Tremor Dose

by Michael W. Conrad, Noah Bailey (Illustrator)

Everyone dreams, but are these dreams our own? Who controls our thoughts when we're sleeping?

Ginn, is a young college student who has been having wildly disturbing nightmares featuring a man she has never met. When she finds a flyer with his picture and the question, Have you dreamed this man? she submits to an interview that begins to unravel her perceptions of reality.

Part of the comiXology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on comiXology and Kindle. This title is available as part of comiXology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited and Prime Reading.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Science Fiction, Dark, Fiction, Thriller

135 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 30, 2019

About the author

Michael W. Conrad is an American comic book writer.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

Begins as a story about students at a college who all have the same man appearing in their dreams. The second half dissolves into dream within a dream with a dream ad infinitum to the point where you're never really sure what the truth was. I hate these kind of stories as they feel pointless and a waste of time. I prefer clear storytelling. By the end the reader should know which parts were "real" or what's the point? You've just created a bunch of random nonsense. The art in this was really odd and quirky. The font used in the lettering was super thin and gave me eye strain.

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first comic I have read in decades, and the change of format from regular books was refreshing. The artwork was quite well-done in my opinion, and the characters' expressions were captured in natural and believable strokes. The story itself is a bizarre mix of dreams, propaganda and claustrophobia. The images evoked are hallucinatory, and I easily became involved in the continuous dream sequences of different characters, wondering where they would lead me. I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone looking for something different and pleasingly disturbing.

[TAP · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tremor Dose is hard to rate. Great concept, but messy execution—and I don’t blame that on the surrealism. Michael Conrad has some talent—based on the two graphic novels I’ve read of his—but both show that his skills need a little more fleshing out in order to tell a clear story. The ideas are there, but the mark gets missed. Noah Bailey’s art does not disappoint.

You can’t give a synopsis of Tremor Dose without ruining everything, but it all starts with a large group of people seeing the same man in all their dreams. Of course, nothing is what it seems.

Thought-provoking concepts about future possibilities. Excellent not-so-subtle critique of capitalism and its many arms.

Flawed. Worth reading.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts out with a great hook, and from there devolves into several levels of "a ha, but what is real!?".

Thing is, there has to be a clear motive driving your characters when you consistently play the "what is real" card, because when you don't (as I feel is the case here), I just stop caring about anything that's happening. It's basically "it was all a dream!" times infinity.

There are some jumps in logic and storytelling, which can be explained away with dream logic, I suppose, but which also feels a bit cheap and unsatisfying.

The art is quirky, and works quite well. There's some wonkiness, especially when zoomed out.

2.5 stars

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book via Kindle Unlimited.

Okay so, when I downloaded this book, I literally had no idea what to expect. But it certainly wasn't this. This book is so uniquely drawn and told. Following Ginn, who has been dreaming of the smiling man (seriously if you've never looked up Have You Dreamt This Man? do it, it's insane:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Man ) and the madness that follows when she responds to a flyer she sees and then she meets the man in real life. This book is kind of like inception meets a conspiracy theorist. It's so hard to wrap up in a neat little synopsis. The art style in this book was literally like nothing I have ever seen before, pencil drawn, rough, black and white but so so effective. This book really is unique and if you're looking for something quick and different that will mess with you a little, I recommend this read.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird story, but interesting. It plays with the reader's mind, exploring themes like lucid dreaming and DiCaprio's Inception, building a complex narration through dreams within other dreams. The finalle is open, you never know if what you're reading in the next panel is reality or dreamland. Actually, the whole point of the comic is to stop distinguishing between the two.

I feel that Noah Bailey wasn't the best choice artwise. He needs to improve his faces and with "Tremor Dose" being a comic full of characters with few ambient spaces and backgrounds, he couldn't deliver. The art was scetchy and amateur. Quite a few illustrators come to mind now that could do the script more justice.

