Written by Eric Shanower
Art by Gabriel Rodriguez
Published by IDW Publishing
When I was a kid I religiously watched an animated film called Little Nemo. It was about a boy that was brought into a dream world called Slumberland via a nightmare he was having. This was the beginning of an adventure that took me to every end of my emotional spectrum. It was fun, terrifying, sad, happy, and other emotions I probably didn’t know existed at the time. I fell in love with that story. When IDW announced this title last year to say I was excited was a total understatement. Within the first few pages of issue #1, I was sucked right back in. This time around our hero-to-be isn’t Nemo exactly. James Nemo Summerton has been brought to Slumberland by Bon Bon to be the Princess’s new playmate. The resident trickster of Slumerland, Flip, has other plans for Nemo though. After hijacking the Princess’s playdate, Flip and Nemo head towards the Tessellated Tower, a structure that not even M.C. Escher could dream of. (Pun intended)
This issue is IT…the one I’ve been waiting for! Finally Nemo and Flip get into a bit of hijinks. Getting to Slumberland was a terrific adventure, but this is the stuff that made me fall in love with this world to begin with. While Flip is viewed as an enemy to Slumberland, it wouldn’t be the same place without him. Eric Shanower has captured this aspect of Slumberland PERFECTLY. I’m interested to see how exactly he’s going to darken the story up, because I can’t help but feel like will come sooner than we think. I’m not familiar with Eric’s work on Oz, but if this book is any indication, his entire catalogue is worth checking out.
What can be said about Gabriel Rodriguez’s work that hasn’t been said after his work on Locke & Key? Well, let’s give it a shot. As much as he had the chance to flex his creative muscle on L&K, Rodriguez is in true form when crafting the wonderful world of Slumberland. This is a place that is literally only limited by one’s imagination and he’s captured it beautifully. I’ve been watching his Twitter feed for months while he’s crafted this world piece by piece and the payoff has surpassed my every expectation. Not to sound cliché but Rodriguez has found his calling as an artist. This was the book he was MEANT to draw and I will continue to love it as long as he’s involved with it.
You should be reading this series. If you’re an adult or kid, everyone can find something to love in this wonderful world that Rodriguez and Shanower have crafted together. These two have brought me back to a place I loved a long time ago and have done so in a manner that feels like I never left. When my daughter is old enough this is the type of series I hope to introduce her to in hopes she’ll find as much enjoyment from it as I have. These are the types of stories that won’t only spark a new generation of comic book readers, but they will also spark a new wave of ideas spawned from the imaginations of those lucky enough to have visited the magical world of Slumberland.
5 out of 5 nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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