What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dreaming (2018)
The Dreaming, Vol. 3: One Magic Movement
Simon Spurrier continues the stories of the characters from the award-winning The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman.
As the second year of the Sandman Universe begins, the sentient algorithm known as Wan is now the acknowledged lord of Dream's realm, and unquestioned ruler of all his subjects. A new chapter in the history of the Dreaming begins here--find out why the AV Club says, "If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, you need to be reading The Dreaming!"
Collects The Dreaming #13-20.
As the second year of the Sandman Universe begins, the sentient algorithm known as Wan is now the acknowledged lord of Dream's realm, and unquestioned ruler of all his subjects. A new chapter in the history of the Dreaming begins here--find out why the AV Club says, "If you're a fan of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman, you need to be reading The Dreaming!"
Collects The Dreaming #13-20.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
July 31, 2020
Spurrier gets lost in flowery language and forgets how to tell a coherent story. This was just dumb. Now, not only does Bill Gates have these conspiracy theories going around that he he is going to use COVID-19 vaccines to implant tracking devices, his stand-in in this comic has conspired to control people's minds through the Dreaming. God this sucked so bad. Just go back and read Sandman again for the fifteenth time, you'll be much happier. Hopefully, G. Willow Wilson and Nick Robles will be able to put together something better than this.
September 22, 2022
A little meandering at times but still so good. It feels unfair to compare it to the incomparable Sandman so I won't, but I really enjoyed this series.
July 10, 2020
Simon Spurrier's Dreaming story comes to a close as Wan goes off the deep end, Cain and Abel find themselves swapping roles, Lucien faces Death head on, and the truth about Dora comes to light - will Dream return in time to save the Dreaming, or is all hope finally lost?
Spurrier is one of my favourite writers. Easily top five. The guy can tell a multi-faceted story with a huge amount of moving parts, all while managing to weave thought provoking dialogue and narrations around it like a jaunty bow on a present. Some issues are laser focused on different characters, such as the issue surrounding Dora which is total marvel, while others are much more sweeping in scope, like the two part finale that draws everything to a perfect close. There's so much to love here, I don't even know where to start.
The artwork remains top notch as well - Bilquis Evely pencils the majority, including the finale, while Marguerite Sauvage grabs an issue and Spurrier's Coda corroborator Mattias Bergara gets one or two as well.
This volume may be called One Magical Movement, but this entire series has been 20 of them in a row. Absolute perfection, from start to finish. Spurrier and friends should be proud of themselves for crafting such a worthy entry in the Sandman Universe. New creative team G. Willow Wilson and Nick Roblés have huge shoes to fill.
Spurrier is one of my favourite writers. Easily top five. The guy can tell a multi-faceted story with a huge amount of moving parts, all while managing to weave thought provoking dialogue and narrations around it like a jaunty bow on a present. Some issues are laser focused on different characters, such as the issue surrounding Dora which is total marvel, while others are much more sweeping in scope, like the two part finale that draws everything to a perfect close. There's so much to love here, I don't even know where to start.
The artwork remains top notch as well - Bilquis Evely pencils the majority, including the finale, while Marguerite Sauvage grabs an issue and Spurrier's Coda corroborator Mattias Bergara gets one or two as well.
This volume may be called One Magical Movement, but this entire series has been 20 of them in a row. Absolute perfection, from start to finish. Spurrier and friends should be proud of themselves for crafting such a worthy entry in the Sandman Universe. New creative team G. Willow Wilson and Nick Roblés have huge shoes to fill.
January 31, 2021
This volume does some serious heavy lifting in order to resolve the plots of the series, and also to touch on questions that I didn't realize I had even stretching back to the original Sandman. The new lord of Dreaming is doing the mortal world no favors, and the denizens of the Dreaming (and some other unique characters from the real world) must pull together to discover what the problem is and how to resolve it. The story manages to be both world-spanning and intensely personal, with clues paying off from throughout the series. The climactic finale shakes the world and provides a true sense of resolution, giving the main characters (Lucien, Matthew, Dora, Wan, even Cain & Abel) fitting closure, even if it does recycle a plot point from the original Sandman series, and resolves it in almost the same way. The art is impressive, sometimes even spectacular, with two-page spreads that feel like galaxies, full of detail and interest.
With this providing the end of this chapter of the Sandman Universe, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to see how true it stayed to its roots - this volume more than the others borrows the themes and motifs (and characters) of the original series, and it put them to good use, telling an intriguing story that builds off all that came before it. It takes a lot to thread the needle between hewing to its source without feeling repetitive, but Simon Spurrier has pulled it off (with the help of some astounding artists). Highly recommended.
