Nights Volume 1

I BINGED this story; there was so much going on but in a good way, and I got completely sucked into the story. I loved Gray's character and her storyline, and I'm invested in Ivory's storyline. I want to know more. I especially love the artwork, it's so beautifully done. I would absolutely continue reading this series.

So I'm hooked....Nights Volume 1 has started off so strong. The 1st page with the description of Florida being owned by Spain, 31 states & the supernatural being common place + benign hooks you and it doesn't let you go. The ending of the first issue alone? A+ I need volume 2 immediately!
The world is jam-packed with such quirky world building and oddities such as jogging ghosts & moles giving relationship advice. The characters are all wonderful with Matt and his collection of onesies being my favourite. Starven as a one off also top tier.

The end of volume 1 sets up the story nicely and will leave you with lots of questions of what's happening but I'm sure volume 2 won't disappoint!

Thanks to Netgalley & Image Comics for the arc.

Nights is a paranormal / horror graphic novel, set in the state of Florida (that is incidently owned by Spain for some undiscussed reason). In this world, the paranormal is...well...normal and commonplace. Our main character Vince, is moving in with his older cousin after his parents die, and his new room mates consist of a dead skeleton boy who can't move on, and a vampire girl who he later develops a crush on.

The first issue/chapter was pretty slow for me. There are a lot of characters you're being introduced to and I didn't really care about any of them or feel engaged in the plot at all. After this first chapter though, I started to become really invested in the characters, particularly our dead boy Matt, who is always appearing in adorable onsies. Grey, our vampire girl also gave me big Marceline from Adventure Time vibes,which I loved. She's a rebellious trouble maker who just wants to have fun. And oh there's also a talking star-nosed mole who makes a brief appearance and is hands-down my favourite character.

While you're following this rag-tag group of teens and young adults try to scrape together a functional home, in the background we have a lot of really dark and sinister stuff happening. There are frequent count downs to a big 'end of times' event that you keep forgetting is coming, weird monster appearences, and strange agents that remind me of something out of the game 'Control'. All this paired with a single warning that Grey is dangerous and shouldn't be trusted, which leaves you wondering what's going to happen next and what part she will play in it all.

The illustrations are really nice and pretty much follows the standard 'comic book' illustrative style. They were expressive and funny, and the way Grey is drawn is so cute.

At first I wasn't sure that this was a graphic novel I'd enjoy, but i'm absolutely invested now and with that cliff hanger, i'll be eagerly waiting to see what happens in the next volume!

I gave myself a few days after my first read and re-read the comic. I came to the same conclusion. I liked the artwork, I liked much of the story line. But it jumps about backwards and forwards in time. These jumps didn’t happen, from my perspective, in a coherent and understandable way. However I really like the artistic expression when Gray is actively vampiric destroying monsters, and the Ghost who brings humour to the story line. I look forward to Vol 2. Thank you to Image Comics and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I just want to start with aaaaaaargh!

Loved the art style of this from the very start, really popped and got the atmosphere across instantly.

This is an alternative US/Florida in 2003, vampires are part of the local community, though only one at a time thank you.

We’re introduced to Vince who’s family have died and goes to stay with his Uncle in Florida, with a motley crew of housemates.

This was fast-paced throughout but never ran away from me, the core is about family and love all wrapped up in the grizzled features of blood and apocalypse.

Shady government organisations are implicated lightly, talking star-moles, and ghosts with a limited time to resolve why they are still walking the earth.

This hit all the right notes for me and I thoroughly enjoyed it right up to the massive cliff-hanger ending!

I’m desperate for volume 2 to arrive as quickly as possible.

I received this from NetGalley and Image comics in exchange for an honest review.

Received as an ARC by Netgalley:

This was madcap in the best way. The art is so glorious and the coming of age vibes are on point.

The amount of genres that get mixed together in this book are really entertaining. Unapologetically weird in the best way.

