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Nightmare World #1
Nightmare World, Vol. 1: 13 Tales Of Terror
Psychological horror in the vein of The Twilight Zone and Tales from the Crypt! In this first "Definitive" Collection of stories from the acclaimed online comic series, we delve into a world of ghostly lovers, demonic abductors, vengeful victims, and sexy Cthulhu priestesses as these loosely connected stories weave an epic tale of a world not unlike our own where nothing is what it seems. Welcome to Nightmare World! Written by "Write Or Wrong" Newsarama columnist Dirk Manning, featuring remastered art, extras, and a new in-continuity prose story.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
4 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Dirk Manning
70 books59 followersDirk Manning is best known as the writer/creator of comic series such as TALES OF MR. RHEE (Devil’s Due Publishing) and NIGHTMARE WORLD (Image Comics/Shadowline).
Dirk is also the author of the ongoing inspirational column/book collection WRITE OR WRONG: A WRITER'S GUIDE TO CREATING COMICS (Caliber).
More of Dirk’s gripping and exciting stories can be read in comic titles such as Dia de los Muertos and The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West Vol. Four: The Golden Cap (Aspen/Big Dog Ink) among various other anthologies.
Don't let Dirk’s penchant for writing horror comics and his tongue-in-cheek publicity photo with the black hat and scarf fool you, as he’s a very amicable and approachable guy both online and at the numerous convention appearances and book signings he attends every year.
Dirk's signing and convention schedule is regularly updated at www.DirkManning.com and when he's not on the road (or writing) he can be found interacting with readers and friends at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Cthulhu is his homeboy.
Dirk is also the author of the ongoing inspirational column/book collection WRITE OR WRONG: A WRITER'S GUIDE TO CREATING COMICS (Caliber).
More of Dirk’s gripping and exciting stories can be read in comic titles such as Dia de los Muertos and The Legend of Oz: The Wicked West Vol. Four: The Golden Cap (Aspen/Big Dog Ink) among various other anthologies.
Don't let Dirk’s penchant for writing horror comics and his tongue-in-cheek publicity photo with the black hat and scarf fool you, as he’s a very amicable and approachable guy both online and at the numerous convention appearances and book signings he attends every year.
Dirk's signing and convention schedule is regularly updated at www.DirkManning.com and when he's not on the road (or writing) he can be found interacting with readers and friends at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Cthulhu is his homeboy.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
September 8, 2013
I picked this up (along with volumes 2 & 3) from the writer himself at a comic con a couple years ago and it finally made its way to the top of the reading pile. The stories are short (8 pages each), but well developed and well written. I like the way they're related, but not directly. And there's a good build up of suspense. The artwork is impressive too and there's a good variety of it, with each story illustrated by a different artist. Anyone into graphic novels and horror will easily get into this collection.
October 3, 2015
Oh well.
If you wanna read something Nightmarish, or gore-y, or scary, or dark and gritty, or with horror and mystery... Do NOT read this collection of short stories.
Nope. Nothing like that, although that's what is being set out to be, but it's not. Just a bunch of stories with bad, mostly mediocre artwork and maybe one or two decent works in.
Wasn't worth it.
If you wanna read something Nightmarish, or gore-y, or scary, or dark and gritty, or with horror and mystery... Do NOT read this collection of short stories.
Nope. Nothing like that, although that's what is being set out to be, but it's not. Just a bunch of stories with bad, mostly mediocre artwork and maybe one or two decent works in.
Wasn't worth it.
May 5, 2014
A series of wildly different 6-8 page short stories in the Horror genre.
I really enjoyed all three volumes of this, despite the fact that I'm not really into short fiction or horror as a rule. Fun reads.
I really enjoyed all three volumes of this, despite the fact that I'm not really into short fiction or horror as a rule. Fun reads.
August 11, 2019
Fun, spoopy short stories. Loved some, didn't love some.
June 14, 2011
These were extremely short stories (about 8 pages each) in graphic novel form. Although they were supposed to be "tales of terror" not all of them were-some of them were just interesting stories. There were links between multiple stories, but not always obvious ones, so it was fun to find those links, and to see/understand the bigger picture of all the smaller stories. Still, the small stories were enjoyable in themselves. It moved so fast and kept the reader interested the whole time. For the most part, this was a superb little read. I've added the 2nd one to all my wishlists. :) (I think there is supposed to be a 3rd, but I'm not sure if it's out yet.)
May 28, 2017
This is the first graphic novel I have read by Dirk Manning, and it definitely won't be the last. This collection features 13 different tales filled with humor and horror. Nightmare World Volume 1 has a wonderful mix of stories and genres, from 80's type horror, to the psychological, and from video games to sci fi to heaven and hell. I really enjoyed all the stores in this book. My favorites were Knee Deep in the Dead (80's style horror), Try Honesty (dark, psychological tale), The Day I Tried to Live (look at the world of a video game), Life in a Glass House (dark sci fi human story), A Small Victory, and The Long, Hard Road Out of Hell (tale involving Lucifer). All the twists were very well done. If you are looking for a short story collection that covers different horror type moods and genres, I recommend checking out Nightmare World Volume 1.
