The Dreaming (2018-) Vol. 1: Pathways and Emanations

Daniel, the new Lord Dream of the Endless appears to have forsaken his kingdom and, as Lucien, Matthew and Mervyn try to hold back those who seek to seize control of the Dreaming, Dora and Cain try to create a new paradigm where they can feel they belong.An interesting mirror of 'The Sandman', where the Dreaming has to deal with a creator who is not captured but has wilfully left, the artwork cleverly shows the breaking apart of the fantasy world as Spurrier sets up an intriguing mystery.

Different from the others but still good read will see further on if it's as good as originals or not

For The Sandman’s 30th Anniversary, a return to The Dreaming. The Dreaming was, to be fair, one of the lesser books of the Vertigo line, though I always enjoyed the character. Merv Pumpkinhead, Lucien the Librarian, Matthew the Raven, Cain and Abel were all fun characters. They are all back, along with new character Dora. The one person not back is Daniel, the current Lord of Dreams, who has gone missing, and The Dreaming is falling apart because of it. Spurrier and Evely’s first trade collection is very good, tying together the old and new really well, a dash of vintage Vertigo with a dash of new ideas. The art complements the story perfectly.A reboot/ relaunch that is well worth it. Recommended.

O.K., here's the deal as I understand it. There are four new series that are spinoffs of Neil Gaiman's Sandman Universe. Each shares and expands on the Sandman Universe and is set in the "evolving" world of the Dreaming. Don't know how much Gaiman is involved, (the books are claimed to be "from the mind of...", or "curated by"), but there seem to be more and more books out there that use Gaiman's name and stories but in which he otherwise does not seem that much involved.I've now read the beginning of the "Dreaming" series, (Volume 1, "Pathways and Emanations"), and the beginning of the"Lucifer" series, (Volume 1, "The Infernal Comedy"). Don't be confused. While each Volume collects the first 6 issues of their respective series, each Volume also starts with the same "Sandman Universe Special #1". This Special lays the groundwork for all four of the spinoffs. At first I thought I had the same book twice over, until I realized that they were different books, but just started with the same 48 page one-shot. It appears the two other spinoff series, ("Books of Magic" and "House of Whispers"), will open the same way. The Special follows the raven Mathew as he confirms that the Dreamer has abandoned the Dreamland, and introduces and sets the stage for each of the four new series. For what it's worth, so far the Special one-shot has been my favorite part of this whole project.Each of the series has a different writer; liking or disliking one won't tell you that much about the others. So, with that background, (hah! I'm doing the same opening for each series review), let's turn to "Dreaming", the first of the four new Volumes.This series features Dora, a creature of indeterminate nature, and backstory, who harbors a grievance against the Dreamer and carries a massive chip on her shoulder. Her tale is set in and about the actual Dreamland and she interacts mostly with familiar characters, (like Lucien the Librarian and Merv Pumpkinhead). Dora can leave and re-enter the Dreamland at will, and so we follow her story while checking back in to the Dreamland at regular intervals, mainly to see how Lucien is coping with the absence of the Dreamer and the apparent collapse of the Dreamland.Lots going on, of course, with everyone running around trying to protect the Dreamland. We take an extended detour into "chaos leads to fascism" territory. A recurring line, (it appears dozens of times), is some variation of "stability requires far more effort to restore than to disrupt". If you want you can go metaphor crazy, what with a Dreamland "Homeland", faceless "soggies" sneaking across the border, jobs at risk to said soggies, external terror threats multiplying, no one competent in charge, the shutting of the Gate and reinforcing the Wall around Dreamland, and so on. Ultimately the smarmy authoritarian Judge Gallows shows up to repel the "foreigners". It gets pretty heavy-handed, and not in any particularly illuminating way. Luckily, the political commentary ultimately circles back to the resurgence of Dora, and her butt kicking, and this gets us back to more familiar Sandman/Endless themes. But at points it's a real slog.Despite the transparent soapboxing I thought there was a lot to like here. It almost goes without saying that the artwork is the star here. Lots to look at and admire, muscular and dreamy. Dora is strong enough to carry the brunt of the tale, and while the Judge Gallows part is too long, it has its moments. Merv Pumpkinhead, the aggrieved white middle class stand-in, gets old fast. The sly humor that usually marks Dreamland stories ebbs and flows, since it has to be worked in around the political lesson. Enough threads are tied up to make the end satisfying, while enough loose threads are left to keep the reader interested in where the next series story arc will go.So, at least for me, while this isn't Sandman it generally felt close enough to be worth keeping an eye on. (Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I really loved the sandman by Gaiman ,it was fantastic , well ,this is not at all what i was waiting for ...Nice to see the sandman characters again , but the story is just NOT good as expected ...it looks too much like super heroes comics ,NOT a graphic novel . they try to make it as complex as the sandman but it's not working (with me ).Even surprising that Neil G recommend it . ..I also find it strange all the changes for the movie to come ...?That is one of the best story ever written ...no changes needed. but let see ...I will get the book of magic seems nice ... and lucifer maybe ...Again this is not a Gaiman story ...you 've been warned.

