Four interconnected stories of convicts, lost souls, and human monsters journeying through a labyrinth of perversion, religious dogma, and murder in the Deep South.

Wow. Not what I was expecting at all. Horror comes in so many packages, lovers with a twisted idea of God, a preacher who signed more than his congregation ever could, a drifted who doesn't know how he signed just that he did, and a child who just wanted to give her father her love.

The artwork was amazing, the story strong as well as shocking. I was floored by this and think it will stay in my head for some time.

Recommended but be aware there should be trigger warnings attached.
Sex, violence, rape, and pedophilia.

Thanks to @netgalley and Oni Press for giving me the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

A lush, lurid, tale sprawled across a nightmarish, Through Looking Glass version of America that seamlessly blends horror, mystery, and character study in one unforgettable story.

Any summary of the Night People will fail to do it justice. But in the interest of giving a preview, let’s say it's an adeptly written story of violent, passionate, desperate, people and the sparks that fly as their narratives intersect. There are, first and foremost, feminist, religious fanatics, who have some good points but won’t let something as trivial as murder prevent them from spreading the good word. There’s a man on the run from his past who’s about to run right into something worse than anything he left in his rearview. There’s a shockingly observant little girl who might be even more than she appears, going on an ill advised journey and trying to save her broken father. When these characters find their paths crossing, the result is something rare and memorable, true lightning in a bottle type stuff.

Night People combines the best elements of classic pulp like Tales from The Crypt with its shocking violence and grisly storytelling, while also pausing long enough to make its characters fully fleshed out, tragic human beings. While reading I thought the world of the story was reminiscent of the grittiest elements of Sandman by Neil Gaiman and what would happen if someone were to adapt the show True Detective into expertly lined and colored graphic novel form. The aesthetic virtuosity on display here from the various artists deserves just as much praise as the brilliant narrative elements. Skill and care just seep out of every panel and no matter what’s happening in the story at any given time, the art is a joy to see. In conclusion, this was a gripping and immersive world that fascinates even as it repels, it demands your attention and compels you to finish in one sitting.

A shocking, compelling, pulpy trip, Night People is like a road trip from hell across the Deep South and I for one can’t wait to get on the road again.

Night People: A Gripping Tale That Will Keep You Up All Night!

This exceptional story unfolds across four captivating chapters, each one diving deep into the life of a unique character. As their paths intertwine, the suspense builds, leaving you breathless. I was completely engrossed, and by the end, I had my jaw on the floor!

But beware—this isn’t a tale for the faint of heart. It’s dark, disturbing, and definitely worth checking trigger warnings before diving in. With masterful storytelling and stunning illustrations, Night People is a must-read for anyone seeking a thrilling experience. Don’t miss out on this unforgettable journey!

This collection of stories takes us on a journey through the lives of four different people that show us there is no need for the supernatural or mythical to explore the real depths of horror as that’s there in the world all along.

This collection has a real Grindhouse feel to the art and storytelling, very cinematic, each story is set in the depths of the US South and revolves around how four people take action to resolve their own inner demons.

Bloody and visceral at times there is also a depth of story in each short piece that really takes us on a journey to the inevitable bloody conclusion.

Serial killers, feuding siblings, bloody vengeance, fugitives, drug lords, take us on a road trip into the seedier side of the US, all of these are supported by powerful, energetic, and brutal art that really adds to the atmosphere building which is so important in such short pieces.

I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

While we mostly see comics or novels adapted into film or tv, but every once in a while we get a novel get a comic adaptation and when done correctly they can be fantastic. Night People from Barry Gifford and Chris Condon is exactly that, a well-crafted adaptation.

A pair of murderous lovers in Florida carrying out a bloody agenda. A perverse political and religious power struggle between a brother and a sister. An easygoing drifter who suddenly finds himself a fugitive on the run. And a bright-eyed young girl discovering her place in the cold dark world. At the end of the twentieth century, chaos and horror were the American dream.

While Barry Gifford is no stranger to crafting narratives that explore the depths of human nature, often blurring the lines between reality and nightmare, I was actually unaware the Night People miniseries was an adaptation of previous work. This was not extremely evident when reading the first chapter and that made for a great reading experience.

The four distinct stories within this collected edition offer us a mosaic of lives caught in tumultuous times—a pair of murderous lovers on a rampage across Florida; siblings entangled in a twisted struggle for power; an unassuming drifter turned fugitive; and a young girl navigating her own coming-of-age against a backdrop of darkness. Each tale threads together themes of desperation, ambition, and survival in an evocative portrayal of America teetering on chaos.

Gifford's collaboration with Condon on this comic book adaptation is something those not familiar with Gifford's work can enjoy while I would feel those who have read his work can also appreciate. The series is wonderfully brought to life in vivid panels that juxtapose beauty with brutality being illustrated by Brian Level, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Artyom Topilin, and Marco Finnegan. Each of the four tales has its own artistic team that brings the stories to life in a unique way to allow us to experience them all separately.

Having not read the original source material, I cannot compare the two. However, as someone new to the tales that lie within Night People I can honestly say you don't need to read anything else. These tales crafted by Chris Condon and artists Brian Level, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Artyom Topilin, and Marco Finnegan based on Barry Gifford's stories are a perfect addition to the world of comics.

I mean, it's difficult to go wrong with the talent behind this graphic novel. I mean, Barry Gilford? Author of Wild At Heart AND Lost Highway? Lynch fans will immediately snap this up.

