Comic Book Review - Nocterra #8

Rob reviews Nocterra #8...

The second arc to Scott Snyder's Nocterra has so far been a great read. Not only has lead character Val taken somewhat of a back seat, but we're also starting to see more of that insidious bad guy - Blacktop Bill. 

So far we've seen Val and her group discover a glimmer of hope in the form of Eos, a place where the light still shines. Whilst this was revealed by the now-dead Gus McCray, Val and her group are more determined to find the mythical place. Meanwhile, Blacktop Bill has used the helmet he stole to commune with the Shade. However, the arch enemy is soon turned on by his people and that's where things get interesting. Not only this, but Val soon learns that the Shade is also changing how they attack the surviving humans. 

Nocterra #8 continues these plot threads as Scott Snyder ramps up the tension for Sundog Convoy. The opening scene is pretty brutal as we see a masked attacker assault the Fort Speed outpost. This all turns out to be Blacktop Bill as the outposts residents soon realise too late. Meanwhile, Val and Sundog Convoy are chasing their leads -which happens to be Blacktop Bill. 

Snyder then gives us time with Sundog as we catch up with the newer members of the cast. We see Adam start to adjust to his post quarantine life as he opens up to Piper about the loss of his father. While this loss has affected Adam, he does tell Piper that his father was dying of cancer, so his sacrifice wasn't in vain. Emoy is also facing a change as he's now cured of the Shade infection. Due to his proximity to the Shade, he's still able to feel whispers from the creature's hive mind. Whilst Emory doesn't understand these whispers, he divulged that their attack pattern has changed.

This revelation is soon confirmed by Mother as she tells Val that the Shade is no longer killing everyone they come across. Whilst the Shade have ramped up their attacks, they're taking prisoners. This confirms Emory's suspicions that the Shade is building an army. But for what?

The issue closes with yet another big revelation as Blacktop Bill uses the helmet to commune with Nox. As Bill attempts to speak to "God" he does get visions of an alien creature. As Bill attempts to understand the creature's incoherent speech he's soon surrounded by the Shade. However, Snyder adds another twist to the tale as Bill is rescued by a surprising ally.

Nocturna is ramping up its tension within its second arc. Not only is Scott Snyder slowly giving us answers to some burning questions. He's simultaneously asking more. Whilst we're slowly working towards just who Blacktop Bill is (see Nocterra: Blacktop Bill Special), Snyder then throws in both the Nocturne AND changes to the Shade. The narrative is certainly building towards something. But quite what exactly is still up for debate.

Aside from this we also get another spectacular display of art from Tony S. Daniel. Considering the narrative features a lot of darkness, Daniel works light into his work too. Fort Speed for example is a great example as we see light sources of all sizes. This allows plenty of detailed shadow work on his characters as well with there being particular detail into items of clothing and just where the light source is coming from. 

All in all, Nocterra is building its narrative up at a blistering speed. Whilst the first arc portrayed the Shade as a group of mindless monsters, we're starting to see that there is an intelligence behind them. Much like that seen within Robert Kirkman's epic, The Walking Dead, Nocterra not only focuses on the immediate threat of the Shade - it considers the human factor too!

Rating: 9/10

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