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A review by faeriekit
Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story by Nicole Maines
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Recommend this to your friend group. Recommend this to your discord chat. Recommend this on your blog. Recommend this to anyone you know.
It's a great start to a coming-of-age story and a great opening to a new world of characters, settings, and concepts that might be somewhere else in the DCU but are new to me at the very least. The art is a perfect blend of traditional comics art (which I can sometimes find annoying) and something smooth and polished that I might expect from a graphic novel. It's a touch rougher in style than Gabriel Picolo's art, if I was going to make a comparison, and honestly, it's SO much better for it. It makes the setting more real. The ink and the weight add to the murkiness of a half-dream, half-real story.
There's something powerful about a trans story that doesn't immediately start off with the transition. It's not about discovering a trans identity, it's about BEING trans. It's about finding your community in a new queer space and about making sense of who you're becoming and all the other complicated parts of being a teenager, and, just as importantly, it's about being an alien. Literally. There are literal alien identities happening on top of this.
Uh...something something I'm very glad I read this. I finished this book about half an hour ago, washed out my mug, and immediately came her to make sure I told everyone how much I liked it. I often find the comics industry alienating and grating, and I find comic fans to be anywhere from decent and normal to the most frustrating people on earth to interact with, but I think DC has a quiet little renaissance of graphic novels going on at the moment, and Bad Dream is a great addition to a wonderful collection. Pick it up as soon as you're willing.
Now all I have to do is see when Barda is going to hit the hold shelf at the library...
It's a great start to a coming-of-age story and a great opening to a new world of characters, settings, and concepts that might be somewhere else in the DCU but are new to me at the very least. The art is a perfect blend of traditional comics art (which I can sometimes find annoying) and something smooth and polished that I might expect from a graphic novel. It's a touch rougher in style than Gabriel Picolo's art, if I was going to make a comparison, and honestly, it's SO much better for it. It makes the setting more real. The ink and the weight add to the murkiness of a half-dream, half-real story.
There's something powerful about a trans story that doesn't immediately start off with the transition. It's not about discovering a trans identity, it's about BEING trans. It's about finding your community in a new queer space and about making sense of who you're becoming and all the other complicated parts of being a teenager, and, just as importantly, it's about being an alien. Literally. There are literal alien identities happening on top of this.
Uh...something something I'm very glad I read this. I finished this book about half an hour ago, washed out my mug, and immediately came her to make sure I told everyone how much I liked it. I often find the comics industry alienating and grating, and I find comic fans to be anywhere from decent and normal to the most frustrating people on earth to interact with, but I think DC has a quiet little renaissance of graphic novels going on at the moment, and Bad Dream is a great addition to a wonderful collection. Pick it up as soon as you're willing.
Now all I have to do is see when Barda is going to hit the hold shelf at the library...
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Blood and Xenophobia
Realistic transphobia without being too triggering. If you're on the younger side, it might be uncomfortably relatable. There's some shots of blood, but none from any of the fights.