[Eric Novello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comentários sem spoilers:

1. Parece ser o começo de uma história maior. Então o fim não é exatamente um fim.
2. As primeiras 30 páginas têm um ritmo próprio que não define o restante da HQ. Dá pra dizer que encerra com um plot twist, mas cabe ao leitor definir o que é real e o que não é em uma HQ sobre sonhos.
3. O visual casa bem com a proposta de explorar sonhos e as coisas inusitadas que acontecem dentro deles.
4. Falta desenvolvimento de personagens. O problema de escrever um roteiro de mistério é justamente acabar escondendo coisas que aproximariam o leitor da história. Dá pra manter o mistério e usar os personagens para aproximar o leitor. Isso não funciona muito bem aqui.
5. Me deu vontade de saber mais sobre o mundo da HQ. Não é algo que eu vá comprar no dia seguinte ao lançamento, mas gostaria de ler em algum momento.
6. Se você curte o tema "sonhos", vale colocar na sua wishlist.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I love trippy, mind-bending stories that use strategic ambiguity to keep one guessing about what’s truly happening. This is that type of story. The setup is brilliant and gets the book off to a captivating start. A college-aged girl is talking to some type of researchers, describing her dreams. The intriguing bit is that we find out that a man appears in this girl’s dream, and that what drew her to the research institute was a flyer with the man’s picture on it and a heading that read “Have you dreamed this man?” That had me hooked. Is this a Freddy Kruger scenario? Something else? I didn’t know, but I wanted to.

While this is a type of story I enjoy, it’s also a subgenre that’s easy to foul up. Capturing the unique logic and illogic of dreams is no simple task. Too ordered and dream becomes indistinguishable from base reality. Too bizarre and it becomes more of an acid trip than a dream. Then there is the challenge of balancing the maintaining of consistency with keeping the reader guessing. There is definitely a varied level of surrealism across the various dreams, but I can’t say I was bothered by this. Actually, the nature of comic is conducive to conveying some elements of a dream state even in a realistic setting – i.e. we pick up in the middle of events and jump from one locale to the next in different panels.

I felt “Tremor Dose” did pretty well with these issues. When I was perusing reviews, considering reading this book, I noticed a few comments about pacing issues at the end. I can definitely see people’s problems with regards to pacing, and I think it is largely a matter of the type of story being told. By that I mean, because one is trying to figure out what is base reality, if there is a base reality, when the climax and resolution are compressed it feels rushed because one’s mind is so engaged with trying to piece together what is happening. I don’t think the flow would have been as much of a problem. [One might reasonably ask whether this is something I would have noticed if I hadn’t seen it mentioned? Possibly not, but I think so. When I got to the end-reveal, I found myself stopping to think about whether the end made sense / was consistent with the story up to that point. I think that’s what creates the rushed feel is that one has to stop to mull rather than reading through it.]

The artwork is unique. It’s pencil-drawn and is not like what one typically sees in graphic novels. I don’t really know anything about comic art, and, so suffice it to say, the drawings weren’t distracting nor did they leave me confused. That’s about all I ask for in graphic novel artwork.

I enjoyed this story, and if you like stories that move in and out of layers of dreams, you’ll likely find it a worthwhile read.

[Doc · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if others could enter your dreams?

Before saying anything about the book itself I want to point out there is some nudity and strangely drawn (disturbing at times even) things in this book where you might question what is real and what is actually someone's dream. If you are sensitive to such things (like watching a man rot away into a skeletal being) then be aware this story is not for you.

Gin Morris is an undergrad that has been seeing a strange man in her dreams. After discovering flyers with the man's face upon it she decides to come in and talk about her experiences leading to some crazy Inception type story telling something that is as horrifying as it is confusing at times. Imagine if someone had the ability to enter your dreams and offer you suggestions while you are at your most defenseless mentally. Of course it could be used to help people who have been mentally scarred but in a world where people generally do not invest for the benefit of the people but instead to make more money and gain more power I can imagine if anyone figured a way to do it some company or government sponsor would be all to glad to fund and then abuse the tech. All in all not a bad book but I would like my escapes from reality to be a little less scary right now. :)

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Xavier Hugonet · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re still haunted by #TwinPeaks’ « Who is the dreamer ? » question, delve further into it through TREMOR DOSE.

Scientists search for, and interview dreamers who have all dreamed the same man. The story, served by its unusual art, quickly spins into a conspiracy way more mysterious than one could imagine at first. A blue rose case.

