My Rating
“The Big Night”
Halloween night — Empire State University. Strange chanting noises echo from a third-floor boys’ dormitory as Ken, Chad, and Armand attempt an incantation they know absolutely nothing about. Why? Because they’re college freshmen, it’s Halloween, and summoning supernatural forces seems like a cool way to kill some time while waiting for the real party to get started in the campus courtyard.
What could possibly go wrong?
At first, nothing happens. The “spell” appears to be a complete dud. Then one of the boys produces the secret ingredient: a mummified thumb purchased from the global auction site Eway. Sounds legitimate. After all, the seller claimed to be a demon, and everyone knows you can trust anonymous demons selling human body parts over the Internet.
The freshmen decide to give the incantation one more college try.
That’s when the light show begins.
Down in the courtyard, Janine Godbe is trying to enjoy the one night of the year practically designed for her alter ego. Unfortunately, Hallows’ Eve senses a strange energy that feels suspiciously similar to the power of the Limbo Dimension. Janine begins weaving through the costumed partygoers, searching for the source of the disturbance.
Then a blue haze forms above a section of the crowd.
A portal.
It has to be!
Within seconds, horrifying creatures begin raining down upon the unsuspecting students. The Halloween party has suddenly turned into the real thing, and Hallows’ Eve finds herself surrounded by monsters from another dimension. Normally, this would be the perfect time for Janine to reach into her magical bag and pull out a werewolf, vampire, mummy, or witch mask.
There’s just one little problem.
Something has happened to her masks.
What strange artifact did the boys in Dorm Room 32 purchase from Eway? Who is selling Limbo artifacts to clueless college students? Why have Janine’s usual Halloween masks suddenly been replaced by masks resembling the Avengers? Will the Limbo embassy accept full responsibility for a dimensional portal opened by three dumb freshmen?
Buy the issue to find out!
Reviewer Notes
Janine Godbe is back in action, and this time it’s her special night! If there was ever a Marvel character who deserved her own Halloween one-shot, it has to be Hallows’ Eve. The setup is simple, ridiculous, and perfectly appropriate for the character. A group of college freshmen accidentally opens a portal to Limbo using something they bought online, monsters invade a Halloween party, and Janine has to clean up the mess. My biggest question is this: who is the demon dick selling dangerous Limbo artifacts to children over the Internet? Somebody needs to shut down that Eway account!
The most entertaining twist involves Janine’s bag of masks. Instead of relying exclusively on her usual collection of classic monsters, Hallows’ Eve gets to play around with some familiar Earth-born personalities. The Avengers masks give the creative team an excuse to experiment with her powers while poking a little fun at the larger Marvel Universe. I still think the original monster masks are the best part of the character, but watching Janine deal with a different selection makes for a fun change of pace. It also reinforces just how much potential Marvel has with the basic Hallows’ Eve concept. That magical bag can become almost anything a writer needs it to be.
Hallows’ Eve: The Big Night is basically a Halloween battle royale. Don’t expect a deep exploration of Janine Godbe or some major chapter in Marvel continuity. This is a fast, self-contained monster bash designed to be read around Halloween, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you’re looking for a fun time-filler packed with demons, costumes, superhero masks, and supernatural chaos, this will do the trick.
I enjoyed the book, but for me it’s probably a one-time read. I’m giving Hallows’ Eve: The Big Night three out of five stars. I still want to see more of Janine because Marvel has a wonderfully strange supernatural character on its hands. Give her another horror series, throw some classic Marvel monsters into the mix, and let that bag of masks run wild.
Oh, and Janine? You might want to dump Ben Reilly. That guy is nothing but trouble.