Really thought I was immune to nostalgia but it turns out the early 2000s brings up a deluge of emotions.

I am certainly not cool enough to read this book, but I had a great time. I've been rocking out to the soundtracks provided at the end of every issue since finishing this.

This graphic novel was interesting because it had such different moods. I felt loneliness, excitement, tenderness... There was a story about a very unusual found family, and interesting relationships with a ghost and a vampire. The action was intense. There was enough in all of the stories -- and I cared enough about them -- that I definitely want to know what happens next.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Image Comics for an advance copy of this graphic novel about a young man, his living and undead roommates, becoming disillusioned with those who mean so much to us, and the many problems of growing up.

Some graphic novels like a big old splash page, to hook the eye and keep a person reading. Others like some cool formation of panels to intrigue and draw one in, to see if this experiment might continue. This graphic novel starts with three lines of text in English, with translations in other languages and lets the reader know that they are not in Kansas any more, Toto. Though there might not be a Kansas anymore either. And with that one is plopped into the story, and what a story this turns out to be. Nights Volume 1, Season One Part One is written by Wyatt Kennedy with art by Luigi Formisano and features an eclectic collection of characters, living and dead, trying to get by in a world very much different from our own.

The book begins with Vince, a recent orphan travelling to Florida, which is still controlled by the country of Spain. In this America there is only 31 states, so things are a little different. Oh and the dead walk among us, along with lots of other supernatural creatures. So things are very different. Vince is coming to Florida to live with his older cousin Ivory, a great guy that everyone likes who moonlights as a contract killer. Ivory has two roommates, Matt is an anime and manga fan, who later dies and becomes a ghost who is wandering the Earth until he completes a deed, but is unsure what that is. Grey is an ancient vampire from Germany, though she looks in her early twenties, and has a first edition Frankenstein book. The story jumps to 2003 where Matt is dead but still walking around and Vince is thinking of going to NYU for film studies. Ivory is looking for a teaching job, while still side hustling in assassination. And shadows are forming on the horizon.

A story that sets up its world right from the get-go, and counts on readers to follow along and pick up hints and tips as the book goes on. Which is great. Kennedy gives enough hints about what is going on that within a page, one is flipping along and enjoying the story. The interplay between the characters really helps with the reading. The story does take a bit to get going and the time jumping can take a page to pick up. However the characters, especially Grey and Vince really make this a stand out of a story. There is a lot going on, shadowy governments, supernatural bad guys. And a young boy in love with a much, much, much older woman. The art is excellent and really compliments the story. The colors are really nice, the backgrounds strong, and the character design quite good. A really good story, that ends on a cliffhanger, and one I'm excited to see more of.

I don't read many comic books, so this story line is a different one for me. The story is set in a dystopian apocalyptic state that was once part of U.S.A., and is now part of Spain, where monsters and the undead coexist. The story line is pretty good with a Vincent, who goes to live with a relative and his many roommates, but falls in love with a vampire who is in a world of her own and happens to be his roommate. I think this book will be suitable for not only young adults but more mature readers as well. It was fun and interesting to read. The reason for the 4 stars is because the beginning started out a tad bit dull, but getting to know more of Gray's background, the story became more interesting. I think other readers will appreciate the personalities of the characters in the story. I do see this publication being turned into many continuous series and I'm look forward to reading them.

Right so, Nights follows the life of teen Vince, his cousin Ivory, and their vampire roommate Grey. Florida is owned by Spain (though I genuinely have no idea why that's important), the US has 31 states, and it's 2003. There's also Matt.

I had fun with this. I had no idea where the story was really going for at least the first three issues but I eventually got there and I'm even now debating going and picking up the 7th issue at my local comic shop. The art was a bit gory and fucky but full of emotion, and the coloring was creepy and awesome. Definitely recommend this for Image and indie comic lovers, as well as vampire/horror lovers.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a review copy.