Available for free through Kindle for Prime customers.

[Teenchill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

Each page was a steeper and deeper step into a twisted bramble of joyful complexity. Tremor Dose hits all the right notes of a dissonant lullaby that at first takes you gently by the hand and then yanks a bag over your head and stuffs you into a trunk.

[Kent Winward · Rating 4 out of 5]

A comic that captures the dream world well with a little social commentary thrown in for good measure.

[clumsyplankton · Rating 3 out of 5]

very good concept but not done in the right way

[Chuck Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a creepy, Matrix-esque graphic novel that was really quite deep. I liked the imaginative, dark story and the artwork was really gorgeous as well.

[Seher · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fairly interesting comic with a very intense storyline.

While the art isn’t something I usually like (especially the MC’s eyebrows) it worked for this book.

It’s not the kind of thing that will have a sequel, but it would make a good movie.

[James Varghese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good but rushed. The premise and story were certainly there. They hook you pretty quick and deep but at the story continues, it starts to peter out a bit and the climax comes up empty. A solid effort that I wish had ended up stronger.

[Jeremiah Dollins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ComiXology Original, “Tremor Dose” is a startling work that combines David Cronenberg’s “Scanners” with “Alice in Wonderland” and Ken Russell’s “Altered States” to create an unsettling fever dream.

A college sleep study is looking for students who have seen a particular man in their dreams. He’s seemingly innocuous, sometimes helpful, but clearly haunting. One girl, Ginn, meets with two researchers to share her stories of encountering this man, but nothing can prepare her for encountering him in the real world.

This sets in motion a chain of events that weaves in and out of dream and reality like a car racing down the freeway. Questions about the strange man are answered, but more rose in its place. Dream logic takes over. And there’s a twist that gave me chills.

I highly recommend this graphic novel, especially for the artwork by Noah Bailey, which feels like something by Daniel Klowes or Françoise Mouly, but filtered through “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

[Nikki "The Crazie Betty" V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the artwork for this one and felt like that was where the majority of the feels came from in this. The story was confusing in an attempt to be surreal and a 'dream within a dream' type of story but I didn't feel like it really pulled me in at any point and by the time I was done reading it, I had no idea what I had just read or if I was sure if there was point.

Received via Edelweiss

[Peter D. Agnew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Artwork and Interesting & Original Story

I loved the art in this book. It fits the story like a glove. Without the illustrations this would be incomplete. I'm unsure what genre this fits, but perhaps it is a genre that has been created by this book. The book contains a plot combining the paranormal, mental health, advertising, mind control, and glimpse of our rapidly approaching future. I don't doubt what-so-ever that attempts will be made to use mind control to influence what we purchase. I wonder just how close we are to that time? It's very disturbing to contemplate what mind control might be used for. Elections, religion, dating, ..... Though some uses might be good, there for too many ways it can be used to our detriment. We should use this book as a wake-up call to establish a legal framework now to govern the use of mind-control in the future. Purchasse this book and read it several times on separate days and each time jot down a paragraph or two about a future using this technology and your thoughts that come to mind. This is a subject that absolutely must be discussed now because it will have a dominate effect on our future. Buy and read!

[Rachel Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've recently been getting more into graphic novels and comics and this book was available as part of my Kindle Unlimited subscription, so I thought why not give this a go?

It was a very, very strange book. The art style is eerie, it reminded me of the painting 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch with its surreal, creepy aesthetic. The story itself was also odd, we follow a character who shares their experience of a man they have never met in real life but who now plays a leading role in their dreams. The dreams start off pleasant enough but then become more sinister as the man in the dream digs deeper into our protagonist's psyche. The story explores the concept of lucid dreaming and subliminal messaging which I thought was fresh and original and not something I had ever seen in a graphic novel or comic before, though admittedly my experience in this area is limited.

I would recommend this book with caution. It's very weird, you need to go into it knowing that and you need to understand that it may not always make sense. It also ends quite abruptly and I'm still not entirely sure I know what happened but it was a memorable experience and mercifully I wasn't haunted by nightmares after reading it.

[Craig Maxwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic concept - I think there could be endless opportunities with it. Dreams are something should be explored more.

