First published back in March of 1992, issue fifteen Epic Comics’ serial adaptation of Clive Barker’s ‘Nightbreed’ sported the subtitle ‘The King Of Depravity’.
The first four issues of the ‘Nightbreed’ comics closely followed the storyline of the film, only slightly veering away from it with minor details. The twenty-one issues that followed continued on with the Nightbreed legacy – creating whole new spin-off storylines that would eventually bring in aspects from some of Barker’s other work.
This issue formed the third instalment in the ‘Nightbreed vs Rawhead Rex’ four part series.
DLS Synopsis:
With Sathan slaughtered and her baby, Maximillian, taken by Algernon Kinder and his followers, the Nightbreed were desperate for blood. The scent of the naturals still lingered in the stale air. Tracking them wouldn’t be too difficult for the likes of Peloquin.
However, Kinder now had a powerful and terrifyingly savage beast by his side. Through a ritual of unholy resurrection, the naturals had brought the age-old ungodly creation known as Rawhead Rex back from its otherwise endless slumber.
The breed’s fight with the naturals was never going to end well. The question was - how could they face such a colossal monarch? How could they stand against such unspeakable horror?
But upon its resurrection the great beast had been wounded by Kinder in a moment of mortal panic. A shotgun blast to its genitals had disabled the creature for the merest of moments. However, Leah Qlipoth had been standing behind the beast at the time and had felt the full force of Kinder’s shot. Now she lay dying from her wounds. Abandoned by her once lover. Left to die at the feet of the Nightbreed.
It was time to take the fight to Algernon Kinder once again…
DLS Review:
For the third instalment in the Rawhead Rex mini-series, writer D.G. Chichester had upped the ante somewhat compared with the previous instalment which was more a disappointing filler than a solid contribution to the mini-series. Thankfully, this third part has leapt back into the thick of the progressing story, pushing it forwards with plenty of energy and horror-fuelled gusto.
No additional characters or substories have been added into the mix here, instead the main narrative is allowed to progress onwards, with the struggle and chase becoming noticeably tenser by the minute.
Artwork is pretty darn hit and miss in this particular comic. It begins well, with the deep colours and shadows complementing the story almost perfectly. However, by the midway point the style seems to shift completely, as if the artwork had been taken over by a far less capable illustrator. Linework becomes much more rushed, heavy-handed and decidedly sketchy. Indeed, the overall quality of the comic seems to drop, with the story and dialogue alone keeping the reader semi-gripped.
The story itself is however again a fast-paced and adrenaline pumping affair, with plenty going on over each page. In fact, out of the three instalments in the mini-series so far, this one is probably the most involved and action rich. It’s also got the most going on, without becoming overly cumbersome or clumsy.
All in all, a damn good chapter in the ‘Nightbreed vs Rawhead Rex’ mini-series.
The comic runs for a total of 28 pages (plus an additional ‘Breeding Ground’ page which once again comprises of a readers’ letters).
© DLS Reviews
