NIGHTLIFE NOIR #1, available now on Kickstarter, tells three tales of the highs (literally and figuratively) and lows of the Nightclub Nightlife scene with prophetically unpleasant outcomes.
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The Details
- Written By: Jack Mulqueen
- Art By: Raymond Estrada, Abylay Kussainov, Alfredo Torres
- Colors By: Raymond Estrada, Alex Batlle, Alfredo Torres
- Letters By: Manny Mederos
- Cover Art By: Adam Gorham
- Cover Price: $10 basic pledge on Kickstarter
- Release Date: TBD
Was It Good?
When the writer, Jack Mulqueen, sent this in, he asked that we go easy on him since this is his first comic outing.
No, Jack, we don’t go easy on anyone. However, you can relax since this is a pretty impressive offering for a first-time comics creator. To be sure, there are flaws which we’ll cover below, but Jack’s got a unique corner of the market with this subject that’s worth exploring, and this is a good start.
This anthology encompasses three short stories. Same writer, different artists. Each story is a cautionary tale about the glitz and glamour of nightclub nightlife, how it affects the people who inhabit that world, and the sometimes deadly consequences of overstaying your welcome in that world’s seedy underbelly.
The writer is a renowned nightclub entrepreneur in real life, so what’s striking about these stories is the tone of authenticity. Mulqueen’s been there and done that, and that real-world experience comes across on the page as thoroughly believable; even if you’ve never had the same nightclub experiences yourself.
By the way, be forewarned. These stories are definitely NSFW.
We’ll describe each story in the next section so you can get a flavor of what you’re in for, but in total, the writing is quite good… with one exception. The narration in the first story, Remoras, is a little too flowery and verbose. When I say “flowery and verbose”, I mean trying to compete with Dickens and Shakespeare. There were a couple of times I had to stop to look a word up (What’s a “baleine bon vivant”?), and that’s a no-no when it comes to pacing, flow, and readability.
Thankfully, that’s the only story with that issue.
The art covers a wide range of styles from story to story. Again, same writer, different artists. Of the three, Sunday Mofongo captures the noir quality the best with its long shadows (we always say the shadows are practically a standalone character in any noir story) and contrasts between Mijo’s public face and the hidden life happening underneath.
The weakest art goes to Remoras because the renderings go so far into the splotchy and rough territory to achieve a faded newspaper/film feel that you lose detail on the characters. For the first page or two, you can’t tell who the narration is talking about or which character is which. Hyper-stylized art is fine, but too much is a bad thing.
As a complete package, this is an interesting and unique topic with fairly impressive execution for a first-time creator. Despite one glaring flaw, the writing is good-to-great, and the art is stronger on some stories than others. That said, the end result is greater than the sum of its parts.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
As noted above, we briefly cover each story separately, ranking them as we go.
Remoras
Nightclub aficionados (and gamers) are familiar with the term “whale.” But what happens when whales attract hangers-on for the company or a little bit more? More importantly, what happens to a hanger-on when the relationship comes to an abrupt, and violent, end?
Of the three, this is the most mature story in terms of character scenes and emotional depth. However, it’s the weakest for its confusing art and over-the-top narration.
Sunday Mofongo
Play with fire and you’re bound to get burned. Mijo loves his mother and he paints the prettiest picture possible describing how his job at a popular nightclub is taking him places. What Mamacita doesn’t know is Mijo is a lowly busboy who’s about to make the biggest mistake of his life by cashing in on some backroom extortion.
This story may be the simplest of the three and the most reminiscent of a cautionary tale. It has the cleanest art, and a hard-hitting ending that you didn’t see coming until it was too late.
The Life of the Party
Trisha spares no expense to run the hottest nightclub in town. Despite the warnings from her accountant, Trisha puts optics over operations and the collapse of her club is inevitable. without ever letting her smile slip, Trisha plans one last rave to end all raves for everyone involved.
The art is very good here, albeit strangle reminiscent of Bruce Timm’s style. Mulqueen does a great job of building anticipation for a looming disaster, and the payoff was a pleasant surprise. This story is our favorite of the three.
Final Thoughts
NIGHTLIFE NOIR #1 takes the little-explored topic of nightclub drama and infuses the surreal threats of mayhem and madness for a wholly unique anthology. The art varies in quality from story to story, and the writing takes a few missteps, but the finished work is impressive for a first-time creator.
Score: 8/10
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