The familiar scene of a family breakfast, complete with joking parents and teenage eye rolling.
Lucy of Lucy Dreaming #1 is your average, pink-haired teenage girl with goofball, mad scientist parents. She prefers the company of her books; reading at least four different titles before she goes to bed at night. Maybe she’s just a lonely outsider who is struggling with the all-too-relatable problem of feeling too much at once. It’s more than teenage angst.
For any adults reading Lucy Dreaming, it’s that distantly familiar reminder that high school emotions can be overwhelming. To a teenager, perhaps this will hit a little closer to home and feel like genuine understanding. Lucy gets it.
The Premise of Lucy Dreaming #1
While Lucy is reading and fantasizing about living in the pages of one of her books as a “powerful chick” who is able to handle any situation thrown at her, she makes a tiny little if only-style wish on the bus. In true comic form, Lucy is thrown into an alternate reality as she sleeps, bringing that old and familiar adage to fruition: “Be careful what you wish for, lest it come true.”
A pounding on the door later with a shout of “Mom! We need to talk!” and the adventure begins.
Lucy Is A Terrific Lead
While the book is a coming of age science fiction/fantasy, what draws me in the most is Lucy.
Overall, Lucy Dreaming #1 is a comic with a great protagonist. Lucy is believable as a real teenager which will appeal to both actual teenagers and avid readers that may be tired of classic character roles. Writer Max Bemis does an excellent job of poking fun at those other stereotypical types of characters. These characters aren’t over the top, but Max has created chuckle-worthy moments for fans of the genre. There are a few spots in the dialogue that potentially date the comic (I don’t know any teenagers who use the word “wack” anymore), but it’s more of a nitpicky thing than a criticism.
The Art
Artist Michael Dialynas is able to evoke excitement through his sense of movement. No panel is static. Even the quiet classroom scenes exhibit activity. He’s been able to capture Lucy’s isolation, confusion, revelation, fear, and anger with his use of color and character action. These aren’t small and subtle facial expressions. When Lucy feels, the reader can clearly see how strong her emotions can be. Contrasting the bright warm colors against those cool blues, greens, and greys in the fictional world amp up the sense of adventure.
Lucy is thrown right into the action, clearly caught off guard and confused.
Conclusion: Buy Lucy Dreaming
Lucy Dreaming is real. It’s easy to be thrown back into yesteryear and remember the awkwardness that goes along with muddling through high school. Many times I caught myself remembering my own weirdness from that age and smiling knowingly at the universal truths of teenagerhood. In all honesty, I was a lot like Lucy.
Any nerdy teenagers out there reading Lucy Dreaming may just find a character that they can connect with on a deeper level. I’m excited to see where Lucy’s dreams take us next.
