“Hope is a Waking Dream”
Writer: J. Andrew Clark
Artist: Koeb
“Close to Near”
Writer: Jason Ritter
Artist: Emmanuel Junglander
“Living Nightmare”
Writer: Nick Thompson
Art: Cristian S. Aluas
“Strangers in the Night”
Writer: Thommy Melanson
Artist: Klaus & Wolfgang Schwandt
Publisher: Ronin Studios
Anyone compelled by its cover to pick up Somnia will certainly relish its contents. Ronin’s anthology of dreams and dreamlike episodes eloquently mimicks the hazy and surreal beauty of the subconscious with four short stories on the verge of reality. The unattributed cover image, a multimedia collage reminiscent of David Mack’s Alias jackets, suggests the interaction of waking life and dreams, and leads readers to question the boundaries between the two states of existence.
Clark and Koeb’s “Hope is a Waking Dream” makes an ideal leadoff tale, as a little girl is charged with the task of helping a dead man say goodbye to his loved ones. Koeb’s watercolors compliment both the playful innocence of the messenger and the mutable environment of dreams. Having the deceased speak in caption boxes tethered to his mouth is also an inspired device.
The second story, Ritter and Junglander’s “Close to Near,” is a significant departure in style though very similar in theme. Here, crisp halftone-plus-red art tells of a mysterious stranger helping a woman find her way home. The most powerful aspect of this story is the creators’ ability to evoke that sense only found in dreams that something is horribly wrong or blissfully right in circumstances that, when described in waking, sound entirely mundane.
The shortest piece of the book, “Living Nightmare,” is also the least engaging. A prisoner sits shivering in his cell, tormented by his own memories and petrified with fear that he may have killed everyone he loves. Given a bit more context for the character, the resolution could have been much more satisfying.
“Strangers in the Night” is Somnia’s greatest departure from type, as it stars a superhero tormented by love’s missed opportunities. Illustrated by Klaus and Wolfgang Schwandt in a more traditional comic book style, the Protector’s romance is both funny and charming. The Superman stand-in finds aid in wooing a frisky superheroine from the ghosts of the Rat Pack—rotting corpses of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis, Jr. It’s hard to go wrong with a premise like that.
There is a production flaw that causes all text to carry “jpeg legacy,” the pixilation caused by wear and tear on some image files, but even this manages to add to the uncertainty of the mind’s canvas (though how the text ended up in a JPG is anybody’s guess). Also, Ronin has chosen to name issues of this comic with subtitles rather than issue numbers, which works well in pinning down a theme but gives new readers a bit of a challenge sorting out which and how many volumes they might have missed. Still, a series of this nature may be better without linear numbering, as one can pick them up in any order and know perfectly well what’s going on. Dreams don’t progress in an orderly fashion, moving one way only; if Somnia mimics dreaming in all other regards, it seems unreasonable to expect the comic to work contrary to its nature to satisfy collectors.
Very strong anthology, here. Very strong. Those drawn to dreams and all the symbolism contained therein will meditate on each page of Somnia: Daydreams & Nightscapes.
What did you think of this book?
Have your say at the Line of Fire Forum!