|
There's
an excellent scene in "Night Dance 2" where two of
our past victims are entering into Michael's abode
looking at it as a potential haven for parties and
getaways, and right over head as they enter into a
dark room, in three panels we see a fly being taken
mercilessly by a giant spider who'd caught it in its
web. Symbolism like that essentially is the argument
for the excellence behind "Night Dance" as the two
characters disappear into the room just as the fly
is taken off by the spider.
Seely
and writer Hutchinson really do follow up the rather
surprising first issue with a follow-up that's
slightly more gruesome than the first, and just the
same, the third issue may just promise to be more
gruesome than the second. The genius to the series
so far has been that Michael's murders are not
random and clunky. This is a monster who is watching
his victims, scouting where they may be, and
eventually catching up to them just to brutally
destroy every essence of their dignity and soul.
Take the incredibly disturbing last murder of the
issue Michael concocts on a character normally known
by her friends for being a clown.
|
|
 |
|
Not only is the death a
carefully constructed trap, but it's also a rape
only Michael could concoct with his knife on a
person he generally wants to destroy in every single
way imaginable. The Michael in this universe has now
become an urban legend in the Mid-West thanks to his
killing spree in the first movie, and though I'm not
sure if Loomis will rear his face any time soon, so
far writer Hutchinson is more committed to drawing
the urban legend before establishing any real
climactic battles or chase sequences. This is the
Boogeyman, the shadow who watches and waits
patiently and then uses every bit of stealth and
force in his grasp. Just the same there's always
this assumption from the characters to outwit him
and can never seem to, which only infuriates him
further in the end.
On the same wavelength,
the essence of childhood innocence is retained in
Michael as he's instantly drawn to carnivals and
public outings, and continues stalking this mystery
woman we're setting down on, for reasons that we've
yet to know. Is he lusting after her? Is he going to
make her pay for lusting after her? Did he do the
same to Judith? In one scene he replays the scene of
his sister's death over and over again acknowledging
her naked destroyed body and then smashes the mirror
in which he replays the sequence of events in his
mind. And in one scene our character Lisa receives a
letter with a crude drawing of her naked body.
Michael is presumably
a creature of sexual frustration still grasping with
his threads as a man and a monster and seems to have
plans for Lisa who he insists on stalking. Though he
plans the stalking to where the already mentally
troubled Lisa sees him, while no one else can thus
breaking her down mentally preparing for the strike
that we're leading up to. As for her identity,
Hutchinson is not letting the cat out of the bag
just yet by slipping in small mere hints only
leaving us to assume the possible answers that will
assumedly come to fruition in a few more issues. I
have my theories for sure, and I'm still not certain
if they're taking a page from Carpenter or simply
making her an unfortunate target as a result of her
kindness. Nonetheless, Michael is on a mission to
destroy everything around Lisa and is taking out her
friends one by one, as well as anyone with a
connection to her, and she is still so wrapped up in
herself, she can't see it. Issue Three will
apparently delve more into the madness of Michael
and only give away small bits of Lisa's true
connection to Michael, and frankly I'm anxious.
"Night Dance" is a
consistently disturbing and harrowing little gem
from Devil's Due Publishing turning Michael into
that monster we knew back in 78, and the team of
Seely and Hutchinson bring together a slow paced and
incredibly ghastly little arc that promises more
bloodshed and a hell of a lot of surprises. I can't
wait.
-
Felix Vasquez Jr.
3/5/08 |
