Nightmare world
NIGHTMARE WORLD
THE COMPLETE LOVECRAFTIAN HORROR ANTHOLOGY
DIRK MANNING
2003–2017 · IMAGE COMICS / DEVIL'S DUE
🟢 52 STORIES · 4 VOLUMES · COMPLETE
The Complete Collection: 536 pages
Writer & Creator: Dirk Manning
Artists: Various, including Josh Ross, Renae De Liz, Seth Damoose, Austin McKinley, Jeff Welborn, Len O'Grady, and others.
Genres: Cosmic Horror · Lovecraftian Horror · Supernatural Horror · Dark Fantasy · Apocalyptic Fiction · Psychological Horror
Publication Status: COMPLETE
🐙 ABOUT THE SERIES
Nightmare World is an interconnected horror anthology created by Dirk Manning, originally published as a webcomic beginning in 2003 and later collected by Image Comics, Devil's Due, and Source Point Press.
The series consists of 52 short, eight-page stories, each illustrated by a different artist or creative team.
At first, the stories appear to be independent nightmares involving ghosts, demons, supernatural creatures, forbidden rituals, alien beings, and ordinary people confronted with extraordinary horrors.
Yet beneath these seemingly unrelated events lies an intricate and carefully constructed narrative.
Lucifer, the fallen angel, is preparing a second war against Heaven.
His scheme involves the manipulation of humanity, the formation of dangerous supernatural alliances, and the awakening of Cthulhu, the ancient cosmic entity from H. P. Lovecraft's mythology.
As individual stories unfold, recurring characters, hidden connections, and seemingly insignificant details gradually reveal the extraordinary scale of the conspiracy.
The narrative moves between ordinary modern life, supernatural dimensions, apocalyptic landscapes, and the hidden realms of ancient myth.
Its influences include H. P. Lovecraft, Biblical mythology, classic horror anthologies, science fiction, Gothic fiction, and supernatural folklore.
The constantly changing visual styles reinforce the impression that every story belongs to a different nightmare, while the recurring mythology gradually unites them into a single world.
What initially resembles a collection of unrelated horror tales ultimately reveals itself as an elaborate supernatural epic about cosmic ambition, free will, betrayal, faith, and the destruction of the existing order.
📚 THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL COLLECTION
01 — THIRTEEN TALES OF TERROR
2009 · 13 stories · 128 pages
The first collection introduces a world in which supernatural horrors hide beneath the surface of everyday existence.
Ghostly lovers, demonic kidnappers, vengeful victims, occult conspiracies, and followers of Cthulhu appear in apparently independent episodes.
Recurring characters and mysterious references begin to establish connections between the stories.
Original Bonus Prose:
"The Long, Hard Road Out of Hell"
02 — LEAVE THE LIGHT ON
2010 · 13 stories · 128 pages
Lucifer's conspiracy develops as the approaching apocalypse begins affecting people from every corner of society.
A television executive, aspiring musician, abused teenager, criminal lovers, and a desperate superhero become entangled in events far beyond their understanding.
The conflict expands toward the awakening of Cthulhu and the coming war against Heaven.
Original Bonus Prose:
"Bad Romance"
03 — DEMON DAYS
2011 · 13 stories · 128 pages
The apocalypse has begun, and Lucifer appears to have achieved victory.
The stories revisit earlier characters and reveal how seemingly unrelated supernatural encounters contributed to the larger conspiracy.
Ancient mythology, alien beings, demonic entities, and the surviving inhabitants of a devastated world become increasingly interconnected.
Original Bonus Prose:
"That Which Is and Should Never Be"
04 — THE MOURNING AFTER
2017 · 13 stories · approximately 128 pages
The final collection completes the original 52-story narrative.
Following Lucifer's apparent triumph, the surviving characters confront the consequences of the supernatural war.
Stories involving Shakespearean figures, giant monsters, angels, extraterrestrial beings, and Cthulhu reveal the hidden relationships connecting the entire anthology.
The final revelations bring the principal narrative to its conclusion and establish the foundation for further stories in the Nightmare World universe.
🟢 END OF THE ORIGINAL 52-STORY SAGA
👁️ CENTRAL MYTHOLOGY
LUCIFER
The fallen angel whose ambition to challenge Heaven provides the central conflict connecting the anthology's stories.
CTHULHU
The ancient cosmic entity whose awakening becomes crucial to Lucifer's plans.
LILITH
A powerful supernatural figure connected to the wider conspiracy and the struggle for dominion over Creation.
HEAVEN AND HELL
The cosmic conflict between celestial and infernal powers forms the hidden foundation of the overarching narrative.
HUMANITY
Ordinary individuals become unwilling participants in a conflict whose true scale they can barely comprehend.
📦 COMPLETE COLLECTED EDITIONS
NIGHTMARE WORLD: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION
Source Point Press · 2024 catalog / 2026 release
536 pages
ISBN: 9798888760031
Collects all 52 original stories from the four volumes.
Includes:
- All four original story collections
- Author-preferred reading order
- New foreword
- Expanded supplementary material
- Bonus story content
Recommended complete edition.
NIGHTMARE WORLD OMNIBUS
2018 · Devil's Due / 1First Comics
ISBN: 9781618552822
An earlier complete hardcover collection containing all four volumes, with the stories remastered and rearranged.
The Kickstarter-exclusive deluxe version was titled:
THE NIGHTMARE WORLD BIBLE
The regular Omnibus and Bible editions contain the same principal stories.
ORIGINAL TRADE PAPERBACKS
01 — Thirteen Tales of Terror (2009)
02 — Leave the Light On (2010)
03 — Demon Days (2011)
04 — The Mourning After (2017)
The first three books were originally published through Image Comics / Shadowline.
The fourth volume and subsequent reprints were published through Devil's Due.
📖 ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
THE NIGHTMARENOMICON
2018 · 52 pages
A companion publication containing:
- Writer's commentary on the original stories
- Publication history
- Complete original online-story appendix
- Artist credits
- Behind-the-scenes information
- Previously unpublished illustrations
Not a fifth volume or a continuation.
🌑 THE NIGHTMARE WORLD UNIVERSE
TALES OF MR. RHEE
A supernatural noir spin-off created by Dirk Manning.
Following a troubled demon hunter named Mr. Rhee, the series explores a world transformed by the consequences of the supernatural apocalypse.
Its first stories originally appeared online during the later stages of Nightmare World's original publication.
Related Publication:
Tales of Mr. Rhee Omnibus: Act One
The spin-off is a distinct ongoing narrative and should be maintained as a separately linked series.
✅ COLLECTION SUMMARY
Original Webcomic Debut: 2003
Original Stories: 52
Stories Per Volume: 13
Original Collected Volumes: 4
Final Original Collection: 2017
Complete Omnibus: 2018
Current Complete Collection: 536 pages
Publication Status: COMPLETE
Related Spin-off: Tales of Mr. Rhee
Recommended Edition:
Nightmare World: The Complete Collection
Reading Order: Volumes 01 → 04
Note: Later omnibus editions may rearrange the original stories into the creator's preferred reading order.