Nathaniel Dusk (1984) 4

Nathaniel Dusk (1984) 4

May 1984

Lovers Die at Dusk - Part 4

by Don McGregor, Gene Colman, John Costanza, Tom Ziuko, Alan Gold

Nathaniel Dusk survives the ice cold water and avoids the the ferry boat’s propeller blades. He gets picked up by a tug boat. He heads back to his office. He stops outside the building to talk to Oscar, the guy who sells him newspapers. Oscar had been helping the mob and Dusk wants to know why.

Nate goes to see Mrs. Gulino, Joyce’s mother. The woman doesn’t feel like talking but Dusk gets her to open up and start talking about her daughter. He learns about Joyce’s husband, Joseph Costilino, from Mrs. Gulino. Dusk runs into Blondie (from the ferryboat) and Cadaver on the way out of Mrs. Gulino’s building. He tries taking a swing at Blondie but Cadaver clubs him with a blackjack.

Nate wakes up in an abandoned house. Blondie and Cadaver are standing over him. Before he can fully recover his senses they inject him with a syringe full of rat poison and then lock him in the boarded up building. He struggles mightily and manages to escape the building by jumping from a second story window.

Nate wakes up 4 days later in the hospital. Murray is sitting next to him. He wants answers but Nate doesn’t have the right ones. Dusk leaves the hospital once Murray has left. He heads to the home of Joseph Costilino. He confronts him over what he did to Joyce. Blondie and Cadaver show up. Only one man leaves the house alive, Nathaniel Dusk.

Thoughts

There’s something here, possibly more than one something, that feels off to me. The coloring job is better here but the light and bright colors feel wrong for this sort of story. The story also feels a bit rushed. It needs more time to breathe than these four issues give it.

I had the chance to buy the second miniseries on the same day I bought this one. I decided not to. I thought for a while that was a mistake. I don’t anymore.

I want to like this story more than I do but I don’t.

Nathaniel Dusk (1984) 3

Nathaniel Dusk (1984) 3

Apr 1984

Lovers Die at Dusk - Part 3

by Don McGregor, Gene Colman, John Costanza, Tom Ziuko, Alan Gold

Dusk fights with the gunman who has followed him on to the subway. The fight ends when the gunman gets thrown from the elevated tracks to his death. Cadaver, the other gunman, spots Dusk as the train pulls into the next station but Dusk escapes and makes it back to his office.

Dusk goes to visit Joyce’s kids. They are staying with Mrs. Ianotti, the landlady. He learns from Jennie about her grandmother who lives in a different part of town. He goes to Joyce’s apartment and digs around until he finds the grandmother's phone number. He gets interrupted by Detective Abrahams who wants to arrest Dusk. Dusk talks him out of arresting him even though the policeman has his doubts about Dusk’s motives.

Nathaniel Dusk (1984) 2

Nathaniel Dusk (1984) 2

Mar 1984

Lovers Die at Dusk - Part 2

by Don McGregor, Gene Colman, John Costanza, Tom Ziuko, Alan Gold

Dusk avoids falling to his death off the Empire State Building. He grapples with one of the men who tried to kill him and then falls on a ledge. He makes his way along the snowy ledge and crashes through an office window. The two men catch up to him before he can get very far. They shoot a and kill a security guard while trying to kill Dusk.

Dusk escapes the building and makes his way back to Joyce’s apartment only to discover that she’s been murdered. Lieutenant Abraham of the NYPD is there. Dusk works with him to identify the men who tried to kill him. Dusk goes to the funeral where he runs into Arthur Squire, an old acquaintance of Joyce. Dusk tries interrogating Squire and almost beats the man up but Lt. Abraham grabs him before he can get started.

Nathaniel Dusk (1984) 1

Nathaniel Dusk (1984) 1

Feb 1984

Lovers Die at Dusk

by Don McGregor, Gene Colman, John Costanza, Tom Ziuko, Alan Gold

New York City - Jan 31, 1934. Nathaniel Dusk, Private Investigator, goes about his business. He is followed by a couple gun toting men. Dusk eventually realizes that someone is following him while he is sitting in a restaurant with Joyce Gulino, his girlfriend. He approaches the man who denies that he’s following him.

Dusk and the other man get into a fight. Blows are exchanged in the restaurant. The other man gets away and Dusk is left behind to explain what happened to the police. Nathaniel and Joyce get into an argument. They kiss and makeup after they return to her place and have dinner with Jennie and Anthony, her kids.