‘Night People’ HC (review)

Written by Christopher Condon 
Based on the novel by Barry Gifford
Art by Brian Level, Alexandre Tefenkgi,
Artyom Topilin, Marco Finnegan
Published by Oni Press

I enjoy a lot of Barry Gifford’s writing. I loved his work with David Lynch, first with Wild At Heart and then Lost Highway. There is a very particular style that he has with his work that I find interesting and appealing.

It may not be for everyone, but I quite like the weirdness in his work. I have read some of his other material and I found it very interesting as well. I haven’t read as much as I had hoped hut when I heard that Night People was being adapted to comic book form (written by the always excellent Christopher Condon) I could not wait.

Luckily, this comic book series didn’t disappoint. It is not for everyone however and not everybody will enjoy it like I did.

The book focuses on a pair of women who declare themselves “The Brides of Jesus.” They are two serial killers who travel up and down the highways of America killing men left and right. They aren’t going to let up until all the men in the nation are dead at their hands.

They are a deadly team unlike any other and their crimes are gruesome right from the get go. Condon and Gifford have created two of the craziest serial killers I may have ever seen and the characterizations of the pair are pretty gruesome.

That is when we meet the character of Lamar. Lamar is a guy on their trail who is a bit mysterious himself. He tracks them down pretty quick. He is taken by one of the pair and then he is held hostage by them. They are preparing to kill him when they are interrupted by an event and then Lamar goes free!  They disappear into the night. Lamar vows to find them. They are ready to continue their killing spree. And so the story moves on!

And boy, does it move on!

The second chapter has only a periphery kind of relationship to the first chapter. Lamar is in it, but this has a story filled with incest, death, and religion. It is very bloody and very crazy and it has some interesting artwork by Alexandre Tefenkgi. I have to say that it is very much an atmosphere that is created in this comic where it actually feels that anything can happen. There is a freeing feeling that you get as a reader with this comic that is palpable. I loved every part of it.

The third chapter follows the trend of the second chapter. “Lamar” is seemingly a guy named Easy Earl in this chapter. He goes out for a night on the town and finds himself possibly committing murder. This is a lurid and transgressive take and one where you start to realize that there really is something bigger and deeper at play here in this comic book. The artwork in this chapter is by Artyom Topilin and it is very strong and impactful.

I have to say that this chapter really demonstrates the possibilities of the series. It shows the depths that the creators can get to. It also shows that this book is a nightmare where characters can change and people’s motivations can change as well. It’s pretty horrifying.

At the end of the third chapter, Earl  meets a little girl on a bus called Marble Lesson. Marble becomes part of the wild fourth chapter which wraps up this series of craziness. This chapter is illustrated by Marco Finnegan and it is something pretty out there. Marble is on a quest to find her father. She hitches a ride and that sends the story towards its inevitable conclusion. It is a very different ending for sure. But it is very satisfying as well. I loved how everything ended up on the very last page.

The story is unlike anything I have ever read and the artwork is great. The color work by Ronda Pattison is definitely a standout here. You can definitely see why David Lynch and Barry Gifford collaborated together so well. Their work is in a similar realm.

Overall, this is a strong book and I love how the creative team thinks and how they handle every aspect of this crazy, fractured tale.

RATING: A