Review: Death Dreamer Vol. 1

Troy Graves did his time. He paid his debt to society and while behind bars, he studied to become an embalmer. Little did he expect that once he was released, he would find himself with a crooked partner who ends up pulling him back toward the life he long ago walked away from. This, as well as the gruesome murder of a City Councilman, set up the story for indie comic Death Dreamer Vol. 1.

The writing by Scott Ian Lewis, Writer/Creator is spot on. As I read the book I tried to find something to compare it to and the best I could come up with was that it was a cross between Law and Order: SVU and the movie Seven, with a healthy dash of modern noir. Protagonist Troy Graves is very well written, and developed in a way that paints him as a person you really want to pull for, yet as you see the things happening around him, you can tell it“s only a matter of time before his darker side, which he tries to keep in check, comes out and he releases the fury that comes with years of locked up aggression. The slow burn that is unfolding inside him, with relation to his family, his job, and the events that are going on around him is evident, and by the issues end, he reaches the tipping point.

Make no mistake, this is in no way a book for children. It is brutal, it is graphic, and it is dark. The well written story is complemented by the art of Christian Dibari. Keeping with the theme of the story, the art is striking and as bold as the words on the page. If there were a soundtrack to this book, it would be dark metal for sure. (This makes perfect sense with writer Scott Ian Lewis being the vocalist and songwriter for Death Metal band Carnifex). Along with Dibari, Colorist Simon Gough and Letterer Taylor Esposito round out the talented team assembled to bring this story to life, while Chris Shehan delivers a dark cover for the ages.

I like Death Dreamer Vol. 1 quite a bit. While it is not a supernatural type horror comic, I think it certainly fits the bill to have the word “horror”“ used to describe it. It“s more of a real-world story, and if you“re paying attention, you should be aware that truth is by far, more terrifying that fantasy. The story can be uneasy at times, but again, being more of a true to life book, I feel like it hits its mark.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Written by SCOTT IAN LEWIS
Illustrated byÂ Chris DiBariÂ (Hoax Hunters, Magdalena)
Colors byÂ Simon GoughÂ (G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes, Ringside)
Lettering byÂ Taylor EspositoÂ (Red Hood & The Outlaws, Babyteeth)
Cover byÂ Chris ShehanÂ (Prometheus, Deadbeat)

If you want to find more information about the book, you can visit the website deathdreamer.net.

Click below for an awesome interview with Scott Lewis by Al Mega on The AMP!

https://www.undercovercapes.com/the-a-m-p-episode-5-scott-ian-lewis-death-dreamer/

Author Profile

Bryan Spaulding

In his free time, other than reading comic books, Bryan enjoys listening to his ever growing record collection and driving his 27 year old roadster named Mingo.