BEDTIME STORIES FOR IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN #1 – Review

In BEDTIME STORIES FOR IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN #1, available from American Mythology on October 6th, 2021, five tales of death, love, and magic are told to a bunch of impressionable children in a Pennsylvania Day Care.

The Details

• Written By: Andrew Sands, Mark Ricketts, Art Holcomb, J.C. Vaughn
• Art By: Joanna Estep, Micah Clark Farritor, Ed Catto, Brendon & Brian Fraim, Mark Wheatley
• Letters By: Joanna Estep, Micah Clark Farritor, Marshall Dillon
• Cover Art By: James Nelms (cover A)
• Cover Price: $4.99
• Release Date: October 6, 2021

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Was It Good?

This anthology gives the impression it’s full of spooky stories, but they barely qualify as spooky in any reasonable way. The stories fall more into the light humor category with some horror elements. Although the stories range widely in tone from one to the other, you get a vibe similar to the original Addams Family comic strip cartoons from Charles Addams… but not as dark.

If you hadn’t guessed by now, it’s a little tough to pin down the tone. That said, this anthology is light fun suitable for all ages (the title is accurate) with a few monsters and a little bit of magic to put an amused smile on your face.

The art, again, varies widely from story to story, but every artist is paired well with their writer. The visual style of the collected work is reminiscent of CRACKED Magazine, Halloween Editions, so you may get a surprising hit of nostalgic satisfaction if you’ve been around a little longer than kids these days.

In all, this is a bit of Halloween fun as light as a soap bubble and as wholesome as grandma’s apple pie.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]

As with all the anthologies we review, we’ll cover each story briefly and what worked or didn’t.

All Of My Ex-Boyfriends Are Monsters! Really!

A young lady is considering dating again after her last breakup, but before she can go out with her latest suitor, she has a confession to make. All her ex-boyfriends have been monsters, so dating a “normal” boy may be a challenge.

This was a cute story with a twist ending that should be relatable to every comic book lover. The art is excellent, the montages of romantic twists are cute in a punny sort of way, and this is a fun little story.

Renee

A young man recounts his courtship to Renee, a young girl he met at school. As the two grow closer and fonder, the young man is eventually introduced to Renee’s family at church. When the service is done, the courtship takes an unexpected downturn.

This is the oddest of the stories as it appears to have no point other than to break the young man’s heart. Oddly, the daycare students point out the same thing, making this story possibly the most meta of the bunch.

Pua

A teenager is thrilled to be driving his Grandfather’s hotrod on loan when a rabbit creates just the right distraction for a terrible accident. Little does the teen know that the Hula doll ornament on the dashboard has the power to take all his troubles away… or does it?

Easily, this is the most Twilight Zone-esque story of the bunch with the undercurrent of a morality tale about ignoring distractions while driving. Look out for the obligatory Monkey’s Paw ending, and just enjoy the ride.

Preserved!

Uncle Ted and Aunt Thelma have lived together for a long time. However, things get strange when it takes a very long time for anyone to notice Uncle Ted is dead, sitting in his favorite rocking chair, with wide-open eyes. Death is only the beginning of Uncle Ted’s biggest adventure yet.

This story gets honorable mention for being one of the rare circumstances where an artist can copy the same panel over and over and still make it feel like a complete story. It’s again, a cute story, but it felt like it went on a little too long.

Toothpick Warriors

A young girl with a filthy toothpick habit learns her toothpicks have become a valued prize for a squadron of tiny, mouse-riding warriors. When the late-night battles begin taking a toll on the young girl’s sleep, her father is forced to take matters into his own hands.

Technically, this is a short story with one or two illustrations, so it doesn’t quite qualify as a comic. That said, this fable is certainly unique and interesting, and I did not see the ending coming.

Final Thoughts

BEDTIME STORIES FOR IMPRESSIONABLE CHILDREN #1 is exactly that, a collection of odd and amusing stories for kids of all ages. The writing and art styles vary wildly from entry to entry, but they all possess a unique charm that makes this a wholesome read with a hint (a very small hint) of horror for the Halloween season.

Score: 8.5/10