December 21, 2025
The stories are all enjoyable enough, and at least at the end the author gives a hint about what connects them (there were only one or two connections that I could spot in my first read through). The artwork is pretty much all spot on too, so let’s see what the next book has to offer!
December 23, 2023
Dirk Manning writes creative and entertaining graphic novels. Nice artwork also.
March 1, 2016
Wow...
Do I think horror as a genre rocks? Yeah, pretty much.
Have I ever been into horror comics? No.
That said, do I think comic books rock? Yeah, they're a huge part of my life.
Have I ever read any comics that were in an anthology format? Very, very few.
All THAT said: Would I ever think that I would absolutely LOVE a graphic novel that's a horror anthology? Nope... But I really, really do...
Dirk Manning has put forth a genius collection here. Not only does he employ diverse themes such as sci-fi, existentialism, comedy, and theology under the eerie and endlessly entertaining shadow of horror, but he does so with very, very rewarding results. I often forgot I was reading a comic and just got sucked into thirteen little worlds of magic and story.
The song titles as titles for each story are a stroke of genius, too, and a real treat if you're a music buff (much like I consider myself).
I'd recommend this one to any one either loving comics or just interested or starting reading the medium, music fans, horror fanatics, heck... almost anyone!
Do I think horror as a genre rocks? Yeah, pretty much.
Have I ever been into horror comics? No.
That said, do I think comic books rock? Yeah, they're a huge part of my life.
Have I ever read any comics that were in an anthology format? Very, very few.
All THAT said: Would I ever think that I would absolutely LOVE a graphic novel that's a horror anthology? Nope... But I really, really do...
Dirk Manning has put forth a genius collection here. Not only does he employ diverse themes such as sci-fi, existentialism, comedy, and theology under the eerie and endlessly entertaining shadow of horror, but he does so with very, very rewarding results. I often forgot I was reading a comic and just got sucked into thirteen little worlds of magic and story.
The song titles as titles for each story are a stroke of genius, too, and a real treat if you're a music buff (much like I consider myself).
I'd recommend this one to any one either loving comics or just interested or starting reading the medium, music fans, horror fanatics, heck... almost anyone!
May 7, 2014
Normally horror anthologies are somewhat spotty in quality. But this one doesn't have that problem as they're all written by one person: Dirk Manning. This is a decent horror series with a nice mix of funny and scary. Supposedly all of the stories tie together into one larger narrative but it's a little hard to see that in this first volume. I expect future volumes to more actively link everything, though there is a bit of that going on even in these early stages. The production quality on this book could have been higher. I noticed a few typos, particularly in the text piece near the end of the book, and the binding is coming apart after reading this just once. Still an entertaining book, though. I'm looking forward to future volumes.
April 29, 2013
This collection of short horror stories done in graphic novel form is awesome! I picked up all three volumes of Nightmare World at C2E2 2013 after a few of my friends raved about it. Met Dirk Manning at the same time and he is a really great guy. Also he is an outstanding cheese chukker. I loved the ending of "Knee Deep in the Dead" but you have to pick up a copy to find out why. Trust me, once you get your hands on this you won't want to stop.
November 7, 2010
A brilliantly and beautifully arranged collection of diverse comics. All sharing a common thread, like pieces of a massive puzzle, the stories shift from dark and horrific to strangely eerie to ironically comical. They depict a world not unlike our own, but just a few steps ahead. A definite collector's item for any fan of horror fiction or Lovecraftian comics.
February 20, 2013
Třináctero krátkých a ještě kratších úderných povídek napříč horrorovými subžánry v jednohubce na půl hodiny. Některé příběhy vážné a jiné odlehčené. Většina dobrá. Žádný vysloveně špatný. A ani žádný hoden zapamatování.
October 16, 2014
Some stories were better than others, which is pretty normal for a collection of stories. My favorites were "Freak on a Leash" and "Violet." I met the author at IndyPopCon and purchased the next 2 books in the series, so I'm looking forward to reading them!
October 3, 2011
Full Review on HorrorTalk.com: http://www.horrortalk.com/comic-revie...
March 19, 2012
Wow, last story "Violet" was incredibly powerful. Glad that I grabbed this one off the shelf.
April 27, 2017
This is a tight book. Couple typos, but that's just the English teacher in me.
I like the different art work. Each seems to fit the story. I appreciate the connection between the stories and the planning that clearly went into it. Will get the next 4 volumes at some point.
I like the different art work. Each seems to fit the story. I appreciate the connection between the stories and the planning that clearly went into it. Will get the next 4 volumes at some point.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews