REVIEW: 'Night People' #1 Barry Gifford, Chris Condon, and Brian Level

NIGHT PEOPLE #1 

Writer: Barry Gifford, Chris Condon

Artist: Brian Level, Ronda Pattison

Letters: Shawn 

Publisher: Oni Press

Release Date: March 6, 2024

Cover Price: $4.99

From the mind of literary icon Barry Gifford-internationally renowned creator of Wild at Heart and cowriter of David Lynch's neo-noir masterpiece Lost Highway-Night People is a pulsating roadmap of the American subconscious, where neon-lit Southern nights give way to lipstick, sweat, and blood, and the odd, the innocent, and the evil are all fellow travelers down an interstate of dark, elusive dreams.

Adapted from Gifford's acclaimed novel by breakout writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre) and a rotating cast of stunning artistic talents-including Brian Level (Poison Ivy), Alexandre Tefenkgi (The Good Asian), Artyom Topilin (I Hate This Place), and more-follow an uneasy cast of wanted men, cartel-killers, and lost souls through four interlocking tales as they travel a path of intoxication, lust, and spontaneous violence from New Orleans to Egypt City, Florida, and back again.

In our first tale of desperation, fanaticism, and murder: Two ex-convicts-a pair of inseparable lovers named Big Betty Stalcup and Miss Cutie Early-are out on parole using their newfound freedom to purify the world of men's evil influence . . . and leaving a trail of mutilated bodies in their wake. As the psychotic dimensions of their star-crossed romance-and the twisting paths that first led them to their fateful meeting at the Fort Sumatra Detention Center for Wayward Women-come into full view, their experiment in righteousness culminates in the kidnapping of Rollo Lamar, a kindly attorney whom Betty and Cutie abduct just to see if they can reeducate at least one man on the planet before the demise of civilization.

SCORE:

★★★★☆ (4/5)

QUICK REVIEW: Chris Condon adapts Barry Gifford's novel and as hard as that could be, 'Night People' feels like a down-and-dirty Southern fried fever dream. Shady characters, gory murders, and psychopathic religious zealots make for a dizzying grindhouse-style adventure in the South. There are supposed to be interlocking storylines and while that part gets muddy in the execution there's an energy and sense of mystery that's unexpected that'll readers riveted. Part of the charm of the issue is the fluid and gritty art from Brian Level and the dingy colors of Ronda Pattison. There's a throwback feel to it that recalls the horror comics of EC Comics with the explicit gore and expressive characterizations. It's like you've stepped in a time machine and gotten to experience indie crime horror for the first time. 'Night People' is a trippy crime thriller that doesn't let up with one nasty turn after another. You won't know what to expect or who to trust.