With this providing the end of this chapter of the Sandman Universe, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to see how true it stayed to its roots - this volume more than the others borrows the themes and motifs (and characters) of the original series, and it put them to good use, telling an intriguing story that builds off all that came before it. It takes a lot to thread the needle between hewing to its source without feeling repetitive, but Simon Spurrier has pulled it off (with the help of some astounding artists). Highly recommended.
October 7, 2020
Quando a nova linha de HQs da finada Vertigo, O Universo de Sandman foi anunciado eu não tinha noção de que iria gostar tanto assim dela. Mas principalmente gostei pra valer da maneira como Simon Spurrier se apossou de O Sonhar ao lado dos incríveis desenhos da brasileira Bilquis Evely e da companhia de outras desenhistas que a auxiliam na confecção das páginas desta série de quadrinhos. Quando falo que Simon Spurrier se apossou de O Sonhar quero dizer que ele conseguiu mesmo tomar posse dos personagens e situações que Neil Gaiman desenvolveu e foi alé, como se fossem criações suas. Algumas delas, realmente o são e se imiscuíram tão naturalmente em O sonhar, que poderia ser considerado até mais um capítulo na extrensa trama de Lorde Morpheus e Lorde Daniel e agora de WAN como senhores do Sonhar. Mais que isso, assim como a série original de Sandman falava muito sobre os tempos que foi feita e trazia junto questões atemporais, o mesmo é feito em O Sonhar de Spurrier, Evely e companhia. A série é encerrada magistralmente netse terceiro volume e por dizer muito sobre os tempos atuais é que ela se fez necessária, afinal os sonhos estão cada vez mais necessários nos tempos sombrios em que atravessamos.
December 12, 2022
The third volume of Simon Spurrier’s graphic novel series The Dreaming, “One Magical Movement”, finally answers some of the questions from the previous two volumes but leaves a lot more unanswered. While I enjoyed the story overall, I’m not gonna lie: it’s a bit hectic and confusing at times, with a lot of narrative threads that simply got tied up and sometimes went nowhere. I understand Spurrier was trying a “stream-of-consciousness” kind of thing—you know, to simulate dreams and stuff—but I felt that Neil Gaiman did it much better in the original Sandman comic book series. It helps to have read that series prior to this anyway, but that doesn’t explain all the confusion. Overall, what saved this for me was the beautiful artwork (Bilquis Evely—I adore you!) and the return to the universe of Gaiman’s Sandman. If it succeeds in anything, The Dreaming is a reminder of how special and wonderful the original series was.
September 10, 2020
It's not Neil Gaiman, but Simon Spurrier does a really good job of capturing much of what I loved about the original Sandman comic series by Gaiman. It's missing some of the true depth and complexity that Gaiman's story arcs featured, but Spurrier does a great job of pulling in old characters and storylines.
June 27, 2021
I have to admit, this spin-off series seemed to take a while to find its feet, but damn this last volume was good! What a stunning resolution that suddenly made everything else come together. Really enjoyed this.
August 9, 2022
I have consistently loved Simon Spurrier's run on The Dreaming. Of all the Sandman Universe titles, it's the one that feels the most similar in tone to Neil Gaiman's original Sandman run. Much like Gaiman, Spurrier has been using his run on the title to muse on the very nature of storytelling. His run has been as much about the art of storytelling as it has been about the Dreaming, and its inhabitants. It's routinely been one of my favorite titles to return to and when I heard that this volume would be the final one in his run, I was a mixture of sad and excited. It would be sad to see him go, but I was excited to see how he'd wrap up this story he's been telling since the very first issue. And here we are, at the end. And how is that ending? Well, it's everything I could've hoped for. Spurrier has taken all the threads he'd left dangling and woven them into a wholly satisfying conclusion, ending this story while leaving the door wide open for future creative teams to tell new stories. It's simply superb.
The Dreaming: One Magical Movement is a strong read from beginning to end. The previous volume left off on a pretty stunning cliffhanger, so I was very eager to see where Spurrier would take the story. And, in some ways, it's exactly where I thought he'd take it. Obviously, he needed to explain who's taken over the Dreaming and why they've done it - which he does. And, obviously, there's going to be some climactic battle where the various inhabitants of the realm will team together in order to save it from these malicious forces - which there is. The larger bullet points are ones that could be predicted, but the finer details are where the magic is in this story. Spurrier has a gift for spinning tales. He's been showing it off since the first issue of The Dreaming and he really flexes that muscle here. The Dreaming: One Magical Movement is meticulously constructed. Every piece has a purpose and it all builds up into something that's wholly satisfying and feels both final and open-ended. Without spoiling too much, the novel's final issue really delivers on the unspoken promise of even bothering to put out new Sandman Universe titles - getting to see the Lord of Dreams, himself, in action. And it's a delight, as is the entirety of this volume.
