Night Of The Ghoul #3
Things go from bad to worse in Night Of The Ghoul #3, by writer Scott Snyder, artist Francesco Francavilla, and letterer Andworld Design. This is yet another stellar issue of one of the best horror books on the market.
This issue is structured like the others, flitting between the present and the past. In the present, Dr. Skeen confronts Forest with the truth of who he is. Orson is brought in by security and tells his father about the dead bodies. Skeen deflects their suspicions, and the two leave, having a heart to heart that makes Forest go back to talk to Merrit, and then he sees the truth. In the past, Alex and Johnny investigate the legends of the ghoul before getting the rest of the squad involved.
Night Of The Ghoul is just so good. The biggest part of that is Francavilla's art. There are some beautiful full-page spreads in this book. Each one would make a great pin-up, and that's only the beginning. The monochromatic way that Francavilla colors the book is the icing on the cake. His pencils are great, but the way he colors the art is what brings the horror to life. It's mostly blacks, whites, and greys. When Francavilla uses other colors to lighten things, it still gives the art a spooky feel, almost like shedding light on the horror. Francavilla just keeps killing it with this book.
Of course, Snyder is a big part of the whole thing. Francavilla is throwing strikes, but he needs to pins to hit; Snyder is the pinsetter, and he does a brilliant job. The beginning scenes with Skeen have just the right amount of menace. Francavilla brings it to life, but Snyder is the one who wrote it. As one reads the dialogue bubbles, they can almost hear Skeen's voice, the oily, ominous tones. It's all there on the page, and it's terrific.
He builds the relationship between Forest and Orson, the reasoning behind how they treat each other and giving Forest the impetus he needs to get back in the game and risk everything. It's a great moment, tugging the heartstrings. The flashback segments do a great job of building the story of the "movie" and giving readers the backstory of the ghoul. It's all so well done. One of the best panels of the book takes place when Forest and Orson are talking. It's a two-shot of them in the car, from the front, and through the back windshield, there's figures, probably more ghouls. It's such extraordinary detail and adds so much to the book.
Night Of The Ghoul continues to impress. Snyder and Francavilla are creating an amazing horror story with this one. Any fan of good horror comics should be reading it.
