The Sandman: The Dream Hunters #3 cover

Previously in The Sandman: The Dream Hunters: Onmyogi, bound on killing the young monk in order to gain his strength, attempts to do so through dreams. Within each of these dreams the monk receives a different gift: a box, and then a key. In the third dream, he is supposed to open the box with the key, and upon doing so, will die. However, the fox, aware of Onmyogi’s plan, attempts to save the monk – sacrificing herself in the process.

Upon waking from the third dream unharmed, the monk finds the fox lying unconscious on the front steps of the temple. He leaves the temple to get help at the nearest village, but is stopped by Binzaru Harada disguised as an elderly man. He explains to the monk that he must return to the temple with the fox and sleep with a  token of the King of all Nights’ Dreaming for it is in dreams that the fox is trapped. With that, the monk returns to his temple, places the token – a slip of paper – beneath his head and falls asleep with the fox.

**Spoilers after the break**

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The Sandman: The Dream Hunters #2 Cover

Previously in Sandman: The Dream Hunters: At a small temple in a far off region of Japan, a fox and badger make a wager: whichever of them succeeds in driving the monk from the temple will keep the place as a home.  However, the monk is more cunning then he appears and sees past the animal’s trickeries.  And as time passes, the fox begins to fall in love with the young monk.

Some nights later, the fox overhears some demons talking about the young monk and her.  Their master has foretold that, come the next full moon, either she or the monk shall be dead.  Their master intends to kill the monk through dreams.  For three nights running, the monk shall have evil dreams.  During the first night, he shall dream of a box.  On the second, he shall dream of a black key.  And on the third night, he shall dream of unlocking the box with the key.  When he opens the box, he shall lose all connection to the world and die.

The next day, the fox takes her most prized possession and offers it to the sea asking for knowledge on how to save the monk’s life.  She has a dream that night where she speaks to a great black fox, which is actually Dream of the Endless.  He explains to her that if she loves him enough, and is willing to die for him, then that she should stop him from having the dreams.

**Spoilers after the break **

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Sorry for the wait, everyone!  College applications and magazine interviews can really get in the way.  Just today, I finally had the chance to read one of my favorite comics, Madame Xanadu, hope you enjoy!

Previously in Madame Xanadu: Fast-forward to France’s late 1700s.  Heirs to the throne are young Marie Antoinette and her husband Louis XVI.  Having befriended Nimue, now known as Le Madame de Xanadu, Marie Antoinette relies on Xanadu for her divinations.  Shortly after befriending Marie, Xanadu vows to never again interfere in matters of state, and leaves her court.  But before leaving, Xanadu warns Marie of the coming French Revolution.  Although saddened by her departure, Marie expresses her thanks, but pays no heed to her warnings: a vital mistake.

Upon leaving, Xanadu reunites with Phantom Stranger during the brink of the revolution. Stranger makes clear that nothing can be done to alter the fate of the monarchy.  Instead, he suggests that, perhaps, a time of peace and unity will come after times of hardships have passed – a time that will not come for another ten years.  With that, Stranger departs and leaves Xanadu alone again.

Freeing herself from the pain and guilt, Xanadu moves to Provence, in the southeastern part of France. But after finding out that the royal family have been arrested and tried for treason, Xanadu finds her guilt overwhelming.  Four years pass when Xanadu finally leaves the peaceful countryside for Paris.

With the help of her witchcraft, Xanadu makes her way through the chambers until she finds Marie, a woman strained of her youth after four years of torment.  Phantom Stranger soon reappears and explains to Xanadu that she should have paid heed to his words and not involved herself in these affairs.  Marie, unable to see Stranger, suspects Xanadu of necromancy and calls for the guards to take her away.  They attack her, take away all of her belongings and imprison her within the chambers.

**Spoilers after the break**

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52 #25 Cover

Last week in 52: The new JLA, consisting of a new Firestorm, Super-Chief, Bulleteer, Firehawk and Ambush Bug, contact Green Arrow and ask him to join their team, but with little luck.  When the team has to go up against an arsenal of villains from different time periods, they discover that evil Skeets is behind the time rift and fail to stop him.  Afterwards, the newfound team disbands.

J’onn J’onzz poses a government official in order to infiltrate Washington’s power structure and steer its players into abolishing Checkmate, all in honor of those superheroes who died in battle, most notably Ted Kord/Blue Beetle.  However, upon abolishing Checkmate, it gets recertified as a U.N. Agency.

At the Great Wall of China, the Black Marvel Family speak with The Great Ten about maintaining peace in the world, but with the Chinese super-team baffled by Black Adam’s change of heart, a growing conflict begins to develop

Amanda Waller asks Atom Smasher to recruit a group of allies in order to soil the Black Marvel Family’s name.

