Eric's Image Comics Reviews: Dreams of Darkchylde Vol. 1 TPB, All Nighter #1, The Mission #5, Hack/Slash #5

This week, Image delves into the nightmares of a young woman, steals a coin collection from an unassuming family, questions their faith, and chucks out much fetish wear.

Dreams of Darkchylde Vol. 1

Dreams of Darkchylde Vol. 1 is a trade paperback that carries on with the much lauded fictional world created by Randy Queen. As a continuation, those versed in the original tales of the girl whose powers come from her nightmares will get the most enjoyment out of this work as it gives little exposition into Ariel Chylde's unique situation and pushes the reader at full speed into the story. Although this may sound like a bad thing, it navigates the problem of bad info dumps by completely ignoring them, which is probably the better choice. As it goes, the singular narrative itself does quite well in at bringing one in at that moment with a good bit of gripping childhood trauma and a strong handle on the English language. For the latter, the writing can almost stand alone without the addition of art as the author has each word flow into the other with an aim toward the poetic. That target is struck in most cases with bits of alliteration, rhyme, and other poetic device. His plot is carried upon a sea of intensity as it ebbs and flows from one dire situation to the next with little room for breaks. Each page is more horrific and surreal as the next and one might not completely get what's going on until near the book's end, but this is more due to a mystery addressed within the text rather than anything lacking from the story. All these come to form a narrative that is an exciting and wonderfully written narrative. Queen also find the time to add a couple of comic reference for good measure, which are Easter Eggs that actually serve a purpose.

The biggest criticism about Queen's script is that he never seems to change point of view very well. While the book is filled with beautiful writing, it seems as it is always coming from the point of view of the writer himself rather than the menagerie of eccentric characters found within his pages. It reads more like a novel than a comic book, which looses just a little bit from the strengths of the medium. This is a small gripe considering that the writing is poetic, charming and really well done.

Queen's designs are as beautifully haunting and unrealistic as ever in this recent offering, but continually unrealistic. This is great for the fantasy setting, yet makes it hard to believe the main character is a teenage high school student, which ties quite a bit into her motivations. The pencils are, however, an ongoing product of mid-nineties sensibilities and the choices are similar to other products in the medium. Also, this isn't a book in which realism much matters. Besides that, each panel is beautiful with into which much detail is poured. This is especially true of the series' signature nightmare creatures. This is a story of desperation and overcoming one's own fears, which is completely accomplished visually.

Story: Randy Queen
Art: Randy Queen, Brandon Peterson, & Ron Adrian
Cover: Randy Queen
160 Pages/FC
$16.99
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All Nighter #1

With All Nighter, David Hahn offers a hipster drama that intrigues with its first issue. His use of language is simple, yet poignant as it tells the story of Kit Bradley and her misadventures in romance and petty larceny. The comic hinges on that one character and, for the most part, that works out just fine. She's very real and always slightly cooler than the reader. The main drawback from her portrayal is that she might come off as amoral or with that potential, which could be an issue given its seemingly targeted adolescent/young adult audience. With this edition, however, each character has his or her own appeal and are perfectly acceptable companions for the time it will take to read the book. The writing has a good sense of balance. For each bit of angst or drama, there is appropriate humor. Pacing is also a strength for the book as it teases an overarching mystery without completely spoiling it.

The main thing going against this comic is that it doesn't cast a very wide net. While definitely not a copy, it is similar in tone to Craig Thompson's heart-wrenching love story Blankets. It doesn't have the focus on romance, but carries similar themes about the difficulties of growing up and quietly raging against established social norms. With that said, it might not grip those past that point in their lives, but has the potential to be a reflective, retrospective piece.

Like his script, Hahn's art is tight and clean with some nice angular captures of the various characters. An excellent part of this is points in which he zooms out on a page and shows that Kit's story is one amongst many. The peripheral characters do more than just take up space at the sides of a panel. Each seems to be involved in his/her own endeavors, which is a testament to the care taken on this issue. Many comics can be great character works, yet this places its subjects into a living, breathing world, which adds to its uniqueness and atmosphere. Within his designs, nuanced emotions spring forth expressing each instance of angst or cleverly sarcastic thought. Each persona conveys what they need to by what seems to be intended. While some might not enjoy it because of its subject matter, it's a quality piece of work that might be a good introductory to the medium.

