Back in July, news dropped of a first-of-its-kind deal that will see acclaimed comics writer Scott Snyder create eight vastly different series in collaboration with various top artists, colourists, letterers and editors – and then have them published exclusively under the comiXology Originals banner. Following digital-only release, the comics will be printed in collected format by Dark Horse Books.
Included among the eight creator-driven series is Night of the Ghoul, a six-issue horror title that reunites Snyder with Detective Comics collaborator Francesco Francavilla, an Eisner Award-winning artist celebrated for his pulp-leaning style.
Out today is the second issue of Night of the Ghoul, and the series continues to shape up as a satisfying, smart tribute to horror comics of yesterday. Snyder and Francavilla never strain to replicate the sensibilities of those iconic older titles, like EC Comics’ Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror. There are shocking moments, and Night of the Ghoul is certainly grisly, but it’s not gratuitous. Meanwhile, Francavilla’s moody visuals – he provides both art and deliberately limited colours – are always coherent, refusing to fall into the genre trap of unnecessarily shadowed, scratchy or distorted panels in an attempt to unnerve readers.
At times, Night of the Ghoul feels like you’re reading the comic equivalent of a Golden Age horror film. That’s kind of the point, though, as Ghoul revolves around a classic movie. The comic’s plot is triggered when failed filmmaker Forest Inman finds a reel of footage from Night of the Ghoul, long rumoured to be the Citizen Kane of big screen horror tales, but also long thought destroyed in a studio fire.
Desperate to get the full story, Inman recruits his estranged teenage son Orson, and tracks down Night of the Ghoul’s writer-director T.F. Merrit, who vanished in the aftermath of the tragic fire. It turns out the old man is confined to his deathbed in a remote care facility. While his doctor and nurse consider him delusional, Merrit opens up to Inman, sharing the “true” story behind his cinematic masterpiece. The titular ghoul is real, as is its hunger for dead flesh and ability to spread pestilence. Increasing its significance, every monster in folklore can be traced back to the malevolent creature and its centuries of destruction.
Nesting one story in another is far from a new concept. Readers have seen it as far back as One Thousand and One Nights. However, there’s a great deal of sophistication in the way that Night of the Ghoul intercuts between its present day narrative – Forest and Orson face their own dangers – and the events depicted in a black-and-white horror film set circa World War I. Snyder’s dialogue for both periods feels tight and authentic, investing the characters with greater credibility. At the same time, in both the present and past, strained relationships between fathers and sons take the spotlight, creating enjoyable parallels.
While it works simply as a well-thought-out and classy creature feature, Night of the Ghoul extends its pleasures further. Psychological horror isn’t neglected for fans of that particular sub-genre, as Ghoul also calls to mind paranoia-fuelled classics like The Thing and Rosemary’s Baby. Evidently Night of the Ghoul wants readers to continually question who they can trust, and as the story advances, suspicions about a greater, unexpected conspiracy are only increasing. It makes for an engrossing ongoing series, and the inclusion of throwback-style cliffhanger endings ensures you’re eagerly waiting for the next issue.
Members of comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime can read released issues of Night of the Ghoul now for free. Alternatively, you can buy the issues digitally via comiXology and Kindle, or even wait for the collected print edition from Dark Horse Books.