The Dreaming is without a doubt one of the most interesting, thought-provoking, and beautifully drawn series of the last two years. Si Spurrier and Bilquis Evely have made the background of Sandman’s realm vividly rich and filled with oddities that delight. That all comes to a close today as the series gets its final issue before G. Willow Wilson and Nick Robles take over with The Dreaming: Waking Hours. The fact that the series goes on isn’t a spoiler — this is a tale of storytelling that never ends.
This is the conclusion you have been waiting for with satisfying wrap-ups and familiar faces returning. Things have gotten quite scary in the Dreaming and they get scarier still, but wrap yourself in this final issue knowing that with the satisfaction comes a kind of happy ending. Before we get there, there are incredible horrors for the characters to contemplate as well as some awesome collaged montages by Evely. These beautiful pages are like tapestries of detail with each delivering on a story that was already woven in a complex way and yet even more layers are added here. There’s a lot to think about, contemplate, and enjoy.
The art, with colors by Mat Lopes, may be some of Evely’s best work yet as the level of detail is staggering. From the return of a god and his many splendid robes to the many books in the library, it’s downright shocking how much Evely puts into each page. Certainly, the level of detail here amounts to more than one issue of a normal comic book!
Guess who’s back!?
Credit: DC Comics
The book also ends with a nice five page epilogue of sorts which helps lead the way to where we go from here. There is also a delightful detail revealed midway through that may suggest there are other universes to explore. That is to say, this doesn’t feel like an ending, but more of a new beginning. The entire series has been battling with the idea that the Dreaming is in danger when Sandman isn’t present, so in many ways this ending is quite logical and the right step forward. Given there’s a bit of deus ex machina afoot, it’s a bit cheap and quick about its ending, but then again this is a book about gods so it’s easy to give it a pace on that.
The Dreaming is a series that’ll be held dear by most and cherished by many. It’s a series that reflects on the very idea of the power of dreams and how important they are to our very makeup. If you hold storytelling dear (and really, who doesn’t?), you will find yourself wrapping yourself in the blanket that is this series as it comes to a close with a great appreciation for the journey Spurrier and Evely have taken us on, knowing that we can start anew with issue #1 anytime we please. Now that is a gift.
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