“The Dreaming” began as a spin-off of Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series, working as an anthology series of tales set in Dream of the Endless’ realm. The original series, which ran from June 1996 to May 2001 featured stories by Terry LaBan, Alisa Kwitney, Bryan Talbot, and Caitlín R. Kiernan. In celebration of “The Sandman”’s 30th anniversary, DC fully rebooted the title with Simon Spurrier as the writer. This new series does not follow what preceded it and takes place after the events of “The Wake,” when Daniel Hall replaced Morpheus as Dream of the Endless. The first story in “Pathways and Emanations” is from Neil Gaiman and explains that Daniel has disappeared, putting the future of the Dreaming in danger. Matthew the Raven goes searching for him, exploring the realms of other stories that appeared under DC’s Sandman Universe banner including “Lucifer,” “House of Whispers,” and “Books of Magic”.Cracks begin appearing in the Dreamining, with blank humanoid creatures and a fractal object coming through. Worse, one of the Dukes of Hell manages to enter the Dreaming without the approval of its master and is only repelled when Lucien impersonates Daniel, wearing his cloak and helmet. Dora, a young woman with wings on her head who is not originally of the dreamining and has abilities resembling those of Dream himself, takes one of the blanks as a friend and sidekick as she travels to other dreams for food and resources. Unlike the other creatures of the Dreamining, who are not flesh and blood, she has the needs of a living being. Mervyn Pumpkinhead feels his world crumbling around him and, in his sense of powerlessness, frees a nightmare to help restore order, leading to further chaos. Amid the fantasy elements, Spurrier examines the nature of breakage and identity, whether a person who suffered needs to become who they were before or if they can redefine themselves. Artist Bilquis Evely’s work perfectly depicts the familiar characters from “The Sandman” while giving life to the new ones from this series, portraying them and their world with all the beauty and gravitas that the realm of the Dreaming deserves.This volume collects “The Sandman Universe” no. 1 and “The Dreaming” nos. 1-6 from the duo, with some guest art by Abigail Larson, colors by Mat Lopes and Quinton Winter, and letters by Simon Bowland. “The Sandman Universe” includes writing by Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, and Dan Watters with art by Tom Fowler, Dominike “DOMO” Stanton, Max Fiumara, and Sebastian Fiumara – the creative teams behind the other books DC published under the “Sandman Universe” banner. Finally, all the book feature stunning covers by Jae Lee and June Chung. Fans of “The Sandman” looking for more stories to read set in the world Gaiman created need look no further than this collection.

Es trabajo de Neil Gaiman , cual es la duda para no leerlo ??? :)

Zwar kein Gaiman-Titel, aber ein würdiger Nachfolger in schöner Optik

This is one of the most beautifully inked comics I have seen. The story is unhinged but the images make you keep turning the pages.

Muy lindo