Clive Barker’s Nightbreed #3 Retro Review

My Review/comparison of Clive Barker’s Nightbreed, the comic, the Nightbreed theatrical release, and the original Novel, Cabal, continues as I delve into issue 3.  This issue covers the story from when Boone is captured at the hotel, to the beginning of the assault on Midian by the “Sons of the Free.  This issue only covers about 16 minutes or so of screen time, and about 53 pages of the Novel.

We start off at the police station with Eigerman, who is much older than he is in the movie, and his Deputies beating up Boone in his cell, while  Reverend Ashberry (The comic spells it with 2 ‘R’s while Novel uses one) listens.  The whole Ashberry making a fist until it bleeds, and then later talking to Boone through the wall scenes are not in the comic.  The comic does show Eigerman freaking out because Boone is “Walking around in my figgin cell dead!”  Yes, the comic used figgin instead of the usual F Word. The next part is where the Theatrical release strayed drastically from the Novel, however the Comic  still trascked with the novel.  In the Movie, Lori seems to just Loiter around the Police Station, when Narcisse and Rachel show up and the three rescue Boone.  In the Comic and Novel, Lori is sitting at a park bench trying to determine what she should do next, when Babette mind melds (I know, that is a Star Trek thing, but it really is appropriate here) and Lori watches what happens to Ohnaka through Babette’s eyes.  It is a shame that this was cut out of the movie, because it makes Lori so much more sympathetic to the plight of ‘Breed, and it makes her Statement to Boone later make a whole lot more sense. There is one little moment that the movie added that wasn’t in the book though.  In the Book, Detective Joyce did not go with the first group to Midian.  He was not a part of the Ohnaka brutality.  But in the Movie, he is.  You see that he feels a little sorry for Ohnaka, but when Ohnaka reaches out for help, Joyce backs away in disgust.  I loved that moment.  It is sadly not in the comic.  Joyce tells the people to back off, but that moment where Ohnaka asks for help is not there. Also, like in the movie, Narcisse and Rachel head out to rescue Boone.  In the book, it is just Narcisse.  Lori heads to the Police Station and sees the Sons of the Free loadin’ up and headin’ out. This of course makes the rescue of Boone pretty different from book and movie.  I prefer the movie/comic version here, where Rachel uses her Turning into Mist powers to help the rescue efforts.   The Movie has Narcisse interrupt the Reunion of Boone and Lori.  “No time for Hoochie Coochie.”  In the Book and Comic, there was Hoochie Coochie anyway.  But it this scene that makes more sense when Lori sees the Death of Ohnaka.  “I don’t want to be dust.”  Why would she say that if she hadn’t seen one turn to dust? The rest of the issue is a little out of order from the book and movie, which might explain the shorter screen time for this section.  Some of these scenes aren’t in the movie until later.  The rednecks are pouring Gasoline all over Midian before the Sun goes down.  In the Comic, Ashberry sees what he thought was a statue fly away, and thinks it is an Angel, so he starts to have second thoughts about this whole thing.  He tries to get Eigerman to stop, because he thinks they are the Heavenly host.  The book, and the movie have Ashberry upset because they are killing children.  The comic has Boone not only telling Lylesburg that they have to fight, but that they need to release the Beserkers.  The movie has the Beserker conversation happen later.  Of course, the book never really mentions the Beserkers.  In the movie, Decker kills Joyce after being caught with the mask.  In the comic, he just hides the mask and then the scene cuts to more mayhem and Ashberry crying and begging forgiveness.  Here is where the third issue ends. This is another issue that shows what the movie could have been.  I am fairly certain a lot of these extra scenes are in the Cabal Cut.  It has been so enjoyable re-reading both the comic and the Novel and re-watching the Theatrical Version for these reviews/comparisons.  It reminds me of how much I truly love this story. Join me next time as we conclude with Clive Barker’s Nightbreed #4!