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What are your expectations for Nathan Edmonson’s new series? Check out our thoughts here!!
The Dream Merchant
Story by: Nathan Edmondson
Art By: Konstantin Novosadov
Synopsis: Winslow is a patient at a psychiatric hospital who is haunted by mysterious dreams. His world is turned upside down when he becomes hunted by mysterious beings, and he can no longer discern his dreams from reality.
Good: This story’s appeal lies in its mysteries. The first issue introduces us to Winslow, a man with a broken childhood that was committed to a psychiatric hospital due to suffering from reoccurring nightmares. Aside from a brief description of his past, there is not much backstory told about him in this issue. The book dives right into the first adventure when Winslow and his companions are attacked by some dark shadowy figures (very reminiscent of the “9” for the Lord of the Rings fans). The most intriguing character I found was the man who comes to Winslow’s aid. The Dream Merchant is an old feeble looking traveler who seems to have all of the answers to Winslow’s woes that the doctors could not fix. The lack of information given about the characters in this inaugural book creates a lot of hook for what’s to come. This first issue created a lot of intrigue, although it didn’t answer many questions.
The artwork in this book has a classic cartoon feel. It has very little detail but has a simplistic charm to it. The colours are solid, with little shading. Novosadov made effective use of colour to separate the story arcs between The Dream Merchant and Winslow, and again when he merged their paths later in the issue. The art throughout is basic and nothing groundbreaking but it doesn’t hold the book back featuring some interesting panels while Winslow falls through his dreams. I would say overall the art isn’t a plus for the book, but it isn’t a minus either.
Bad: While the story is intriguing, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. This book has the classic psych hospital patient that isn’t really crazy with ghost like creatures haunting said patient and the mysterious old man trying to save him in time. The story so far has felt very generic, and very derivative of old stories. While reading it, I didn’t feel any “wow” factor to keep me tied to it. I hope future issue will have more original material to keep it interesting, because so far the only hook to it is the lack of information presented about the characters.
Overall: This title didn’t re-invent the wheel, but with that being said, it is a solid addition to Images roster. The book has concrete storytelling with a good hook, and artwork that fulfills some nostalgia.
Grade: 3.2/5
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