Reviews

Wanda is my favorite character from this series so far, I’m obsessed with her. Barbie is also fantastic. The worldbuilding is killer, specifically the face on the wall and the birds. Noting that some of the language around Wanda’s gender is certainly 30 years dated, though probably would have been considered much more progressive when released.

sonjahammer's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

erine's review against another edition

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4.0

Narnia, Oz, Wonderland... Stephen King, and The Thief of Always. This volume was full of references to and reminders of some of my favorite places, authors, and stories from childhood.

And the story overwhelmed the art for me this time.

2022: The second time around, I still enjoyed this episode that follows Barbara’s dreams. Her dreamland is in trouble and is making inroads into her reality. Her friend Wanda, a transgender woman, is pulled into helping her, as do her lesbian neighbors. The quiet neighbor who lives alone has unanticipated talents that she uses to fight Barbara’s adversaries and take the (menstruation capable) women to the dreamland. Wanda is left watching over Barbara’s sleeping body with a peeled face nailed to the wall (it’s gross). Trippy, adventure-y, emotional, this story features short-term friendships and the ghosts of our childhood.

dmaurath's review against another edition

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3.0

On the surface, this one feels like a convoluted and distracting spinoff but theres a lot going on here thats not immediately obvious. Gaiman makes you think there isnt subtlety here when he has characters talk directly about avoiding the stereotype of Barbie’s childhood trauma being the cause of her adult problems. But after reading the foreword I realized he says even more here about the treatment of minority groups with maybe too much subtlety and is still unfortunately relevant today.

kbeucler's review against another edition

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4.0

I went on a crazy Sandman kick this month. The new Netflix show Dead Boy Detectives (a Sandman spin off) came out and put me in the mood. In this volume Barbie, who first appears in A Doll’s House, must return to her dream land to fight the sinister Cuckoo who is destroying the kingdom Barbie created. This is a good one. Gaiman’s inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters is pretty revolutionary for the 1990s, though not everything aged well.

brightwatcher's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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