I read this one because I'd read Gifford's "Wild at Heart”, which I loved. These 4 stories were wild, and so dark and disturbing! This was right up my alley and I can’t wait for more!

Barry Gifford’s novel Night People was awarded the Premio Brancati, established by Pier Paolo Pasolini and Alberto Moravia, in Italy. He has won awards for fiction from the writers guilds in America and the United Kingdom, a BAFTA, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Christopher Isherwood Foundation, among others. His books have been translated into more than 30 languages. His film credits include Wild at Heart (winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival), Lost Highway, City of Ghosts, and The Phantom Father. He has written librettos for operas by Toru Takemitsu, Ichiro Nodaira, and Olga Neuwirth. His most recent books include Sailor & Lula: The Complete Novels, Roy’s World: Stories 1973-2020, Southern Nights (which includes Night People), and Ghost Years. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. hris Condon is the low-down dirty scoundrel behind the ongoing Image Comic series That Texas Blood and its acclaimed Wild West spinoff, The Enfield Gang Massacre, both with artist Jacob Phillips. He waded deep into bayou waters to adapt Barry Gifford's Night People for Oni Press and has not been the same since.

This collaboration is a really interesting collection of four stories. The graphic novel begins with a pair of murderous lesbian lovers in Florida carrying out a religious agenda of revenge. In the next story, we experience a perverse relationship between an incestuous brother and a sister that has culminated into a power struggle of epic proportions. Later, an easygoing drifter who suddenly finds himself guilty of murder and a fugitive on the run. Finally, a bright-eyed young girl survives a tragic accident and discovers her place in the world. These are four interwoven tales of nightmare and ennui, a world of myth and magic as much as it is a world of murder and manipulation.

This collection is graphic and pulpy in all the right ways. The characters all represent the seedy underbelly of society, the drifters, the lost, the wayward, and the criminal. Gifford’s tale is tightly woven and expertly brought to a graphic format by Chris Condon. The art by Brian Level, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Artyom Topilin, and Marco Finnegan really brings the narrative to life. It’s a thriller, but darkly surreal and mythic. The lines between the real and the surreal are blurred, and the narrative’s circular elements create a bizarre commentary of lives on the edge of dystopian chaos. For readers interested in graphic novels, especially the bloody and the violent, this is the book for you.

I’m not usually one for novel-to-comic adaptations, but Night People completely changed my mind. Chris Condon’s adaptation of Barry Gifford’s work is dark, gripping, and honestly, a little unsettling in the best possible way. The collection brings together four stories: two murderous lovers in Florida, a twisted sibling rivalry for power, a drifter on the run after a deadly mistake, and a young girl navigating a tragic world. Each tale dives into desperation, survival, and chaos, creating this surreal, almost nightmarish take on the American experience.

What really grabbed me was that I had no idea Night People was based on an earlier novel by Gifford. Coming into it fresh, I had no expectations, and that made it feel even more immersive. The art is incredible—Brian Level, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Artyom Topilin, and Marco Finnegan each bring their own style to the four stories, giving each one its own vibe while still tying everything together. Even though I hadn’t read the novel, this graphic novel stood on its own as a gripping, beautifully illustrated experience. If you’re into dark, surreal stories with stunning visuals, this one’s a must-read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advance copy of this graphic novel adaptation of a few stories written by a writer who understands what life is really like in the lands of cotton, where religion, noir, violence, and weird all mix, creating a gumbo that is unique in itself.

I've not spent much time in the South. Not a fan of bugs, heat, Disney the Civil War, refighting it, or the history. I've been to Texas once, and once was enough. I guess I am a Northerner, which I can accept. However many of my favorite writers are from the South, and many of the writers that disturb me also share the geography. Again the heat, the bugs, the soil, the ghosts of the Confederate dead, I don't know what is in the water or the moonshine, but they do make for some exciting writing. Barry Gifford is an author I have long enjoyed, discovering him and Harry Crews made for an interesting month. Gifford writes of people who will never know better, or if they did, they had that beaten out of them, literally sometimes. Gifford gets under the fingernails, with characters who are wrong, and yet unforgettable. Night People is a graphic novel adaptation of a collection of short stories by Gifford, brought to comic life by the writer Chris Condon, illustrated by Brian Level, Alexandre Tefenkgi, Artyom Topilin and Marco Finnegan.

The book is broken into four chapters, featuring a different art team on each one. The stories are complete within themselves, though some of the characters might appear in other works, as we travel though time, and the space being the South. The first features a lovelorn couple, united in their love of making a better world, , traveling the south in big cars, and killing as many men as possible to create their perfect world. There is a brother and sister, both evangelicals, who differ on scripture and, differ on portraying their message, and differ on the meaning of brotherly love. And easy going drifter finds himself the target of police hunt after somehow being involved in the death of a police officer, something he can't remember. And finally a father brings his daughter to work, which leads to a tragedy that changes everything.

Barry Gifford is probably more known for his working with David Lynch on Wild At Heart, adapted from his work, and Lost Highway. Gifford's books are not for the faint of heart, one can't warn people enough. However they are quite good, and while leaving a strange taste on your soul, work really well in the visual medium. Chris Condon does a very good job adapting these tales, and I wouldn't mind seeing more of these kinds of stories, even from other authors. The art is good, very good on a few issues. I don't know how the art teams were chosen, but they work well with the material, and capture the ambiance and the aura of evil and dinginess that this stories exude.
These are disturbing stories and not for the faint of heart. However this might open readers up to a world of authors they might never have been aware of. I really enjoyed this collection, and would like to read more along these lines.