics
- Price
- 3.99
- Release Date
- 2021-03-03
- Colorist
- Tomeu Morey
The world can be a dark place, and Scott Snyder and Tony S. Daniel's new Image Comics series Nocterra takes that sentiment to its literal extreme. As the first release from Snyder's creator-owned publishing imprint Best Jackett Press, the hotly-anticipated launch plunges the world into eternal darkness, as a mysteriously corrosive force turning people into monsters. The new comic book follows a young woman serving as a vital supply runner through a world barely clinging to its own humanity. And Snyder and Daniel kick things off with a thrilling debut issue that stands as one of the most confidently assured openings from Image in recent memory, blending horror with high-octane action of post-apocalyptic proportions.
Valentina "Val" Riggs was a young girl when the world mysteriously and suddenly was consumed by an everlasting night. Ten years later, survivors are saved from the encroaching darkness only by artificial light, while Val has become a hardened driver, transporting passengers and cargo to other communities through swathes of untamed, unlit roads teeming with monsters in her big rig truck. And as Val takes on an especially personal mission and goes back to driving deep into the night, she finds that she and her cargo have been targeted by especially sinister forces that will stop at nothing to cut her ride short... permanently.
A lot of Snyder's best work really comes from his inspirations stemming from his personal concerns are apparent. Wytches deals with the fears and dark wishes that come with being a parent. After Death reflects on one's life in a world where conventional mortality no longer has a sense of meaning. Undiscovered Country focuses on an isolated America that has transformed into something dangerously unrecognizable while cut off from the rest of the world. And if Undiscovered Country was about a society severing ties, Nocterra is about civilization rising up from the ashes and different individuals and communities reaching out to rebuild together, while those separated go on to become poisoned, literal monsters. It's a similar theme to Snyder's recently concluded Dark Nights: Death Metal, but it's much more intimate here while its narrative hits the ground running.
That sense of urgency carries right into the artwork with Daniel, working with colorist and longtime collaborator Tomeu Morey. The art team keeps things moving, with kinetic sensibility even to dialogue sequences as the world of Nocterra is unveiled. And while this is a world shrouded in perpetual darkness, Daniel and Morey keep their panels clear and clean; this is a gorgeous book that it's to follow and provides an immersive, post-apocalyptic setting that feels like a twilight twist on Mad Max set in perpetual dusk. There is a visible, tangible swagger to this debut, and this creative team is working at the height of their powers, telling a story is one that confidently falls right into their wheelhouse.
While Nocterra's relevance and real-world inspirations are apparent, this isn't a story that gets hung up on subtext and allusion; Snyder and Daniel know they're crafting an entertaining comic book, first and foremost, and they deliver that with this opening issue on all fronts. While it steers more towards action than horror, Nocterra is a tale that capitalizes on the years of acclaimed superhero storytelling by its creative team to make something that feels more personal yet never loses sight of how fun comic books can be in a freewheeling debut.