GRAPHIC NOVEL WEEK
Is this an Addams Family for the new millennium?
The October Faction is a graphic novel about Frederick Allan, a monster hunter who is now retired. His children want to follow in his footsteps … an idea that Frederick doesn’t care for. The daughter, Vivian, proves herself more than capable, though I’m still sure why the son/brother has any interest in hunting monsters.
In a story that centers around a family of monster hunters, it’s certainly no surprise that there are some evil characters around but there is nothing outrageously monstrous (for a horror story), though ‘Dante’ makes for an interesting and intriguing semi-villain.
I’d initially thought that this book was going to be about the children, beginning to take over the business from their father, but it segued to the father not quite giving it up, then to the a man who is shot by Frederick in the parlor, buried, and rises again in the presence of his sister.
I couldn’t quite get a handle on the story, but I think that’s because there isn’t one yet. We’re still in the phase of discovering who the characters are. This might be fine in some cases, particularly in a comic book series that will be ongoing, but without at least a hint of where these characters are headed, it just rambles.
The artwork is quite unique. It is sharp, angular, and just enough off-kilter as to suggest a world that is also off-kilter. The coloring is beautiful. It is dark and rich with patterns. For me, this art was the saving grace of a book that meandered around a story. However, even with the art, there were strange issues. For some odd reason, an occasional panel would be blurry. It was too often to be anything other than planned, but because the art is unique enough (and beautiful) as it is, we really didn’t need this distraction just to have the art make a statement.
This is an odd book, in so many ways. I liked the art and thought that the characters showed some promise, but the story rambled so much that there was nothing to sink my teeth in to. This is one of those books that if I should see the next volume, I may pick it up, I may not, but if I don’t read the next volume, I don’t think I’ll be missing anything.
Looking for a good book? The October Faction is a dark graphic novel about a family of monster hunters, but nothing much happens in this volume.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
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The October Faction, Volume 1
author: Steve Niles
artist: Damien Worm
publisher: IDW Publishing
ISBN: 163140251X
paperback, 152 pages
