Midnight Nation
Encyclopedia
Midnight Nation is a religious-themed twelve-issue American comic book
limited series
, created by J. Michael Straczynski
and published from 2000
to 2002
by Top Cow Productions
under their now defunct Joe's Comics
imprint
. It is about a man who is killed, in a sense, and is on a journey to save his soul.
police officer Lieutenant David Grey encounters a brutal murder
. When he tracks down a possible lead he encounters strange, goblin
-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
and he has now been plunged into a shadow world that runs parallel to our own. Here is where all the abandoned and forgotten people and things go.
David is told that without his soul
he will slowly become like "the Walkers", the monstrous people he encountered who attacked him. David must travel on foot to New York
where "The Other Guy" (the 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. The deterioration of his marriage had left him despondent even before his soul was stolen, and it wasn't until he met Laurel that he felt a reason to live once again. 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
, and has been waiting since Jesus told him to do so for him to return. He is currently watched over by an angel
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 temporarily lose his sanity and run through the streets as one of the Walkers.
Meanwhile, Laurel has surrendered herself to the Other Guy like she always does: it is in the rules, written by God Himself, that she must follow. He asks her to rebel against God as he did, but she refuses, never giving up hope. As David runs through the streets of New York, he sees a mannequin
that resembles Laurel in a shop window. He remembers his humanity and his love for Laurel and returns to the Other Guy's lair where he finds 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 doesn't, he'll 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) and be freed from her endless cycle of guiding humans to regain their souls, and she will be reborn as a human. If he gives his soul to her, he'll prove hope exists to all those who have fallen into the nether-realm. Out of his love for Laurel and his own tireless dedication to the forces of good, David does the unthinkable and sacrifices his soul to Laurel.
Years later, David has moved on with his life, becoming a source of hope for those who have fallen through the cracks in society.
in 2003
(ISBN 1582402728).
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 (ISBN 978-1607060406).
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
, created by J. Michael Straczynski
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski , known professionally as J. Michael Straczynski and informally as Joe Straczynski or JMS, is an American writer and television producer. He works in films, television series, novels, short stories, comic books, and radio dramas. He is a playwright, a former journalist,...
and published from 2000
2000 in comics
-February:*Strange Adventures vol. 2, #4, final issue cover-dated February - January :* January 5: Goseki Kojima, co-creator of Lone Wolf and Cub, dies at age 71.* January 6: Mad magazine fixture Don Martin dies at age 68....
to 2002
2002 in comics
-March:* Adventures of Superman #600: super-sized anniversary issue by Joe Casey, Mike Wieringo, and Jose Marzan, Jr. -April:* Batman #600: "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive," part one, 64-page giant, written by Ed Brubaker.-January:...
by Top Cow Productions
Top Cow Productions
Top Cow Productions is an American comics publisher, a partner studio of Image Comics founded by Marc Silvestri in 1992.-History:...
under their now defunct Joe's Comics
Joe's Comics
Joe's Comics was a short lived American comic book imprint of Top Cow Productions created specifically for J. Michael Straczynski. Top Cow offered JMS his own imprint after the impressive sales of Rising Stars. He accepted and named it Joe's Comics. In his own words:Rising Stars was moved to the...
imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
. It is about a man who is killed, in a sense, and is on a journey to save his soul.
Synopsis
Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
police officer Lieutenant David Grey encounters a brutal murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
. When he tracks down a possible lead he encounters strange, goblin
Goblin
A goblin is a legendary evil or mischievous illiterate creature, a grotesquely evil or evil-like phantom.They are attributed with various abilities, temperaments and appearances depending on the story and country of origin. In some cases, goblins have been classified as constantly annoying little...
-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
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
and he has now been plunged into a shadow world that runs parallel to our own. Here is where all the abandoned and forgotten people and things go.
David is told that without his soul
Soul
A soul in certain spiritual, philosophical, and psychological traditions is the incorporeal essence of a person or living thing or object. Many philosophical and spiritual systems teach that humans have souls, and others teach that all living things and even inanimate objects have souls. The...
he will slowly become like "the Walkers", the monstrous people he encountered who attacked him. David must travel on foot to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where "The Other Guy" (the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
) 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. The deterioration of his marriage had left him despondent even before his soul was stolen, and it wasn't until he met Laurel that he felt a reason to live once again. 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
Lazarus of Bethany
Lazarus of Bethany, also known as Saint Lazarus or Lazarus of the Four Days, is the subject of a prominent miracle attributed to Jesus in the Gospel of John, in which Jesus restores him to life four days after his death...
, and has been waiting since Jesus told him to do so for him to return. He is currently watched over by an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
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 temporarily lose his sanity and run through the streets as one of the Walkers.
Meanwhile, Laurel has surrendered herself to the Other Guy like she always does: it is in the rules, written by God Himself, that she must follow. He asks her to rebel against God as he did, but she refuses, never giving up hope. As David runs through the streets of New York, he sees a mannequin
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
that resembles Laurel in a shop window. He remembers his humanity and his love for Laurel and returns to the Other Guy's lair where he finds 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 doesn't, he'll 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) and be freed from her endless cycle of guiding humans to regain their souls, and she will be reborn as a human. If he gives his soul to her, he'll prove hope exists to all those who have fallen into the nether-realm. Out of his love for Laurel and his own tireless dedication to the forces of good, David does the unthinkable and sacrifices his soul to Laurel.
Years later, David has moved on with his life, becoming a source of hope for those who have fallen through the cracks in society.
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 paperbackTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
in 2003
2003 in comics
-January:* January 2: Kid Colt artist Jack Keller dies at age 80.- April :* Action Comics #800: Double-sized anniversary issue, "A Hero's Journey," by Joe Kelly, Pascual Ferry, and Duncan Rouleau...
(ISBN 1582402728).
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 (ISBN 978-1607060406).
See also
- The Book of Lost SoulsThe Book of Lost SoulsThe Book of Lost Souls was an American comic book series published under the Icon Comics imprint, owned by Marvel Comics. It was written by J. Michael Straczynski and pencilled by Colleen Doran....
, a MarvelMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
/IconIcon ComicsIcon Comics is an imprint of Marvel Comics for creator-owned titles, designed to keep select "A-list" creators producing for Marvel rather than seeing them take creator-owned work to other publishers.-History:...
title in which Straczynski explores themes similar to those of Midnight Nation.