The October Faction is the latest offering from Steve Niles, the creative mind behind 30 Days of Night, the graphic novel that brought the bloodthirsty horror vampire back to us. With dark and shadowy artwork and characters that are just this side of the Addams Family, The October Faction is sure to grab a strong and ardent following.
Frederick Allan is retired from his original vocation and now spends his time as a professor, his days much less exciting than they once was. He lives with his wife and two grown children in a home that would make Bates Motel look like a suburban. Frederick was a monster-hunter and when his old partner/werewolf rolls into town and then his wife is attacked, the old itch to hunt comes back to Frederick. Old enemies come to roost and now Frederick is joined by his family as they begin to pick up the old family business of haunting the creatures that haunt the rest of us.
Though not as dark and bloody as 30 Days of Night was, The October Faction is definitely old time horror comics. Niles fills the story with history and secrets as this family drama plays out. Frederick Allan is a tired looking character whose new vocation as a Professor is akin to Indiana Jones locked away in his classroom toward the twilight of his years. He is dying inside and its the charge to once again go hunting that brings life to him.
The artwork is shadowy, which suits this comic well. But unlike most artwork in horror comics, it does not rely upon the shadows to fill up the page. It is distinct and the pictures set the mood and tenure of the story. But in the end it is Niles and his gift and passion for telling stories of those things that go bump in the night that make this one so entertaining.
A terrific addition to a horror genre in graphic novels that too lately rely on scantily clad and over inflated breasted women to gain attention.
Well done.
Comic Books - Literature For the Masses 