My Rating
“The Gatherers”
Sgt. Jim Duffy Jr., of the Hilton Head Island police department, had just arrived at the marina on a 911 dispatch call when his squad car headlights suddenly illuminated a man in the process of drowning a young woman in the surf. The small South Carolina town had seen its share of felony deaths but a serial killer was something above Jim’s paygrade. He was just a few days from retirement and a scene like this could complicate things. It was too late to argue with himself; Jim burst out of the driver’s side door and drew his Beretta. The lunatic must be stopped at all costs.
Two hours later the young woman lay in a hospital bed, alert but very traumatized. The doctors barely got her name through her ramblings about being abducted, and a strong delusion of horned monsters raping her. Jim entered the room as the floor nurses were prepping the woman for another blood test. It was his turn to interview Zoe Davis about the “monsters”.
Elsewhere in a remote section of Georgetown, Washington DC, a brisk chill was beginning to surround an old Victorian mansion located off the main roads. Inside, an eccentric looking man in his late fifties sits at an 18th century Rococo desk with a heavy bound Tomb open in front of him. His mood grows sullen as he realizes there are no answers for him this time. Baron Winters stands up and walks over to the fireplace in an attempt to focus thoughts. A low growl of recognition permeates from the African leopard lounging in the corner of the library. Merlin, the Baron’s most trusted friend, is more than a simple feline. The man turns to the big cat and asks “Do you think my Night Force is read?”
Who are the creatures that fill Zoe Davis’ memories? How did Jim and Zoe go from a hospital doorway to an empty conservatory inside Wintersgate Manor? Why did two FBI agents lie about the location of their home office? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
Night Force Volume 03 is like covering up with an old comfy blanket. After reading the original Volume 01 from 1982, and 1996’s Volume 02 which was tied into Marv Wolfman’s “Weirdo-verse”, it’s nice to see Baron Winters and Merlin the Leopard are still the same mysterious Duo. Are the ancient wizards? Is the Baron a ghost trapped inside the jail cell knownbas Wintersgate Manor? Let’s hope we get answers to our questions this time around!
In this introductory issue, readers are hit with a supernatural mystery right away. Is Zoe just cray-cray or was she really kidnapped by horned demon-monsters? Welcome to the Marv Wolfman school of storytelling. The structure of Night Force seems to remain the same. The Baron finds a new mystery and his team of randos goes out to do the heavy lifting. Side note, one of them usually dies. Or, do all of them die? I can’t remember.
I’m giving issue one four out of five stars. My expectations are set to low voltage on this series, I just hope Baron Winters gets a solid backstory this time. I guess I will find out.
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