Citywide Comic Spotlight: Nocterra

Creators: Scott Snyder, Tony Salvador Daniel, Tomeu Morey

Publishers: Image


Some of us are real night owls, enjoying the day just after the sun sets. But how about a sunset that never ends. Not so good, is it?

Oh, you like that? OK, then “Nocterra” from Image Comics would be right up your alley.

It all starts out as a regular day when The Big PM happens. Just like that, the day is gone and a never-ending night takes its place. And that, friends, is the good news.

In the days following the Big PM, the night begins to change things: animals become absolute nightmares, and the people, well, you’re gonna want to keep your guns loaded. Because the night is dark and the road long.

Ten years later, the only way to survive is to stay close to artificial light. Enter Valentina “Val” Riggs, a skilled ferryman who transports people and goods along deadly unlit roads with her heavily illuminated 18-wheeler.

It was the cover of “Nocterra” that drew me in and the art is a major strength. As expected, dark colors are the main weapon, but the light is just as strong. See, it’s light that hurts those changed by the night, from Christmas bulbs to flashbang grenades, and the use of these colors is amazingly done.

The story is just as great, whether it’s exploring Val’s personal demons as she searches for a cure for her brother or the menace that is Blacktop Bill, the story’s main villain. There’s a long and intricate story here as we learn just what caused the Big PM and the possibility that maybe, maybe, the light can come back. Each issue has a great ending and I found myself eagerly looking forward to the next one. I’ve got the first story arc complete and you can bet it’s getting another read-through.