Goosebumps: Monsters at Midnight #1: Halloween Comic Fest Edition (re:view)

Welcome to a whole new adventure with... Goosebumps! I don't think I've touched Goosebumps for over 15 years but it still holds a very dear place in my heart. I remember reading the books in sequence (had to skip a few as the local library didn't have all of them) and finding great enjoyment in being REALLY scared. So let's dive in!

The story follows two children Mia and Ginny as they embark on a journey to find a book Ginny's been dying to find out the ending of at a bookshop that they return to at night. Nothing is always as it seems though (usually the case with Goosebumps).

The first thing I noticed it the colour palate, it seems much lighter in tone to how I remembered it as a child but it works. This is helped further by the cartoonish detail of the style of art which going through each panel real natural.

Being the first issue, there's no real threat that establishes itself during the comic but is made up by the sheer fun quality to it, such as when the two kids sneak away from their grandmother to get to the bookshop they saw earlier (something I was always told never to do as a child but I guess this might become a parable to never leaving the grown-ups!). Another fun bit is when they're passing through the backward books section with some fun deciphering what Ginny is saying.

The characterisation of Mia and Ginny is quite strong with Mia being more of a worrywart and the one that looks out for her younger sis and Ginny is the curious one who seems much braver, which could be put down to her naivety. This makes for a good read with their interactions with each other and their surroundings.

The ending introduces - spoiler alert - Slappy! Thinking about it now, he didn't scare me much as a child but he did do the most horrendous things like slapping a child (I could be mistaking him for Chucky though - not that I watched Chucky during my childhood!)

Subscribe? Yes!

This is clearly aimed more for the younger audiences but there are moments that were actually really fun to be had. I want to see where they go next and what Slappy is like now as he was from the many years ago when they first stepped on the scene.

Goosebumps: Monsters at Midnight #1: Halloween Comic Fest Edition
Writer - Jeremy Lambert
Art - Chris Fenoglio
Colours - Brittany Peer
Letters - Christa Miesner
Assistant Editor - Chase Marotz
Editor - Sarah Gaydos
Publisher - Greg Goldstein