Night & Fog
Written by: Gary M. Kenny, CC2K Comics Editor
With a movie in the works and the comic building buzz, Studio 407 delighted CC2K with an advance copy of their upcoming trade: Night & Fog. Fans of fun horror movies, this collection is aimed at you.
The premise of Night & Fog is tied to a World War 2 mystery which loosely resembles the origin of the super soldier serum (the one that made Captain America) and a creature that’s part Frankenstein’s Monster and the Incredible Hulk. On a secret military laboratory, which pretends to be a Canadian base, a group of scientists experiment with splicing animal DNA in order to build a serum which would then produce the perfect soldier. A soldier that can not be killed, will never tire, that can adapt to their surroundings, that has remarkable strength, and skin that can camouflage into any environment. A disaster occurs on in the laboratory and a high dose of the serum is released as a gas. The infectious mist transforms its victims into preternatural creatures of the night. Monsters that can constantly adapt and change into beasts even more horrific and unstoppable. Caught in between is Nathan Christopher, an officer on base who must escape this “gauntlet of horror” to save his children before the infectious fog or the creatures get to them.
Alex Leung and Matthew Bradford have written an elaborate story that oozes suspense. The plot is a fun twist that ties multiple genres together and connects people from many generations. The comic flows like a movie with plenty of cut scenes. My only complaint might be with the dialogue. Even though the dialogue is poised and sometimes comical (in a good way), in the beginning, the book tends to be a bit wordy for a horror story. Though i do understand why it’s a wordy: there is a lot of back-story to tell. Once the story gets to the frightening scenes the comic becomes full, the the wordiness works and the back-story pulls the reader in. The characters are all unique and their different personalities show. I especially like the main character Nathan Christopher, he’s an everyday man, trying to do the right thing, and when he is thrown into this fray of horror he meets it head on.
The artwork of artist Roberto Castro resembles the quintessential horror comic, think Tales from the Crypt. His work is detailed, nicely shadowed, and when the gore is turned on, wow does it flow. The man draws everything in this trade from helicopter crashes to snakes eating rats to women showering to giants monsters ripping people in half. Everything is perfectly balanced and well paced. Studio 407 couldn’t have found a better artist for this. Each page was fresh and unique and his art is well detailed. There should have been a few more splash pages from him, but that’s not a complaint.
Now fans of Tales from the Crypt or even people who like B-movies such as Leprechaun know that the horror genre can be a little over the top. This comic has a tendency to do so. Most of the time it’s fun over the top, like one of the creatures getting decapitated by a gorilla. However, there are a few scenes that came off as silly and dumb. For example, one of the creatures is about to attack the babysitter of Nathan’s kids. The kids are around the ages of 8-12. The monster is about to attack, when all of the sudden, the little girl surprise attacks the monster with a flame thrower made up of a hair spray bottle and a lighter while the little boy takes a weed whacker and goes for the monsters jugular. The babysitter lives, the kids save the day. The scene was laughable and actually took away from the story. The reader now questions the age of the children, how they came up with such a spontaneous plan, and how they weren’t scared of attacking the creature; one would think they would be hiding in the closet.
All in all Night & Fog has a lot going for it. Once you start you’re quickly pulled in and there is no getting out. Pick this trade up once it hits and beware these creatures just keep getting nastier!
This 6 issue series has been out since 2008 and optioned for film by renown producer Gil Adler and Shane McCarthy.
To see more of the products from Studio 407 you can visit www.studio-407.com Retailers should email info@studio-407.com to get the release information mailing list.
About Studio 407: Studio 407 brings together the imagination and creative talents of writers and artists from North America and Asia to generate a flow of distinct and kinetic East-meets-West entertainment. A writer driven studio that blends innovation with tradition, Studio 407 is dedicated to publishing the highest quality in comics and manga across a wide variety of genres. From capes to kung fu, giant robots to vampires, and secret agents to mad scientists; at Studio 407, we sweat the details.
3.5 out of 5.0