Goosebumps: Monsters at Midnight #3

Writer: Jeremy Lambert
Artist: Chris Fenoglio
Colorist: Brittany Peer
Letterer: Christa Miesner
Publisher: IDW Publishing

This third issue to this Monsters at Midnight series feels nostalgic to me in a lot of ways. When growing up, I loved the Goosebumps books and TV show and I actually still read a few a year for fun and will watch the series here and there. The climax to this series in this issue is very reminiscent to the climax to a lot of those books and episodes. And also very nostalgic is following the exciting climax, it cuts to the happy end scene after everything is over and we end with a hint that it might not really be over, just like the books and TV show.

In this issue, recurring character Slappy is continuing his attempt to keep Ginny and Mia in Horrorland. But making friends with monster Irk has definitely come to their advantage as she helps our main characters find their way out. I enjoyed all of the characters because they felt very similar to how the characters in the books and TV show were written, but this comic book still made them fresh. This third issue wrapped up the adventure in a fun way even though it may have been very predictable, but that almost never bothers me.

Artist Chris Fenoglio’s artwork is maybe the best thing about this series in my opinion. His style is so detailed and flawless but definitely still has a fun cartoon look to it. It really helps us engage with the story because he creatively portrays the other-wordly horror amusement park in a way that we understand the creepiness. This issue’s Horrorland version of Grams is an incredible and flawless illustration and I think the issue needed it to really drive home that kid-friendly horror is still scary. The variant covers are also really great horror comic book covers and caught my eye immediately. Specifically, Robert Hack does what he does best and created an incredible variant cover that I instantly want to frame and put on the wall in my house. You can check out his variant cover below the review. 

As I believe the early Goosebumps books and TV show were great introductions to horror for me as a young child, I believe that these comic books can easily do that for kids of the younger generation that may have not had an older sibling or something to lend them some hand-me-down Goosebump books. It has all of the elements you want in kid-friendly horror media: adventure, scary characters, situations that may seem hopeless, and main characters who are strong enough to escape any trouble they find themselves in. I enjoyed this third issue quite a bit and I think a lot of people old and young will enjoy it as well.