By Zack Quaintance — Nocterra #1 is the start of a new phase in the career of writer Scott Snyder, who teams on the book with artist Tony S. Daniel and colorist Tomeu Morey. This is Snyder’s first new series after effectively wrapping his time at DC Comics (for now, anyway) with the event story, Dark Nights: Death Metal. Even as that story was still unfolding, Snyder started to make it clear during promo opportunities — he was transitioning into creator-owned work after Death Metal, doing so with the launch of his new imprint, Best Jackett Press.

This is the book that launches Best Jackett Press, and with it, that renewed focus on creator-owned work for Snyder. Nocterra is an interesting choice for a launch title. It’s essentially a summer blockbuster film played out in a comic, one that goes big at every turn with its execution without (so far) straying into any really new or innovative territory. And you know what? That’s just fine, because it’s having so much fun hitting those familiar notes and it’s hitting them very well. There’s a layer of comforting familiarity amid the epic ambitions of the story’s scope.

Nocterra is a story that takes place on an Earth where darkness has not only permanently fallen, but has also become dangerous. If a human stays in the dark for too long, they turn into something else. All the animals and plants that live in the darkness? They have already turned into something else. In this way, the book is most-clearly rooted in horror with a high action sensibility (think Alien, think A Queit Place). Humans survive in lighted outposts, cities hung everywhere with lights and artificial brightness to stave off the perpetual night and the mutations it may bring. Our hero is a trucker in that world, ferrying people and supplies from one outpost to the next…and dealing with the monsters of the unknown that often lie in the path.

The concept of the dark seeding unknown terrors is an incredibly effective one. In press, Snyder has talked about growing up afraid of the dark as well as also being a sufferer of anxiety, a condition that makes one cripplingly-afraid of the unknown, of what’s to come. The book has turned that type of fear into a very fertile ground for horror-tinged storytelling, leaving readers to wonder in nearly every seen what might be waiting and lurking in the darkness.

The other strength of this book is the characters. The protagonist is fully-realized, given a quick-but-effective bit of family background as well as a more vulnerable family member to protect. Those are easy stakes: she has a job to do and loved one to protect as she does it. In addition — and be cautious here for spoilers — there is a fantastic villain with a perfect name: Black Top Bill. Snyder’s greatest strength as a comics creator is perhaps his ability to create lasting and compelling villains, from The Court of Owls to The Batman Who Laughs, and that success seems to have followed him to his new creator-owned work.

The artwork in this comic is also strong, owing largely to the creative alchemy between artist Tony S. Daniel and colorist Tomeu Morey. The colors and shading here are vital to the tone and atmosphere of the book, reliant as it is on the darkness feeling real, omnipresent, and ominous. It definitely feels oppressive, but never in a way that impacts the sense of clarity of what’s going on. The action sequences are kinetic as well, fueling the big blockbuster concept put forward by the script.

In the end, I’m not sure Nocterra #1 will win too many brand new fans for Snyder; it’s a pretty clear extension of his most recent work, particularly at DC Comics. But for long-time fans of Snyder’s writing, this book has a lot to offer. It sees Snyder and his collaborators operating with grandiosity as well as total freedom from the limits of doing the same with corporate-owned IP.

Overall: Nocterra #1 delivers a summer blockbuster film by way of comics, operating with comforting grandiosity as it lays out an interesting concept with an execution of familiar big thriller action beats. This story about high-speed trucking through mutant darkness is going to be one hell of a ride. 9.0/10

Review: Nocterra #1

Nocterra #1
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Tony S. Daniel
Colorist: Tomeu Morey
Letterer: Andworld Design
Publisher: Image Comics - Best Jackett Press
“FULL THROTTLE DARK,” Part One
Ten years after the world is plunged into an everlasting night that turns all living creatures into monstrous shades, the only way to survive is to stay close to artificial light. Enter Valentina “Val” Riggs, a skilled ferryman who transports people and goods along deadly unlit roads with her heavily illuminated eighteen wheeler.
Price: $3.99
Read It Digitally: Nocterra #1 via comiXology
Order a Physical Copy: Nocterra #1

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.