A mix of interesting ideas, moderately executed.
Creative Staff:
Story: Simon Spurrier
Art: Bilquis Evely
Colors: Mat Lopes
Letterer: Simon Bowland
What They Say:
The Dream Hunters chart the footsteps of their absent lord through realms internal and external, stumbling at last upon an unexpected treasure…while the new incumbent upon the throne of the Dreaming—scared of its own mind—at last decides who, and how, to be.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The Dreaming continues to be a book that’s very hit or miss when it comes to what works and as it works the two-track approach that makes it even more so with each book. Simon Spurrier has been working it better the more that it’s gone on and found its footing which has helped a lot, though there’s still a few tricks employed that don’t always work well. A big part of the success of the book is thanks to Bilquis Evely as their artwork is just fantastic and this issue is no exception. There are a lot of neat little moments along the way and some big splashier pieces as well. The journey element works wonders visually with Dora and company but in terms of story it falls apart fast because of the complications of the lettering with so many different styles and tightness of it all.
The young god that has taken over the Dreaming is the more interesting of the two stories this time around as we see it and Abel walking about as it takes him on a journey. Abel is trying to help it understand the dreams of people since it’s such an alien concept to it and seeing the world through Matthew’s eyes is just as complicated for it. Abel’s not able to explain a lot of it since it just adds more complexities that the young deity hasn’t quite grasped yet. But what we do get is a really fascinating sequence when the butler to the previous Dream, Taramis, shows up and tries to help the new god connect with the matters of state. Our new god is more interested in its current journey, however, and becomes frustrated by Taramis to the point of invoking a power word of “begone” toward him. His winking out of existence freaks out Abel until he no longer remembers that Taramis never existed, something that happened to the new god the moment he spoke. That’s a scary thing that will be coming back to cause trouble.
The other story, namely Dora and team, are making their way to find Daniel based on the clues they have and the clues they’re seeking. It’s not a bad story, though the visual design at points really overcomplicates things and the text makes it too hard to read, and it has some neat moments as we’re on a weird road trip. A lot of this involved Balam as he guides them along the way, not always rhyming as he’s supposed to. It does have some really neat stuff as we see more of what Daniel did over time and the egg he acquired that raises its own questions. But it’s so wordy and overfilled with dialogue that it becomes a chore to read more than anything else. Which is unfortunate as I like these kinds of side stories that expands and “humanizes” the world in neat ways with stuff that isn’t always used again. There’s payoff with what Daniel accomplished at least but I wish the whole thing had felt more worthwhile and less like a chore.
In Summary:
While there’s a neat bit at the end with Abel and what’s possibly going on with Cain, showing us their respective houses and talking of other houses out there in the world, the other side of the book with Dora, Matthew, and Balam drags things down more than it should have. There are neat moments to it, no doubt, and it’s beautifully illustrated, but the whole thing just left me frustrated as it was more complicated than it needed to be. These attempts work sometimes and I’ve admired it like crazy when it does, but more often than not it falls short like it does here and it becomes unsatisfying.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Vertigo Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: June 5th, 2019
MSRP: $3.99
