So I cried while reading the last pages of this graphic novel. Wanda and Barbie. Sigh. I don’t even know what to say.
“A game of You” follows Barbie who is doing whatever she can to not go to sleep. And we see the way the world gets wrecked when she does and the fallout for the women who live in the building with her (Foxglove and Hazel) a witch (Thessaly) and her best friend Wanda. This graphic novel really does not focus too much on Morpheus, he seems a bit player in a wider story being told here.
Readers will recall Barbie from “The Doll’s House” and now we find her pretty much living in a almost broken down apartment building. Barbie has not slept since the events from that volume and she and Wanda just love each other which was great to see. When Martin Tenbones who Barbie dreamed of before somehow enters into the real world he gives her the Porpentine. Shortly after he is killed by the police. And then Barbie sleeps, and havoc ensues.
Barbie’s story was definitely one of childhood. And how far your imagination can take you, and what happens when it turns on you. Wanda was the best. The end. I won’t get into that except for spoilers, but I wanted to kick several characters and her arc was so frustrating to me. Foxglove and Hazel I wish had been a bit more developed. But in the end they and their arc works. And of course Thessaly is a mess and you got to love her daring to stand toe to toe not only with the Moon, but also with Dream in this one.
Dream is here and you honestly would need to read Overture in order to understand some of the characters brought up in this one. And I had not at this point so I was a bit lost, quickly course corrected when I finished that one last night.
We get to see Death (still a favorite).
The writing was very good. This special edition had introductions by Orlando Jones (his writing was so good) and I skipped over the other one because I hate to be spoiled by what is coming. The flow was very good in this one.
The illustrations were great, though some were a bit gory (the skin/face thing, no thank you).
The ending was heart breaking and you are left wondering what is next for Barbie.
I promptly went out and bought the next 5 books in the series and then bought Overture (book #0) in the series since I just don’t want this to end. One fun thing was at the bookstore I ended up having to go to the help desk because I could not find volume 6. So the next thing I know like 3 people are trying to find the book. One of the employees (a young Black man) ran to the back where it said volume 6 was (no idea why it wasn’t on the shelves). And then when he came back the other two employees were like isn’t that a great series! I love it! And the young man who went to the back asked could I tell him about the graphic novel and why I loved it and then I just geeked out all over the place about how The Sandman volumes deal with so many subjects, the art is great, but it also plays with Biblical, Greek, Egyptian, Norse, myths and just draws you in. And I said how I wanted to finish up the series before the new Amazon series starring The Sandman comes out. He had no idea that Gaiman was the same guy who wrote American Gods, Coraline, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. So, maybe swayed someone else to pick up these great graphic novels.