Nocterra Full Series: Quick Review
Nocterra is a comic series published by Image Comics. It features a story from Scott Snyder and art from Tony Daniel and others. The series centers around a post-apocalyptic world where it is always night and monsters rule the shadows.
So, is Nocterra good? Is Nocterra worth reading? This Nocterra review will explore these questions.
The Good
The best part of the Nocterra series (Reading Order) is how wild and cool it is. This is a book that revels in its unique and over-the-top premise. This allows it to feature fun and chaotic battles, some really neat locations, and a pretty solid mystery as well. The adventure across the world of this comic was one of the book’s highlights.
All of this is also paired with the comic’s other big positive feature: art from Tony Daniel and Tomeu Morey. Daniel’s art combined with Morey’s colors really bring the world of this series to life. Glowing cities, neon vehicles, and flashy weapons clash against dark, hideous monsters. Just getting to see these visuals is a reason to consider reading this comic.
The Bad
Unfortunately, the Nocterra series isn’t the greatest when it comes to storytelling. A lot of the narration feels like it is trying too hard to be deep and insightful but just ends up distracting from the solid character moments. Meanwhile, the end of the series feels pretty rushed and, because of this, the conclusion is pretty lackluster. I’m saying all of this as a huge fan of Scott Snyder’s work, so I was pretty surprised that I didn’t end up liking it like I thought I would.
Nocterra also treads on ground that feels far too familiar to Scott Snyder’s previous works. The anti-nihilism themes about looking for light in the darkness are very similar to what was said in Snyder’s Dark Nights: Metal (Reading Order). Meanwhile, the book’s most interesting character, Blacktop Bill, feels and even looks like The Batman Who Laughs (Reading Order).
Who Is Nocterra For?
The appeal of Nocterra primarily comes from the premise and the art. If you like the sound of exciting truck battles against monsters and the mystery of a world that has suddenly gone dark, this book may be for you. Just be aware that, in order to get this, you’ll have to wade through some lackluster moments.
Nocterra Continuity
The full Nocterra series consists of 16 regular issues, the Nocterra: Nemesis Special, the Nocterra: Val Special, and the Nocterra: Blacktop Bill Special. To read the full series, you simply have to read these 19 comic book issues. All of them are collected across the 3 volume book series: Nocterra Vol. 1: Full Throttle Dark, Nocterra Vol. 2: Pedal to the Metal, and Nocterra Vol. 3: No Breaks.
For an in-depth dive into the comic’s continuity, check out our Nocterra Reading Order.