It’s been nine months, but the battle between light and darkness returns to Image Comics. Written by Scott Snyder, drawn by Tony S. Daniel, colored by Marcelo Maiolo, and lettered by AndWorld Design, Nocterra #12 marks the beginning of a new arc titled “No Brakes.” It also changes the status quo of the series by shifting the focus to a new protagonist.
While the previous issues were told from Val Riggs’ perspective, Nocterra #12 is seen through the eyes of her brother, Em, as the reader learns more about him and his curious past. As the brand-new leader of the Sundog Convoy, the crew needs to figure out a way to get to Eos and see if they can reverse events. Naturally, this isn’t as easy as driving there, knocking on the door, and walking in. Plus, there’s also a new threat on the horizon.
Nocterra #11 was a big issue and an instant classic with an exhilarating climax that ticked all the boxes for pure comic book spectacle. If readers are expecting Nocterra #12 to follow suit, they will be strongly disappointed. The foot is off the pedal as Snyder takes out the knitting kit and begins the next thread. This means going back to basics and laying out the premise of what’s coming up rather than big action set pieces.
That said, two moments of high-octane action punctuate the story building. While it’s clear which direction the narrative is heading in, Snyder does tend to overexplain here — which falls into the trap of telling rather than showing the reader. The dialogue in this issue could have been cut by about 20%, removing the need for some panels to be packed to the brim with speech bubbles.
Daniel doesn’t miss a beat in Nocterra #12. This is a world created in his image, and it’s difficult to imagine any other artist recreating the style that Daniel has perfected here. It’s the perfect balance of post-apocalyptic sci-fi, horror, and action — like Mad Max meets The Chronicles of Riddick.
Maiolo returns to coloring duties for this arc and continues with the same color scheme as before. Despite this being a dark story — literally and figuratively — the colorist knows when to turn up the brightness to counteract the shadowy sections. As a result, the book still features a darker palette without it throwing a cloak of shadows over the reader’s eyes. AndWorld Design keeps the lettering neat and tidy for the story-building sections while exploding with fury and vigor for the action scenes.
Nocterra #12 was never going to be as intense as the previous issue. Its purpose is to introduce a new arc and set up the parameters for what is to follow. While it does drift off into the deep catacombs of exposition at the best of times, it lays a solid foundation for what is sure to be another wild ride in this story.