Still at the one-vote level of the Final ’90s Countdown…remember what I’ve said before, that there’s no shame in getting just a single vote, it’s just an indication of the wide range of titles still being published during what was generally considered a downturn in the industry.
The Nocturnals (Malibu/Bravura, 1995)
Here’s another title that I shockingly didn’t not read, coming out as it did when the comics market was in serious flux and so was my disposable income. Now, the person who voted for this title actually voted for Nocturnals: Black Planet, which was the 1998 trade paperback edition published by Oni Press and was kinda its own thing which I’ll discuss in a moment.
But this is the series that introduced the Nocturnals to the world, so it’s as good a place as any to start. Written and drawn — or, rather, painted — by Dan Brereton, the comic follows the pulp action adventures of Doc Horror and his team of weirdly-powered misfits as they defend their city from supernatural events. Well, that actually sounds pretty fun to me, and as someone who’s all-in on Hellboy and his parade of spin-offs, I feel like I missed a bet by not buying this series myself. Plus, the painted artwork is quite striking and not quite like anything else on the stands.
Luckily the Nocturnals comics, of which there were a handful in the late ’90s/early ’00s, including a serial in Dark Horse Presents, have been reprinted. That aforementioned
There are two Nocturnals omnibuses from Dark Horse Comics in 2021 which appear to collect all the previously published material. And good news, everyone, they are still available for reorder from Penguin Random House. Also, there is a rerelease of the Nocturnals graphic novel, “The Sinister Path,” as a mini-series that’s starting next month (the first appearance of this story in periodical form)! Oh, the timeliness of this post.
Nocturnals is a great book. The setting is great as it is often dark outside and the action takes place at night. This clashes wonderfully with the colorful characters, especially Firelion, Starfish and Poly Chrome. The artwork is just tremendous.
The Sinister Path was released in 2017, though. I had to double check Wikipedia, as I have a tendency to leave books I look forward to on the bottom of my to-be-read pile and there are at least 2 Nocturnals collections in the lower regions. 8 years already!
There was also a Gunwitch one-shot called Outskirts of DOOM! (emphasis mine).
philfromgermany – I looked up “The Sinister Path” just now and it’s not on the Grand Comics Database, and according to the Diamond database, there was a graphic novel released by a small press company (neither Dark Horse nor Oni). This new mini appears to be the first release of the story in periodical form.
Anyhoo, changed the wording a bit in the original post to reflect this.
Nocturnals was a fantastic book. Dan Brereton’s art was always “can’t miss” for me – his painted colors were so vibrant. His early work on Black Terror, The Psycho, and Clive Barker’s Dread really grabbed my attention in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
As a writer, he was equally accomplished. Besides The Nocturnals, his Giantkiller series remains one of my favorites.
“Nocturnals: Black Planet”
They team up with Public Enemy? AWESOME.
“good news, everyone”
“To shreds, you say?”