In the Parasomnia series, Cullen Bunn and Andrea Mutti dreamt a world split in two: reality and dreams. The worlds are connected by Grover and the unnamed hero, both searching for a missing child. Grover and Annette’s son disappeared a year ago, while the unnamed hero isn’t sure why he’s searching for a child. In both worlds, evil abounds. Reality contains a dangerous cult, while the dreamworld has the Faceless Queen leading her subjects. What originally was to be contained within four issues quickly overgrew itself with its ambitious story; therefore, after Parasomnia #1-4, the creators embarked on the next part of the story in Parasomnia: The Dreaming God, another four-issue series.
A lot of people live their lives stuck. That’s what Shed is ultimately about. The abyss of being stuck and what that can do to a person. I’m not going to get into the metaphor at play here, because it should be experienced for itself. So, I’ll start again…
Firstly, the name R.L. Stine needs no real introduction. His is a name that’s synonymous with the young adult horror genre that just about every Gen X and Millennial kid read, and his works spanned from more kid-friendly fare (e.g., Goosebumps and The Ghosts of Fear Street) to his scarier and gorier Fear Street series. His works have been adapted into TV shows and movies. The man is a legend. Which is why it was hard to pass up the chance to check out his latest foray into the macabre, a new title published by BOOM! Studios, aptly titled Stuff of Nightmares.
Quick catch-up with the crew: The Serenity crew was split up, with Simon, Inara, and Leonard guarding the monastery on Requiem while the rest of the group checking out a strange ship. After narrowly escaping being blown up by some magnetic bombs, Kaylee, Mal, Zoe, and Jayne discover an Alliance portal on the ship, which begs the questions “why?” and “what for?”
Previously: While the Arthurs were still vying for the claim to the Sword in the Stone to legitimize their claim to England, the gang freed Lear. With the passage of a year and a day since Rose struck off the head of the Green Knight, well, old promises must be kept and paid in full. Meanwhile, Duncan and Bridgette headed off to complete Operation Lethe.
Ever since childhood, Wen Jian has been told that he is the hero of the Tiandi who will save Zhuun from the Katuia hordes. Locked away in a magnificent palace, the teen trained in several martial arts and enjoyed a pampered life, waiting for the moment he would face the Eternal Khan; however, not all the war arts masters think the young man’s skills match up, since his sheltered life has left Jian spoiled and arrogant. When a bizarre twist changes the prophecy, everyone’s lives shift: followers of Tiandi, Jian, the Katuia, the people of Zhuun, and anyone else caught in the wake. How will the world adjust when the belief so many have held onto seems broken?
Matt Kindt loves the spy genre. It captures shifting allegiances, nefarious doings, and the muddy waters of right and wrong. If used properly, it is the stomping ground for observing heightened human reactions and relationships on both the personal and the infrastructural levels.
One of the fun things about comics is the variety of tales told. These range from superheroes and science fiction to crime dramas. Stories run the gambit of being a single issue to being a long story arc, stretching out over several months. With this practice as the norm, one tends to forget that there are smaller, more personal tales that are just as impactful and thought-provoking.