This novel is like a mix of flatliners and inception with a graphic designer designing dreams.

It throws out some interesting concepts of exploring our dreams and how our brains sometimes solve our problems that our conscious minds can’t. Also throws up how our dreams are a private, untouched landscape, probably the only place where we aren’t being marketed at.

For example imagine us all plugging ourselves into a system before we go to sleep where our dreams are monitored and we are marketed at.

Would love this graphic novel to be explored more as I think the author is really onto something here, with the illustration style being so distinctive and slightly disturbing making it all come together.

[Thomas Goddard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another comiXology Original. This one was a bit better than the last.

You know sometimes you experience a piece of media and you're just like... this is clearly just a shoe-horned plot to fit a creator's mad ideas for visuals.

Yeah, that's what this felt like.

And it might have been great if it toned down the creepy plot and really got to grips with these spectacular ideas.

I know it comes from a sort of urban legend. The man in the dream. A sort of collective experience of a unifying figure with undefined motives... But after that initial concept falls away, we're not left with much.

But loving the visuals means that it gets at least two stars.

[bubez · Rating 2 out of 5]

It opens with the quote:
"IF A LITTLE DREAMING IS DANGEROUS, THE CURE FOR IT IS NOT TO DREAM LESS, BUT TO DREAM MORE, TO DREAM ALL THE TIME."
-PROUST

Ginn sees a smiling man in her dreams, and the comic seems to going to explore some weirdness and ideas, but then it becomes evident that the authors didn't know where to move with the interesting idea, and the drawing quality swings between okay and quite bad from panel to panel, and after I finished I discovered that this man is, as Wikipedia calls it, an internet phenomenon, so even the idea isn't something they came up with but they just found it floating around and wasted it with this disappointing book.

[Henry Fosdike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This sounded like the premise of Dream Scenario, a film I missed in cinemas and haven't been able to catch since. A person keeps seeing the same face in their dreams - who is he? Although the author explains everything makes sense in the afterword, and that everything can be figured out, it's all a bit obtuse for me. There's something going on involving lab experiments using people who can infiltrate dreams to...err...subconsciously market products to students, but then it lost me as others get stuck. Having said that, it's clearly an interesting premise and the drawings and illustrations show some great imagination throughout, especially as worlds begin to blend.

[mentalexotica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Christ on a cracker what is this book even?! For one, I loathe science fiction but gave this graphic noivel a shot after hearing very encouraging things about its gorgeous art and trippy, psychedelic plot. Except, it is just dissonance in disturbia. This is like the Twilight Zone on LSD; it's unpredictably weird and grotesquely fascinating. Some keywords here: paranormal dreaming, advertising and capitalism, mental health and mind control.

The thing that is even more disturbing than the book is how close we might be to this in reality. Think Black Mirror and the chill it sends down your spine. This is that, with an added dose of Frankensteinian horror for good (or not so good) measure.

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a lot of interesting ideas here, but it never fully gelled for me - it seemed to get weirder as it went along, rather than moving toward any kind of comprehensible resolution. The idea of people being able to exist in other people's dreams, and how that ability would be used, is interesting but the idea kind of gets jettisoned. The art is effective but minimal. It's a brain stretching book that didn't feel like it earned the time it took to read. Weird for the sake of weird.

[Melan · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool art cool confusing story inception meets alice in wonderland references idk exactly what its supposed to mean but i have some ideas. but the afterword where he says like “we know its about [redacted] but i don’t wanna tell you that” and like “we’re freaking crazy and different and we don’t have any political agenda” like i feel like thats just not true with all the stuff about consumerism and whatnot. so yeah mostly the afterword is annoying to me specifically.

[steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

great art in the sense that it really feels raw, original, free, uncensored. i was immediately reminded of the adventures of julius corentin acquefacques (marc-antoine mathieu), though, and my rating rests on the assumption that the creators were not aware of these awesome comics.

i’ll be keeping an eye on comixology originals!

[jason tremain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

Wow. Did not know what to expect going into this, but wow. The story goes where it goes and I followed like I was in a dream myself, lost in the narrative. The artwork is stunningly perfect in accompanying the ethos of the tale. A real find, eye opening and original. Loved it. Want more.