Originally published at: https://geektherapy.org/stuff-of-nightmares-revisiting-r-l-stine-as-an-adult/
Author: Tania Escobar
If you are a comic book junkie, fan of horror, blood, or even crime, R.L. Stine’s Stuff of Nightmares: No Holiday for Murder is a comic you absolutely need to get your hands on and add to your comic, horror, or crime repertoire.
When I read R.L. Stine on the cover of this comic, I was immediately interested to see what Stuff of Nightmares had in store, and it did not disappoint. R.L. Stine is famous for the Goosebumps novels and TV shows from the 90s, and it was absolutely one of my favorite books and TV series growing up. Now, as an adult, with its dark tone and real-world situations, Stuff of Nightmares is definitely for a mature audience but it gave me that same feeling of suspense, shock, and even fear I had as a kid while reading Goosebumps.
As a fan of horror and crime, I didn’t expect the twists and turns of this comic. I was immediately sucked in and felt a part of some of the situations. Everything about these stories was well delivered and one hell of a wild ride. Besides the comic having real-world situations, it also had an air of spookiness to it thanks to its commentator The Nightmare Keeper, giving a similar vibe to The Crypt Keeper from Tales of The Crypt.
Stuff of Nightmares had two stories—absolutely loving both of them—the first story Red Murder had some relatable elements that made the tale even more chilling than it was supposed to be. Without giving too much away from this graphic novel, the first tale takes place at a convention similar to like Comic-Con. As an avid convention goer, I felt a little scared and concerned for the con-goers in this comic, as though I were sitting with them in the panel room and attending this convention, where one of my favorite scenes in the comic takes place.
Its second tale Slay Ride has officially become one of my favorite dark tales for when the holidays come around. Without giving away too much of this tale, it takes place during the holiday season during an economic struggle. The holidays can sometimes be a challenging time for some people in today’s world, and a tale like Slay Ride gives this graphic novel authenticity to the horrors of the real world.
Both of these tales delve into a dark place for its main characters. I couldn’t help but to wonder about the psychological horror going on in the recesses of the minds of these characters. With psychological horror being introduced as a subcategory in horror films, you can’t help but remember that sometimes horror can be a very real element in the lives of people. Stuff of Nightmares will very much have the reader almost reflect on these tales and maybe something going on in today’s world as well.
With vivid artwork and detailed panels during its serious moments, Adam Gorham and Pius Bak use unique colors and detailed illustrations to set the dark tone for equally dark storytelling from one of horror’s best writers of the modern day. They have done a great job of taking the amazing storytelling of R.L. Stine, creating what can possibly be real-world experiences and turning them into possibly the worst-case scenario in a matter of seconds. I felt empathy for the characters in both of these dark and almost pretty realistic tales. Stuff of Nightmares: No Holiday for Murder is suspenseful, shocking, and relatable to an extent. It is a true horror and crime graphic novel in its right, that deserves a spot in the annals of horror and history with the times these stories occur.
With Halloween slowly creeping in soon, this is a graphic novel I highly recommend to add to any Halloween season to-do list.