Night Of The Ghoul #2
The plot thickens as the truth starts to get revealed in Night Of The Ghoul #2, by writer Scott Snyder, artist Francesco Francavilla, and letters by Andworld Designs. Much like the first issue, atmosphere is the name of the game with this one, and it slays from the word go.
When it comes right down to it, the plot of this issue isn't exactly super important. Readers learn more about the ghouls and the film, which builds up the story more. Readers learn that the movie Night of the Ghoul is based on Merrit'ss life, as his father was part of the group that discovered the ghouls. It also reveals that the ending exists somewhere, which is essential to discovering how to destroy the ghouls.
The plot is almost incidental because this book works so well because of the art. Sure, Snyder's script gives the direction, but Francavilla makes it all work. The linework and the coloring play such a massive part in making this book work. This issue is mostly exposition, but there are so many spooky little moments throughout the book that Francavilla brings to life that play into the exposition perfectly.
Art is such a vital part of comics, and so far, with his Best Jackett books, Snyder is letting the artists work as much as he does. This is working so well in this book. Francavilla's art has a perfect sensibility that fits this story. Using the movie as a framing device kills it because Francavilla is giving readers old-school horror movie realness. That's exactly what this book needs to succeed. Snyderisn'tt doing gory horror, or at least he isn't just yet, so the atmospherics of the book are extremely important. This would be a very different book without Francavilla.
Snyder is doing a great job of sitting back and letting the art tell the story. He's like a writer/director who knows how to set the scene and trusts that the talent he's chosen can make it work. This is such an interesting story, and the forthcoming lore dump from Snyder explaining what ghouls are and how they fit into the mythological framework of the world, a la Wytches, will be so much fun.
Night Of The Ghoul #2 is like the perfect horror serial that one can only get from a comic. It's cinematic yet still obviously a comic. Snyder and Francavilla are gelling perfectly for this one, as Snyder is amazingly playing to his artist's strengths. This is one not to miss.
