I’ve been a fan of Nocterra since the first teaser I saw for it months ago. Before I’d even read a word of this story. I knew I was goign to love the world that Scott Snyder and Tony S Daniels had created. Last month the first issue only served to confirm my suspicions, and today, I am only more in love than I already was.
Nocterra #2 drops today from Image comics and if you’ve not read the first one, what have you been reading?
Nocterra is the story of a world gone dark, of the monsters that lurk there becoming real in ways you could never have imagined.
This second issue starts right where the first one left of; with Val and Emory on trip to find help for Em. He’s been touched by the black and the sickness that turns humans into shades has already started to take over. They’re also transporting a old man and his granddaughter, who’s origins are hazy at best and dangerous for sure. The danger comes from who I assume is the baddy for the whole arc, and he’s amusing in his totally generic badness, and well, his name. Blacktop Bill doesn’t especially inspire fear in my heart. Aside from the plot here, you also get flashbacks into how Val and Em dealt with the beginnings of the black out, as well as some really cool extra world building.
I think that Snyder is doing a fabulous job of keeping this story tight. You never get more than you need per issue, but what you do get is a great mix of present, relevant past and world building. I liked the first issue so much because while it left you not knowing everything, it didn’t leave you feeling like you weren’t invested. This second issue definitely raises the stakes for the characters, as well as pulling you deeper into the world.
