Review - The Dreaming #12: Powers Unleashed

The Dreaming #12 – Simon Spurrier, Writer; Bilquis Evely, Artist; Mat Lopes, Colorist

Ratings:

Ray – 8.5/10

Ray: The first year of Simon Spurrier and Bilquis Evely’s epic reinvention of the Sandman mythos concludes with a bang in The Dreaming #12, as several major players make their moves and the world of the Dreaming takes a dark turn.

With Daniel missing, a mysterious new child-like God has taken control in the wake of the chaos caused by Judge Gallows. With a newly ascendent Abel as the caretaker of this odd being, he does his best to guide the nascent godling to do the right thing – but the being has a temper, and its temper has horrible consequences. Meanwhile, Dora and Lucien are on the hunt to find Daniel and have discovered a twisted tale of love lost and sacrifices made – but there may be deadly consequences for one of the searchers. As the issue opens, a horde of Elder Gods and demons descend on the Dreaming, seeking their piece of the pie. Abel is able to banish most of the demons, but when one Elder God gets through and confronts the new Godling directly, we get a disturbing display of just how powerful they are.

Meanwhile, Lucien is at the brink of death after an unexplained encounter with Daniel, and the current lord of the Dreaming’s absence is all the more conspicuous – he’s nowhere to be seen, but his presence is everywhere. Dora has been a wild card since the start of the series, and we finally see her fully unleash her full form when confronted with the being that’s replaced Daniel.

Bilquis Evely’s visuals in this series are equally gorgeous and horrifying, as she manages to capture truly otherworldly beings. But the end of The Dreaming #12 features not one but two bombs, as the search for Daniel is massively complicated and we’re introduced to a major new player who has nefarious plans for the entire Dreaming. This is a wild, deeply cosmic series that manages to deftly combine metaphysical storytelling with cold-blooded horror, and the addition of the new Lord of the Dreaming promises to continue evolving in unexpected ways.