Publisher So What? Press Publication date 2011-present Writer(s) Dave Kelly | Format ongoing series Number of issues 10 | |
Genre superhero
horror
drama
slice of life | ||
Tales of the night watchman review
Tales of the Night Watchman is an ongoing horror comic book created by Dave Kelly & Lara Antal and published by So What? Press. The series revolves around a young woman named Nora, her roommate Charlie, and their co-worker Serena, who live in Brooklyn and get caught up in an onslaught of supernatural occurrences around New York City. It began in 2011.
Contents
- Tales of the night watchman review
- The series 2011 present
- The one shots 2013 present
- Protagonists
- References
The series features the work of several artists, including Molly Ostertag of Strong Female Protagonist and Simon Fraser.
The characters in the series work at Think Coffee's Union Square location in Manhattan and live in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, both of which are prominent fixtures in the series.
The series (2011-present)
The main series follows the life of Nora Cashin, professional barista and amateur writer, and her roommate, Charlie Maxwell, who happens to be possessed, in the nicest way possible, by a spectral detective who calls himself The Night Watchman. Their co-worker, Serena Filby, is a casual grifter who lives in a tent on a Brooklyn rooftop. In the first issue, she was caught by the Night Watchman stealing a man's wallet. As a form of punishment, he forces her to get a job at the coffee shop. Serena's trouble-making tendencies are the impetus for many of the stories.
The Long Fall
The first story arc of the main series is called "The Long Fall". It centers around the redevelopment of the Williamsburg waterfront by a corrupt city councilman named Dan Deane. He has a plan to build a high rise apartment building banked on a scheme to offer low-rent housing to area residents. He has also come into possession of something called "the fragment", which promises to give him greater political advantage. However, it has also unleashed a far greater evil connected into the world. The main story arc is illustrated by series co-creator Lara Antal.
Staycation
There is an eight-page prologue issue to the series called "Staycation", which involves Nora and her friend Trish taking a trip to the beach. Over s'mores and an open fire, Trish reveals that she brought some ecstasy for them to take. Nora is upset that she brought an illegal substance with them in the car and chides Trish. This fractures their relationship and keeps Trish from telling Nora about her affair with Dan Deane, which ultimately gets her killed. This issue was illustrated by Lara Antal and is considered by the creators to be a part of the "The Long Fall" story arc.
The Dwellers of Big Bogie
A backup story appears in Issue Three and Four entitled "The Dwellers of Big Bogie". One night, Serena is coming home from the grocery store and is mugged by a subway-dwelling girl. She tells Nora about this who later encounters the same girl. Chasing her into the tunnels below Brooklyn, she is drugged by the dwellers and made to be a sacrifice for their ruler, Big Bogie. However, Nora is not one to go down easily and defeats the giant creature with the help of renegade dwellers. Both parts were illustrated by Amanda Scurti.
The Poison Garden
Issue Five features a backup story, "The Poison Garden", illustrated by Victoria Lau. It is a "slice of life" story that shows the tragic events leading up to Jenny and Trish's deaths at the hands of Jack the Gripper, the killer in "The Long Fall".
The one-shots (2013-present)
There have been three one-shots published that tell stories outside "The Long Fall" story arc. These stories take place in various parts of the city and are also homages to some of co-creator Dave Kelly's favorite golden age horror films. They all take place between Issues Two and Three of the main series.
The Mad Mind of Anton Sebaum
After Nora discovers that counterfeit twenty-dollar bills are passing through the coffee shop's register, she makes Charlie and Serena check every single one used in transactions. Serena finds one and confronts the customer trying to spend it, who flees. She chases after him and is captured by the minions of a decades-old counterfeiting operation in Chinatown. The Night Watchman infiltrate their warehouse in an effort to have save her, but not before he confronting their leader, Anton Sebaum. This issue was illustrated by J. Vigants.
It Came from the Gowanus Canal
Serena fills up the coffee shop's office computer with articles about urban legends around the city. In particular, the Gowanus Golem, a toxic sludge monster that takes revenge on those who have slighted it. The creature has resurfaced after an extended dormancy and is more real that they anticipated, especially to the Night Watchman. The story is set in Brooklyn's infamous Gowanus Canal, a real-life EPA superfund site. It was illustrated by Molly Ostertag.
The Night Collector
After a young woman is mysteriously killed, the Night Watchman learns that a coven of vampires has taken over the bat exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, and they may have a sympathizer in the form of an odd zookeeper fascinated by bats. This issue was illustrated by Molly Ostertag.