The second volume in horror master Thomas Ligotti’s chilling graphic novel series, The Nightmare Factory: Volume 2 (Fox Atomic Comics / Harper; Trade Paperback Original, $17.99) is a striking collection of terrifying stories, adapted and illustrated by some of the biggest and best creators in the graphic novel industry. The result is a visually captivating collection of graphic tales that are made alive by the artwork and palpable sense of fright contained in its pages.
The mind-bending universe of Ligotti awaits in The Nightmare Factory: Volume 2. Enter a sphere where bizarre gas station carnivals serve as the first stop on the road to oblivion, a malevolent puppet steals people’s identities, a deranged chemist engages in horrific experiments, and nameless beings skulk about in a stone tower, waiting to envelop the unsuspecting into the nebulous reaches of unreality. Ligotti masterfully probes the human psyche, locating the subtle fears that exist in us all. Blurring the differences between perception and reality, Ligotti’s stories will illuminate fears you never knew you had. While ghostly carnivals, mad scientists, clown puppets and nightmarish towns drive the plot for these stories, it is Ligotti’s understanding of the human condition, and how to create doubt and uncertainty which make these stories so authentically terrifying.
Both the trade and mainstream press heaped praise on the first volume in The Nightmare Factory series. Rue Morgue magazine said, “Fox Atomic Comics accomplished what many thought impossible: successfully translating the author’s work into a graphic novel,” Mania.com gushed, “If Fox Atomic Comics continue to put out fantastic titles like The Nightmare Factory they will be a force to be reckoned with,” the Boston Globe called the book a “bitterly entertaining treat,” and Entertainment Weekly called it “deliciously bleak.” This year’s installment promises to build upon this early success, and cement the series as a yearly Halloween favorite.