Throughout his entire run on The Dreaming, he's been very obviously influenced by Gaiman's Sandman run, liberally borrowing elements from that run to reuse here. Now, to be clear, I would never accuse Spurrier of relying too heavily on nostalgia - I mean, he did literally exile Dream from the Dreaming. But he's definitely taking familiar elements and remixing them, and that continues throughout much of this volume. Here, we see the return of a dream vortex, we see flashes of the other Endless, we see flashbacks to Morpheus' imprisonment from the first volume of The Sandman and how that event is still influencing the Sandman Universe, and all of those elements end up being of vital importance to the arc's conclusion. There are numerous elements that Spurrier revisits here, but it all feels purposeful. Much of Spurrier's thesis for this project seems to be that stories are cyclical. They begin, they end, and they begin again. It's an idea Gaiman played with towards the end of his Sandman run and it's something Spurrier takes even further here. At times, the story feels as much a metatextual commentary on the very nature of comics as it is a story about these specific characters in this specific situation. But that's not a bad thing! It's actually my favorite aspect of Spurrier's entire run on the title.
The Dreaming: Ome Magical Movement is not without its flaws, though. It doesn't have the world's best opening. I don't mean to say that it's a bad opening because it's not. In fact, you begin to understand why Spurrier chose to open the arc with that issue fairly quickly. But it does initially strike as an odd beginning, especially after the previous volume left off the way it did. And, on the topic of that first issue, I would've liked to circle back around to some of the events introduced within it, but that's really not that big of a deal - especially when so many of the ideas in that seeminly-standalone issue ended up being of vital importance to the overarching plot. On the one hand, it's nice that Spurrier didn't touch back on some of those ideas, because it allows future writers the chance to play with those ideas; but on the other hand, it does make a lot of that issue feel a bit disposable. But, this is The Sandman Universe and that kind of plotting is par for the course. Even with these nitpicks, The Dreaming: One Magical Movement is an excellent conclusion to Spurrier's tale.
While previous volumes have been almost entirely illustrated by Bilquis Evely, this volume features a mixture of artists. Evely tackles half of the volume's issues - 15, 16, 19, and 20) - and brings her usual talent of imagining the unimaginable to the table. Seriously, I think this might be some of Evely's best work on the title. Many of her issues take us deep inside the Dreaming and she brings it to life with a careful blend of abstract artwork that's somehow still understandable on a narrative level. And, man, her design for the ultimate antagonist of the story is something truly captivating. What's interesting about the other half of the issues is that they're split between three other artists: Marguerite Sauvage (Issues 16, 18) Dani Strips (Issue 13), and Matias Bergara (Issue 14). Each of these artists brings their own sensibilities to the title, adhering both to their own style and to the title's style that's been established by Evely. It's a really hard line to walk and I'm impressed by how cohesive the artwork feels in this novel, even as it was drawn by four separate artists. All of the artwork is beautiful and it adds another layer on top of Spurrier's script. In all honesty, the artwork is what really brings this story together.
All in all, I adored The Dreaming, Vol. 3 - One Magical Movement. It's a perfect conclusion to all that Spurrier had set up in the previous volumes. It pays homage to much of what Gaiman did in the original Sandman series while continuing to push the story into new and exciting directions. Throughout this volume, Spurrier takes elements from the original Sandman and remixes them into something new, ultimately creating an interesting commentary on the cyclical nature of storytelling. I've adored the entirety of Spurrier's run on The Dreaming and, while I'm sad to see it come to a close, I'm thoroughly pleased with the way he's ended the story. Everything about this just worked for me and I can't say enough good things about it. If you haven't read these twenty issues, what's stopping you? This should prove immensely satisfying for fans of Gaiman's original Sandman run as well as those who've been following Spurrier's run of The Dreaming. It's excellent.
The Dreaming: One Magical Movement is a strong read from beginning to end. The previous volume left off on a pretty stunning cliffhanger, so I was very eager to see where Spurrier would take the story. And, in some ways, it's exactly where I thought he'd take it. Obviously, he needed to explain who's taken over the Dreaming and why they've done it - which he does. And, obviously, there's going to be some climactic battle where the various inhabitants of the realm will team together in order to save it from these malicious forces - which there is. The larger bullet points are ones that could be predicted, but the finer details are where the magic is in this story. Spurrier has a gift for spinning tales. He's been showing it off since the first issue of The Dreaming and he really flexes that muscle here. The Dreaming: One Magical Movement is meticulously constructed. Every piece has a purpose and it all builds up into something that's wholly satisfying and feels both final and open-ended. Without spoiling too much, the novel's final issue really delivers on the unspoken promise of even bothering to put out new Sandman Universe titles - getting to see the Lord of Dreams, himself, in action. And it's a delight, as is the entirety of this volume.