**Spoilers after the break**

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Green Lantern Corps #30 Cover

Previously in Green Lantern Corps: Newlyweds Kered and Miri leave for their honeymoon, until their ship is attacked.  Sinestro Corps Mongul kills Kered while Miri is left for dead.  Two days later, her final moments loom near and she decides to commit suicide in order for her to be with her dead husband.  However, the Zamarons implore she do otherwise and become a recruit of the Star Sapphire Corps.  Although having little to live for, she agrees to their terms because of her intense amounts of love.  She, in turn, becomes a Star Sapphire and vows to fight hate and fear with the power of love.

Meanwhile on Oa, Ice visits her beau Guy Gardner but the two get into an argument over moving in together.  She soon leaves for Earth, incapable of sharing a deep commitment with someone when there is unfinished business to take care of.

In Space Sector 1114, a group of Green Lantern’s – Kyle Rayner, Matoo, Amnee, KT21 and Natu – look for Kryb, a member of the Sinestro Corps who kills Green Lantern families and steals their children.

**Spoilers after the break**

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52 Week 24 Cover

Last week in 52: Intergang takes William Magnus to Oolong Island where all of the missing mad scientists are being confined. Here, he runs into T.O. Morrow who explains to him that that they were sent to the island to help Intergang succeed in their world plans and create the Apokolips.

Meanwhile, Renee Montoya and Charlie find Isis’s younger brother Amon at Intergang’s secret HQs in Yemen. They, along with Isis and Black Adam, destroy the HQ and save Amon. Having been severely tortured and permanently crippled, Black Adam gives him a bit of his power transforming Amon into Osiris, healing his wounds in the process and giving him superpowers. With Isis reunited with her brother, the three decide to bring peace to the world one step at a time.

**Spoilers after the break**

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Green Lantern Corps #29 Cover

Having previously read a bit of Green Lantern (specifically Green Lantern: Rebirth, a bit of Sinestro Corps War and most recently Final Crisis: Rage of the Red Lanterns) I decided to catch up with the Corps by starting with issue #29, part one of Sins of the Star Sapphire.

Peter Tomasi’s series serves as a perfect compliment to the Green Lantern proper, and is arguably better than the latter.  Combined with Patrick Gleason’s expressive artwork, Green Lantern Corps is a must read for any Green Lantern reader, and #29 is a perfect place to start.

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52 Week 23 Cover

Last week in 52: Lex thinks that Supernova’s true identity is Superman; he makes clear that he wants to become a superhero to rival him.  However, after given a blood test he realizes that he is incompatible for the metagene therapy.

Meanwhile, Jon Standing Bear visits Metropolis to attend his father’s funeral.  Afterwards, his grandfather tells Jon of his obligation to follow family tradition and become the new Super-Chief.

On the fifth day of Week 22, Lex Luthor celebrates the grand opening of his Business School. Steel makes an appearance at the opening ceremony, intending to speak with Luthor about his niece and his own newfound powers, but another man who took part in the metagene therapy beats him to it.  After the man is taken away, Steel sympathizes with him.

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Madame Xanadu #5 Cover

Previously in Madame Xanadu:

After saving Kublai Khan’s favored consort from assassins, Marco Polo and Nimue are awarded for their bravery. Marco Polo accepts an emerald lantern from the Khan’s grand chest, a descendent of the Green Lantern lamps. Upon receiving the artifact, Phantom Stranger escapes the prison. He reunites with Nimue and they share an emotional moment together, until Khan’s guards find him. Aware that she is now as much a criminal, Nimue and Phantom Stranger flee to the outskirts of town. However, as an agent of fate, Phantom Stranger abandons Nimue in the desert to fend for herself.

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The Sandman: The Dream Hunters #1 Cover

It’s a surprise that the original The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano) has been around for ten years now – time passes and this prose begins to build up dust as each year seems to float by, although you’d never know it. The Dream Hunters is another example of Gaiman’s fine work in storytelling. One of which never ages, but instead stares back at the reader with a wistful smile, looking to be broken into and enjoyed again and again. As though the writing itself is lost in time and the reader’s imagination is all that can ignite thoughts and feelings.

Ten years later, those thoughts and feeling have been ignited once more, this time in the form of a comic drawn by P. Craig Russell. Anyone unfamiliar with Russell ought to know that he loves adapting prose into comics. As Gaiman puts it, “His opera comics and his [Joseph Rudyard] Kipling and [Oscar] Wilde adaptations are remarkable and fine”. Russell’s sense of design and flow, are key. The way that he keeps his opposing lines dynamic, not forming symmetries, while keeping his lines fine and nuanced allows him to suggest the volume of the figure with shape alone (note the wave-like curves in his lines). The cartoony elements give his characters warmth and life, and his backgrounds are ornate without being over-rendered. This balance of halves remains the pinnacle of Russell’s art, establishing him to be one of the most admired and original artists today.

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