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“The Dreaming” #1

By | September 7th, 2018
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A continuation of “Sandman?” It sounds like a dream! This issue is not a gift from Lord Morpheus though- it’s a gift from Lord Gaiman, as part of the new Sandman Universe initiative. These series, curated by former Vertigo wunderkind Neil Gaiman, take us back to the Vertigo comics of old. “The Dreaming” #1 reunites readers with Lucien, Merv, and Matthew the Raven. It’s a series no one would ever have predicted ten years ago. It’s a wonder and yet… does it justify its own existence?

Cover by Jae Lee
Written by Simon Spurrier
Illustrated by Bilquis Evely
Colored by Mat Lopes
Lettered by  Simon Bowland

From the upheaval of THE SANDMAN UNIVERSE #1 rises THE DREAMING—a kingdom in chaos.

There is a place where stories are born. Today its walls lie slashed and bleeding. Dream has abandoned his realm, and until he is found, its residents must protect its broken borders alone. But the most senior storysmiths are tormented by invasive secrets, the warden Lucien is doubting his own mind—and beyond the gates something horrific waits with tooth and talon.

Only Dora, the monstress, finds opportunity in madness, stealing dreams for the highest bidder. But she has no idea how deep the danger lies.

Meanwhile, in Dream’s gallery, something new is growing…

“The Dreaming” #1 is written by Simon Spurrier, with art by Bilquis Evely (amazingly on-brand name!) and Mat Lopes. It is not a story about Dream, Death, or any of the Endless. This series, like the 1996 series of the same name is about the realm of the lord of stories and all of the colorful folks who live there. This first issue is mostly narrated by Lucien the Librarian and features appearances from a dozen old friends.

At the start of the issue, the Lord of Dreams is missing! I know, you’re asking yourself, “didn’t we already do this story in ‘Sandman?’” And well, yes. We did. This time around it’s Daniel who has left his realm, and his subjects are worried. The last time a Dream King went missing, it was for nearly a century and it was a bad time. Dreams are fickle and Lucien and Matthew have to work extra hard to keep the Realm together.

Crisis strikes when Dora, a woman with wings for ears, starts stealing dreams. Dora is a new character, and her hobbies include sex with demons from Hell and jumping through portals. Other than that, Dora is a cipher. She’s a bubbly bad girl but beyond that, we don’t learn much about her. It is due to her machinations that the demon Balam gets unleashed in the Dreaming and gets up to all sorts of mischief. That conflict takes up the bulk of the issue.

Let me cut to the chase: I constantly questioned why this issue had to exist at all. Beyond the nostalgic novelty, which will wring a tear out of any comics fan old enough to have seen The Matrix in theaters, this story seems so small. The “Dream King is missing” business is a less interesting retread of the original “Sandman” and Dora is too unmotivated to feel like much of a threat. At least a comic like “Doomsday Clock” is bold in its weirdness, throwing reverence for the source material into the blood-soaked gutters. “The Dreaming” doesn’t have enough new ideas to sustain it.

In fact beyond Dora, there’s little here that hasn’t been done before. So maybe it pays to give her some more scrutiny. Dora has a cool design. Beyond the wings for ears, Evely and cover artist Jae Lee give her a puckish, punkish vibe. She doesn’t look like the very 80s and 90s civilians of classic “Sandman.” She dresses like a modern person. She also feels incredibly relatable. She’s got great power and no responsibility, so obviously she’s going to careen around hooking up with Devils and getting up to some thievery. But her lack of connection to the rest of the cast sets her apart. She feels like she’s inhabiting a different story. And unlike other mortal antagonists like Hippolyta Hall, her mischief seems to low stakes. The issue never convinces the reader that Dora’s selfishness is going to get someone hurt. Her crimes seem like just a bit of fun.

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Simon Spurrier is a good go-to guy for weirdness, but he doesn’t manage to make “The Dreaming” his own. It reads like a copy of a copy. He’s doing a Neil Gaiman cover and he doesn’t sound enough like the original to fool you, and he doesn’t sound enough like himself to make the cover interesting. Even Gaiman’s “Sandman Overture” felt different enough from the original run of “Sandman” to be engaging. Gaiman has changed over the years, and that prequel comic reflected his new voice.

What really captures the feeling of missed potential is the incredible art by Bilquis Evely. She is not doing a cover of 90s Vertigo- she’s drawing a luscious modern comic and reveling in the strange setting. Still, Evely struggles a bit with the mutability of the Dreaming. One sequence in particular plays with size in a way that’s more confusing than impressive. Still, Evely’s conception of the Dreaming is wonderfully singular.

“Sandman” is a very personal comic to a lot of people. Those are the people this comic is for. If seeing Eve and Cain and Abel standing on a hill doesn’t entice you, this issue doesn’t give you any reason to care about them. If you do want to spend time with your old friends, you’ll find that they are right where you left them, but they don’t have anything new to tell you. “The Dreaming” #1 shows a lot of technical promise, but doesn’t have the hook it needs. In the end, you’ll close the book and go back to your “Sandman” trades. They’re right where you left them and they are timeless masterpieces.

Final Verdict: 6.4 – “The Dreaming” #1 sports some lush landscapes, but lacks direction.


Jaina Hill

Jaina is from New York. She currently lives in Ohio. Ask her, and she'll swear she's one of those people who loves both Star Wars and Star Trek equally. Say hi to her on twitter @Rambling_Moose!

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