Nightmare On Elm Street: Volume 1 Horror Book Review

Freddy Krueger has not fared well in the comic book world. In the late 1980’s made an attempt, which only lasted 2 issues. Innovation took over around 1991 with the release of ‘Freddy’s Dead,’ but the same problems kept arising. For one thing, no artist seemed to faithfully capture Krueger’s appearance, nor did they manage to render the art in any sort of truly dynamic way. The issues were all generally episodic, like reruns of Freddy’s Nightmares, in which Freddy does not speak in his normal style, or do much of anything particularly spectacular.


Avatar Press took a swipe at the beloved demon of sleep until WildStorm’s stint, collected here. The graphic novel features two story arcs, ‘Freddy’s War’ and ‘Demon of Sleep.’ While having larger stories are an improvement—as it attempts to capture a more cinematic feel—the stories are very rushed, with little character development. While the artwork is in color, and Freddy more dynamic, he never looks really like Robert Englund, except for frames in which the penciler clearly used photographic reference.


Each series had potential, but the writers clearly never grasped what made Freddy’s films enjoyable. They were populated with interesting characters with unique flaws that Freddy could exploit in creative ways. The comics are mainly gorefests, with Freddy doing very little to use his dream powers. So disappointing, when one considers how limitless the artform of comic books is. The second arc does push the style further, but not by much.


While enjoyable light reads, a truly amazing Nightmare on Elm Street comic book has yet to arrive, and I hope that if WildStorm continues they flesh out the arcs better. If you can find this for a good price and are a die hard Freddy fan, you will enjoy it. Nothing particularly grabbing, however, for the casual comic reader.