Unholy Nightmare #1 - Mutant Farm Comics

UNHOLY NIGHTMARE No. 1, December 2024

It’s probably a safe bet that the 183 backers who pledged $6,786 on Kickstarter to make Issue One of “Unholy Nightmare” a reality were more than pleased when they finally received a copy of their comic book. Indeed, Dolan Waddick’s script for this twenty-six page fright-fest, genuinely lives up to its pre-publication promise of being a “new terrifying horror adventure” by taking its readers on an adrenalin-fuelled roller-coaster ride crammed full of sense-shattering shoot-outs, grisly bone-ripping dismemberment, and blood-soaked gory mutilation; “You may call me Vlad. I wish to extend my greetings… and welcome you both to the club."

Of particular note though has to be the way the author wastes absolutely no time in bringing his audience bang up to date with the Windy City’s current crime wave, as well as how both a masked vigilante and an undercover police officer have formed an unlikely alliance to battle such evil. These flashbacks are as fascinatingly informative as they are short-lived, and impressively allow the writer to quickly get any perusing bibliophile fully immersed in a highly lucrative drug deal taking place during the dead of night.

In addition, Waddick is also very good at suddenly transforming what initially appears to be a police procedural piece into an utterly insane monster mash-up that repeatedly calls for more human body parts to be thrown into its panels. So sudden (and shocking) a metamorphosis really should catch a fair few onlookers off-guard, as it arrives just as everyone is doubtless expecting the colourfully-costumed crime-fighter skulking in the shadows to make his move – rather than a somewhat nervous Jenny painfully shape-shifting into a truly terrifying, savage beast.

Equally as up to scratch as this comic’s storyline however, are Aurelio Mazzara’s mesmerising layouts, which immediately capture the eye with the illustrator’s impressive attention to detail and ability to inject every action sequence with raw energy. The disagreeable arrogance of Clyde Bishop, the largest narcotics dealer in Chicago, is also a great example of the artist’s ability to pencil plenty of personality into his figures, with the False Prophet’s leader clearly swaggering his way through the exchange and subsequent firefight with all the hubris one might expect from someone so high up in the trafficking business.

Writer: Dolan Waddick, Illustrator: Aurelio Mazzara, and Colorist: Gene Jimenez