DC COMICS – @DCComics @vertigo_comics
[This review is posted on Patreon.]
STORY: Simon “Si” Spurrier
ART: Bilquis Evely
COLORS: Mat Lopes
LETTERS: Simon Bowland
EDITOR: Molly Mahan
CURATOR: Neil Gaiman
COVER: Jae Lee with June Chung
VARIANT COVER: Yanick Paquette with Nathan Fairbairn
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (November 2018)
“Suggested for Mature Readers”
The Sandman created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth
“The Kingdom”
The Dreaming is a fictional place or realm appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. It first appeared in The Sandman #1, (cover dated: January 1989) and was created by Neil Gaiman and Sam Kieth. The Dreaming is the domain or kingdom of Dream (Morpheus and later, Daniel) of the Endless.
The Dreaming was the setting for a monthly comic series, The Dreaming, that ran for 60 issues (cover dated: June 1996 to May 2001), published under DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. Vertigo is rebooting that comic book as part of a new line of comic books, The Sandman Universe, based on the work of writer, Neil Gaiman, who is also the curator of this line. The Dreaming (2018) is written by Simon “Si” Spurrier; drawn by Bilquis Evely; colored by Mat Lopes; and lettered by Simon Bowland. The series is set in a realm that must survive in the aftermath of the disappearance of its domain lord.
The Dreaming #1 (“The Kingdom”) finds Lucien the dream Librarian holding forth with his master, Dream's helm. Where is Dream, he asks? Dream has apparently abandoned his realm, and the result is that The Dreaming is a kingdom in chaos. This place where stories are born now finds its walls slashed and bleeding. Now, Lucien and the strange residents of The Dreaming must protect its broken borders alone. The most worrying occurrences, however, are that Dora, a recent resident, is finding opportunity in this madness, stealing dreams for the highest bidder, and in Dream's gallery, something new has started growing...
I think the art for The Dreaming #1, illustrations by Bilquis Evely and colors by Mat Lopes, is gorgeous, especially story page #10. Letterer Simon Bowland's cascade of delightful fonts are eye candy. I have no use for Si Spurrier's story and script. It is 22 pages of meanderings and repetition of story elements already established.
I have a standard I apply to the work and storytelling of comic book writers. Would an editor accept this work from a unknown writer who was pitching a comic book to that editor? Or in the case of an established property belonging to that editor's employer (the publisher), would this script for an established writer be considered acceptable work if it were from an unknown writer who was trying to land a gig? In the case of The Dreaming #1, the veteran scribe, Si Spurrier, got a pass from his editor that an non-established writer would not get.
Well, although I have enjoyed other comic books written by Spurrier, I won't give a pass to The Dreaming #1, if it means paying $3.99 for the mediocrity of future issues. I hope for better.
4 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.
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