I really enjoyed Nights! It's funny and sweet and pretty brutal, actually. The artwork is fantastic and I liked all of the characters. It did end on a cliffhanger, though, so I'll be forced to hunt down the second volume. 4 stars

This was a very fun read. I loved the illustrations and the story line. I highly recommend this book!

Remember this is Florida! Yes, it is a alternate world where vampires and ghosts are real, not to mention all sorts of strange critters. Vince moved to Florida after both his parents died to live with his cousin Ivory (hitman), Ivory's friend Matt (dead video game designer), and Gray, a 189 year old vampire. So ordinary life until things changed. Vince has grown up and is falling for Gray who appears 19. But strange things are happening, I mean strange even for Florida and Gray seems to be loosing her mind. Then the reader finds out why but it is the end of the volume and you need to wait until volume 2 to find out how it all plays out. A fun in a strange way read!

Thanks Image Comics and Netgalley for the chance to read this tale!

Summary:

Vince Okonma's whole life has changed over the course of a few weeks. He went from being an ordinary kid (teen) to being a kid living with a punch of paranormal beings. Thanks to a tragedy in his life, Vince is moving in with his cousin (and roommates).

Here's the thing: nobody in this house is normal. The cousin is a secret hitman, and the roommates include a ghost and a vampire. It's a lot, but it's also the perfect place for Vince to be right now, oddly enough.

Review:

Okay, wow. There's a lot to take in while reading Nights Vol. 1. It reads like an ordinary paranormal story (is there such a thing?)...at first. But the more you look at it, the more you realize that everything is different.

To start with, the world isn't the one we know. There are paranormal creatures, a different number of states, and so much more. It's basically an alternative history fantasy story, with many foundational elements changed.

I both loved and hated that. It made for a fascinating read, especially when learning about the oddities in the woods (I want more answers on that). Likewise, I'm fascinated by the cousin's story (which has strong Something is Killing the Children vibes). I have so many questions.

All things considered, Nights Vol. 1 is an interesting read—and yet not at all what I expected. I'll probably keep up with the series, though I have no idea where it will lead in the long run.

Highlights:
Paranormal Creatures
Hidden backstories
Vampires & More

Nights is a wild adventure in a world where talking moles and vampires exist. Our main character Vince is a teenager just trying to get by in life with a crush on his vampire roommate. So much of this story I kept thinking "what am I reading" and being confused but even with those feelings I still wanted to know more. I definitely plan to read the next volume, especially with that intense ending!

3.75/5 rounded up to 4. This was fun! I dug the art style a lot and the coloring was beautiful. I’m partial to any cryptid/monster stories, with the alternative history aspects of the story and awesome playlists included with each part, this was tailor made for me. The only thing I didn’t love was the somewhat juvenile dialogue, maybe best for a younger audience but the porn/hentai/boob talk was too much for my taste. The plot was engaging enough and I’m such a sucker for cliffhangers so I will be looking out for volume 2. Thank you for an advanced copy of this title!

Read Nights vol. 1. I want to love it; it has great art and realistic characters in a interesting setting, but even by the end of the first volume I was left with nothing but questions. I feel like nothing ever got explained and it took away from the quality of the comic. I'm sure if I continue reading I will get the answers I want, but it feels like the pacing of the story is just a little off. Still a stellar comic.

Nights is set in an alternate history late noughties, where supernatural creatures exist alongside humans, ghosts remain on earth to find their unfinished business, and shadowy government organisations operate in secret. Following our main cast of characters, including a regular teenage guy, a vampire girl, a ghost, and an assassin as they navigate this world, and maybe navigate the even stranger world of love, Nights fuses humour, body horror, and surrealist environments to create a fun and intriguing world.

Volume 1 ended right as some big stuff started to go down, and it felt like a great cliff hanger, I'll be keeping my eye out for Volume 2! Also, bonus points are awarded for a talking Star-Nosed mole!