Bedtime Games #1 Review

Bedtime Games #1

Story by: Nick Keller
Art by: Conor Nolan
Colors by: Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letters by: John J. Hill
Published by: Dark Horse Comics

Review by Cory Webber

Bedtime Games #1 follows three friends seeking a last hurrah before starting their senior year of high school. While exploring a mysterious part of their school, they accidentally set free an evil that preys on their worst nightmares.

The title and cover of Bedtime Games #1 suggest something along the lines of Goosebumps. However, the use of profanity and gore caught me by surprise. I’m not saying it was excessive, just a bit unexpected.

The story follows three friends who each have some sort of personal tragedy that weighs heavy on them. There appears to be some importance, or connection, between their tragedies and the evil that lurks below, but the explanation is lacking. While that explanation may come later on, I found it difficult to believe they were truly friends. I assumed they had somehow bonded over their personal histories, but they didn’t really seem to know that much about each other. I mean, the one guy is kind of a dick to the other guy. I’m not sure if some deeper connection will be revealed about their friendship, but I’m not really invested in whether or not they make it out unscathed.

Nolan’s art was fine; however, it didn’t quite match the tone of the story. There was too much brightness and not nearly enough shadow. Most importantly, the scenes that took place underground were too bright and polished. I knew I was supposed to be scared, but I was expecting someone in a bad monster costume to jump out, or a group of magical wish-granting fairies to emerge.

Also, there were panels where the characters looked very one-dimensional, flattened even. In others, the character’s poses were so stiff that they looked like cardboard cutouts. If I’m being honest, that might have been scarier than anything else in the pages of Bedtime Games #1.

Verdict: Skip it.
Bedtime Games #1 doesn’t do enough to get you hooked for more issues. Plus, I experienced some serious cognitive dissonance between the Goosebumps-esque plot, title and art, and the more mature content.