In Review: Dreams of Darkchylde by Randy Queen
- Dreams of Darkchylde
- Writer: Randy Queen
- Pencils: Brandon Peterson, Ron Adrian
- Inker: Richard Bennett, Shawn Pasons, Alp Atiner, Sarah Queen
- Company: Image Comics
I’ve mentioned this before, but just to reiterate, I’ve been a fan of Randy Queen’s work since I got my first copy of a Darkchylde story in 1996. A statement I’m sure he finds flattering, and a painful reminder that he and I are getting older.
Now before I get to the review for Dreams of Darkchylde, you should know up front that Randy Queen is a perfectionist. A point he makes clear in a recent interview with SFP-Now that can be found here. And Dreams of Darkchylde perfectly captures Queen’s relentless pursuit of getting every element of this story to be flawless.
For those of you unfamiliar with Darkchylde, this comic book series (and future movie and Young Adult Novels) follows the life of Ariel Chylde. Due to a curse, Ariel has the unfortunate ability to transform into creatures from her nightmares; creatures that remain on Earth even after she reverts to normal. However, Dreams of Darkchylde is so well told that all you need to know about Ariel is explained within the story.
Building off the main Darkchylde series, Dreams of Darkchylde follows Ariel in a Nightmare Realm while she is being manipulated by an entity called Kid Wicked, and an childhood friend, Kiley. (A great introduction to the main series can be found in Darkchylde: Legacy & Redemption trade-paperback which can be purchased here.)
The main thrust of the narrative is Ariel trying to figure out how to escape the nightmare that she’s trapped in, figure out who is behind the attacks against her, and how her friend Kiley seems to be alive. Specifically, the story begins with Ariel as a child playing with her friend Kiley; only to watch Kiley fall into a pit, never to be found. From there, we find Ariel now in what appears to be a normal high school. However, reality begins to twist and become disfigured as we realize that Ariel is trapped in nightmare.
Yet, like all of Darkchylde’s stories, the key selling point for Dreams of Darkchylde is that Randy Queen knows how to write Ariel in a compelling manner that keeps one coming back for more.
You see, as a concept, Darkchylde is a dramatic reinterpretation of feminism in the horror genre. While in most horror stories the young attractive female is typically the first victim or the final damsel in distress, Ariel is the underdog that finds survival despite the obstacles in her way and without the need of a Y chromosome. Additionally, Darkchylde as a total experience is a horror story for a new generation. So many horror stories feature creatures that have been around for centuries and have been reinterpreted so many times, we have forgotten that they were suppose to instill terror originally. Take Twilight for example, the vampires and werewolves in this franchise are more in line with the bad boys that young girls are told not to date, than actual creatures of the night that inspire fear.
In contrast, the creatures and villains of Darkchylde are like nothing that has ever been done before; in regards to both their motivations and their visual design.
In most Darkchylde stories, Queen includes poems that are written by Ariel and are part of a series of poems called “Treasury of Sorrows.” Despite my copy of Dreams of Darkchylde only having one of these poems, the dialogue and narration of this story still possesses a poetic quality that enriches the narrative in a manner that few other writers can mimic.
For example, after finally building up the strength to attack one of the creatures who have been threatening Ariel, the narration states:
“The world around me shudders and spasms with frantic energy.
The trees, the ground, and what lies within and beneath, all manifest my rage.
Ten million obsidian spiders, glistening in the moonlight, swarm the creature in a carnivorous, lightning fast wave of teeth and skittering legs”
As I wrote earlier, Queen is a perfectionist and has history of drawing Darkchylde stories. Dreams of Darkchylde is different because in this story Queen doesn’t draw any of the pages. I imagine this is equivalent to a parent leaving their child with a babysitter for the first time. With that said, the artists on this book capture Ariel just as well as Queen does. Each panel conveys the emotions of that moment, each close up renders the pain and anger a character has carried their entire life.
What I like the most about the art is that it manages to bridge the surrealism of this story with the real world. Far too often, artists depict a nightmare realm as people stuck in a abstract painting. Darkchylde, instead, features the real world being darkened and twisted into something terrifying.
Finally, this book also includes a foreword by John Carpenter. As the director of the future Darkchylde and a legend of horror cinema, it was a nice touch to get a minor glimpse into how directors approach properties that they will be developing into films.
So without a doubt, Dreams of Darkchylde is not only just a great introduction to the Darkchylde franchise, it is a great story on its own. So if you want to read a great horror story, a great graphic novel, or simply want to be able to recommend a good read to a friend, you cannot go wrong with Dreams of Darkchylde.
You can purchase your copy of Dreams of Darkchylde from Amazon.com here
And find more information about Darkchylde can be found here
Remember to follow me on twitter @yanes627
And to follow us on Twitter @SciFiPulse
