Review: Night Spider/Midnight Stranger
These two characters don't go together, but they work just fine
Night Spider/Midnight Stranger
Mind Over Murder
Blue Moon Comics
Plot by Lloyd Smith & JW Erwin
Script, Letters and Colors by Lloyd Smith
Pencils and Inks by JW Erwin
Comic book team ups are some of the most exciting and imaginative comics we can curl up and enjoy. Blue Moon Comics’ Night Spider/Midnight Stranger is a new entry to that storied history and lives up to them quite nicely.
Lloyd Smith and JW Erwin have teamed two of their top Blue Moon characters, for a suspenseful, supernatural ride for the ages. If you’re a big fan of the classic Brave & Bold stories of the 70s featuring the talents of Bob Haney, Denny O’Neil, Jim Aparo just to name a few, this is a comic for you.
Before I go further, don’t mistake this for a nostalgia trip. The vibe is there. But the story is new and respects the characters being very much their own thing. It feels fresh and fun as we go through the two perspectives of the heroes. In fact, the fact these two characters don’t go together well is the strongest part of this story. The ideolistic crimefighter versus supernatural vengeance incarnate.
Throughout, we are treated to characters that hold fast to their own morals and methods. Night Spider just out there doing his job without compromising his beliefs. He’s working within the law. While the Midnight Stranger holds himself up to the bigger picture and doling out vengeance and justice where it applies. They clash throughout the story which helps frame the tension and stakes of the tale.
The plot itself is easy to grab hold of, but is told in such nice pacing, we’re not overwhelmed by any part. The two creators have plotted a story that builds and takes us to some unexpected places or reveals.
From the beginning, we’re introduced to James Haney, who has just committed murder. Cold and without regret, he runs into Night Spider. Yet, before Night Spider can take him into custody and turn over to the police, Midnight Stranger judges and executes him. This starts a back and forth epic that has origins in Operation Desert Storm, as three men discover a small golden idol staue and split it up between them. Of course, the idol is more than it appears. What is it? Well, that would be telling. Trust me though, it’s worth finding out.
I can’t go much further without talking about the art. I’ve been a fan of JW Erwin’s work since friending him on Facebook. Each page and panel matches Lloyd’s easy feeling storytelling and natural dialogue. The art jumps off the page and gives you exactly what you need for this type of story. Heroic in places. Shadowy, moody and atmospheric in others. He doesn’t skip a beat going from the colorful an action posing of Night Spider to Midnight Stranger’s stoic and ominous presence. Lloyd’s straighforward colors hit JW’s art just right without the overrendered mess a lot of modern comics assault our eyes with.
Can’t recommend this book enough. It’s a classically told comic that feels rooted in better days. Lloyd and JW have put two years of hard work into this story to give us a fun Halloween treat.
You can find this book at Drive Thru Comics and Global Comix
