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Sandman: A Game of You (Vertigo, 1989; #32-37)

  • This arc follows a woman named Barbara and her friends—real and imagined—as a character from her dreams shows up in the real world to give her a present that bring her back to her own dream world.
  • Once she has returned to her dream, she’s tasked with saving the world from the Cuckoo who seeks its destruction.
  • Barbara’s friends and neighbors anchor the book, with her friend Wanda providing most of its emotional resonance.
  • The only possible issue I can see with “A Game of You” is that Wanda’s ultimate fate feels like a trope in 2017.
  • Gaiman leaves Morpheus on the sidelines for the majority of this arc, absent from entire issues; it’s an effective way to show the scope, scale, and power of The Dreaming, even without his direct influence.
  • Sandman has a reputation for strong art, and this arc is no exception.

Collected in

  • Sandman, Vol. 5: A Game of You (#32-37)
  • Absolute Sandman, Vol. 2 (#21-39)
  • The Annotated Sandman, Vol. 2 (#21-39)
  • Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 1 (#1-37)

Credits

Writer: Neil Gaiman | Artists: Shawn McManus, Colleen Doran, Bryan Talbot, George Pratt, Stan Woch, Dick Giordano | Letterer: Todd Klein | Colorist: Danny Vozzo | Covers: Dave McKean

Rat Queens: High Fantasies (Image Comics, 2017; #1-5)

Ms. Marvel: Super Famous (Marvel Comics, 2015; #1-6)