The to see what would be next for the franchise. Although it's not supposed to be a direct sequel to the previous title, so far it seems to breed many of the same themes and even familiar characters.
Writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Nick Robles have kicked off a story As with most Sandman comics, it's shaping up to be a lot more complicated than it first seems.
Considering The Waking Hours is riding on the coattails of The Dreaming there has definitely been a fair amount of hype around fans to see where this next installment would take the saga. Wilson is also a well-acclaimed writer in her own right and was able to bring in additional excitement for the release of this new story. Plus, The Dreaming offered a new perspective on the saga that left room for fans to want more.
The first issue of The Waking Hours introduced Dream and his domain back into the story, as well as Ruin, a seemingly anxious nightmare, but it seemed to focus most of its efforts on introducing a specific new character, Lindy. We got to know her as an English Literature PhD student and new mother struggling with her chosen career and the demands of an infant. As we followed her she led us back to her dreams, and Ruin's introduction as he stumbled upon her subconscious and rode it out of The Dreaming and into the real world. Wilson has done her research, and like us, she knows that in the Sandman saga, letting a dream leave their realm can lead to disaster in our own.
That seemed to be just the case as Ruin was freed from The Dreaming only t0 find himself alone with Lindy's baby, Anne. Having locked Lindy behind in her own subconscious, it seemed this nightmare needed to seek help elsewhere to fix his grave mistake. With issue #2 we got to see more of his personal backstory through the cleverly titled, "Ruin's Tale of Woe": revealing that he was Dream's own creation, an attempt at a new great nightmare, only instead of to end up exemplifying his name and causing ruin wherever he goes. It's like he himself is ruined, a nightmare who feels, who craves for love, who feels fear, and who ran from the confines of Dream's Box of Nightmares. Through this development, we also got to learn a little more about two other new characters, Jophiel and Heather, who are sure to be further developed as the series progresses.
So far Wilson has shown to be a very clever writer who excels at subtle humor, playful and unique exchanges between characters, shout outs to characters from other titles in the saga, and honest dialogue. And although these first couple issues have been fairly slow when it comes to story development and a bit aimless in actual achievable goals plot-wise, the background and set up that she's created for these characters feels like a strong foundation for a well built and intricate story. Wilson has also planted seeds for a lot of the main action yet to come: finding a way to stop Lindy's impending demise and entrapment in her own subconscious, the future of little baby Anne, Ruin being able to find the boy that drove him to escape in the first place, and Dream's hunt for both Ruin and the nightmare that helped assist in his betrayal.
It also helps that Nick Robles has an attention to detail, as well as unique and emotional depictions of characters, in his art that help emphasizes the character-driven plot Wilson is working from. In addition, Mat Lopes' colorwork adds an extra dimension which helps the characters stand apart from each other and stand out in the various s of the comic.
All of this, plus the intricate relationships that Wilson is building in her version of this world, seem to be amping up The Dreaming: The Waking Hours to be a fascinating one. Plus, for anyone who lives for a healthy debate on who was really behind the great works of William Shakespeare, they may just find themselves wanting to follow along in the action as Lindy herself might give us her say on the topic in coming issues.
Next: Arrowverse: 10 Pairings That Haven't Happened In The Shows (But Already Did In The Comics)
