Nightmare World: 13 Tales Of Terror Volume 1 (Paperback)

~ Dirk Manning (Author), Kristen Simon (Editor), Various (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Psychological horror in the vein of The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt! In this first "Definitive" Collection of stories from the acclaimed online comic series, we delve into a world of ghostly lovers, demonic abductors, vengeful victims, and sexy Cthulhu priestesses as these loosely connected stories weave an epic tale of a world not unlike our own where nothing is what it seems. Welcome to Nightmare World! Written by "Write Or Wrong" Newsarama columnist Dirk Manning, featuring remastered art, extras, and a new in-continuity prose story.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Image Comics (October 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607061562
• ISBN-13: 978-1607061564
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,131,999 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucifer, Cthulhu, The Apocalypse... What's not to Love?, December 28, 2009

By	Mike Luoma "glowinthedarkradio.com" (Burlington, Vermont) - See all my reviews

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Began reading Dirk Manning's "Nightmare World" on-line a couple years ago. At first I wasn't sure what to make of it - the eight page stories were shorter than I was accustomed to in comics. Funny thing, though - the more stories I read, the more I wanted to read! Each story stands alone - Manning has become a master of the short form he's employing here. But there is an over-arching BIG narrative that connects them - the more you read, the more the "big picture" emerges. Manning's attention to detail grounds his stories in the world he's created, a world much like our own, where things are going awry. The stories are titled after songs - been meaning to ask Dirk if he's got the mix tape...

Long time fans of "Nightmare World" are rewarded with a glimpse of the "big picture" in this collection, as Manning includes a prose piece ("The Long Hard Road Out of Hell")giving us the POV of one of the primary actors in the grand scheme. The piece actually details the thought process going on behind one of MY favorite pages in the series ("Wrath" from "MINE"). I was pretty sure I knew what was going on overall before reading it, but now have a better grasp of the meta arc thanks to the piece.

The art is fantastic throughout the book. Each story features a different artist, giving each its own look and vibe. I'm a big fan of Josh Ross' work on "Nightmare World", and you get the classic "MINE" in this collection, centered on the seven deadly sins. Manning writes to his individual artists' strengths, and in turn the artists deliver strong performances. Anthony Peruzzo is perfect for the violent chaos of "Break Stuff", Mark Winters' tragic samurai kick ass in "Bitter Wine", and Len O'Grady provides the period look that suits the grim "The Same Deep Water As You", just to highlight a few. There's even one artistic "improvement" - though the original never bothered me, it looks much cooler now - "You Oughta Know" has been spiffed up for this trade collection with new inks and colors by Ray Dillon, who's own art graces the last illustrated story in this volume one, "Violet".

Jim Reddington also deserves major kudos for his work on "Nightmare World" - he letters most of the "Nightmare World" stories and created the logo, so he's another unifying factor alongside the meta arc. Yet Reddington also ably varies his fonts and balloons, subtly fitting the art and the mood of each piece, giving each its own "voice". He maintains a nice balance of consistency and individuality.

If you're a fan of creepiness, fear, horror, humor, intimate relationship tales and grand scale gruesome epics of demonic apocalypse... you'll find a lot to like in "Nightmare World" Volume One.