Throughout his entire run on The Dreaming, he's been very obviously influenced by Gaiman's Sandman run, liberally borrowing elements from that run to reuse here. Now, to be clear, I would never accuse Spurrier of relying too heavily on nostalgia - I mean, he did literally exile Dream from the Dreaming. But he's definitely taking familiar elements and remixing them, and that continues throughout much of this volume. Here, we see the return of a dream vortex, we see flashes of the other Endless, we see flashbacks to Morpheus' imprisonment from the first volume of The Sandman and how that event is still influencing the Sandman Universe, and all of those elements end up being of vital importance to the arc's conclusion. There are numerous elements that Spurrier revisits here, but it all feels purposeful. Much of Spurrier's thesis for this project seems to be that stories are cyclical. They begin, they end, and they begin again. It's an idea Gaiman played with towards the end of his Sandman run and it's something Spurrier takes even further here. At times, the story feels as much a metatextual commentary on the very nature of comics as it is a story about these specific characters in this specific situation. But that's not a bad thing! It's actually my favorite aspect of Spurrier's entire run on the title.
The Dreaming: Ome Magical Movement is not without its flaws, though. It doesn't have the world's best opening. I don't mean to say that it's a bad opening because it's not. In fact, you begin to understand why Spurrier chose to open the arc with that issue fairly quickly. But it does initially strike as an odd beginning, especially after the previous volume left off the way it did. And, on the topic of that first issue, I would've liked to circle back around to some of the events introduced within it, but that's really not that big of a deal - especially when so many of the ideas in that seeminly-standalone issue ended up being of vital importance to the overarching plot. On the one hand, it's nice that Spurrier didn't touch back on some of those ideas, because it allows future writers the chance to play with those ideas; but on the other hand, it does make a lot of that issue feel a bit disposable. But, this is The Sandman Universe and that kind of plotting is par for the course. Even with these nitpicks, The Dreaming: One Magical Movement is an excellent conclusion to Spurrier's tale.
While previous volumes have been almost entirely illustrated by Bilquis Evely, this volume features a mixture of artists. Evely tackles half of the volume's issues - 15, 16, 19, and 20) - and brings her usual talent of imagining the unimaginable to the table. Seriously, I think this might be some of Evely's best work on the title. Many of her issues take us deep inside the Dreaming and she brings it to life with a careful blend of abstract artwork that's somehow still understandable on a narrative level. And, man, her design for the ultimate antagonist of the story is something truly captivating. What's interesting about the other half of the issues is that they're split between three other artists: Marguerite Sauvage (Issues 16, 18) Dani Strips (Issue 13), and Matias Bergara (Issue 14). Each of these artists brings their own sensibilities to the title, adhering both to their own style and to the title's style that's been established by Evely. It's a really hard line to walk and I'm impressed by how cohesive the artwork feels in this novel, even as it was drawn by four separate artists. All of the artwork is beautiful and it adds another layer on top of Spurrier's script. In all honesty, the artwork is what really brings this story together.
All in all, I adored The Dreaming, Vol. 3 - One Magical Movement. It's a perfect conclusion to all that Spurrier had set up in the previous volumes. It pays homage to much of what Gaiman did in the original Sandman series while continuing to push the story into new and exciting directions. Throughout this volume, Spurrier takes elements from the original Sandman and remixes them into something new, ultimately creating an interesting commentary on the cyclical nature of storytelling. I've adored the entirety of Spurrier's run on The Dreaming and, while I'm sad to see it come to a close, I'm thoroughly pleased with the way he's ended the story. Everything about this just worked for me and I can't say enough good things about it. If you haven't read these twenty issues, what's stopping you? This should prove immensely satisfying for fans of Gaiman's original Sandman run as well as those who've been following Spurrier's run of The Dreaming. It's excellent.
January 21, 2023
such a good ending. my only issue is....where is my boy the Corinthian?!
March 13, 2021
Did love the part of using one demon to trick another and have a series of three boons. And the reveal of what Dora is
April 7, 2021
One Magical Movement concludes The Dreaming, and it does it with style. The only major criticism is that the end is fast. It could have gone on for one more issue in my opinion, but I’ll get to that later. This final volume consists of 8 issues. The first two serve as a prologue, with the following four, the arc called the Crown, establishing the final conflict, and the last two, One Magical Movement, serving as the climax of the volume as well as the series.
The first issue, colorfully titled Tiqqun, the Rectification, only features side characters from the run of comics, but beautifully illustrates Wan’s (the antagonists) goal to eliminate the unnecessary and the illogical from the world by eliminating myth, gods, and monsters from the collective consciousness of the world. The art style is drastically different than the rest of the series, which I enjoy for these interstitial issues. The vibe harkens back to the original Sandman run’s one-off issues. This is a story about what happens when stories are forgotten or destroyed. Overall, this is a great tone-setter for this volume.
