NIGHT CLUB (VOL. 2) #5, by Dark Horse Comics on 1/29/25, gets the band back together when Amy goes to extreme lengths to resurrect Danny and Sam. Meanwhile, the bullies tie up loose ends before moving on to bigger things.
Credits:
- Writer: Mark Millar
- Artist: Juanan Ramírez
- Colorist: Fabiana Mascolo
- Letterer: Clem Robins
- Cover Artist: Juanan Ramírez
- Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
- Release Date: January 29, 2025
- Comic Rating: Mature (language, nudity, gore)
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 32
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of NIGHT CLUB (VOL. 2) #5:
Recap:
When we last left the bloodsuckers in Night Club (Vol. 2) #4, Amy barely escaped the new bully vampire cult, but Sam and Danny weren’t so lucky. The bullies took over the local gangster’s operation and began planning to take over the world. Out of options, the issue ended with Amy concluding the only way forward was to resurrect Sam and Danny.
Plot Analysis:
In Night Club (Vol. 2) #5, we catch up with Amy after days of fruitless effort to bring Sam and Danny back to “life.” She tries everything from cheap occult manuals to voodoo rituals and everything in between. Fortunately, she finds a method that actually works – immersing the remains of her friends in blood, lots and lots of blood. Amy engages in multiple nightly raids on blood banks and hospitals to get the quantity needed, but after a few days, the process works. Thanks, Hammer Films.
Elsewhere, Risso and the bully gang visit the nearby penitentiary. Why? Risso has come for a bit of closure with his incarcerated father. Risso’s dad is surprised by the nightly visit, but he appears to welcome his now-successful son with open arms. But the loving moment ends when Risso’s dad repays his son’s kindness with ill-advised violence, prompting Risso to return the gesture tenfold.
Meanwhile, the police gather to discuss the sudden uptick in violence, coinciding with the disappearance of several teenagers in the neighborhood. The meeting breaks up when the police receive a call about the missing teenagers showing up at a night blub (wink) in Fishtown.
The issue ends with murder on the dance floor.
First Impressions:
Nobody likes a bully, but it’s often the case that bullies are made, not born. Writer Mark Millar uses the penultimate issue in the latest volume to show readers how and why Risso became the most vicious enemy the Night Club has yet to face. Depending on your point of view, Risso’s “origin” throws a cloud of uncertainty over how the resurrected vampire super-team is going to put an end to a plague in motion, which could be the foundation of a killer finale. We shall see.
Artwork and Presentation:
Juanan Ramírez handles subtle glamouring and brutal head-smashing with equal skill and visual interest. Readers witness a range of vampire powers put to use by the respective characters within the context of a supernatural world that still feels believable… if our world had vampires.
Art Samples:
Story Positives & Negatives:
The Positives:
It’s fair to say the purpose of a penultimate issue is to set up a climactic battle in the finale. To Mark Millar’s credit, he moves all the players around on the game board to put them where they need to be for the big fight and delivers a well-done bit of character-building for good measure.
The Negatives:
In this case, Mark Millar may be the victim of his own success. Technically, everything about this issue works, but it doesn’t quite have the big moments and gut-punch surprises that Millar’s recent comics are known for. In short, the players get to where they need to be, but the urgency and momentum feel a bit soft.
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Will the Night Club after volume 2’s finale next month? As of this writing, there’s nothing officially released from Dark Horse as to when the series will return. It’s highly unlikely this is the end of the teenage vampire super-team, but the timing of their return is TBD.
Final Thoughts:
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NIGHT CLUB (VOL. 2) #5 delivers a well-constructed, penultimate issue that gets all the players in place for next month’s finale. Mark Millar’s script effortlessly creates a scenario for the Nigh Club’s return, adding a character-building subplot that gives the villain some humanity. Plus, Juanan Ramírez’s art is a gritty mix of supernatural whimsy and grounded relatability.
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