The All-Nighter #3

The All-Nighter #3

ComiXology Originals 2021

Written by Chip Zdarsky

Illustrated by Jason Loo

Coloured by Paris Alleyne

Lettered by Aditya Bidikar

Going up against genuine super villains wasn't what Alex had in mind when he put on the costume, but he finds himself up against a foe much bigger than local thieves and muggers. Even with Joy by his side, is Alex ready to be a hero when villains are putting more and more people in danger?

I am so thoroughly enjoying this book. The idea that vampires don colourful costumes and fight crime at night is just so much fun! Chip’s idea is brilliant and I have to wonder why we haven’t really seen it before, I mean sure vampires fighting crime in the shadows we’ve seen but to be this colourfully clad well it’s fresh, new and exciting. As are the events we see in this issue as we begin to learn more and more of Nighshock and his true intentions. So many different ways this could branch out into side arcs but what we see here never entered my mind and I love that I'm being kept on my toes and surprised in such a manner. So kudos to Chip for surprising me, keeping me on my toes and showing that this kind of fun can still be had at the same time is utterly delightful.

I’m a huge fan of the way that this is being told. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader learns information are presented extremely well. The character development that we see through the dialogue, the character interaction as well as how we see them act and react to the situations and circumstances which they encounter really does a magnificent job in continuing to flesh out the personalities. The pacing is excellent and as it takes us through the pages revealing the twists & turns along the way we get caught up in this like getting swept up in the undercurrent at the beach.

I am hugely impressed with the way that we see this being structured and how the layers within the story continue to emerge, grow, evolve and strengthen. I am also very much liking the way that the layers continue to open up new avenues to be explored. With Francis and her excursion or with whom the two face on the bridge these add some great depth, dimension and complexity to the story. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well as how it moves the story forward are impeccably handled.

I’m very much enjoying the interiors here. The linework is clean, crisp and strong and how we see the varying weights and techniques being utilised to create the detail within the work we see is extraordinarily well rendered. The creativity and imagination we see is fantastic and I love the outfits and the species that we see plus more shall we call them traditional vampires really expand how we see this world. The use of backgrounds to enhance and expand the moments as well as how we see them work within the composition of the panels to bring out the depth perception, sense of scale and the overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a remarkably talented eye for storytelling. The various hues and tones within the colours being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work show a great understanding of how colour works. More so since this is night and the colours are still so beautifully shaded and rendered.

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With a fabulous double cliffhanger ending it looks like the next issue is going to heat up considerably. This is brilliantly told and it blends fun and seriousness in a way we haven’t seen done in a while. It feels exciting, fresh, new not to mention bold and daring in all the ways that excite us as comic book aficionados. It’s flawlessly written with some stellar characterisation and wrapped up in these interesting and entertaining interiors showcasing again why digital comics are on the rise.