What would YOU do if you suddenly got super-powers? And would the answer change if that meant an unquenchable bloodlust? Your Major Spoilers review of Night Club #1 from Image Comics awaits!
NIGHT CLUB #1
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Juana Ramirez
Colorist: Fabiano Mascolo
Letterer: Clem Robins
Editor: Sara Unwin
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $1.99
Release Date: December 14, 2022
Previously in Night Club: You’re 17 years old and you’ve been bitten by a vampire. Do you live in the shadows and drink human blood, or do you use your newfound gifts for the dream-costumed superhero life you’ve always wanted? You’re bulletproof, you can crawl up walls, and you can turn to mist, bats, or even a wolf.
Why not have a little fun?
THE QUEST FOR FOLLOWERS
Night Club #1 opens on a rooftop in Philadelphia, as young Danny Garcia prepares to conquer YouTube and fame by doing bicycle Parkour across the rooftops. He has practiced it on the ground and had no problems, so (with the help of his friends Sam and Amy) he expects to be the next big Internet phenomenon.
Instead, he ends up in traction, his neck broken in three places and a long recovery ahead of him. He is visited by a strange man in a trench coat and awakens three nights later chained to a bed. The stranger introduces himself as police detective Nick Laskaras, his new lord and master, which Danny doesn’t understand until he snaps the steel handcuffs with almost no effort. The next few nights are Vampire 101, as Laskaras takes Danny out to assess and field-test his new abilities, showing him the secrets of vampire strength, turning to mist, controlling animals, and more, with the ominous explanation being that Nick is building a vampire army, for reasons unknown.
A TSUNAMI OF CLICHÉS
As the issue ends, Danny has decided that his original plan is still a good one, greeting Sam and Amy in full lucha libre garb and exclaiming that they’re ALL going to be rich. As first issues go, it’s pretty okay, but I’m really bothered by the fact that the solicitation flat-out tells us what’s coming in the rest of the series, while the cover seems to tip us off to even more of what Danny has planned. The only real unanswered question is what Detective Laskaras’ plan is, and I’m honestly not sure I have a great interest in finding out. The dialogue is predictable and dull, with the Detective channeling every action movie cop and Danny feeling like a cardboard cutout character greeting his fellow kids. Ramirez’s art is quite good throughout the issue, which makes the plodding story more upsetting, as the sight of Danny and Nick climbing the side of a building is really well done. The art feels more grounded than the average superhero book, meaning that the vampiric super-feats feel exciting and strange, which is a difficult proposition.
BOTTOM LINE: I REALLY ENJOY THIS ART
In short, despite really excellent visuals, Night Club #1 is hampered by the feeling that it’s nothing more than a spec script for the next Netflix property, filled with place-holder dialogue, to secure proof-of-concept, earning a disappointing 2.5 out of 5 stars overall. If Millar stories are your thing, it’s likely worth the time, but for the layperson comic fan, you’re probably better off waiting for the inevitable miniseries.
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NIGHT CLUB #1
The story is predictable, bland and without any real stakes, leaving Ramirez' art to pull it through. I won't be coming back for issue #2.
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Writing2
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Art7
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Coloring7
Once upon a time, there was a young nerd from the Midwest, who loved Matter-Eater Lad and the McKenzie Brothers... If pop culture were a maze, Matthew would be the Minotaur at its center. Were it a mall, he'd be the Food Court. Were it a parking lot, he’d be the distant Cart Corral where the weird kids gather to smoke, but that’s not important right now... Matthew enjoys body surfing (so long as the bodies are fresh), writing in the third person, and dark-eyed women. Amongst his weaponry are such diverse elements as: Fear! Surprise! Ruthless efficiency! An almost fanatical devotion to pop culture! And a nice red uniform.