By G. Willow Wilson
— As told by Jessica Daqamsseh
“We — with our mounting anxieties and screen time and caffeine and stress — are increasingly desperate to live in his world, he, in his own way, is dreaming of ours.”
Welcome to “The Dreaming,” a landscape of unimaginable wonder inhabited by Ruin, G. Willow Wilson’s newest character for The Sandman Universe.
“The Hugo,” “World Fantasy,” and American Book Award-winning author of novels and comics invites readers to dig deeper into the power struggle of good versus evil. Ruin holds a malevolent power, but yearns to do good. How can Ruin’s nightmare become more like our lived experience, and should he strive for that when mankind longs for the dreamworld?
Wilson is a force to be reckoned with and is changing the comic book industry.
“The Dreaming: Waking Hours #1” hits shelves May 5th, and is not Wilson’s first venture into pushing the traditional comic book character model. Wilson has a history of creating characters that readers can relate to on a more personal level.
Muslim Girl readers will no doubt re-call the debut of Ms. Marvel in 2014. Kamala Khan, a Pakistani-American, Muslim teenager form Jersey City, shattered any notions that diverse, relatable characters could not thrive in the comic book market. Arguably “one of the most important character debuts in comic book history,” the first issue of Ms. Marvel was re-printed six times due to high demand.
Khan’s quick jump to cultural relevance —from being featured in Marvel’s Avengers game to an upcoming Disney+ series — is a testament to G. Willow Wilson’s ability to transport readers into uncharted territories with relatable characters that simultaneously challenge the status quo while also bringing along a supposedly unexpected readership. Wilson is a force to be reckoned with and is changing the comic book industry.