The Dreaming #19: Dreaming Chainsaw Massacre

The Dreaming #19 is one of the most exciting issues to date. The issue accomplishes a lot and is skillfully written. Naturally, I cannot wait until the next issue. I can’t say enough how nice it is to have Lucien back. The Dreaming just didn’t feel right without its librarian. Now that Lucien is back, the Dreaming can start to feel like itself again. This is not going to happen right away though. There are so many pieces to the puzzle, and it looks like they almost have the final piece. The issue moves fast and feels exciting. This is accomplished with the help of the stellar artwork.

Bilquis Evely and Mat Lopes are one of the most exciting teams in comics today. I found myself lingering on nearly every page, and that is saying a lot due to Spurrier’s page-turning-writing. Bilquis’ attention to detail is miraculous and only gets better with Lopes’ colors. Their talent is evident on the numerous splash and spread pages. Even the small details in the backgrounds of panels make the Dreaming feel lived in, which completely adds to the charm of Evely and Lopes’ art.

 The Dreaming has a distinct style of its own, but Bilquis and Lopes can easily replicate the feel of the original series which strengthens the link between the two. For instance, at one point Lucien is talking to Wan about Dream’s imprisonment from the first issue of Sandman. The panel depicting a curled up Dream feels distinct to The Dreaming while celebrating its roots. The same feeling can be found in Cain and Abel’s faces in the marvelous chainsaw massacre.