The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country - The Glass House #4
Kevin Rossi
Recap
The immortal witch Thessaly has interjected herself into the brewing storm between heaven and hell, the waking world and dreams—and there are powerful forces who demand she pay in blood for her meddling. Thessaly, however, only has eyes for the mystery of Flynn and the Smiling Man. As for the Corinthian? Despite his promises to Dream, he’s less and less sure whose side he’s on with every passing moment…
Review
James Tynion IV has carved a nice little corner into the Sandman Universe. By now, his contributions have been the most consistent with the Sandman Universe imprint which is a good thing, because Tynion certainly knows how to write horror and fantasy. The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country – The Glass House continues to do an excellent job weaving established characters with new ones created by Tynion. Even characters from Tynion’s previous series feel like mainstays and naturally integrated into the larger universe. Readers can look at The Sandman Universe as a separate entity from Neil Gaiman’s original run, but Tynion’s contributions are worthy of this body of work.
Prior to The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country – The Glass House #4, readers may have read The Sandman Universe Special: Thessaly #1 from the beginning of the month. It isn’t necessary reading but does add another layer to Thesaly’s involvement in everything and just what she is capable of. Despite how powerful she is, The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country – The Glass House #4 gives the sense that nobody really knows what is going on, even Dream. There is a fun little moment where Max asks Madison how she can process everything that is happening. Her response essentially is, “That’s just how it goes” and not to overthink or fight things. This is funny because just a few issues ago she was in the same place as Max.
Lisandro Estherren’s art is the star of the series. His art is perfect for a series that bends the lines between dreaming and the waking world. The variety of art styles from the original series was one of the reasons why it is so good. There really wasn’t anything like it on shelves, and the same goes for Estherren’s art. Patricio Delpeche’s colors are absolutely gorgeous and add another layer to what makes the art so effective. Every single page is worth lingering on to take in the visuals. Estherren does some really interesting things with the foreground and proportions.
Final Thoughts
The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country - The Glass House #4 continues to be fantastic and horrifying. Tynion is masterfully laying down the pieces to an intriguing mystery. Though the story is progressing, there is the sense that the characters really are in the dark with everything. Dream being in the dark with the other characters even seems possible because of Tynion’s writing. Whatever comes next is going to be a complete surprise to everyone including the reader.
The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country – The Glass House #4: How It Goes
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
