No doubt, in the middle of some dark foggy night, the spirits of Raymond Chandler and H. P. Lovecraft invaded Dan Brereton's body and consumed his brain and employed his talent to make, of all things, fully painted pulp fiction horror comics. There's no other rational explanation for THE NOCTURNALS. He may look like Dan Brereton and may even sound like Dan Brereton. But it's not Dan Brereton. It's Chandler and Lovecraft, making comics, and dining on what's left of his headguts.
THE NOCTURALS is about a group of horror story rejects organized by an ex-gangster named Doc Horror who are fast at work against "dark forces". Telling you any more kind of spoils the fun - especially the part about the sinister squid creatures. Or how, at the risk of sounding foolish, a woman with scales and fish lips can be oddly sensual. But what I can tell you is that once you crack open the book and see that the ENTIRE story is rendered in full-color beautifully painted pages - you won't be able to put it down. This is definitely a book where the cover reflects the actual look and feel of the work itself.
At the end of the day, these are fun horror comics. In the vein of An American Werewolf in London or Innocent Blood - it might not scare you out of your skin, but you'll probably raise an eyebrow and crack a smile. THE NOCTURNALS: BLACK PLANET is chock full of tough guys, undead broads and firearms. I mean, what more do you want? Just don't bother this Brereton guy if you happen to see him wandering the streets, limping a little to his left, mumbling anachronisms...
Peter Aaron Rose is a writer, producer and technologist who lives and works in San Francisco, CA. Under the pseudonym "Peter Siegel", he recently authored Killing Demons, a graphic novel available from Engine Press and Platinum Studios.