The second issue, Shevirat, the Shattering, brings the volume back to the main narrative in a fun way, featuring Dora in a board game battle of wits against a demon. This issue doesn’t have the emotional punch of the first issue, but it segues nicely into The Crown, and sets up the endgame for the volume. Art-wise, again it’s fantastic. The demons are fun, the landscapes are awesome, and the crazy demon board game is such an awesome idea. I haven’t mentioned him before, but Balam the former Duke, and current rhymer is such a fun character. His fall from grace(?) and his struggles at rhyming are hysterical.
The main event of the volume is the Crown. There isn’t much to say that doesn’t spoil the entire series. Anyone following along can assume that Dora’s mystery is finally revealed, the continuing Cain and Able thread is fleshed out, and the nature of Wan and the Dark Moth are all summed up. If you enjoyed the previous volumes, you will probably enjoy this. If you found the preceding volumes unconvincing, this will not change your mind. I, for one, loved it. The concept of an AI construct that begins to dream, that was designed with an ulterior motive is so cool. The art is fantastic, but of particular note is Wan’s alter ego. The chaotic penciling suits its nature and stands out.
The volume ends with the two-issue One Magical Movement. I wish this was one issue longer. The return of Dream and the confrontation with the Dark Moth is amazing. The rest of the resolutions seem a bit fast for my taste. The greatest disservice is to the Rose Walker Vortex. This was not fleshed out enough in the entire volume, and the conclusion is too rushed, and tying it to Wan just… didn’t work for me. Wan is the standout new character for me. As I said previously, the idea behind it, a dreaming AI is awesome, I wished it would have stayed around to dive deeper into its implications. Dream’s arc I enjoyed, and frankly, even though it’s a new-old Dream, with a new point of view, the fact that he makes similar choices and broods just like his previous incarnation is a perfect summation of the character.
Previously I was worried about the Sandman Universe as a whole, and this series in particular. I plan to read the Lucifer books in the Sandman Universe next, which I will certainly hold to a lower bar than this series. The Dreaming exceeded every expectation I had, and despite my reservations on the fast conclusion to some arcs, I was still more than satisfied. This is a 5/5.
The first issue, colorfully titled Tiqqun, the Rectification, only features side characters from the run of comics, but beautifully illustrates Wan’s (the antagonists) goal to eliminate the unnecessary and the illogical from the world by eliminating myth, gods, and monsters from the collective consciousness of the world. The art style is drastically different than the rest of the series, which I enjoy for these interstitial issues. The vibe harkens back to the original Sandman run’s one-off issues. This is a story about what happens when stories are forgotten or destroyed. Overall, this is a great tone-setter for this volume.
The second issue, Shevirat, the Shattering, brings the volume back to the main narrative in a fun way, featuring Dora in a board game battle of wits against a demon. This issue doesn’t have the emotional punch of the first issue, but it segues nicely into The Crown, and sets up the endgame for the volume. Art-wise, again it’s fantastic. The demons are fun, the landscapes are awesome, and the crazy demon board game is such an awesome idea. I haven’t mentioned him before, but Balam the former Duke, and current rhymer is such a fun character. His fall from grace(?) and his struggles at rhyming are hysterical.
The main event of the volume is the Crown. There isn’t much to say that doesn’t spoil the entire series. Anyone following along can assume that Dora’s mystery is finally revealed, the continuing Cain and Able thread is fleshed out, and the nature of Wan and the Dark Moth are all summed up. If you enjoyed the previous volumes, you will probably enjoy this. If you found the preceding volumes unconvincing, this will not change your mind. I, for one, loved it. The concept of an AI construct that begins to dream, that was designed with an ulterior motive is so cool. The art is fantastic, but of particular note is Wan’s alter ego. The chaotic penciling suits its nature and stands out.
The volume ends with the two-issue One Magical Movement. I wish this was one issue longer. The return of Dream and the confrontation with the Dark Moth is amazing. The rest of the resolutions seem a bit fast for my taste. The greatest disservice is to the Rose Walker Vortex. This was not fleshed out enough in the entire volume, and the conclusion is too rushed, and tying it to Wan just… didn’t work for me. Wan is the standout new character for me. As I said previously, the idea behind it, a dreaming AI is awesome, I wished it would have stayed around to dive deeper into its implications. Dream’s arc I enjoyed, and frankly, even though it’s a new-old Dream, with a new point of view, the fact that he makes similar choices and broods just like his previous incarnation is a perfect summation of the character.
