The Dreaming
Off to never-never land
released OUT NOW! Publisher dC/ Vertigo
Writer si spurrier Artist Bilquis evely
The Dreaming was one of the most enduring Sandman spin-offs, running for 60 issues from 1996 to 2001. But now, like yesterday’s dreams, those issues are just fading memories – the series has been overwritten by Neil Gaiman and Vertigo, who have relaunched it (along with Books Of Magic and Lucifer) as part of their new Sandman Universe strand.
Dream is gone, and he isn’t coming back. Because of that, his realm is starting to fracture. Lucien the librarian is desperately trying to keep things together (even using Dream’s helm to convince would-be invaders that Morpheus is still kicking around) but pale, feature-less beings are slipping through the cracks and an incredibly powerful entity named Dora has made her home in the Dreaming.
This new relaunch leans heavily into the mythology of Gaiman’s original. Issue one, in particular, is built around the absence of Dream and is peppered with references to the wider canon. Likewise, Bilquis Evely’s art vividly brings to life the bewildering possibilities of the realm of dreams; she does her own thing, but there are definite echoes here of Sam Kieth and other Sandman artists past.
The trouble is, while it’s fun to see Lucien and Matthew and Merv again, there’s little else to the title. The gags are good, but it doesn’t yet have an identity of its own. Issues two and three are better, with two especially benefitting from its focus on Merv, but for a comic with boundless possibilities, so far it feels oddly lacking in imagination. Will Salmon
The series doesn’t have an identity of its own