''Midnight Nation'' is a religious-themed twelve-issue
American comic book limited series Limited series may refer to:
*Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series
*Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered
*Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number of ...
created by
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5'' ( ...
and published from
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
to
2002 by
Top Cow Productions
Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, an imprint of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.
History
During the early years of Image Comics, which was founded in 1992, co-founder Marc Silvestri shared a studio with Jim L ...
under their
Joe's Comics imprint. It is about a man who is killed, in a sense, and is on a journey to save his soul.
Synopsis
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
police officer Lieutenant David Grey encounters a brutal murder. When he tracks down a possible lead he encounters strange,
goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on ...
-like men who attack him. When he awakes, Grey finds himself in a hospital, and those around him have become translucent and can no longer see him. It is explained to him by his mysterious guide Laurel that he has lost his
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
and he has now been plunged into a shadow world that runs parallel to our own, filled with people who were forgotten by the world and "fell through the cracks".
David is told that without his
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
he will slowly become like "the Walkers", the monstrous people he encountered who attacked him. David must travel on foot to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
where "The Other Guy" (devil) holds his soul. Laurel has guided many others on the same journey before, but none have survived the trip.
Along the way David encounters various tests, such as fighting these Walkers, meeting his future self, slowly losing his mind and his sense of self, and finally falling in love with Laurel, who is not in fact human. He also saves his ex-wife (who had walked out on him years earlier due to his unwavering dedication to his job as a police officer) from the Walkers. He also encounters an enigmatic old man who seems immune to the Walkers attacks and has no fear of them, and is able to drive them away in terror. It is later revealed that he is
Lazarus who has been waiting for the return of Jesus Christ since Jesus Christ told him to do so. He is currently watched over by an
angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
wielding a flaming sword.
When David finally reaches New York, the Other Guy begins to lecture him on things such as life, hope, God, and humanity. He tells him that hope is a lie and that he intends to increase misery around the world until all of humanity becomes like the abandoned and forgotten people he met on his trip through the parallel world. When that is done, he can recreate the world as he sees fit. He then forces David to feel all the suffering humanity has felt over its existence, which causes him to go insane and run through the streets as one of the Walkers. He sees a
mannequin
A mannequin (also called a dummy, lay figure, or dress form) is a doll, often articulated, used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, window dressers and others, especially to display or fit clothing and show off different fabrics and textiles. P ...
that resembles Laurel in a shop window, and returns to the citadel, finding Laurel being nailed to a circular wooden board.
The Other Guy tells him that Laurel was lying to him about his soul: if he recovers it he will become one of the Walkers; if he does not, he will cease to belong to either world. The Other Guy also informs him that if he gives his soul to Laurel, she will cease to be an agent of God (for that is what she truly is), she will be reborn as a human. David pushes his soul into Laurel, and is drawn back into the real world, where he is transported to a hospital and eventually reunited with his estranged wife. He discovers he has the ability to still perceive people who have fallen through the cracks, and eventually is taken by Lazarus to the meeting with his past self, and then to a meeting with the reborn Laurel, now a happy teenage girl.
Collected editions
The comic ran for 12 issues, along with one
one-shot story (a ''Wizard'' #1/2 edition), and was collected as a softcover
trade paperback in
2003 ().
A deluxe, oversized hardcover edition was released in 2009. It includes'' Midnight Nation'' #1-12, the'' Wizard'' #1/2 issue, a cover gallery, and extras such as a script, layout page, and super-gloss poster ().
TV adaptation
In July 2016,
Bleeding Cool
Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleeding ...
reported that Straczynski was producing a TV series with
Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd (born October 25, 1955) is an American film and television producer, the founder of Valhalla Entertainment (formerly Pacific Western Productions), and a former recording secretary for the Producers Guild of America.
Early life
Hu ...
and was writing the pilot script.
See also
*''
The Book of Lost Souls
''The Book of Lost Souls'' was an American dark fantasy comic book series by J. Michael Straczynski with art by Colleen Doran and published under the Icon Comics imprint, owned by Marvel Comics.
The comic follows Jonathan, a man who lived over a ...
'', a
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
* ...
/
Icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...
title in which Straczynski explores themes similar to those of ''Midnight Nation''.
References
External links
*
*
{{J. Michael Straczynski
2000 comics debuts
Image Comics limited series
Comics by J. Michael Straczynski
Fantasy comics
Top Cow titles