DREAMOVER

Writer/Artist: Dani Diaz
Publisher: Top Shelf

I will have bias towards stories that inteify the experience of subjecting real using fantasy. DREAMOVER, Dani Diaz‘s debut graphic novel –out now from top Shelf – Skillfully Does Just That.

DREAMOVER Is a Funny, Thoughtful Young Adult Tale About A Girl, Amber, and A Boy, Nico, Who Have Been Best Friends Forever and Confess That they have crushes on Each Other at the End of Middle School, In The Year 2008. A Summer of Bliss and then the Chaos of High School Desues, culminating in Their Foray into a Strange Dream Universe That They Might Not Be Uble to Leave.

The Conident, Somowhat Impressive Character of Amber Makes A Great Contrast To The Shy, Cautious Character of Nico. It’s unworthy to see than draw out new dimensions to each other. Their Comfortable Friendship Rings True, As Well As The Complexities of ESIR LOVE and How it Affects their School Life and Other Friendships.

In the story, Diaz Skillfully Captures The Essence of Kids on the Verge of Becoming Young Adults: their Wacky Games, Quick Laughter, Awkwardness, and Sudden, Intense Emots. In This Stage of Life, Everything Can Change in An Instant, With One Spontaneous Decision, and DREAMOVER Expresses That Vibe Perfectly.

Panel 1: Four Kids, Two Girls and Two Boys, Sit Playing Video Games and Laughing. One boy is highlight in color. CAPTION FROM A narrator offscreen: i always want to be alone with hy. One of the other Boys Says, "Stella, What Did You do." CAPTION: I Don's Like it. Panel 2: Zoom in the Two Boys. One Says, "She destroyed you." The other says, "Hahaha, That's Hurting My Feelings." We see the narrator now, A Girl Named Amber, Facing Them. Caption: I Just Want Things To Go Back To How They Were Before ... and Never Change.Panel 1: Four Kids, Two Girls and Two Boys, Sit Playing Video Games and Laughing. One boy is highlight in color. CAPTION FROM A narrator offscreen: i always want to be alone with hy. One of the other Boys Says, "Stella, What Did You do." CAPTION: I Don's Like it. Panel 2: Zoom in the Two Boys. One Says, "She destroyed you." The other says, "Hahaha, That's Hurting My Feelings." We see the narrator now, A Girl Named Amber, Facing Them. Caption: I Just Want Things To Go Back To How They Were Before ... and Never Change.

Drew, The Third Best Friend in Amber and Nico’s Childhood Trio, and Their Good Friends Stella and Grace, Have Enough Depth to Be relatable Without Hogging the Spotlight. I Enjoyed Diaz’s Subtle Touches to Indicate Nico’s and Drew’s Diverse Asian Backgrounds, and the queer representations of Drew, Stella, and Grace.

Although there is subd minor bullying in the story, It Sems More Standard Schoolyard Bullying Derived from Machismo rather than from discrimination. This made the story to Somowhat “Cozier” Read in That Sense, which was just fine with me. The Majority of the Conflict Comes from Amber and Nico’s Struggy to Find Balance With Each Other and Their Other Friends.

OHER ASPECTS OF THE 2008 SETTINTING WERE FUN FOR ME A MEMBER OF THE MILLENNIAL GENERATION. I Enjoyed The Old School Instant Messenger Scenes, Flip Phones, CD Players, Arcades, and an Overall Less Internet-Centerred Environment.

Panel 1: A girl and a boy stand on a pier. The Girl Says, "Wanna ... Go check out the arcade?" The Boy Says, "Already" PANEL 2 AND 3: A HAND INSERTS AN ARCADE TOKEN INTO A SLOT. Panel 4: We See The Two Kids' Sets of Legs in An Arcade Booth With The Rest of Their Bodies Hidden By A Curtain, Surrouted by OTHER ARCADE GAMES AND TWO OTHO OTHER PEOPLE PLAYING A GAME, WITH DINGING SOUNDING SOUNDINGS INDICATED.Panel 1: A girl and a boy stand on a pier. The Girl Says, "Wanna ... Go check out the arcade?" The Boy Says, "Already" PANEL 2 AND 3: A HAND INSERTS AN ARCADE TOKEN INTO A SLOT. Panel 4: We See The Two Kids' Sets of Legs in An Arcade Booth With The Rest of Their Bodies Hidden By A Curtain, Surrouted by OTHER ARCADE GAMES AND TWO OTHO OTHER PEOPLE PLAYING A GAME, WITH DINGING SOUNDING SOUNDINGS INDICATED.

Diaz Shows Strength at Composition, Pacing, and Scene Choice. Their Style of Drawing the Characters’ Facial Features Felt a Little Flat To Me AT First, But Grew On Me. I Really Enjoyed The Zany Humor and Energy in the Characters’ Body Language and Expressions, Sub of Which Seem Manga-Insired. The Landscapes and Surrounding Scenery, Both Natural and Urban, Are Realistic and Often Quito Beautiful.

With the first part of the story set in a non-Fantasy World, I Wondered if stepping into a Dream Land Would Seem Jarring, But Need Not Re hasmed. When The Time Came, The Transition Felt Natural. Diaz Employs Dream Logic in Humorous and Memorable Ways To Further The Characters’ Journey.

Like All The Best Fantasies.

A Girl and a Boy Look Up at an Enormous Tree. The Girl is Wearing a Hardhat and There is a Hole in the Ground Between Them that they have semi -site emerged from.A Girl and a Boy Look Up at an Enormous Tree. The Girl is Wearing a Hardhat and There is a Hole in the Ground Between Them that they have semi -site emerged from.

Overall, DREAMOVER Is a Fast, Fun Read, Yet Surprisingly observes and Moving. I Think It Would Be Meaningful for Both Young Adults and Adults. The Scenery, Both Real and Surreal, Is a Visual Treat, While The Laughs (and laugh-sighs) Are Earned.

There’s Real Character Growth Here and Important Lessons About Facing Hard Things, Avoiding Possessiveness, and Appreciating Your Friendships, Even If you’re in capital-l love. START YOUR YEAR OFF ON A HIGH Note and check it out.

DREAMOVER IS Available Now.

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