Fund Me Friday: In Our Dreams Awake
With issue #3 coming soon.
Issue #3 of In Our Dreams Awake from John McGuire is coming soon, and I had the chance to look at the previous issues, along with the third issue of this four-issue mini series.
Coming to Kickstarter on October 8th, the third issue of a dream comic book miniseries from John McGuire (The Crossing), Edgar Salazar (X-Men Blue), Egg Embry (Knights of the Dinner Table), and Rolands Kalniņš (Coins of Judas): In Our Dreams Awake #3.
World-building is always tough, and in this story, the job of world-building is double, with two different, linked worlds and separate but linked adventures.
First up, there is magic and mythology. In this world, technology is banned, but the arrival in front of the rebellious painter causes no end to the problems. This is an excellent part of the story, with the power struggles and the relationships around this banning being well told. There are some excellent ideas with magic and other effects, and I love how this part of the story is not only told but also shown. Renaissance-style art with castles, farms and magic, this part of the story is perfect for the story's storytelling style. This Jason is an excellent character, he has his art and his wife, but there are also hints of those who came before him, and the cross between science and magic in this part. There is some good action too - not too fast paced (that comes later), but the magic is well shown and works in the first issue as a good introduction to get you in.
As the magic part of the story comes to an end in the third issue (before the final act), we see his dreams and his losses —this makes a great cliffhanger for what is to come in the final issue.
In the cyberpunk part of the story, we get a massive tonal shift, with dark, grotty scenes, aliens, and different politics to deal with. There is also a tonal shift in the language. This is well thought-out and adds to the world Jason finds himself in.
I love the differing art styles, and the cyberpunk world clashes nicely with the magic world. What is real, we don’t know, but there are plans and those who are opposed to these plans for different reasons. There are some good moments, and the distrust of those who are different or think differently is well shown.
This is an excellent, experimental series with well-thought-out characters, planned art, and colouring. This is a series to jump on now, read through and prepare the final issue. Issue #3 of 4 is coming soon to Kickstarter!
In the first issue:
Jason Byron wakes up as a painter in a land ruled by magic and magi lords. An artist in a world at war with technology, he rebelled by using a banned telescope. What he sees changes everything.
Jason Byron wakes up as a cyberpunk gang lord in Drowned London. An alien violating his turf means violence. Jason has to stand his ground, yet hide who the trespasser is to him from his gang and his rivals.
In the second issue:
Jason Byron wakes up as a fantasy painter. A spaceship crashes, and he’s ordered to document the site but forget what he’s seen. What happens when no spell can erase this forbidden knowledge from Jason’s mind?
Jason Byron wakes up as a cyberpunk gang lord. He’s in the middle of a war, but he’s been summoned to parley with cats. What happens when Jason refuses to stop fighting?
In this issue:
Jason Byron wakes up as a fantasy painter. Jason and his wife Laura must face the consequences of their defiance of the magi laws. In the aftermath, Jason reaches out to his one-time friend to perform one more magical ritual for him.
Jason Byron wakes up as a cyberpunk gang lord. Finding himself in the hospital, as much a prisoner as a patient. But his final plan to escape the planet with his love is still in motion… if one of his enemies doesn’t finish him first.
For Jason Byron, what’s real? Which life is his existence? Which life is his dream?
In Our Dreams Awake #3 features 24 pages of story plus 2 covers by Jose Garcia and Rolands Kalniņš. This dreampunk, cyberpunk, and fantasy tale is inspired by Neil Gaiman's Sandman, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Inception, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Dreamscape, What Dreams May Come, Dream Within a Dream, Black Mirror: “San Junipero,” The Sopranos: “Funhouse,” Deckard's dream in Blade Runner, and the hopes of everyone lost in a fantasy trying to find the hidden meaning. We’re asking you to support our dream of printing this complete comic.
Before you back us, check out what reviewers are saying about IN OUR DREAMS AWAKE:
“I’m gonna tell you that [In Our Dreams Awake #1] is a very positive case of ‘what the hell did I just read?’” - Paul
“Switching to the second section was very jarring, but within the context of the full issue was done well. Splicing two very different comics in everything from style, colour, tone, and writing to create this weird chimera was a big gamble which I think pays off.” - Adam Brown
"...there are some great scenes as Jason, looking like a cross between Grant Morrison and John Constantine, has a punch up with a Fish Man. In multiple panels across a two page splash we follow the fists and head butts." - @ Daredevils & Warriors for issue 1
“If you are a fan of Transmetropolitan or Halo Jones then you will enjoy the world-building, the visions of futuristic dystopia and the blurring of lines between reality and dreams." - @ Daredevils & Warriors for issue 2
"In the Taoist tradition of the Zhuangzi - in which a man wakes from a dream in which he was a butterfly with no knowledge of being human; a dream so vivid that he is uncertain if he is a man dreaming he is a butterfly or a butterfly dreaming he is a man - Jason Byron is a mystery to himself." - Zak Webber @ Sci-Fi Comic Nexus
"The book is a blend of multiple genres and art styles, all tied together by the broader themes of love and questioning reality. The story of In Our Dreams Awake follows Jason Byron, a man who falls asleep in one world and awakens in another, and neither world is an exact parallel of the 'real world'." - Blake Worrell @ The Splintering
"The highlight of this issue is its central premise. McGuire and Embry write different stories that feel similar but would stand equally well separate from each other. The two writers find a balance between copying the same plot and telling stories so different that no connection is apparent. The balance is struck well enough that you can see enough similarities to perceive a vague connection without too much overlap. That may sound weird, but it will make more sense once you read the issue." -
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