Clive Barker’s Nightbreed #12 Retro Review
The issue concludes the Gods story from last issue. The Creative team from that issue, Chichester and Nelson, also carried over to this issue. In that issue we learn that the Aztec Gods, Tezcatlipoca (Tez) and Izpapolotl (Izzy) are actually Nightbreed. Tez misses the Days of being Worshipped and wants to take matters in his own hands. Luckily for him, there is a group of explorers/journalists/tourists, who just got stranded in the Jungle near the ancient temple …
Like the last issue, this one starts out with a quick reminder of Boone and Midian, and then we switch back to South America. These Midian reminders really seem forced. Like they think we would completely forget that this is a Nightbreed book if it wasn’t in there. Anyways…
The Hapless Campers are arguing again, with the expert, Carlos, still trying to convince everybody that the old Gods are returning and that they need to drop everything and go worship them. Back at the temple, Tez and Izzy also argue. Izzy is trying to convince Tez that he needs to stop this or it will end badly, and Tez just doesn’t care.
The other God/Breed in the Temple, a weird flying bug thing named Troubador, kind of acts like a kid watching his parents argue. Much like the kid among the group of humans. Why is he there anyways? This does not seem like the kind of trip in which you take a kid. The rest of the humans seem to have chilled out, and Carlos is acting normal again, But we know better, don’t we. The arguing starts up again. I am starting to notice a pattern here. The humans end up at the Temple, again, much to the delight of Tez and the chagrin of Izzy.
It is at this point that we break from all the arguing and get back to the story at hand. The kid’s mom, the Journalist, breaks away from camp to photograph the temple. Within the Temple she encounters Tez. She is only freaked out for a few minutes until she realizes the Journalistic opportunity being presented to her. Pretty soon, she is completely in the Thrall of Tez, and is willing to do anything to serve Tez.
She heads back to camp, and encounters her Husband, Brad. She stabs him repeatedly with a ceremonial knife from the Temple while Tez watches on. She offers Tez the Blood, to which he declines, but tells her to enjoy….She does.
Tez wants the boy, and she, his mom by the way, is all too happy to oblige. Or attempt it at least. A big, confusing fight ensues. Meanwhile, the other female, the blond, I think her name is Susie, stumbles upon Izzy. Susie seems to be taking all this incredibly well, I might add. Izzy tells her that the only way to help is to rub the entrails of the corpse over Izzy’s body, which forms a coccoon. If you remember, a translation of Izpapolotl is “Obsidian Butterfly.”
Moments later, just in time to stop the sacrifice of the boy, Izzy pops out of her Coccoon in a new form. She looks more like a Dragonfly than a Butterfly. She graps Tez and carries him away before he can cause anymore damage. They fly up until the sun comes up, destroying them both.
Troubador is the only surviving Breed in all this mess, as is The Kid, the Blond, and the other guy, who may or may not have been named…Harper maybe? The story ends with Troubador whispering the story of Tez and Izzy into the ear of some kid, a different kid mind you, so that the legends live on.
That is the end of this story. This was not a well executed story. I wonder if this was planned for a longer story arc, but then it got shortened because it all seemed so rushed. Like I said last time, I love the idea of Gods being Breed, but the constant bickering among ALL the characters, and the lack of effort in explaining who these people are or making me care really detracts from the whole story.
The Next issue begins a MUCH better story. The Rawhead Rex Story, but that is not what I will be covering next time. Nope. It is now time to jump into the Much Anticipated Hellraiser Nightbreed crossover….JIHAD! Breed vs Cenobites, Baphomet vs Leviathan! Who wins? We do!
