There are monsters in this world. This is a fact that children know all too well, but adults seem to forget as they grow older. The children in the care of retired actor William Jones know it, for all of them were orphaned by monsters.
William has done a fine job teaching his charges to defend themselves. Bullies hold no fear for one who has faced down faeries or a Chupacabra. But the kids aren’t content to avoid what goes bump in the night. They want to fight back. This leads to the formation of the Nightcrawlers; a group of kids who can fight the monsters most adults won’t admit are hiding in their midst.
The Nightcrawlers get their first case when a classmate comes to them about his parents being werewolves. Things are complicated, however, by the arrival of a grown-up charge of William Jones who is out for revenge. For it seems the Nightcrawlers aren’t the first group of young people the old actor mentored and that most of them did not survive the experience!
The influences of The Nightcrawlers are clear, even without reading the introduction by the author where Lopez speaks lovingly of the classic kids’ adventure movies of the 1980s and his hope to emulate that spirit. Goonies and Monster Squad are cited specifically, but the character of William Jones evokes the spirit of Peter Vincent from the Fright Night films. I like the idea behind The Nightcrawlers, in theory. The general concept is ambitious and kids fighting monsters is a beloved, time-honored genre for a reason. The execution, I’m sad to say, is somewhat shaky.
The chief problem is there is a large ensemble and a lot of plot for the first volume of what intended to be an ongoing children’s’ comic series. Most of the protagonists are given little definition through the narrative. Calvin, for instance, has no real defining traits in the text beyond having a crush on his classmate, Victor. We learn far more about Calvin and the other kids from their biographies at the back of the book than we do from the story. (Moving these biographies to the front of the book after the introduction might have helped.) Another problem is that the mythology of monsters is largely unexplained. While I appreciate Lopez not weighing the narrative down with excessive exposition, the confusion of our heroes will prove infectious to the reader. Presumably this will be improved in later chapters, where William will take a more direct hand in instructing the kids on things like whether or not vampires have reflections or garlic hurts them.
The story flow and setting are also often unclear. The point-of-view shifts constantly between narrators, including the villain Greta, whose internal monologue we are treated to long before we have any inkling who she is. The artwork further aggravates this issue. There are no visual cues, apart from one “Present Day” caption early on, to distinguish the flashbacks from the here and now. This causes the flashbacks involving William Jones’ original proteges to seem like they came from nowhere or are detailing a different group of kids at the same time. Similar issues arise in the flashbacks William’s assistant Maryisa has while sparring. It is unclear that the one-panel flash of a young William shouting at her is a flashback and not part of the same scene. Different color palettes for the scenes set in the past or more consistent labels between “Then” and “Now” would have helped immensely.
All that being said, The Nightcrawlers becomes a drastically different book once the action kicks in. While Lopez tackles too much in establishing the setting, he writes a darn good thriller. It is also here that the artwork of Rachel Distler shines best.
The Nightcrawlers is recommended for kids 8-12. I consider that a fair rating. Apart from one use of the word “hell” and general spooky stuff, there’s nothing objectionable for the intended age range. I think this would be a fine graphic novel for those young horror fans ready to move on from Scooby Doo but not quite ready for Stranger Things.
The Nightcrawlers Vol 1: The Boy Who Cried, Wolf
By Marco Lopez
Art by Rachel Distler
Ablaze Publishing, 2023
ISBN: 9781684970582
Company Age Rating: 8-12
NFNT Age Recommendation: Middle Grade (7-11), Tween (10-13)
Character Representation: African-American, Gay,
