The Dream Merchant #1

Written by Nathan Edmondson
Art by Konstantin Novosadov

In the years after Neil Gaiman's Sandman ended, it felt like dreams were off-limits in comics, but that has changed with Nathan Edmondson's new series, The Dream Merchant.

It tells the story of Wilson, a young man who has been institutionalized for his stubborn insistence that he has been having the same recurring dream his entire life, and that it has led him to obsession.  When the series opens, he is in a hospital, where he has lived since early teenage-hood.  A new doctor tries regressive therapy, and under hypnosis, Wilson travels to the same dreamscape that he always goes to, only this time, there are other entities there.

They come looking for him at the hospital, and he has to make his escape with his friend Anne.  A mysterious figure aids him, and soon they are on the road, trying to stay ahead of his pursuers.

This extra-length issue is mostly concerned with setting up Winslow's story, but at the same time, it doesn't give us a lot of information to work with.  Konstantin Novosadov's art works well here - he uses a lot of wide panels, and keeps the story moving at a good pace.  This is not the typical Nathan Edmondson comic (i.e, it's not a military or spy-based book), and I like seeing him try out new things.  I'm definitely intrigued by the story, and the revelation of just what it is that Winslow's been dreaming about all this time.  This book could go somewhere.