Comics

"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to humans. It is a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the point of one's fears and the summit of one's knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call . . . The Dreaming."

-- with apologies to Rod Serling

Some psychics, mystics, even so-called primitive cultures believe that dreams are more than just the random firing of neurons in the brain, or the mental release of stress. They recognize the dream state as a heightened state of perception, a gateway to the collective conscience. Poor Karen Brinson doesn't know what to think about dreams.

On the surface, Karen appears to be a typical young woman. She works as a receptionist for a neurologist, takes care of her neighbor's cat, worries about getting dates. Yet Karen is unique, with a very special gift which she discovers one night when she unexpectedly enters a neighbor's dream. Karen is a dreamwalker, with the ability to consciously interact with others in the dream state. Her older neighbor, Mrs. Tobias, is also psychically sensitive and tries to help Karen understand her newfound ability.

DreamWalker is a rarity in the world of comics. It's a book with very little action (to date). Instead, the story being spun is woven around relationships. So far, we've met Karen, a bit insecure and slightly dumbstruck by her unusual ability; her friend Cori, a bit miffed that Karen didn't accept her offer to become a roommate; the new roommate, Peggy, perpetually upbeat yet sometimes insensitive and intrusive; Karen's boss, Dr. Seale; a friendly young policeman who gives Karen a traffic ticket and winds up taking her to lunch; and the aforementioned neighbor, who is friend, confidante and spiritual guardian.

Creator Jenni Gregory is unfolding her story slowly, leisurely. There's a real-time feel to the comic, with long sequences of conversation that makes you feel like you're eavesdropping on people you want to get to know as friends.

After five self-published issues, DreamWalker has landed at Caliber Press, a dark horse publisher who's housing an impressive stable of eclectic, sophisticated, creator-owned comics for grown-ups. DreamWalker is published under the Tapestry imprint, which signifies that it's suitable for all ages. Its approach is of special interest to women and its theme makes it of real interest to new agers. Highly recommended.

Kate Ellen Reinhardt fears she is going mad. It's not bad enough that she can't keep a job or make friends or hold onto a boyfriend. At night she has these wild visions of another identity, another life. She's come to the Metaphysical Institute for Holistic Health hoping for answers or at least some clues to what's going on. Under hypnosis, she discovers that through her dreams she is connected to a spirit from an earlier time, a gypsy woman named Davi Silverblade. The two women are linked in the dream state to a third entity, Ange, the Dream Angel. Gradually, Kate learns why her destiny is intertwined with that of her soul sister spirit, who is restless with a need for justice and is searching through Kate Ellen for a reincarnated enemy. The creators of this action comic are to be commended for incorporating metaphysical ideas. Unfortunately, the story takes an ugly turn toward gratuitous violence which will probably turn off most new agers.

Comic book titles are canceled and funnybook characters may get retired to comic book limbo, but good storytelling concepts live on. When Neil Gaiman created the Sandman comic, he populated the Dreamlord's realm with a variety of lifeforms drawn from history, mythology and his own phantasmagorical imagination. The Sandman title may have concluded its natural life cycle, but DC is keeping the spirit of said comic alive with this enchanting anthology. Set in the ethereal domain of dreams, the comic shines a spotlight on various inhabitants.

In the premier three-issue story, we meet Cain and Abel, two brothers constantly at each other's throats, who are the caretakers of the House of Mystery. Fed up with the way Cain abuses his sibling, a family pet named Goldie, who is a diminutive golden gargoyle, leaves home. Unfortunately, the trusting Goldie meets and falls under the charismatic spell of Tempto, a limbless humanoid who understands the purpose and special power of gold gargoyles. Tempto convinces Goldie to accompany him on a fateful quest -- which, if completed, would rewrite Christianity. The two journey to the site of an ancient garden, a paradise out of which Tempto was evicted, which he intends to restore to its former glory. This fanciful take on the Genesis story set a perfect tone for the series, demonstrating that in the realm of the Dreaming, there are no limits to the possibilities for sophisticated storytelling.

Subsequent fables have been equally imaginative. In "The Lost Boy" (#4-7) we are reintroduced to Mad Hettie, a mysterious, slightly addled streetwoman who first appeared in the mini-series Death: The High Cost of Living. We also meet Brian Salmon, a serious young man who one day in 1956 had a fateful encounter with fairies and wound up displaced in time, transported to present-day reality. There he's discovered by Hettie, who senses the enchantment he's under. With the aid of a disbelieving female psychology professor, Hettie sets out to return Brian to his own time. Fate weaves the lives of all three players together in a mischievous manner, and the final denouement or "punch line" to the story is richly satisfying.

A single-issue story in issue #8 probed dark secrets in Cain's past. #9-12 tells a hallucinogenic tale of "Weird Romance" as a young woman in a coma, struck down in an auto accident just prior to getting married, plays out her life in her dreams. And in "Coyote's Kiss," the current storyline, the eternal trickster and shapeshifter manages to escape the Dreaming and walk the earth, where he wreaks havoc on a vacationing couple by tempting them with their fondest desires.

A year out of the gate, the Dreaming comic has proven to be a worthy successor to The Sandman. Various themes of writers and artists are rising to the challenge and crafting marvelous, modern-day, myth-tinged fairy tales for adults. DC has already published a trade paperback collecting the first seven issues of the comic, and I expect more collections to follow. Most highly recommended.

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