Betty and Cutie just want to find one man they can teach, before the world ends. Of course, there’s a good chance they’re the ones gonna end it, too. Your Major Spoilers review of Night People #1 from Oni Press awaits!

NIGHT PEOPLE #1

Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Brian Level
Colorist: Ronda Pattison
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Editor: Chris Cerasi
Publisher: Oni Press
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: March 6, 2024

Previously in Night People: Two ex-convicts 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.

IN THE YEAR 1991

Night People #1 begins with a beheading. In the strictest sense, I guess it begins with two beheadings, as the police discover a pair of headless bodies in a factory in New Orleans. Not far away, Betty and Cutie are on the run from that crime, while fate swirls around them. A man named Douglas has connected the dots of the string of ritual murders, while Rollo Lamar, Esquire continues his successful law practice. While a pair of bikers want nothing more than a place to crash for the night. As the issue flies off the rails, we witness a kidnapping, another murder, a terrible head-on crash between a pickup truck and a motorcycle, and a point-black shooting in the head.

Most of all, Betty and Cutie are still free and on the lam, promising more murders in the future.

THE TROUBLES WITH ADAPTATION

There are several moments in this issue that are absolute dramatic bangers, but the problem that comes with so many adaptations can be seen here. A whole subplot with two men searching for bodies in the swamp is confusing, even once it collides (literally) with another part of the narrative. Inconsistencies in the art make it unclear whether or not we see the same character across four sequences or two characters in parallel narratives. The stylization of the art makes for some impressive moments of expressionism, but it also makes it difficult for me to follow some of what’s going on. Moments that were probably easily conveyed through prose end up feeling disconnected and strange when conveyed only through sequential art. That’s not so much a weakness of the creative team as it is the difficulty in turning the original work into a comic book story.

BOTTOM LINE: AN OKAY START

Even with the clarity issues I have with this book, Night People #1 is an interesting first chapter with a number of successful horror elements throughout the issue, with an interesting script that is successful as often as not, earning 2.5 out of 5 stars overall. I’ll be interested in seeing what comes next, even as I wonder if it might not be worth reading the original novel first.

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NIGHT PEOPLE #1

50%

50%

Not For The Faint Of Heart

Adapting a novel into 32 pages of comic books is a daunting task, and this one gets a lot of things right, but the final product is still a bit puzzling.

• Writing

  4
• Art

  5
• Coloring

  6
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0