“Yesterday’s” Comic> The Night Man #5

This is the part where some reviewers claim they won’t kink shame people. I’m not one of those reviewers.

The Night Man #5

Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (February, 1994)

“Alone”

WRITER: Steve Englehart

PENCILER: Kyle Hotz

INKER: James Minor

COLORING: Tim Duvar & Foodhammer!

LETTERER: Dave Lanphear

EDITOR: Roland Mann

The Night Man encounters Briggs and an officer investigating a murder whose MO matches Rhiannon, aka Rita Diamond. The back and forth is really an excuse for him to record the crime scene to view later via his lens. He also talks to Rita’s fiance, who clearly is under the same spell The Night Man himself is trying to fight off. Clues lead to her new base of operations, where she tries to convince him that she actually has fallen for him, that the murders keep her alive thanks to something her priestess mom did back in the early 1900s (possibly late 1800 since we see she was 21 back 1908 or at least claiming to be). In the end, our hero must let her fall to her death.

What they got wrong: The case itself is rather interesting, watching The Night Man (the officer, Sgt. Dade, just calls him Night Man after accusing him of doing the crime not realising he was listening, and he counters with “THE Night Man, do you know any others?”, so I’m just following suit) work the mystery and how he uses his gear. What makes the story work is that his current situation since the accident compels Johnny to be The Night Man thanks to his ability to sense darker thoughts (like Rita’s fiance having an urge to kill him as he’s trying to kill him) has drastically altered his life. While his life and Rhiannon’s are totally different the idea of being alone does come up for our hero, making the story’s title fit his current thoughts on his life at the moment.

What they got wrong: We don’t really know if he saved Rhiannon. There’s comparisons to the movie Vertigo since the final meeting of hero and villain take place in the same location and he is fighting her love spell, but otherwise we don’t know for sure if he went down to save her (or if she managed to survive the fall into the bay and swim off to show up again) or if he climbed back up so she couldn’t kill anyone else.

What I think overall: This is still one of my favorite series early on and I wish the reading order list I’m going by didn’t give me so many breaks in the interesting story. Too bad I couldn’t just find a release schedule instead, but at least there isn’t as big a break for awhile yet.