Dream Merchant #1 (of 6)

It seems that over the last couple of years, nearly every comic that Image Comic's has released has been met with wide-spread appraise and, more importantly for Image, excellent sales. With books like Saga, Jupiter’s Legacy and East of West getting snatched up before they even make it to the shelves, Image has been a collector’s dream. This week’s big release from Image hope’s to continue the success founded by its predecessors and if The Dream Merchant’s double-stuffed debut issue is an indicator, then it is on the right path towards another Image Comic’s knock-out.

Ever since he was a boy, Winslow has been suffering from re-occurring dreams. Overtime the dreams have begun to worsen, becoming more frequent and causing poor Winslow to lose his grip on reality. Now in his twenties, Winslow finds himself locked away in an asylum hoping to get a good night sleep. But one night, under hypnosis, Winslow find’s that he is no longer alone in his dream land. Now on the run with Anne, his cute lunch lady, the two hope to stay one step ahead of the dark shrouded figures that have leapt from his dreams and are chasing him all over reality. Luck for them, their apparent guardian angel, an ancient being known as a Dream Merchant can help Winslow unlock his true potential and hopefully, save the world.

Writer Nathan Edmondson has crafted the beginnings of an excellent sci-fi yarn, one beaming with originality and savvy. Edmondson delves deep into Winslow’s psyche, giving the reader a reluctant hero who only want’s one thing; a good night sleep. By showcasing Winslow’s fractured mind and the dangers of insomnia, Winslow necessitates his reader’s empathies. After all, how many of us have had a bad night sleep and the awful day that follows? Now, imagine that for your entire life. Even the ancillary characters, such as Anne, are given just the right amount of dialogue to make you care. It shows the power one line can give to an image to change the reader’s perspective, giving them an attachment to the story that could have easily been missed.

What’s even more impressive than Edmondson’s fully fleshed characters is the world that he has placed them in, or at least, the perceived reality of it. Never knowing what’s real or fake, the reader can only trust what he sees and thanks to Konstantin Novosadov's art, we are left constantly guessing. The panel’s that are seemingly footed in reality are stark and grey, almost foreign. Whereas Winslow’s dream world is coloured with warming reds, making the dream far more inviting than the reality. With excellent line work and expert colouring skills, Novosadov is one artist who will be going far in comics, that's for sure.

Thanks to great characters, an even better premise and expertly crafted art, The Dream Merchant is well on its way to becoming another in Image’s long line of hits. This special double, debut issue is packed with 52 pages of dream hopping excitement and a must have for sci-fi fans. This is one time where the reader definitely has to go deeper.

The Dream Merchant #1 (of 6)

Writer: Nathan Edmondson

Art: Konstantin Novosadov

Publisher: Image Comics