Story: David Hahn
Art: David Hahn
Cover: David Hahn
32 Pages/B&W
$2.99
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The Mission #5

John and Erich Hoeber have crafted an appropriately intense pseudo-religious thriller in The Mission, which continues in its fifth edition. Despite its title, this comic is more about the personal/spiritual journey of protagonist Paul than his actual endeavors. This is a book about a guy giving up everything to pursue a path of weird righteousness as a contract killer for God. With a book with such huge concepts, it would be easy to have a focus on the fantastic. It's refreshing that the creators decided instead to go with something more relatable. The situation is nuts, but the way the characters react is much more down to Earth (missing a few choice curse words). The line “What kind of God are you?” reverberates itself to the reader and frames the greater purpose of the comic. With this comes varying levels of acceptance to the character's new lot in life. Just when it seems the writers have gone to far on the side of cynicism, they bring things back. The panels which are shared by Paul and his wife resonate the most and give the largest sense of hope.

The art by Werther Dell'Edera isn't excessively flashy or wrought with several splash pages. It efficiently works succinctly to the point of the narrative without hesitance. This being a very character driven story many of the panels are framed in tight to faces with a focus on the emotions felt by each persona. When things are pulled out, environments are very sterile with sparse, yet detailed furnishings. Even when a few characters occupy a panel at one time, the general theme is that of isolation. Each one is completely alone except for a divine light that saturates each scene. The comic is comprised of dark material, yet the visuals are extremely bright. Given its pondering on faith and the like, there might be a hint at hope beyond even the worst of situations.

Story: John & Erich Hoeber
Art: Werther Dell'Edera & Arriana Florean
Cover: Werther Dell'Edera & Arriana Florean
32 Pages/FC
$2.99
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Hack/Slash #5

With this issue, Hack/Slash adds a bit more depth to its usual formula of “T,” “A,” and gratuitous violence. This comes in the form of Fantomah who is a type of female, sadistic take on Captain Planet. Tim Seeley's script begins this protector of the jungle's tale with a throwback homage set in 1941. Here, he matches Stan Lees theatrical style beat for beat with a surreal amount of self exposition from villains and hyperbole. What follows is an excellent push into modern cynicism. That provides a good amount of contrast to make the comic's prologue more effective. The result is comprised of some smart interchanges, dark comedy, and some interesting plot points. On the last bullet, there is one twist that teases potential, but is lost too quickly to serve much of a narrative purpose. It seems to happen without complete reason or consequence, which is a shame. Other than that, everything else is a quality comedy/horror product. Included in this assessment is some great dialog from the ever-charming Pooch and a bit of drama at the expense of Vlad. Most of this is well played out by keeping its proverbial cards close to its heaving chest.

To draw said chests, Kyle Strahm does a great job with his pencils making the old and new designs blend really well with wonderful colors from Mark Englert and Nate Lovett. The art team puts together a compelling package in the first few pages with newsprint filter and the yellow of age at each edge. While the panels have the characteristic surface simplicity of yesteryear, the work and care used to convey the time period is self-evident. Also within the intro is a robot design that comes straight from the mind of a bored six-year-old (That is meant as a compliment.). As the comic continues, it goes into the fetishistic sexual imagery the title is known for. Strahm shows a lot of talent in the horror designs, especially with the grim visage of Vlad and the Slashers. Each piece is both intricate, gruesome, and matches the tone of the script wonderfully.

Also worth a mention are amazing variant covers from Jenny Frison and Rodin Esquejo (the latter who does a Hack/Slash homage to Morning Glories. The usual nature of variant covers is to have a clear favorite, yet both are equally fantastic.

Story: Tim Seeley
Art: Kyle Strahm, Mark Englert, & Nate Lovett
Cover: (A) Jenny Frison (B) Rodin Esquejo
32 Pages/FC
$3.50
On Sale Now!