Nightmare Man #1, available now on Gumroad, is a 2-story anthology that brings the fear of local legends from middle America to life and makes you remember the things that scared you as a kid. Sometimes when you confront those childhood fears, you learn you were right to be scared the first time.
The Details
- Written By: Matthew Wilding
- Art By: Matt Rowe
- Cover Price: $5.00
Was It Good?
Yes. The story and dialog in both stories project a strong amount of creep factor that suits this horror fan just fine.
To be fair, the art is unpolished, which is to be expected for an indie comic. That said, Rowe adds in sufficient amounts of shadow and gloom to help this reader overlook the art’s technical roughness. Mood sells the story, and this comic has mood for days.
If you’d like to know more about the creation of Nightmare Man, check out our 7 Questions Interview with writer Matthew Wilding.
Short Story Long
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
For this review, we’ll critique both stories separately.
Nightmare Man
A man confesses to his therapist that he says a man in his local coffee shop. This stranger is identical to his tormenter from his dreams when he was a young boy, except this stranger is real and hasn’t aged a day. The man recounts the horror of his nightmares, from roasting over a fire to being forced to eat creepy crawlies to getting tossed in a filthy dumpster.
The memory of those nightmares torments this man, and the Nightmare Man, as he calls this stranger, is alive in the real world. His therapist instructs him to confront this stranger and dispel the fear with reality. Confront your irrational fear and it will go away, or so the therapist believes.
The next day, the man sheepishly introduces himself to the Nightmare Man having his morning coffee. Embarrassed but determined, the man explains what he remembers and why he’s introducing himself.
The Nightmare Man admits he is the one the man remembers from his youth, and that he’s a demon that feeds off the terror of the young. Without spoiling the ending, it’s fair to say the man learns not every fear goes away when confronted.
Overall, this takes an old trope of overcoming your dreams and turns it around in an unexpected way. I was surprised by the demon’s explanation of the dreams, and it’s a nice twist. However, the demon’s confession gave you the sense of buildup that needed a little more punch for the ending.
Score: 7/10
Little Things
Bill is an average kid in an average town with a not-so-average group of citizens. Years ago, the local mental hospital shut down, and several of its residents were simply released without care or supervision. One such resident is nicknamed “Lurch.”
Bill is afraid of Lurch. Lurch wanders the town aimlessly, always wearing a too neat suit and a sardonic grin. What scares Bill the most is the briefcase-sized bag Lurch carries around with him. When asked what’s in the bag, Lurch always replies: “hee… hee… Little Things.”
It’s a challenge to ask Lurch what’s in the bag. Bill’s friends make it a dare, and Bill always chickens out. The kids get older, life moves on, but Bill never stopped being afraid of Lurch and his bag.
Now, Bill works the late shift, and Lurch sometimes comes in to look around. Bill finally musters up the courage to ask the question. Without spoiling the ending, the comic’s central theme of not confronting what scares you plays out in all its terrible horror.
This short (technically a backup story) has its creep factor turned up to 11. What makes it work is the off-putting design for Lurch and his ghastly grin. The big reveal could have used a little more shock, but in several ways, this is a stronger story than Nightmare Man.
Score: 7.7/10
Final Thoughts
Nightmare Man #1, available now on Gumroad, looks at the silly stories that scare us as kids and successfully imagines what if they were more truth than legend. The art is understandably rough for an indie, and the ending of each story could use more punch, but the mood and creepiness makes for an effective horror comic.
Overall Score: 7.5/10
We hope you found this review interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
If you’re interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to set it aside for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com