Previously I was worried about the Sandman Universe as a whole, and this series in particular. I plan to read the Lucifer books in the Sandman Universe next, which I will certainly hold to a lower bar than this series. The Dreaming exceeded every expectation I had, and despite my reservations on the fast conclusion to some arcs, I was still more than satisfied. This is a 5/5.
![Profile Image for Amanda [Novel Addiction].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1415744673i/4886503._UX200_CR0,36,200,200_.jpg)
February 1, 2021
The end of a major story arc. I'm really loving this continuation of the Sandman universe. I have only kept up with this series and Books of Magic. I really need to go through and read the others to see how they all connect.
October 11, 2020
4.5. Brilliant turn around for the series and it really pulled it together for this arc. Honestly fantastic.
RTC
RTC
December 23, 2022
bem meia boca, além dessa série ter feito eu pegar odio do Daniel Hall, personagem q eu amava, só a Dora presta nessa série
July 30, 2024
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Hamlet tells his rational schoolmate who, while perhaps the only trustworthy character in the play, may also be its least interesting. Horatio lacks imagination and emotional depth; there is nothing deceptive or dark about him, and in contrast to everyone else in the play he is dependable, level-headed, stoic, and thus, sadly, not very human.
And that idea seems to be operating at the core of Simon Spurrier's reboot of The Sandman in 2018’s The Dreaming, a three-volume project I hadn't been very fond of up till this final installment. The first two volumes felt plodding and derivative of Gaiman's original material, meandering about and making some bad narrative choices, but the author finally pulls things together in this ambitious final installment, although he needs a monologuing bad guy here at the end to give some shape and sense to much of what has come before.
Our loquacious bad guy is some kind of Peter Thiel douchebag bazillionaire tech-bro entrepreneur who after being tormented by bad dreams decides to devote his billions of dollars and technology to essentially effecting a hostile takeover of the Dreaming. I know, that idea sounds preposterous, and yet if you roll with it there is something quite profound going on here that sheds light not only on what Hamlet is saying to Horatio, but also on what it means to be a human being. With the Dream King out of the way and a strange anime dark moth usurper on the throne, instead of the wonder and fear and exhilaration and mystery and confusion and sex and sex and sex that are at the core of our dreams and nightmares every time we close our eyes to sleep, humans begin to experience practical, rational instruction in the dream state. No more disfigured teeth painfully falling out or making that presentation to the boss in your underwear or flying over a dark cityscape before falling or even having sex with your third-grade teacher...no, now our dreams have become educational and pragmatic, useful instruction designed to make the world a better place. And what is the result, of course? Human beings slowly go mad, killing themselves and each other at alarming rates because it turn out that losing the subconscious imaginative process and that secret wonder and fear found only in our nightly dreams will strip people of an essential aspect of their humanity.
And as a former English teacher who at the end of his career has lived through the ridiculous shift in our public education to a STEM-centered focus at the expense of the arts and language, I have to say not only am I in agreement with Spurrier's big idea here, but I have seen it play out in front of my eyes in the mundane waking reality of boring real life. Human beings need to dream; they need those nightly stories filled with wonder and terror or they become less human, just as they desperately need novels and poetry and music and art and foreign language in their curricula alongside the math and science.
And that idea seems to be operating at the core of Simon Spurrier's reboot of The Sandman in 2018’s The Dreaming, a three-volume project I hadn't been very fond of up till this final installment. The first two volumes felt plodding and derivative of Gaiman's original material, meandering about and making some bad narrative choices, but the author finally pulls things together in this ambitious final installment, although he needs a monologuing bad guy here at the end to give some shape and sense to much of what has come before.
Our loquacious bad guy is some kind of Peter Thiel douchebag bazillionaire tech-bro entrepreneur who after being tormented by bad dreams decides to devote his billions of dollars and technology to essentially effecting a hostile takeover of the Dreaming. I know, that idea sounds preposterous, and yet if you roll with it there is something quite profound going on here that sheds light not only on what Hamlet is saying to Horatio, but also on what it means to be a human being. With the Dream King out of the way and a strange anime dark moth usurper on the throne, instead of the wonder and fear and exhilaration and mystery and confusion and sex and sex and sex that are at the core of our dreams and nightmares every time we close our eyes to sleep, humans begin to experience practical, rational instruction in the dream state. No more disfigured teeth painfully falling out or making that presentation to the boss in your underwear or flying over a dark cityscape before falling or even having sex with your third-grade teacher...no, now our dreams have become educational and pragmatic, useful instruction designed to make the world a better place. And what is the result, of course? Human beings slowly go mad, killing themselves and each other at alarming rates because it turn out that losing the subconscious imaginative process and that secret wonder and fear found only in our nightly dreams will strip people of an essential aspect of their humanity.
