Tales From William F. Nolan's Dark Universe #1 Review

Tales From William F. Nolan's Dark Universe #1

writers- William F. Nolan/Jason Brock

artists- Scott Boyce/James Bolton

Sci-Fi/Fantasy writer William F. Nolan has paired up with Bluewater Productions and the two have created a very eerie little horror anthology. Tales From William F. Nolan's Dark Universe has all the creepy corners of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone and all the eerie images of Night Gallery. Since the 1950's, this master of science fiction and horror has been chilling audiences with novels, television, movies, and finally comic books, giving another generation of fans something to look under their beds for. Tales From William F. Nolan's Dark Universe is a four-issue series collecting stories based on the yarns from the imagination of Nolan himself. A contemporary of writers like Ray Bradbury and Richard Matheson, Nolan's Dark Universe is the perfect place to visit on Halloween.

Written by William F. Nolan and Jason Brock, the first issue features two tales of terror to chill and thrill. The first is “The Halloween Man.” It's illustrated by Scott Boyce, who contributed art to Bluewater Productions' Orbit: The Cast of Doctor Who, chronicling the lives of the men who played the part of the BBC's most beloved time lord. Boyce has a very interesting style. His characters are elongated with narrow exaggerated features. This style and the muted color palate used in the story make for a very toned down but prevalent creep factor. It maybe one of my favorite Halloween stories, because it touches on children's fear and the idea that the boogie man is out there and he is coming after you.

The second story in Tales From William F. Nolan's Dark Universe #1 is called “Heart's Blood.” It tells the tale of a filmmaker who returns to his home town to make a movie about a tragic school shooting in Kansas, only to find that something dark and sinister has moved into town in his absence. The art on “Heart's Blood” is the responsibility of James Bolton. Bolton's style is simple. It's simple and raw in a way that makes the reader uneasy, knowing that only bad things are on the way. With no more than black and orange in the color spectrum, a good amount of the story's atmosphere comes from the visuals.

Released on Halloween, Tales From William F. Nolan's Dark Universe #1 is a welcome addition to any comics library. Once more, I applaud Bluewater Productions for producing top notch graphic entertainment. Remember, Bluewater Productions publishes more than just biography comics... they have their foot in the supernatural, unknown, Dark Universe.

Keep your eyes open for Bluewater Productions' William F. Nolan's Logan's Run.

Bluewater Productions