Kireth

Dream is one of the Endless. Picking up after he regained his home and power in the first volume, Gaiman dives deeper into the creepy gothic horror angle as we follow the seemingly-normal Rose, who is in fact a dream vortex, find an unknown grandmother and search for her long-lost younger brother. This was honestly the least intriguing part for me, with the many characters occupying her “doll's house” not being developed enough for me to be interested in them. However, I love how layered the story was, with a larger doll's house being seen from Desire's perspective (hearts pop up a lot in this graphic novel!), dreams themselves being structured as doll's houses, and whether the Endless are puppets of mortals or vice versa. The plot varied in personal interest, with the best issues being the oral tale from the ancient tribe in the prologue, the surprisingly profound century-woven interlude Men of Good Fortune, and the shiver-inducing Cereal Convention in later parts. Despite how trippy everything could be (art was amazing and sometimes flipped 90 degrees), I appreciated Gaiman retaining some structure through Sandman tracing his four missing servants Brute, Glob, Corinthian and Fiddler's Green. Also, loved that Edgar Allan Poe inspired raven/ dude Matthew.

Wow, first experience with Image comics and I loved it - there were so many ways Monstress stood out to me in the graphic novel medium. Firstly, you get dropped into the middle of this rich pseudo-steampunk/ fantasy land, full of power struggles and tensions that feel reminiscent of conflicts like WWII and the Cold War. The worldbuilding was immense but gave you just enough context to carry you through the journey of Maika Halfwolf, with flashbacks and a strong antagonistic group. Secondly, the art was gorgeous, with slanted lines between panels and a remarkable sense of pace and scale that adds to the sense of danger. Thirdly, whilst the characters were the weakest points they are highly fascinating both visually and in their slowly-revealed backstories. Oh, and how refreshing was an all-female cast, writing team and perspective? Am keen to continue this heavy story.

Sparse in its prose, unrelenting in its personal depth. No quotation marks was initially frustrating but quickly lent itself to a smooth reading process. Years pass as each chapter announces a shift in weeks and months, and readers are carried through the thoughts of our two leads and many of the romance-related events in their lives.

I found myself deeply moved by passages, with lines and moments touching my own personal experiences, even though a large portion of the novel remains faded and toneless. The settings, background people and even the way the characters themselves look aren't Rooney's concern. Instead, she covers facets of being in a deep relationship - social signals, the intermingling and sometimes indistinguishableness between submission and vulnerability, growth, change, worthiness, darkness, care, obliviousness and confusion.

I was taken aback by the starkness in the depiction of more adult subjects, but it was fitting for the book's visually unvaried language. The inner dialogue reveals potent ties to mental health from broken homes and single mothers, depression, anxiety, and self-worth. This is all intermingled with discussions on class, 2010s youth social media and typical European university student experiences such as dinners, parties and exchanges.

A personally profound read and one where I became rapidly attached to these two characters circling each other throughout their changing adolescent lives.

Fatherhood is hard. Mistakes are made, a lot more happens in a few days with cross-planetary communication as the writers likely realise they need to start tying up ends, and innocently kind kids get punished by the harsh world.

I have no idea what happens next and that makes me glad.

A sweeping epic across the stars of the DC Universe that finally concludes this DCeased saga. Somehow, despite all the death, hope remains a core tenant of this series, and meaningful sacrifices stand out amidst the ingeniously captured short character interactions and insane power combinations on display. Like a child's sandbox of superhero and villain action figures, yet against a backdrop of bloody, dread-inducing darkness and with the elevated storytelling of an adult who has been through too much. A surprising gem in the DC canon that does justice to all, especially the super and bat-families.