And as a former English teacher who at the end of his career has lived through the ridiculous shift in our public education to a STEM-centered focus at the expense of the arts and language, I have to say not only am I in agreement with Spurrier's big idea here, but I have seen it play out in front of my eyes in the mundane waking reality of boring real life. Human beings need to dream; they need those nightly stories filled with wonder and terror or they become less human, just as they desperately need novels and poetry and music and art and foreign language in their curricula alongside the math and science.
April 28, 2024
The Dreaming Vol. 3: One Magical Movement
Wan, the AI now in control of the Dreaming, can not progress beyond its programming and, as the Dreaming begins to dissolve, Abel and the other servants mount an impossible rescue of all that they hold dear.
A fitting conclusion to this 'Sandman' spinoff. The artwork and layout are superb and the story concludes satisfactorily in the only way unimaginable.
Wan, the AI now in control of the Dreaming, can not progress beyond its programming and, as the Dreaming begins to dissolve, Abel and the other servants mount an impossible rescue of all that they hold dear.
A fitting conclusion to this 'Sandman' spinoff. The artwork and layout are superb and the story concludes satisfactorily in the only way unimaginable.
August 9, 2021
PUTA QUE PARIU! É tudo que tenho a dizer.
Uma história capaz de nos fazer renascer.
Dora, eu te amo!
Uma história capaz de nos fazer renascer.
Dora, eu te amo!
June 15, 2023
A great story. Some very existential questions asked. Matthew is a fun character.
August 20, 2022
I had mixed feelings about this. I enjoyed the journey but the ending felt a bit like a cheat. Everything resolves in a way that feels less like a continuation of the original Sandman story, and more like a reboot of things we've already experienced before. New Dream, same as the old Dream. To be specific (MAJOR spoilers ahead): So yes, ultimately I felt a sense of resolution but I wish the story had dared to break some new ground instead of relying so heavily on what we've already seen before.
November 26, 2020
Listen: It is every being's right to know pain. The point is not to fear it. The point is not to think worse than joy or delight, but to understand it is better than numbness. The point is simply to feel."
*4.5*
So thus concludes Si Spurrier's run on The Dreaming, and the series as a whole. I like the fact that this was a complete story with a beginning, middle and end. Whilst at times this series did feel a little dull with its writing and dialogue, everything came together well in this volume. The artwork was only great when Bilquis Evely and Marguerite Sauvage were illustrating, but Issue #13's artwork felt muddled to me. I like that we got answers to Dora's past, but what's really interesting to me--and maybe something that could put off readers--is how many times they explain how/why Daniel Hall was gone and how the whole master plan of getting rid of him was done, because that was nice for me considering how my attention kept slipping at times when reading this. If this series had gone on longer, it would've been cool to see other members of the Endless show up or even the Parents of the Endless! (Who were introduced in The Sandman: Overture), but we only got brief cameos of the other Endless in this series. Also, the Master Plan felt very similar to The Last Days of Magic from Jason Aaron's Doctor Strange run, so that was interesting, but it wasn't a total ripoff and it even made sense in a way.
Overall, I liked this series mostly for the artwork and the times when the plot was really engaging. I think this series may have had a tough time trying to be its own thing, whilst still acknowledging and respecting The Sandman series, which can be difficult when dealing with a series that's based on characters and environments from another series. Also, at one point House of Whispers connected with this series, but it didn't go anywhere. It's kinda sad that these Sandman Universe titles got cancelled before any kind of epic crossover could be done (something like Children's Crusade back in the day).
*4.5*
So thus concludes Si Spurrier's run on The Dreaming, and the series as a whole. I like the fact that this was a complete story with a beginning, middle and end. Whilst at times this series did feel a little dull with its writing and dialogue, everything came together well in this volume. The artwork was only great when Bilquis Evely and Marguerite Sauvage were illustrating, but Issue #13's artwork felt muddled to me. I like that we got answers to Dora's past, but what's really interesting to me--and maybe something that could put off readers--is how many times they explain how/why Daniel Hall was gone and how the whole master plan of getting rid of him was done, because that was nice for me considering how my attention kept slipping at times when reading this. If this series had gone on longer, it would've been cool to see other members of the Endless show up or even the Parents of the Endless! (Who were introduced in The Sandman: Overture), but we only got brief cameos of the other Endless in this series. Also, the Master Plan felt very similar to The Last Days of Magic from Jason Aaron's Doctor Strange run, so that was interesting, but it wasn't a total ripoff and it even made sense in a way.
Overall, I liked this series mostly for the artwork and the times when the plot was really engaging. I think this series may have had a tough time trying to be its own thing, whilst still acknowledging and respecting The Sandman series, which can be difficult when dealing with a series that's based on characters and environments from another series. Also, at one point House of Whispers connected with this series, but it didn't go anywhere. It's kinda sad that these Sandman Universe titles got cancelled before any kind of epic crossover could be done (something like Children's Crusade back in the day).
