The synergy is working on me, folks, now that Netflix has set a Sandman television series date and the latest comics series is a banger! James Tynion IV and Lisandro Estherren basically wrapped up their opening salvo in the last issue explaining what this book will be about in its first story arc. It made waiting for The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country #3, out this week, even harder.
This third issue opens where we left off. Flynn is facing Mr. Agony and Mr. Ecstasy in a room literally on fire. The two killers make it known they want to kill Flynn, but they hold back and allow her to run. It’s not obvious at first, but there are other players involved that complicate things.
Soon though, we’re introduced to a new character. I won’t spoil it, but it appears Heaven and Hell have some skin in the game. Estherren and color artist Patricio Delpeche do a fantastic job in the opening sequence, drawing you into the disgusting face of Ecstacy and reminding us of the beast Flynn sees.
Francesco Francavilla supplies “The Dreaming” portion of this issue. Each issue has featured a different artist to allow a completely different vibe in the cut-aways to the Dreaming. This sets this chunk of the story apart, of course, but it also makes it feel magical and ever-changing as the art changes with it in each issue. Francavilla must integrate rocky cliffs and rough water into the sequence with some good cosmic-level weirdness thrown in.
Do you wanna know where I got these scars?
Credit: DC Comics
I will admit that a major chunk of this issue is a bit boring. Flynn’s friend is shocked to find out she knows where he is, but this scene plays out for too long. There’s an ominous threat as the reader knows something is up, but it’s hard to gauge the threat level since we don’t really know how bad it could be for these characters. There’s also a conversation about bad but expensive art that doesn’t quite titillate.
The final scene makes up for it, though. Agony and Ecstacy are quickly becoming some of the most twisted characters in Sandman. In this final scene, we get to see their relationship a bit, and it’s quite odd and yet almost normal. They seem to have a life together, even though they’re also killers and some kind of nightmare creatures. This scene does end rather abruptly, without a “to be continued” attached at the end. It actually made me wonder if the copy I had was missing a page.
The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country has to be the creepiest comic out right now. The characters, the situations they’re in, and the unknown players all add up to an unnerving story that’s perfectly balanced with what Neil Gaiman gave us 30 some odd years ago.
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