Goosebumps: Monsters at Midnight
Written by Jeremy Lambert
Art by Chris Fenoglio
Lettering by Christa Miesner
Review by KrisK
Happy Halloween fellow Talking Comic fans, and “Readers Beware! You’re in for a scare!” I can’t think of a better way to ring in the scariest of holidays then with a brand new Goosebumps Comic! Goosebumps, via IDW, is launching a series, Goosebumps: Monsters at Midnight. The stories are told in three issue arcs, based on monsters and locations found in the classic Goosebumps books. This first arc features Slappy! And a cute monster named Irk. I won’t give away any monster that’s not on the cover.
The issue starts with two sisters, Mia and Ginny, who are spending the summer with their Grams. They pass a creepy bookstore, Cursed Editions. Ginny, the younger asthmatic sister, is wanting to go inside to look for a copy of Don’t Go into the Basement, a reference probably to the early Goosebumps book, Stay Out of the Basement. Grams says no, so later, when she is asleep, Ginny talks Mia into taking her to the bookstore to look for a copy. The books are creepy, with the Werewolf of Fever Swamp having fur coming out of the pages, and a backwards books section. Ginny goes into a dark room, and she accidentally exits the bookstore to another place. Mia follows.
The book, while containing Easter Eggs to the books, TV show, and the movie, is definitely its own creature. While the previous entries in Goosebumps maintained some element of fright, the comics so far are much lighter. The first issue takes its time setting up the arc, which is somewhat annoying since I know there are only two more issues to this arc. The dialogue isn’t blowing me away, but the writer is definitely well versed in the series.
The main thing keeping away the fright is the art. The settings are pretty inviting, and the coloring is very light, even in settings like Cursed Editions. Slappy is a little creepy, but I am hoping they will double down on him in the next two issues in terms of scare factor. Slappy’s creep factor has always been his words. Otherwise, he is just a toddler-sized wooden puppet. Irk is adorable, and I am fine with him staying the cute character.
Verdict: Check it out. If you are a fan of the series, then this is a fun romp down memory lane. It’s still new reader friendly, perfect for introducing new readers to the Goosebumps universe. I am hoping that Fenoglio watches some old episodes of the show, or even the newer movie, so that he can get the tone down better. Overall, though, I enjoyed the book, and I plan on reading the next issue.