September 13, 2020
Basic plot: The Dreaming is unraveling and it's affecting the waking world badly, but the denizens of the Dreaming work towards saving everything.
This book is written so incredibly well, I'm still marveling at it. All of the different minor plot lines that seemed to be random digressions are coming together now to show the whole picture that the author has been creating. It really is brilliant. I can see why it takes so long for each issue to come out. The art is deliberate and designed to evoke moods and moments. Sometimes very precise, sometimes very abstract- it depends on what it needed at the moment. It's effective.
It would be very hard to mention specific plot points without spoilers here, but most of the major characters of the series thus far make an appearance to help save the dreaming. This book feels like a climax, a turning point leading towards the falling action and resolution. And with the emphasis of the series on the importance of stories, I think the author would appreciate the reference to traditional plot diagrams.
This book is written so incredibly well, I'm still marveling at it. All of the different minor plot lines that seemed to be random digressions are coming together now to show the whole picture that the author has been creating. It really is brilliant. I can see why it takes so long for each issue to come out. The art is deliberate and designed to evoke moods and moments. Sometimes very precise, sometimes very abstract- it depends on what it needed at the moment. It's effective.
It would be very hard to mention specific plot points without spoilers here, but most of the major characters of the series thus far make an appearance to help save the dreaming. This book feels like a climax, a turning point leading towards the falling action and resolution. And with the emphasis of the series on the importance of stories, I think the author would appreciate the reference to traditional plot diagrams.
February 22, 2021
It takes a certain amount of chutzpah to try and follow up Neil Gaiman's peerless masterpiece, the Sandman, but Si Spurrier didn't just try it, he actually succeeded in creating something that isn't quite as good as the best of Sandman but actually deserves to be spoken of in the same breath. I can't say enough about Bilquis Evely's gorgeous art or Mat Lopes' vibrant colours but the visual greatness of the Dreaming was never really in doubt with that level of artistic talent on (most of) the series. Less certain was a Sandman sequel not written (though overseen) by Neil Gaiman. And yet, the way that Spurrier evokes the original series, builds on it, and tells his own story about the value of human irrationality in everything from religion to art, is something of a miracle. The first two books in this three-part series were very good themselves but it's in this volume that Spurrier and co. take a really good comic book and solidify it into something truly special and something that more than lives up to the Sandman name.
March 4, 2021
This series, often meandering, and at times rather flowery, is surely not going to be everyone's taste. And trying to fill Gaiman's shoes with a follow-up to Sandman is far from the easiest of tasks anyway, and perhaps an insurmountable one. But, to my mind, this has improved as it's gone along, and the finale captures some of the mythic scope and metanarrative themes of the former work. It begins with a couple of one-issue stories about the effect on the waking world of events in the Dreaming, which are good, but not spectacular. Those are followed up, however, by the meat of this volume as we discover what's behind events and head towards the finale. There are some unexpected turns along the way, and brief appearances by guest characters that help to raise it up and... well, it may have taken a while to get here, but the pay-off worked for me.
September 16, 2020
Wow, I loved this book. Yes, the language is often flowery and on the verge of purple prose at times, but it fit the lush illustrations and the dreamy quality of the setting. If I hadn't been reading this at work, there are a number of times I would have cheered out loud. This entire thing is oddly satisfying, especially considering I don't remember exactly the details of the first two volumes. The first two issues leave you feeling off-kilter until later issues pull the threads together into one epic story of the purpose of dreams, at least in the Endless universe. So. Freaking. Good.
June 20, 2021
Absolutely genius. The first two volumes of The Dreaming had me thinking exactly what I had predicted about a resurrection of these characters and this world, that it would be (forgive the wording considering Daniel) pale in comparison to the original. However, with these stories Simon Spurrier has shown he can live up to Gaiman in almost every respect. Great storytelling. Emotional resonance. Wonderfully drawn out characters. Lovely.
March 8, 2020
This book has been near perfect since the start and this volume continues to hit all the right notes. The art is my absolute favorite of anything out right now and if there’s a book deserving of some Eisner love, it’s this one. A great, complex story with stunning visuals. What more could you want? 5 out of 5.
March 11, 2020
Answers! Always a good thing. Now we know where some people are from and where others went and the origin of others! Roll on the next storyline!
March 12, 2020
It is absolutely not fair that I have to wait to see how this ends. Spurrier and company have woven one hell of a story through these past 18 issues.
August 11, 2020
A really satisfying conclusion to that story. A bit on the nose in some situations that would normally be left more vague in the original iteration, but still very fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews