We all carry around our own personal tragedies. Things we did, things we saw, things we regretted. But, much like taxes and death, you just can’t avoid it and in the end, it all comes down to how you manage the damage. But hey, it’s not like there’s something out there feeding on your fear and anger like an IT-like clown from Hell, right? Well, for the three kids in Bedtime Games, it’s just never that easy. A story of tragedy and survival mixed with a hefty dose of Goosebumps, Bedtime Games explores the frailty of human life and how easy it is to get consumed by its (literal) monsters. While the comic is solid in its representation of the human end, the horror part comes off as a watered down version of several more popular franchises, giving the work an interesting but wholly unoriginal feeling.
The comic focuses on three high school kids who are about to enter their senior year. With their last summer of freedom setting behind them, they decide to end the season with an exploration of an underground tunnel that connects the school to the park. As they each decide if they want to go in, the comic cuts with flashbacks of the kid’s lives. Avery is haunted by the sudden murder of her mother, Owen by his brother’s disease, and Jaime by his ever-growing hatred for his father. These narratives soon intertwine into their lives, requiring the immediate release of spontaneity for them to forget, which naturally leads to the tunnel. But what exactly lies in the tunnel and why did the last kid who went in there die? The only way to find out is to solve the riddle of the Mr. Bedtime but he seems to have plans of his own.
Bedtime Games is like if Locke and Key, Evil Dead, and IT had a baby and the baby rolled a +1 on charisma. It’s got good ideas and the premise is great, but something about it just doesn’t click. It’s too much of the same thing. It feels like it’s really trying to appeal to the teen audience but doesn’t want to stray too far from the tried and true so it just comes off as a heavier Goosebumps story. Releasing ancient evil from a book while struggling with personal demons, you can pretty much guess where this story is going (or not, which would be the real surprise). That being said, I do like the characters, who act as one would expect after dealing with the trauma they have. Avery hides behind a mask of cynicism, Jaime suffers in grades but improves in comedy, and Owen is simply regressing to a younger age. It’s interesting to watch them deal, or not deal, with their problems while attempting to squeeze one more ounce of fun from their childhood. You really end up feeling for them and secretly hope them the best.
The art, much like the comic, is not the best but has a few appealing details. The character illustrations are pretty wonky and, when not disproportionate or awkwardly angled, are stiff and unnatural. The artist seemed to struggle with doing both facial expressions and gesture art and either chose one or the other, or simply smashed them together in hopes that they would work. I did dig the inking style that went for a more scratchy shadow work instead of block shadows and the colors were perfectly chosen to look like late summer. The backgrounds were well done as well and showed a solid level of commitment to the comics world, which, with a few well-done splash pages, at least attempts to pick up the slack of the transitionary panels. I’ve seen worse, that’s for sure.
If you’re in the market for a mid-level horror that won’t challenge you but, like being a tourist in Vietnam, might make you feel something, check out Bedtime Games. Out now!