Review - Lucy Dreaming #1 (@boomstudios)

"School is overrated!"

High school is different for everyone involved. Some people cruise on their popularity while others are less vocal because of their lack of popularity. The four years typically dictate the rest of your life though and for Lucy in Lucy Dreaming #1 from Boom Studios those four years are going to be a lot more jam-packed than expected. The issue is written by Max Bemis, illustrated by Michael Dialynas, lettered by Colin Bell.

In her dreams, Lucy is the hero of all her favorite stories, living each night as a grand adventure. These journeys will teach her more about herself and the real world around her than she ever expected!

Lucy is a character with dreams in her head that speak to an eye towards literature and Bemis uses that very well for positioning the story. The first half of the book is spent setting Lucy up as that character while the back-half of the book is spent setting up the premise of the series as a whole. Bemis does a great job of balancing the two objectives, successfully blending the former into the latter so that it all reads coherently and feels fluid. Lucy spends most of the issue narrating via an inner monologue, but Bemis doesn't let it become too obtrusive or overpower the reader with too much information. The crux of the story leans on the concept that her parents have secrets that will directly affect her in an abstract way and watching Bemis bring it all home should be entertaining.

The artistic approach by Dialynas is somewhat relaxed, but not so much so that the work suffers as a result of it. Dialynas uses very thick lines to render the characters and emphasize the facial expressions of the characters, most of which include Lucy reacting to something seemingly extraordinary happening. The pivot in the issue from school to dreams is actually handled effortlessly by Dialynas as he moves from classrooms and hallways to an intergalactic space fight. The panel layouts are staggered between pages with grids and others with insets and overlays. The colors throughout the issue also do a fantastic job of keeping up with the shift change, as Dialynas moves from softer, yellow hues in school to bolder, bluer hues in the space portion of the issue.

Lucy Dreaming #1 is an ambitious book that is mixing a couple of different themes. Lucy is an equally ambitious character who thinks very highly of herself, but might be in store for something of a reality check when it's all said and done. Bemis' script is slick and engaging, giving the reader plenty to grab onto. Dialynas emphasizes the story with very clean artwork that matches the sharp wit of the main character. Lucy Dreaming #1 is a lot of fun and it's worth checking out to see how things progress.

Lucy Dreaming #1 is available March 21.