Clive Barker’s Nightbreed #7 Retro Review

The Blasphemers and the Breed collide in Part Two of The Blasphemers storyline.  Also, old threats  and new make their presence felt.   Issue 7 keeps the Creative team from the last issue, but does add an additional artist, Mike Manley, Co-Created Darkhawk for Marvel Comics, and worked with Blevins on New Mutants.   

At the end of the last issue, Kinski, Narcisse (who is magically alive again), and some guy named Guido interrupt Boone and Lori at a hotel to warn them that trouble is brewing.  Boone, wanting to be left alone, suits up as it were, and is ready for a fight.  This issue starts off with Lori causing Calmer Heads to prevail.  Narcisse (still no explanation as to how he is there) turns on the television , which is showing the aftermath of The Blasphemers latest bingefest.  Boone really doesn’t care, but Kinski is trying to convince them that this is actually part of his responsibility now.  This conversation is interrupted  the Blasphemers crashing through the window. 

Boone and Company get taken to a field where Mulciber is preparing a cookout…of the Hotel Manager.  He tries to tempt Boone with a rib, but he fights the temptation.  A big fight breaks out that takes up a pretty big portion of the issue.  The highlights include Lori ripping out the Eye Stalks of Dagon, and Guido showing what he can do.  Guido can remove his own Spine and use it as a weapon!

Ultimately, the Blasphemers get away due to fancy one foot and one arm driving of Fachon.  Unfortunately, this who ruckus is witnessed by some Naturals, including a guy named Allen Ritegrig, who seems to be affected by what he has seen.  The Breed go into hiding as the sun comes up.

  The next day, the police are investigating the damage at the hotel, when guess who shows up?   Eigerman and Ashberry!  There is a quick Flashback to explain their situation to newer readers.  Ashberry seems to be a bloodhound of sorts now, when it comes to finding Nightbreed.  Eigerman kills the Police officer, and takes his badge, which he adds to his collection.

Meanwhile, at a local diner, Allen is just as obsessed as Eigerman and Ashberry.  It seems like whenever Naturals get a glimpse of what the Nightbreed really are, it consumes them.  Eigerman, Ashberry, Decker, and now Allen.  But they all have different motivations and goals when it comes to the Breed.  Allen has followed The Blasphemers to an abandoned Cinema, where they are recuperating from the previous nights battle.  Fachon  has bandaged Dagon’s head and will now be acting as his eyes…err…I guess that would be eye.  We learn that Oral was born a Nightbreed, while Mulciber was once a Natural.  I find this interesting considering that except for that mouth thing, Oral looks perfectly human, and Mulciber looks like…a Gargoyle Muppet (see below for more on Mulciber’s appearance). 

Allen then storms in to the theater with Guns at the ready, and makes a proposition.  “I seen what happened back at that motel…You got a bone to pick with those others.  I can help you pick it clean.  I can give them to you.  For that I want you to give me what you’ve got.  I want you to give me the night.”

Most of this issue is just a lot of fighting, which is all well and good.  It is a comic book after all, but  it leaves me with less to write about.  There is one thing I want to point out though.  With the last issue, I complained about visual continuity errors.  How some hair and skin colors seemed to have changed from one issue to the next.  This week I noticed another one.  One that looking back, was also in the last issue as well, but I didn’t notice do to the way he was lit most of the time.  Mulciber.  In Issue 5, the Prologue to The Blasphemers, Mulciber is purple with a Yellowish/Tan Beak.  He is on the cover.  Now he is green with purple body hair.  Who knew Clive Barker and Jim Henson ever collaborated?  Oh, and Dagon, The Crabby looking guy on the Cover (Notice, he is reddish-brown), well in the book, he is now purple.

I am still enjoying the actual story however.  Blevins’ art is about the same as last issue, and you can tell when Manley does a page, because it does look better.  It was refreshing to see Eigerman and Ashberry resurface.  That is a plot thread that I was worried would get forgotten. 

Next issue, we continue the Blasphemers storyline.  Will Mulciber take Allen up on his offer?  Will he become the newest Nightbreed?  Will Eigerman and Ashberry catch up with their prey?  Will the color changes continue?  Join me next time, and find out!