The Life and Death of Lucas Dreamwalker is written by R.L. Stine and published by BOOM! Studios. Artwork is by Francesco Francavilla and letters by Nate Piekos. Main cover art (left) is by Francesco Francavilla.
The Life and Death of Lucas Dreamwalker is available from today, in comic book stores and on digital platforms where all good comic books are sold. Grab your physical copy from Forbidden Planet or digitally from Amazon Comixology UK.
Synopsis
Journey with the Dreamwalker through new realms of terror! How many times can you be killed in a dream before you die?
Review
R.L. Stine, yes that one, is not the first name you think of when talking about comics. However, with this new one-shot, The Life and Death of Lucas Dreamwalker, from the pages of BOOM! Studios’ anthology series Hello Darkness, Stine turns his hand at the comic book format with the help of the talented Francesco Francavilla on art duties.
Funnily enough, the first thing that will grab your attention with The Life and Death of Lucas Dreamwalker is Francavilla’s stunning artwork. Yes, the writing is also good and that will be addressed in a minute but the one element that does a lot of the heavy lifting here is the art, specifically in how it blends its effortless slickness with a certain pulpy grittiness. The very nature of the story being split into three parts, all of which set in different time periods, allows Francavilla to quickly establish a distinct art style for the narrative that is bold yet adaptable for the change settings.
The singular colour work, along with the great use of heavy shadows and contrast to amp up the noir-esque tone of the book, play into the threat and darker themes on display as well as propelling the story forward in a creative ways. Even when things take a trippier turn in the third chapter, the art sticks within its pre-defined aesthetic, more using it as a playground for visual storytelling possibilities.
As for the story itself, it is clear after the first chapter that Stine is having fun with is concept as it is reflected in the pacing and flow of the narrative as a whole. While continually sticking to Lucas’ journey, Stine uses these three chapters to play with the genres and eras they set themselves in. The first chapter leans into westerns, the second chapter leans into 1920s gangster fair and the third chapter goes more for a modern drama with intense imagery that dives head first into psychological horror.
Stine and Francavilla do a solid job of keeping things serious and dark in tone whilst also seeing the humorous side of it all. This is something Stine is very much bringing over from his Goosebumps days and using it to great effect here. When the situation needs to play towards tension it does so with ease yet there is an underlying tone of morbid humour that the writing isn’t afraid to delve into on more than one occasion.
The Life and Death of Lucas Dreamwalker is a slick and stylish page-turner that both exceeds and subverts expectations at every opportunity it gets. Whether you’re here for a gripping story, captivating artwork or a refreshing concoction of themes and genres, then look no further. The three chapter structure keeps things concise while the writing uses its settings and characters to its full advantage. This comic does not disappoint in the slightest, no matter how many lives Lucas has to go through.
Verdict
The Life and Death of Lucas Dreamwalker is a fantastically stylised one-shot story that blends compelling storytelling from the one and only R.L. Stine with genuinely stunning artwork and a great mix of genres that shouldn’t work but totally does.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
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